Samba De Amigois the direct ancestor of not one, buttwoof gaming’s latest controller crazes; musical instrument simulators and motion sensitive controllers. Back in the dying days of the Sega Dreamcast, beforeGuitar Heroor the Wii Remote were anywhere to be seen,Samba De Amigofeatured maraca shaped controllers that could feel it when you shook them. Keep in mind, this was back in the year two thousand, when we all were so happy that the world didn’t end after the release of the Y2K virus that everything seemed wonderful and amazing, even maraca shaped joysticks.
Like so many Dreamcast games,Samba De Amigoquickly carved out its own cult following, but failed to gain much mainstream success. Not only was the game on a console that was already on its way out, but it cost over seventy bucks due to those pricey maraca controllers. NowSamba De Amigois back, this time on the Wii, for nearly half the price it cost on the Dreamcast.
Is the game the mind-blowing, Latin/Japanese joy-bomb it promises to be, or does it just blow? Hit the jump for the full review.
Samba de Amigo(Wii)Developed by Gearbox SoftwarePublished by SegaOriginally released on September 23rd, 2008
Despite being a big Dreamcast supporter, I never got to play the originalSamba de Amigo. By the time it was released, I had used my entire Dreamcast budget onSeaman, and really couldn’t afford another expensive, gimmicky game in my life. Despite this flagrant disregard for the game’s initial release, I’ve always had an affection forSamba de Amigoand Samba, the game’saptly named mascot. There is just something fantastic about a videogame monkey who is so friendly looking that he actually comes off as sinister. Samba is the Chucky of the videogame world, and for that, I’ll always be rooting for him. It’s with that in mind that I first started in onSamba de Amigo, with the thought that it would really be a damn shame (but sadly quite typical of modern day Sega) for characters this well designed to be wasted on a game that’s not fun to play.
Sega-phobia was just the tip of the iceberg of trepidation I had towards this title. My real fear was thatSamba de Amigowould be another mindless waggle-fest in the style of EA’sBoogie, a game I found utterly disappointing. I’m happy to report thatSamba de Amigohasnothing in common with that non-game, and it’s all the better for it.
Being a maraca simulator,Samba de Amigodoes involve some rattling and shaking of the Wii-remotes, but the real task at hand here is precision arm placement. Just aDance Dance Revolutionis like videogame Twister to a beat,Samba De Amigofeels likesemaphore codeto pop music. The game’s objective is to get your arms in the air, put them in the right place, and then shake the Wii-remotes in alignment with on-screen cues, which are always easy to spot despite the non-stop chaos going on elsewhere on screen.
Shaking the Wii-remotes on timeisa big part of this game, but that bit almost feels like an afterthought. Winning or losing in the game is mostly decided by your ability to get your arms in exactly the right place at the right time, and its not as easy as it looks.
Where the original game’s controllers could sense where your arms are positioned via some sort of mysterious space magic, this Wii port relies on reading the angle of the Wii-remotes in order to detect their position. Point them to sky and the game knows that you’re holding your arms in the air, point them towards the ground and the game knows that your arms are down, and point them at the TV and the game knows their out in front of you. It’s a good control system, in theory anyway. In practice, it’s a tad bit busted. Not broken mind you, but far from perfect.
The main problem with the game’s controls is that the act of shaking the Wii-remotes inherently alters the angle that you’re holding them. Due to this design flaw, there are times when the game gets confused as to what angle your holding the controller at mid-shake, and that can screw up your entire game. Staying extremely controlled in your shakes and arm placement, as well as carefully calibrating the controls before you start, will lead to a marked reduction of these flawed moments, but they’ll never truly go away. It’s like the rhythm game equivalent of a bad camera in a 3D game platformer. It’s a nuisance, it can cause you to die unfairly, but can be dealt with if you’re patient.
The patience is will be well worth it if you love the genre of excer-gaming. Like I was saying,Samba de Amigohas more in common withDDRthan anything else, includingGuitar HeroorWii Music. After an hour a day of playing this game for a week, my arms definitely got sore. PlayingSamba de AmigoandDDRat the simultaneously would likely be the greatest calorie burning game of all time, though I have no idea how anyone’s mind could possibly handle all that stimulation at once.
Besides the non-stop fiesta that is the game’s visuals, the game’s main source of stimulation is it’s excellent soundtrack, which covers artists ranging from the Harry Belefonte to Jennifer Lopez. The covers, by WaveGroup Sound, are pretty well done, and if your like me and you actually hate the way a lot of pop singers emote (I’m looking at you, Rob Thomas), it will actually be nice for you to hear some enthusiastic amateurs sing their songs in their place.
Also worth mentioning is the game’s ample bonus content, with involves unlockable characters, songs, and sounds for your maracas. It’s these last unlockables that are the most entertaining; ranging from the sound of a trumpet, to babies crying, to that of a young man screaming. It’s a plethora of instruments only surpassed in mass by those found inWii Music,which is saying a lot. There are also the downloadable song packs, which cost five hundred Wii points each. This is fantastic for those who’ll never wantSamba de Amigoto end, but will be completely ignored by anyone who feels like forty dollars was already a steep enough price for this game (which will likely be most of you.)
All around,Samba deAmigo is probably the best “arm dancing” game I’ve played yet (don’t laugh, the Wii has tons of ’em), but unfortunately isn’t billed as such. If you go into this one expecting a music based game, you’ll likely be disappointed. The physicality, lighthearted attitude, and a willingness to make an ass of ones self thatSamba deAmigo requires is likely more appealing to theDDRcrowd than anyone else. If you’re charmed by the game’s characters and have an affinity for angling your arms in different directions, it will be easy for you to enjoySamba de Amigo.The controls take some getting used to, but they are workable. If you already don’t like the look of the game and/or the idea of putting your arms at “ten and two” to the tune ofTubthumping, then there is nothing here for you.
Score: 6.0— Alright(6s may be slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.)
