Crazy Over Samba De Amigo

TOKYO – The Dreamcast version of Samba De Amigo was on display at the Tokyo Game Show and the game attracted large crowds. Virtually a carbon copy of the NAOMI original, we think Samba De Amigo should prove popular with Dreamcast owners in Japan when it releases on April 27.

Chris Johnston's impressions:

It's no secret that I love the music games, and Samba De Amigo is no different. This has turned into a must-have DC game for me. The maraca controller is easy to handle and the sensors work beautifully. The mini-games added to the DC version are kinda fun, but only a slight distraction from this game's real attraction. And that's the catchy Samba music that will be in your head for hours after you play. This is one of those games that tosses back to the days when Joe Gamer off the street who has never played a game in his life could pick up the controller (or maracas) and have a blast. As much as I like the complexity of fighting games and RPGs, it's fun to have games this simple, yet addictive making an appearance. Sonic Team seems to be the masters of this type of game. If this one doesn't come to the US, I'll be really disappointed.

James Mielke's impressions:

Sega's ported its maraca shaker from the arcade to the Dreamcast in perfect form (what did you expect? It's running on the Naomi board!), along with a DC set maracas, all on display at the TGS. This slow-burner has commanded a loyal and increasingly large audience with its manic brand of music-mania, appealing to those who are burned out on Konami's Beatmania series. For those of you not familiar with Sonic Team's Samba de Amigo, it is a music-rhythm game in which you try to keep the beat with a pair of maracas that must be held high, medium, and low, as an onscreen guide dictates. Sega of Japan will release Samba for the Dreamcast this spring in Japan, with a pair of custom-made DC controllers available for a premium price. Local music-game freak Jeff Gerstmann is already addicted to Samba de Amigo. Sonic Team appears to us to be on a roll and we think the trend will most likely continue with Sonic Adventure 2. More on Samba's DC-exclusive features as we learn of them.