Samba De Amigo
Players: 1-2
Rated E for Everyone : Mild Lyrics

Wow, this is a hard one for me to review.

Remember that awesome game you never bought for the SEGA Dreamcast? No, not Shenmue. No, not Space Channel 5 either. The one with the monkey and the maracas. The fucking best music party game until Rock Band.

I'm talking, of course, about Samba De Amigo. Well, it's back, sort of, for the Wii.

A little background info on why this game was made on the Wii: Maracas are instruments that you waggle to make a noise. The Wii is a console where you waggle the controller to do things (usually resulting in some sort of noise). Sounds like a perfect match, right? Well, yes if you've never played the Dreamcast game before (especially with the maraca controller, y'know, the ones you didn't buy)...

The Dreamcast classic had you shaking maracas at different heights to a rhythm (usually of Latin flavor). The heights were high, medium, and low. Very simple. It was a formula that worked. Certainly the Wii can handle that? Well, I guess not. It would seem that rather than sensing how high you're holding your Wiimotes, it senses what directions you're tilting them. This will make the game nearly unplayable to those used to the height formula.

More on this stupid tilting nonsense. It's unintuitive. The only way I was able to play the game was through personal trial and error. Not the training mode. Not the manual. Not other reviews. My own tests to see what worked. Sadly, the way the controls work, even the most seasoned veterans of the masturbatorial arts will have sore wrists.

Aside from that core gameplay element the game is nearly unchanged. Well, except for this stupid "DANCE" thing they have you do which involves flailing the Wiimote around like a douche. The "POSE" commands are fine, and they're just like the original Samba, but why the fuck would you add the "DANCE" command? It ruins one of the best songs in the game too. "Take on Me" by Reel Big Fish is almost nothing but this nonsensical flailing, making the song near unplayable. Whoever thought "DANCE" was a good gameplay decision needs to be publicly executed.

The song list is good. If you don't like it, why the hell would you buy a Samba game? Also, maraca sound effects are nice. You can turn them off if you'd like, but then it feels lame. The sounds will come from your Wiimote speakers, and the Wiimote even has a rumble that kinda feels like a maraca should (to the novice maraca shaker at least). Also, they give you a few control options. A Wiimote+Nunchuk combo, which I never used, 'cause it's for poor people and people who don't want to play the game right, or a Double Wiimote setup. The Double Wiimote setup is the only way to go. If you use the other setup, you're DOING IT WRONG.

Graphics are nice. One of the best looking Wii games in my opinion. Very bright and happy. Brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. Also, y'know how every race tends to stereotype others? I can't help but think that the activities and everything in Samba De Amigo is just what Japanese people think about when they think of Mexico...

All in all, it's a passable game, but I'd avoid it if you really loved the Dreamcast original. The multiplayer options add some family or friendly fun, and the challenge mode is a great way to improve your skills.

Graphics : A -- Very bright and happy. Best looking Wii game that I've played.
Sound : A- -- Charming sound effects. Nice soundtrack. They did very well.
Gameplay : D+ -- Would've been a C+ if they didn't have that stupid "DANCE" command. Would've been a B- if I wouldn't've played the Dreamcast version AND they didn't have the stupid "DANCE" command.
Replayability : B- -- The Challenge mode will keep you coming back to test yourself and move to the next level.

Overall : C -- It's cheap, so it might be worth it to you. If you love the Dreamcast version though, this is a dud.

Thanks, I was pretty proud of that one.