Samba De Amigo

Shake that money-maker, Amigo.

Posted 4 years ago By - Zach R.

In a lot of ways, Samba De Amigo is the perfect fit for the Wii. It’s got a bright kid-friendly visual style, complete with cute mascots; it’s got family-friendly fun packed to the gills; and perhaps the most obvious reason is the controllers can duplicate the feel of shaking maracas without necessarily having to purchase any other expensive peripherals. Take into account the recent popularity of rhythm games, plus that of the Wii itself, and it’s not surprising to see why Sega chose now to revive the game that made its first appearance on the Dreamcast console.


Gameplay

There are several modes in which to spend your time in Samba: Career mode, Quickplay mode, some mini-games, and a couple of other Multi and Single Player modes. Before you dive in, the game will ask you to calibrate the Wii remotes by pointing them towards the highlighted target areas, in order to sync your controllers. One cool aspect is that you can use either the standard Wii remote and nunchuk setup, or if you happen to have two remotes, you can use a two remote setup (one in each hand), which allows for a bit more freedom as it’s completely wireless. Unfortunately neither setup is as intuitive as it should be here, especially on the higher difficulties. Motions are often registered late or not at all the higher the difficulty. Considering you live or die in a rhythm game by how accurate your timing is when hitting the targets, this can make the game extremely frustrating and virtually unplayable for all but the most patient and persistent of players. That said, Easy and Normal difficulties are merciful and are easier to recommend for the more casual members of your family.

The controls are simple enough to follow. During a standard game, you simply shake the maracas as the rhythm ball passes over the targets. There are six targets onscreen; two up top, two on the side and two on the bottom, representing which way your remote should be pointing while you shake your money-maker. During normal gameplay, in addition to hitting targets, you’ll be asked to "strike a pose" which is demonstrated by the on-screen avatar, aptly named, Mr. Pose. It’s all simple enough and pretty fun, though as I said before, there are some issues with the game actually registering some of the motions. You can also play the game in Hustle mode, which throws in various dance motions (again demonstrated by Mr. Pose), on top of the normal shake to the rhythm gameplay. The downside to Hustle mode is that it’s almost entirely to easy. Shaking the remotes, regardless of the motion Mr. Pose is telling you to copy, will almost always be registered as correct. While that will make most of the kids who play this game extremely happy, some of the adults looking for more of a challenge may be disappointed.


Career mode takes the place of the Dreamcast versions Challenge mode, and is easily the most underwhelming feature in the game. In each level, you’re given a list of songs, and progress through the level by clearing every song with at least a C average. In essence this mode doesn’t really feel like a necessary addition to the game, but merely seems tacked on in response to the career modes offered in the other rhythm games out there. Other than unlocking some content there’s not enough here to really keep anyone interested for long. It’s regrettable that they didn’t do more here, but the rest of the content offered more than makes up for it.

The rest of the modes are all taken right from the Dreamcast version of the game, and play more or less exactly the same as they did on Sega’s console. You can opt to play through most of these modes in single or multiplayer modes, but you’ll most likely get the most enjoyment out of it in multiplayer. Love Love mode puts you with a partner and matches your compatibility with that person based on the number of notes you hit in unison with each other. It’s a simple but cute mode that’s great to play with a significant other. Just don’t put too much stock into the results. There’s also a Battle mode in the game, which involves two players competing to hit the highest number of combos in the shortest amount of time in order to throw a bomb at your opponent. The more accurate you are, the quicker your bomb meter will fill up. The game is over when one players life guage is depleted. All these modes can be played alone, but are much better with a live opponent. Especially if everyone lets their hair down and just has fun with it.

There are also some minigames available, such as Guacamole which is essentially just Whack-A-Mole game, and a pinata game which taks you with breaking the pinata first. Some of the games fair better than others, but none really add much value to the title at all. Again, the kids will likely get a kick out of some of the games, and the controls are well implemented, but adults will more than likely wish to stick to the main game.

Graphics and Sound

Visually, Amigo is a feast for the eyes...unfortunately, you’ll be paying attention to timing your maraca shakes right and won’t notice until you watch someone else play. Still, the game is bright and colourful, and has a great art style. The game has updated the visuals from the Dreamcast original and even added in some new themed levels that feature some of Sega’s classic franchises. Characters are vibrant and cute, and the cartoonish nature of Amigo and friends make this game very visually appetizing for kids, though some adults not in touch with their inner child may find it a bit too kiddy in nature.


Obviously being that this is a game that’s based on rhythm the sound quality has got to be just right, and Gearbox nailed it. The songs all sound fantastic. There are 44 available songs and for the first time on the Wii, there’s track packs offered as downloadable content. (So far there’s only one, but more are planned.) There’s a good variety of songs here from Harry Belafonte’s "Jump In The Line" to Reel Big Fish’s version of the A-ha classic "Take On Me", so you’ll likely be able to find more than a few that you enjoy here. Other than the songs, there’s not much else to listen to, although you can unlock some new sound effects for the maracas should you become bored of the shaky shaky sound. It’s nice to see some variety, but chances are that once again, kids will get more out of this than adults.

Value

With a good number of songs, and a few different modes to play around with, this is a great title to pick up for the family. The value is increased by the addition of downloadable content, as well as online leaderboards. However, the inaccuracy of the higher difficulties detracts from the games appeal a bit, and makes it harder to recommend to the more casual buyer out there.

Conclusion

While some may pass this off as a quick and dirty cash-in on the part of Sega, the Wii is natural fit for Samba. Fans of the original game will dig the new content, while newcomers will enjoy the far more casual approach to rhythm gaming. If you can muscle your way past some of the control issues on the higher levels, you’ll find a great family title that’s enjoyable for both the kids and adults, which is rare.

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