Samba, or Samboo?

Way back in 2000, Sega threw everything they could think of at the Dreamcast to lure in punters. Memory cards with screens, online gaming on a console, fishing rods… and in one last-ditch attempt, a crazy maraca-shaking game by the name of Samba De Amigo. Sadly, it wasn't the huge hit they'd hoped – despite being incredibly fun, the public passed it by. Samba was simply too pricy, too niche, and it wasn't on PS2, the console everyone wanted. The mad fools.

Samba Round 2

Eight years on, and Nintendo have made wavey motion controls, party gaming and day-glo colours so de rigeur, that Sega have given Samba another shake. Developed by FPS specialists Gearbox, Samba De Amigo for Wii takes the original game's rhythm based double maraca shaking insanity and applies it to Wiimote and nunchuk. Or two Wii-motes, if you're made of money.

Controls gripped firmly in each hand, you first calibrate your controls, then shake them high, medium, or low as orbs travel on musical cue towards large coloured circles. Successive correctly timed shakes result in your multiplier going up, increasing your score and rank. It also sets the background action; a manic mix of carnival calamity involving grinning monkeys, shade-wearing suns, trumpet-playing cacti and more. Do well, and the party atmosphere goes all Grateful Dead, with psychedelic swirls and tye-dye patterns beaming while everyone dances. Perform badly and everything goes gloomy, characters crying and shuffling around dolefully.

Colourful madcap fun

For those who didn't play DC Samba De Amigo, the Wii version will offer colourful madcap novelty fun for up to four players. Sadly, former Dreamcast fans will be a little less easily pleased, because the Wiimote and Nunchuk controls aren't as sensitive as the old-style DC maracas. Everything must be done very precisely and with small increments of movement, and even playing with all the va-va-voom of a Conservative Party Conference might see arm moves register as shakes, and vice versa. Playing with two Wiimotes is slightly better, but flailing as you'd want to the salsa beats will still often result in fail.

It's made slightly worse by the fact that most of Wii Samba De Amigo's unlockable tracks are hidden in Hard and Super Hard mode, because it's here that missing beats proves most costly – and thus, here that using the Nunchuk in particular might frustrate.

Lovin' La Vida Samba

Still, Samba De Amigo is at heart a multiplayer title, and here things pick up greatly. Get some friends round, play on the lower difficulties in particular and don't get too worked up about a perfect score, and it's easy to forgive the trickiness when everyone is giggling and swaying to the samba beat. It's good family fun, fronted by a grinning sombrero-wearing monkey and featuring saucy salsa'd-up tracks like Livin La Vida Loca, Carlos Santana's Smooth and of course, signature song Samba De Janeiro. What's not to love?

A proper music game in the vein of Guitar Hero this isn't it, but Samba De Amigo deserves to bring a little sunshine to British households over the winter months. It's not on par with the Dreamcast original, but it's still well worth a shout on Wii as an unusual curiosity with a cool carnival-feel.

GAME's Verdict

• Great music gets everyone in the carnival mood.
• Bright visuals really set the tone.
• Good solid party fun featuring a saucy soundtrack and a sombrero-wearing monkey. Nice.

• Awkward, imprecise controls that won't please fans of the DC original.
• Too tricky too unlock tunes… due to controls.
• Did we mention the controls?

Review by: Ian 'Samba De' MacDougall
Version Tested: Wii
Review Published: 03.10.08