Post-E3 2000: New Space Channel 5 Info

We have new information from IGN Dreamcast on Space Channel 5, and the localization of the title:

Sega showed off an early English version of the title, giving E3 attendees a chance to try out the Simon-says gameplay set atop the stylish futuristic 60s world. The US version of the game is identical to its Japanese version in every way, from the levels to the music to the graphics, but there is one main difference: the game is now in full English.

Sega’s given everyone in the game a complete English voiceover job, and while the names of the voice actors are still under wraps (well, they asked that we not tell you), we’re quite impressed with what we’ve seen so far. Ulala sounds as personable as her Japanese counterpart, and the announcer as she makes her way through the first level is just perfect. There does seem to be a subtle loss of wackiness with the new American voices, but you will, thankfully, find all the characters saying “Chu, chu, chu” instead of “Shoot, shoot, shoot,” just like in the Japanese version.

The game’s localization job looks to be nearly complete. It seems as though Sega just needs to clean up a few of the timing issues, as some of the voice clips take a bit too long, tampering with the timing in a game that’s dependent on beat. This was a problem in the Japanese final, although it wasn’t so dramatic, and we hope Sega will be able to clean the game up even beyond its Japanese counterpart, and give us the perfect rhythm game.