Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash! Reviews
This is an authentic Space Channel 5 experience. The wacky situations, the charming dialogue, the classy dance moves, the signature sounds of the classic 1966 jazz anthem “Mexican Flyer”—it’s all here, and it’s as timeless an aesthetic as it was 20 years ago.
I struggle to recommend SC5VR to anybody who owns PlayStation VR. The worst part is that the game's solid core gameplay is a clear sign that its dev team could have made an excellent and unique VR rhythm game instead of rushing this scant disappointment out for [money]
Space Channel 5's dancing aliens and high camp work well in VR, but with only around half an hour of gameplay this represents astoundingly poor value for money.
I mean there really isn’t much to say about Space Channel 5 VR other than there is not enough game here for the price they are asking, and more salt is poured into the wound because what is here is a lot of fun.
Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! is an absolute delight—for the entire 27 minutes of its play time. While the music, swirling lights, and dancing are all accessible and fun, the price for this game is incredibly out of proportion to what you get for your money. Wait for an extreme sale, and then have a blast with this wildly entertaining game.
Space Channel 5 VR brings a new way to play this license from the Sega Dreamcast : motion recognition. Unfortunately, the story mode is too short. The game is however funny but its replayability is almost zero and is far from paying tribute to the cult game of the late 90s.
Review in French | Read full review
Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! is an ode to its Dreamcast roots. While it is as short as the original, it translates perfectly to the PSVR. The game's got style, and it's great to see the shiny world of Ulala come to life once again. If only it was priced a little more reasonably.
Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! presents an opportunity to inhabit 1999's idyllic vision of 1960's culture through 2020's virtual reality. Delivering this extremely specific hallucinatory novelty required an alarming price tag and the notice of a brisk runtime. Space Channel 5 remains a lustrous expression of the Dreamcast's ethos, and a chance to actively embrace it merits attention and applause. Space Channel 5 VR is a brief, beautiful celebration of a bygone era.
Having Ulala back is a welcome return and, Space Channel 5 VR manages to capture the world perfectly, and tug at all the correct nostalgia related heartstrings. It would be great to get lost in the cosy bosom of that feeling... if there was just more to offer. The promise of new characters, songs, and DLC, should rectify some of these issues, but with the already high price tag it's hard to imagine anyone outside the already committed fanbase to take a punt. As nice as it is to see a return to the news desk, hold out for a possible GOTY edition.
The game is fun to play, there just isn’t enough of it
A delightful albeit brief return for Ulala in VR, which while hardly game-changing for the tech, brings back the simple joy of dance for space cats everywhere.
There isn’t much I can recommend within SC5. The few positives were all brought from twenty years ago and haven’t been improved upon. There was a lot that could’ve been done, but it seems like a cash grab on the franchise instead of a passion project from lifelong fans. If you were fans of the previous entries, by all means go for it, but I would not make this a jumping in point for any newcomers.
There’s a lot to like about SC5VR, but it’s definitely geared toward fans of the series. Newcomers to VR will find an easy rhythm game with a low barrier of entry and style oozing from every pore, but rhythm players wanting a challenge may need to look elsewhere. Still, if you have access to a VR system, I suggest at least giving Kinda Funky News Flash! a gander. It’s is available for PlayStation VR for $39.99 USD. The game requires the PlayStation Camera and two Move controllers. Grounding eventually plans to release versions for the HTC Vive, SteamVR, and oculus quest.
Overall I certainly enjoyed this game. It was full of personality and it was a nice change to be making dance poses instead of attacking or defending like in some other popular VR rhythm games. I did feel like it was too short on content for the relatively high price and it might be better served on a VR system with better tracking, but it was fun and it’d be great to implement into someone’s VR exercise routine with the 100-stage mode.
Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash makes a good first impression with its nostalgic visuals, funky tunes, and easy to pick up gameplay. It’s just a shame that once you’ve wrapped up its five-minute intro chapter, you’ve already seen a quarter of what it has to offer. With a story that almost any player should be able to finish in less than a half-hour and a dull smattering of throwaway extra modes, I’d have trouble recommending the game to even the most die-hard fans of the series.
Has a lot of styles that lives up to the series name; however, its lack of content prevents the game from living up to its true potential as a great VR rhythm game.
While it may not be a long experience, with a story lasting roughly a half an hour, Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! is still a groovin’ good time. The music and dancing is addictive fun, and it really challenges players to keep track of the rhythm. As far as VR games go, it’s one of the better games I’ve played, working well in both concept and function.
Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! was much more hands-on and immersive than I originally thought it would be. Although I know I must have looked very stupid in real life, in the virtual world I was a superstar diva, dancing my heart out to save the human race from literally dancing their hearts out… Once the campaign is over – which will be rather fast – you still have the 100-stages to dance through daily in order to prolong the gameplay. Although I really enjoyed my time playing the game, thanks to the cheesy music and lyrics, bright colours, funky characters, and groovy dance moves, I honestly can’t justify the price for the amount of content provided.