Space Channel 5

Space Channel 5 is a music video game in which players take on the role of Ulala, a reporter working for the titular news channel in a 1960s-styled science fiction future filled with competing news channels. When an alien race called the Morolians begin attacking, Ulala simultaneously reports on the events, fights off the threat, and clashes with rival reporters. The invasion is revealed to have been staged by Space Channel 5 boss Chief Blank to drive up ratings for the channel. With help from fellow reporters and support from her fans, Ulala defeats Blank.

Players control Ulala through four stages; real-time polygonal character models and visual effects move in sync to pre-rendered MPEG movies which form the level backgrounds. Gameplay primarily has Ulala mimicking the movements and vocalisations of her opponents (compared by journalists to the game Simon Says). Actions are performed in time to music tracks playing in each section of a stage. There are six buttons that match actions on-screen; the directional pad buttons, and two action buttons (A and B on Dreamcast and Game Boy Advance (GBA), Cross and Circle on PlayStation 2) which are presented with the vocalization "chu".

The concept for Space Channel 5 originated when Tetsuya Mizuguchi—then known for his work on racing games—was contacted by Sega to develop a game for the Dreamcast aimed at a female casual gaming demographic. Mizuguchi had no knowledge of such a demographic, so he personally interviewed several young girls to find their tastes in gaming. He discovered that, while male gamers trended towards games that allowed for ranking and high scores, women preferred straight puzzle games. Mizuguchi decided to create a game which would bring together both video game and music fans, using his personal experience with nightclub disco and music events such as Street Parade.

He also drew inspiration from the art of Wassily Kandinsky, wanting to encourage a form of synesthesia within players. Other sources of inspiration were the music of the 1950s and 60s, and the music videos of Peter Gabriel and Michael Jackson that were showing on MTV during the 80s. This concept originated in 1993, with full production beginning in 1998 following extensive internal planning and approval by Sega senior staff.

Upon its debut in Japan, the game met with low sales. During its first week, it sold through just over 44% of its stock with over 41,000 units. It eventually sold over 93,600 units in Japan, being among the region's top 40 best-selling Dreamcast titles. At a 2002 conference, the game was declared a success by its staff, finding a wide audience among both hardcore and casual gamers. In contrast during a 2005 interview, Mizuguchi said that the game was not a commercial success.

According to video game review aggregator GameRankings, the Dreamcast version earned a score of 84% based on 34 reviews. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game a score of 29 points out of 40. Pat Garratt of Computer and Video Games gave the game a perfect score, calling it a unique game and "absolute must for every DC owner". The three reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly lauded the soundtrack and art design, but noted issues with its short length and occasional syncing issues.

A sequel to Space Channel 5 was planned from an early stage, but production was put on hold until Western sales figures came in. The sequel, Space Channel 5: Part 2, was announced in October 2001. It received a simultaneous release on Dreamcast and PS2 in February 2002 in Japan. The PS2 version was released in mainland Europe the following year.

In North America, the game was released as part of Space Channel 5: Special Edition by Agetec. It was the last game produced by United Game Artists prior to Sega's internal restructuring in 2003. Part 2 was later given a high-definition port to Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It was released first as part of the Dreamcast Collection in February 2011, then as a standalone digital release in October of the same year.