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Samba de Cameo
Times are hard at Casa de Sonic. Rumors persist that the down-and-out Erinaceinaean will grab any work he can in his desperate bid to scrape together enough gold rings for his next rent payment, and here is the damning proof, reader: a snatched shot of the impoverished blue one in forthcoming shakefest Samba de Amigo. This will be Sonic's fourth bit-part role in a Wii game, following his appearances in Smash Bros. Brawl, Sega Superstars Tennis, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (where his name was humiliatingly placed after that of his old foe).The Official Nintendo Magazine site says that Sonic is just "one of many" Sega stars who will appear in Samba, and that the game will contain Sega-themed stages (as evidenced by the shot above), much like Sega Superstars Tennis.A spokesperson for Sonic was not available for comment.
Sega confirms Samba de Amigo getting DLC
Sega has confirmed earlier rumors that its upcoming Wii-vival of Samba de Amigo will support downloadable content. That's the good news. However, with the first pack of three songs scheduled to debut alongside the game's launch on September 23, the announcement feels less like a gift and more a reason for Sega to dip its hands in our back pocket by charging for content that should already be on the disc.While no pricing model has yet been announced, the first set of downloads will include 80's radio chant, I Want Candy, from Bow Wow Wow; Jet's Are You Going To Be My Girl?; and Lou Bega's Mambo Mambo, with future tracks expected to be made available "on a regular basis." We hope not too regular, unless a little thing called storage is sorted out first. Perhaps we should be diving into couch cushions, looking for SD cards instead of loose change.[Via press release]
E308: Samba de Amigo's DLC revealed
Here's what we know: there will be DLC for the revamped Wii Samba de Amigo, and as of right now, we know what the first downloadable pack will be:"I Want Candy" -- Bow Wow Wow"Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" -- Jet"Mambo Mambo" -- Lou BegaHere's what we don't know: what it will cost. But this first download pack is supposed to be available when the game launches.%Gallery-20601%[Via press release]
E308: Sega confirms some kind of DLC for Samba
Sega sent out a press release announcing their upcoming releases, hiding a bit of news among the tentative release dates. In the blurb about Gearbox's new version of Samba de Amigo, Sega confirmed the existence of "over 40 songs and additional downloadable tunes." Will they cost money? Probably! Given the choice between getting money and not getting money, even Sega probably knows what to choose. In other lovely Sega news, Madworld, Atsushi Inaba's black-and-white hyper-action game, is hitting the U.S. next March. Really, whenever Sega and Platinum Games decide to get that out, we'll be -- if not ready (because who could be ready for such awesomeness?), at least saved up. %Gallery-20601%%Gallery-22964%[Via press release]
Samba de Official Website
An official website for Samba de Amigo has sprouted, full of soothing, subtle shades of lilac and sky blue, and accompanied by a gentle classical soundtrack.Oh wait, no, we got that wrong: said website is actually THE LOUDEST THING EVER. That's fine though, because this is Samba de Amigo, and as such any official website needed to be obnoxiously loud and bright, the visual equivalent of having Ricky Martin blasted into your eardrums through a loud hailer from within two inches. If you value your hearing whatsoever, you'll lower the sound on your computer before visiting, and keep the Tylenol nearby.Once there, you'll find a selection of screens, the same goofy trailer that we posted a while back, and some downloadable wallpapers. No sign of the maraca add-ons, yet -- but it's nice to know that they definitely exist.%Gallery-20601%
Leaked box art shows maraca attachments for Samba de Amigo
Here at Joystiq, we've been pretty consistent in our hatred of useless plastic attachments for the Wii Remote. We might have to break our streak, though, as we're uncharacteristically excited about the maraca attachments that were recently shown as part of the leaked box art for the Wii version of Samba de Amigo. There's just something about the weight and sound of those vibrating plastic beads that helped make the maraca shaking on the Dreamcast a transcendent experience, and one we're glad we'll now be able to relive on the Wii. We're not changing our minds on the Wii Wheel, though. We have to keep our hater-rating up somehow ...
O RLY? Sega confirms maracas for Samba de Amigo
Samba de Amigo without maracas isn't quite pointless -- a sombrero-wearing monkey shaking percussion to Chumbawamba could never be pointless -- but we imagine it's less fun than it should be. That's why we were entirely unsurprised to see the adjacent boxart, complete with maracas, appear on the site of a British retailer recently. In a fairly appalling/hilarious attempt to cover up the leak, the packaging was later removed from view, but now Sega has confirmed to Gamekyo what we all kind of knew anyway: that the game will be sold with two "maracas" when the title arrives in the States this September. Something tells us that they might just look like those on the right.%Gallery-20601%
Wii Warm Up: ... if dreams could come true
The big news over at DS Fanboy got us thinking about how Sega has been using the Wii to unleash updated Dreamcast titles on us. Titles such as Samba de Amigo and House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. Since the DS got the Cadillac of dream remakes/updates (we're still not sure yet), we were wondering what dream title, from the most dreamy of past consoles, would you want to see remade for Wii? Virtua Cop? We call dibs. Jet Grind Radio? Nice choice. Shenmue, right?
Boogie down with Samba de Amigo
The above off-screen video may not be of the highest quality, but you do get a taste of the multiplayer action to come. See, blog Blue Hero Gaming recently got their hands on Samba de Amigo (where's the Wii Fanboy love, Sega?) and decided to write their experience with the title. When combined with the video, it's quite the nice little package. So, who's pumped for Samba de Amigo?%Gallery-20601%[Via Go Nintendo]
Rumor: 'Not final' box totally gives away Samba maracas
"Not Final Packaging." Yeah. Sure. Whatever, Sega.We've always believed that the Wii version of Samba de Amigo would be lacking without a maraca peripheral of some description, and it appears we're not alone: Sega itself has already hinted (warning: prepare your retinas before hitting that link) that it was looking into the situation, and now this box has appeared on the site of UK retailer HMV.Because we're pros, we're going to label this as "rumor" until Sega removes that unnecessary disclaimer. But let's be honest: if you seriously believe some art dude wasted his time randomly designing a bigger-than-usual box with fictional maracas on the front, you probably believe that the Komodo dragon lays its eggs in November. In other words, you'd be a gullible idiot.%Gallery-20601%[Thanks, Bryan!]
Samba de Amigo trailer is very nice, so full of spice
This Samba de Amigo trailer might not show any gameplay, but it still ignites the burning desire we have in our bellies for this Dreamcast redux. Fun music, crazy characters, bright colors -- that's what Samba de Amigo is all about. Now, as long as the Wii version can nail the gameplay, we'll have something very near and dear to our hearts. We doubt there's a happier game worth stomaching.Note: Sorry friends in the U.K. and Canada, but MTV's video player hates you.
Samba de Amigo gets patently nutty trailer
As much as we love our friends at MTV Multiplayer, we'd like to request that they not get exclusive trailers anymore. Why? Well, like all MTV videos, the above Samba de Amigo trailer isn't viewable in the UK or Canada. Maybe we're just naive, but we think seeing crazy trailers for Wii games is an inalienable right (like hugs) and we don't think anyone's day should be be without some nutty, PaRappa-the-Rapper-goes-South-of-the-Border action ... even if they are Canadian.We'd love to paint a word picture for our Brit friends, but honestly, there are no words in English that can accurately reflect how rad it is watching a monkey play maracas. ... Hey, don't blame us, it's your language.
Nintendo Channel videos this week are alive with the sound of music games
The Nintendo Channel has received its weekly infusion of new videos. Sure, the weekly updates usually feature more videos than this, and the Samba de Amigo trailer is actually one we've already seen, but there's interesting new stuff contained within. Especially if you want to see what Block Breaker Deluxe looks like without having to buy the thing. Aside from the WiiWare videos, this week's update is entirely musical. The aforementioned Samba de Amigo trailer is still enjoyable, and two other trailers focus on upcoming Guitar Hero games: the new DS iteration and the Aerosmith version. Developer's Voice - Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS) Block Breaker Deluxe Gameplay Trailer Cocoto Fishing Master Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Samba de Amigo
PAL Samba de Amigo missing out on pay-to-play content?
Monkeys. Sombreros. Maracas. Banjo-playing cheetahs. Everything about Samba de Amigo says: epic, joyful win. We'll tell you what isn't so worthy of celebration, though: PAL regions getting robbed of the pay-to-play content that will supposedly come with the North American version of the game. Go Nintendo user Ausgamer noticed that the PAL boxart was lacking one key detail that its U.S. counterpart had: that orange Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay-to-Play logo in the top-left corner.Obviously, we don't even know what the pay-to-play content is yet, so we'll hold off criticizing Sega for now. But let this much be said: if Europe and Australia do miss out on downloadable tracks, Sega better be ready to absorb the full impact of our internet petition.%Gallery-20601%
Start your morning on a high note: Samba de Amigo trailer
Samba de Amigo is one of those things that will always inspire happiness. Even if you're not a huge Sega fan, the bouncy music, bright colors and manic monkeys will probably make you smile. And if you are all about Sega, few things represent everything great about the Dreamcast era like a game about a maraca-shaking monkey. While we may have criticized the new version recently for overdoing the onscreen clutter, we can't deny that this trailer made our morning a lot better. It's just joyful.It even works on paid professionals. You think that's acting? No, that chimpanzee is totally feeling it.%Gallery-20601%
Headache de Amigo: busy screenshots, possible maracas
We aren't sure if we've got our Dreamcast Goggles on or if we're remembering accurately, but while Samba de Amigo was always colorful and festive, we don't remember it being so headache-inducingly busy. Do not look directly into the new screenshots in our gallery-- we suggest a pinhole projector. Don't get us wrong: it's still Samba, and it's still yay, but we honestly didn't think that the Wii could produce so much brightly-colored clutter on one screen.Speaking of brightly-colored clutter, a Sega rep told Kotaku that they are looking into maraca attachments for the Wiimote, to enable accurate rattling. They've gone so far as to contact potential manufacturers. We hope it works out; what's Samba without loud controllers? A cover for the Nunchuk seems like it would be pretty awkward, however.%Gallery-20601%
Rumor: Samba de Amigo for Wii getting downloadables
Since revealing intentions to charge money for some measure of online content in February, Nintendo has kept its future plans for our wallets quietly under wraps. However, new box art found on GameStop's online store seems to indicate that Sega's upcoming maraca-deficient revival of office favorite Samba De Amigo may have us praying to the microtransaction gods when the game ships for the Wii this August.While nothing has been announced by either Sega or Nintendo, the new box art, uncovered by the sleuths at NeoGAF, carries the red "Pay to Play" program logo first shown at GDC by Nintendo to identify games that carry some sort of online fee. As our our friends at Wii Fanboy theorize, it seems likely that the game could finally introduce downloadable songs to Wii, which if true will just make the Wii versions of Guitar Hero III and Rock Band feel that much more feature bankrupt.[Via Wii Fanboy]
Samba de Amigo features some kind of pay-to-play online content
The boxart for the Wii version of Samba de Amigo has now been revealed in tiny form on Gamestop's site. It is, as far as we know, the first game to feature the new red Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay-to-Play logo, which was first shown at GDC this year.Either this means that you'll have to pay a subscription fee to play Samba online, or (infinitely more likely) that downloadable songs will be available over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Which, if true, makes the Wii version of Rock Band (with its new lineup of expansion discs!) just that much more insulting. %Gallery-20601%[Via NeoGAF]
Samba de Amigo missing some much-needed shake
Samba de Amigo on the Dreamcast was the most relentlessly cheerful game ever, and the Wii version won't be toning down the exuberance -- just looking at this latest batch of art and screens from Sega's shake-'em-up almost brought light to the recesses of our dark, cynical hearts. But there's something gnawing at us, something that prevents us from getting all giddy over Wii Samba: the controls.Apparently, we're not alone in this respect. A number of the recent "hands-on" articles that have appeared in the wake of the Nintendo Media Summit mention how Gearbox hasn't yet nailed this aspect of the game.We've already discussed Joystiq's experiences (choice quote: "[...] the Remote and Nunchuk just don't feel the same as the original maracas."), and Go Nintendo felt similarly ("Unfortunately, there are still some control quirks. There are times when the Wiimote/Nunchuck will lose your positioning. This didn't happen too often, but it happened enough to make note of it.") Meanwhile, GameSpot's Ricardo Torres was perhaps the most forgiving, claiming that "the control is on its way toward being solid." Call us demanding little so-and-sos all you like, but we want solid! Not "on its way toward being solid."The general feeling seems to be that the title is shaping up well, but that the maracas are sorely missed. If you're reading this, Sega, you know what to do.Read: Joystiq's hands-on impressionsRead: Go Nintendo's hands-on impressionsRead: GameSpot's hands-on impressions%Gallery-20601%[Screenshots via press release]
NMS08: Joystiq hands-on with the future of Wii
Big-brother blog Joystiq's own Zack Stern got a little face time with some of the biggest games of your fanboy future at last week's Nintendo Media Summit, and mostly, the verdict is good, even in some surprising places. We've linked all of the hands-on impressions below, but will offer a quick recap here: Rock Band for Wii is not quite a complete travesty; improvements made to the original Rock Bands are present here, and apparently, there is at least discussion of how to handle the online play/DLC problem, but whether or not that will be managed as a later add-on or reserved for a sequel was not said. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows .... Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the opposite of Rock Band, however, in that it sounds even better than we expected. Zack spent some time in the Wii-specific multiplayer duel mode, and it sounds as though the level of depth (and sheer fun!) to be found there will make Wii owners and Star Wars fans very happy. We're looking forward to it! BOOM BLOX may seem like a simple game, but while we're on the subject of depth, this is another title with a lot to explore and discover, and we know a lot of you are excited about it -- so much so that you'll challenge the bloggers to steel cage matches and all. It's cool. We like to know you care. Samba de Amigo both is and ain't the original. It looks and feels like the Dreamcast game, but Wii remotes just aren't maracas. We did get our wish, though you can use two Wiimotes instead of a Wiimote and a nunchuk if you want, to get your samba on. Wii Fit is fun, with a lot of enjoyable mini-games, but Zack felt they might get repetitive after a while. Then again, what exercise routine doesn't? That's why they call it a routine, amirite? Read: Joystiq hands-on with BOOM BLOX Read: Joystiq hands-on with Rock Band Wii Read: Joystiq hands-on with Samba de Amigo Read: Joystiq hands-on with Star Wars: The Force UnleashedRead: Joystiq hands-on with Wii Fit
