Samba!
Samba de Amigo is one of my favorite games and, like I’ve written countless times, is one of many examples of the creativity that blossomed during Sega Dreamcast’s brief run. It is an unusual music rhythm game featuring weighted maracas that you shake in time with festive music. A re-make of the game will be coming out for the Nintendo Wii, which at first made me groan because the game is nothing without maracas. However, it has been confirmed that maraca attachments will indeed be released.
Having actual maracas is crucial to the Samba de Amigo experience, and these two videos will show you why.
First, check out this enthusiastic kid showing the right way to play the game (this is the arcade version). This video alone never fails to make me laugh.
Second, watch videogame journalists at a Nintendo media event last year play the upcoming Wii version. See what a big difference the maracas make? (On a side note, the contrast between the two videos is simply hilarious. If you don’t laugh at both videos, then I’m sorry, we don’t have similar taste. These two videos should be my litmus test to judge compatibility.)
I am now feeling bullish on Samba de Amigo Wii. The wireless controllers will certainly eliminate the one problem I had with Samba de Amigo Dreamcast edition: cumbersome wires that detracted ever so slightly from the experience.
