Space Channel 5

aka: Space Channel 5: Ulala's Cosmic Attack
Moby ID: 5764
Dreamcast Specs
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Description official descriptions

Hey there, Space Cats! Some pesky little aliens called Morolians are trying to take over Earth, and they're forcing the population to dance endlessly! Space Channel 5, the planet's news channel, has sent the grooviest reporter they have, Ulala, out to cover the latest happenings, but those little Morolians also have to be taught a lesson! So it's now up to Ulala to dance and groove with the aliens to beat them at their own game and free the population of Earth! Get dancin', Space Cats, 'cuz we're gonna give those aliens a little taste of their own groove!

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Credits (Dreamcast version)

139 People (129 developers, 10 thanks) · View all

Voices
Choreographers
Music
Director
Story
Game Design Director
Game Design Supervisor
Game Design Unit
Programming Director
Space Programmers
Art Director
Character & Background Design
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 78% (based on 46 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 74 ratings with 1 reviews)

An Effective Port Of The Dreamcast Classic.

The Good
With the Game Boy Advance version of Space Channel 5, the programmers were somehow able to fit the entire game into a small cart. It still retains the timing, the moves, the cut scenes (albeit most are not animated), a lot of the voice, and Ulala's personality. All of that, and "Space Michael" as well. The animation is solid, the music, though diminished for the system (better on Gamecube's Game Boy Advance Player), is still effective and catchy, and it remains as fun and full of personality now as it did back in 2000. It also retains all of the weird character bios and a save feature.

The Bad
The original game had some weird timing issues, and this is no different. Moves that players would SWEAR they made are sometimes counted as misses, moreso in the later levels. Because of the Game Boy Advance's tiny speakers, it's often hard to hear the "chus" and directions unless headphones or the GBA player is used.

The Bottom Line
Space Channel 5 was a brilliant Dreamcast game that never truly got the recognition that it deserved due to the phasing out of the console. However, Ulala's personality and dance moves, coupled with the quirky music and gameplay, did garner enough of a fan following, and positive marks from the magazine reviewers. If fans of Space Channel 5 had ever wanted to take the game on the go, this is the perfect opportunity to finally do so. The game retains all the scenes, moves and attitude of the original game, though diminished music and animation (yet still surprisingly effective) does show the hardware limitations.

Game Boy Advance · by Guy Chapman (1748) · 2004

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Dreamcast version of Space Channel 5 appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Lawsuit

Lady Miss Kier Kirby of the former pop/funk group Deee-Lite unsuccessfully tried to sue Sega regarding the character of Ulala.

According to her claim, Sega approached her, and offered her $16,000 to license her name, image and music for the game, but she rejected their offer. She later found out that Sega went ahead and made the game anyway, with the lead character Ulala bearing a strong resemblance to her.

She ultimately lost the suit and a later appeal. Lady Miss Kier was then liable to pay Sega's legal fees of $608,000 (reduced from the $763,000 requested).

Michael Jackson

Towards the end of the game, Ulala encounters a character named Space Michael, who is actually (and obviously) none other than Michael Jackson. And speaking of Jacko, he also teamed with Sega in the early 90s to produce a Sega Genesis game called Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, based on a very obscure movie he wrote and starred in. Maybe that old relationship with Sega is what got him slipped in with Ulala and her crew in SC5.

Playstation 2 version

The Playstation 2 version featured less compressed FMV footage and less vibrant colors then that of the original Dreamcast version.

Information also contributed by Guy Chapman and shifter

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  • MobyGames ID: 5764
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Satoshi Kunsai.

PlayStation 2 added by shifter. Game Boy Advance added by Joshua J. Slone.

Additional contributors: Joshua J. Slone, Alaka, FatherJack.

Game added February 6, 2002. Last modified January 19, 2024.