So I grabbed the *Sega Dreamcast Collection* on Steam, it was super cheap so I thought "why not?" Though I really don't feel like playing Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, especially since I only have a keyboard and no controller.

Luckily, the collection had one hidden gem:

Space Channel 5: Part 2

• Windows/Wine

Link to image

I absolutely *love this game!*

Music is 10/10

Story is 10/10

Style is 10/10

Gameplay is, well, pretty basic, this is a pretty barebones rhythm game.

But everything else about it is just so goddamn entertaining. The story mode is 2 hours of non-stop good music, and the kind of over-the-top Japanese storytelling which I adore. Think of Katamari but 10x more energetic. Or maybe think of Gurren Lagann (though I've never actually watched it...)

I've seen some reviews which complained that the game is too hard. I personally didn't have any problems. *This game does not care about precision, so you don't need to have perfect rhythm, but you do need a decent short-term memory to just memorize the patterns.* The story mode gives you enough room to make mistakes without having to restart, it's kinda forgiving. I've only had trouble with the last two levels.

Of course, actually 100%-ing everything is very tricky, so far I've managed to get a perfect run on the first level, and also got 100% in Ulala's Dance game mode.

• I completed the 2 hour story mode, and spent some extra hours on other content. But I'm not retiring the game just yet, I think I might want to 100% this.* I usually don't bother with full completion, but I just love Space Channel 5 so much.

• 9/10*, amazing game but sadly it's showing it's age. There are some annoyances, like mis-translations and missing hints, which prevent you from getting 100% on a level unless you look at a walkthrough. Also, while playing on Linux, I've experienced some stuttering, which then desyncs the audio, and makes the rhythm game unplayable. This could be solved by restarting a level. I don't know if it's the game's fault or if Linux/Proton is being weird, but still, that's another annoying thing to add to the list.