Roll Over, Barbarella, the Dancing Queen Is Here

From TIME Digital: Tune in to a retro funk vibe on Space Channel 5, where Ulala will have you twisting and shouting on your sofa

By CHRIS TAYLOR Wednesday, July 12, 2000
    • Word to Jane Fonda: Sorry, but it looks like Barbarella's reign as ageless queen of swinging 1960s space kitsch is over. Make way for Ulala, the instantly iconic heroine of Space Channel 5 (Sega Dreamcast, $49.99). Barbarella may have had a spacecraft interior covered in orange shag carpet and a wardrobe consisting mostly of plastic see-through numbers, but we never saw her dance a step. Ulala, on the other hand, jives and shimmies with every step she takes in her 10-inch-heel, thigh-high go-go boots and has lines of dialogue like "What's going on? I'm feeling kinda... funky!" No contest, Barb.

    Space Channel 5 is the finest example yet of the burgeoning dance-game genre. If you've ever played Bust-a-Groove or Dance Dance Revolution, this is for you. Heck, if you've ever played Simon Says, this is for you. At root, it's based on short-term-memory skills and the repetition of simple movements in precise rhythmical order. As any parent knows, that can be surprisingly enjoyable even without the outer layers of campy cool.

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