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Sega Dreamcast Reviews Samba de Amigo Surgeon General's Warning: Playing Samba de Amigo may result in the following- epileptic seizures, tendentious, carpal tunnel syndrome, dizziness, loose stools, or involuntary swinging of the hips. Before I begin, I'd like to say kudos to the folks at Sega. They really had balls to bring over a game of this genus to the US of A. America, home of the Big Mac, the scooter craze, and some of the most self-conscious humans on the planet. Who would'a thunk it in their wildest dreams that a game like Samba De Amigo would ever make it across the ocean? Here's one columnist who didn't. Purchasing the game was humiliating enough. As I approached my local Babbages' counter, I ran through all the possible ways I could ask for the game without having to embarrass myself any further. I settled for the good ol' "I'm not sure what the name of the game is, it's something about maracas, I think," as I placed the sweaty wad of cash upon the counter. I grabbed the mammoth, yellow maracas box and jewel CD case, attempting to conceal them underneath my coat, fleeing the mall before I was "found out." Upon returning to my underground lair [ok, my basement…same difference] I tore open the box containing the maracas and shook them to see if they rattled (which they did, much to my satisfaction.) I quickly plugged the maracas into the large mat [strong in resemblance to a miniature Power Pad from the NES days] and plugged the mat into the Dreamcast. Popping in the festively colored GD, I stood up, dusted off my pants, and prepared myself for what would be one of the strangest gaming experiences of my life. After finally reaching the main title screen of the game, I pressed the start button on the maraca to take me to the mode select. After shaking the maracas violently to reach the mode of my desire, I soon realized that I must hold the maracas low, high or somewhere in between in correspondence with their placement on the mode select screen. A quick rundown of the different modes includes: Arcade: Which is exactly what you'd find at the arcade. Original: Plays the same as the arcade version, but also allows you to collect and play the songs you've played in Arcade mode, the songs you've won in Challenge Mode, and songs downloaded from the Internet. The Original mode also allows the gamer to choose was song they'd like to play, regardless of what stage or level of difficulty it's on. Challenge: Different challenges that, if completed, result in you being crowned as the "Maracas King." Party: A mode best played in multiplayer that includes mini-games -- my personal favorites being Strike a Pose and Guacamole (a spin on the bop-a-mole arcade game), battle mode, and couples mode (where the computer determines how compatible you and a friend or you and the computer are for dating or marriage). Training: The name says it all-practice up on your Samba de Amigo "skillz." Internet: You can access the Samba De Amigo homepage from here where you can download songs to update your Samba roster. Choosing arcade mode, I needed to select my height range so that the sensors on the maracas and the mat would be able to detect whether I was holding the maracas high, low, or in the middle as well as what level of difficulty I'd like to play. Selecting easy, I was prompted to choose one of three songs: Cup of Life, Tubthumping, and a Samba De Amigo original song. I chose Cup of Life (but of course!) and the game began. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, Samba De Amigo is your average rhythm/dancing game with a simple twist-rather then simply dancing, you must also shake your maracas in correspondence with the beat of the music. You do this by either shaking your maracas (or pressing your controller) at certain heights and speeds indicated by floating bubbles….attempting to "capture" them into colorful circles on the screen. At certain junctures throughout a song you will be asked to "strike the pose" as indicated by a stick figure on the screen where you must physically duplicate the stick figure's position. After completing a song, you are rated by percentages out of 100 and graded on a scale of A to E….A being the best. Through accuracy and willingness to make a fool of yourself in front of your friends, you will emerge as a Samba De Amigo champion. Although basic in idea, the visuals of Samba De Amigo never fail to impress. From the brightly colored buoyant circles to the strangely hypnotic animations in the background (damn you, Amigo the monkey!) the visuals scream a Latin flavor not seen in any other game before. Your success in keeping the flow of the rhythm in the game will directly affect the mood of the visuals. That is, if you are an absolute Samba master and don't miss a single beat, the visuals will stay cheery and colorful, while the characters in the back continue to dance energetically and vigorously. On the flip side, if you fail to strike every note, the colors will become dark and solemn, with the characters' heads hung low as they drag their feet lethargically. The visuals are intoxicating, maybe too much as focusing on the background characters has occasionally left me with a pounding migraine, screaming out cries of agony. The animations are fast and the colors are festive. Are the visuals "fruity" looking? Yes. Do they suit the game well? Absolutely. Not a fan of Ricky "Too Good for Menudo Now" Martin? After a few rounds of Samba, you'll be livin' la vida loca like there's no tomorrow. Samba De Amigo has, undoubtedly, one of the best soundtracks in gaming history. From La Bamba and Tequila to Reel Big Fish's remix of Aha's "Take on Me," Samba de Amigo is loaded with quality tunes. Even some of the Samba De Amigo original songs are great, blending in well with the rest of the Latin-flavored music. The great soundtrack coupled with the enthusiastic cheers or boos (depending on your performance) allows for a very authentic feel. And with the ability to go online and download even more great songs to add to your collection, Samba's wide array of tunes will make for some wild replay value. The controls: a dispute as historic as Kasumi's breast implants. So not to beat a dead horse, visit last week's article entitled Why Buy the Maracas?, detailing why you should or shouldn't purchase these pricey rattles. Playing with your standard controller really doesn't cut it-and although it still may be fairly enjoyable, the control scheme is simply too frustrating for a smooth maraca shaking experience. If you are lucky [or wealthy] enough to pick up the maracas, I assure you, you won't be disappointed. Despite an occasional (but very rare) sensor mishap, these babies are well worth your money. After finally growing accustomed to the game and feeling fairly confident in my ability, I invited a few friends over for an all-out Samba bash. After showing off my extreme prowess and ability for the game (which resulted in uproarious laughter from my friends,) I let a few of them try their hand at it. Much to their dismay, (and my joy) each one failed miserably in maintaining the beat of Samba De Amigo. Yet with a few more tries, their menacing laughter, directed at me, became something more of envy. The more times they witnessed me fluidly strike the pose, shake my "boo-tay," and sing along, the more they were enticed…tempted to try again. The party had begun and [heh] everyone was invited. That, in a way, is the beauty of Samba. Not only does the single player mode make for some great times, multiplayer is also extraordinary-and with a few practice attempts, even the most self-conscious of your friends will want to join in. All of you who are tight on cash (aren't we all? Look at the Dreamcast lineup!) will also be happy to know that for a fun multiplayer time, a second set of maracas ISN'T necessary. Although you won't be able to have head to head play, it is just as much fun to keep track of percentages, comparing and contrasting. Who knows, maybe you will emerge as Fruit King atop your friends! So there you have it. Although it may be rather expensive, (120 bucks for both game and maracas) the maracas are, in my opinion, vital to enjoy Samba De Amigo, even if it does cost you two more Dreamcast games for the time being. Recent studies conducted by my crack team of scientists (*cough* The D-Spot Staff) show that it is physically impossible to not enjoy Samba De Amigo, no matter how good or bad you may be. And finally, I will end with the wise words of Sir Ricky Martin: Do ya reaaaaally wan'tit? Do ya reallllly wan'tit? The answer should be a resounding yes. Graphics: 9.1/10 Sound: 9.7/10 Gameplay: 9.5/10 Lastability: 9.8/10 Overall: 9.5/10 John Cochran |
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