samba-de-amigo
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Sega All-Stars Avatar items are looking for sales
We may not usually condone the capricious waste of Microsoft Points on Avatar frippery, but we must admit that the Sonic & Sega All-Stars clothing set makes a pretty good argument for the existence of Avatar clothes. And that argument is "here's Ryo Hazuki's jacket." It's available for men and women for 160 ($2). The other available items strike similarly at the heart of Sega nerds, including Beat's sunglasses, a little AiAi-in-Monkey-Ball prop, and a Samba De Amigo sombrero! You can even buy a Crabmeat to decorate your virtual Green Hill Zone (by which we mean your dashboard). See the full set at Xbox Live Marketplace. [Via Sega]
Amazon is Samba de Amigo's friend today
Amazon's Deal of the Day is one of those games we've wanted to try, but felt the investment was too risky: Samba de Amigo. Maybe you experienced similar trepidation: at $30 or even $20, it would be a terrible disappointment if the Wiimote/Nunchuk controls failed to accurately imitate the Dreamcast's maraca controllers. At $10, however, the risk is minimal and the potential reward -- a candy-colored world of super-happy cartoon monkeys and exciting music -- seems worth it. Besides, it is a music game that has Ulala in it, and is therefore by definition better than 90% of the world's music games.%Gallery-20601%
Sega running Samba de Amigo contest
Sega is running a contest for its Dreamcast-turned-Wii port, Samba de Amigo. As you can see above, the winner will receive a pair of the maraca peripherals, as well as a copy of the game, and a special edition iPod nano. Not a bad prize pack, if we may say so, and there is a total of 11 prize packs up for grabs.So what do you have to do to enter? It's rather easy. All you need to do is have someone take a picture of you doing a creative Samba pose. The 11 most creative, as determined by the judges, will be awarded the prize packs. There's also the obligatory fine print, so head on over here to read up on how to get involved. Good luck!%Gallery-20601%
PETA rewards Sega for being amigos to chimps
When PETA saw ads for Samba de Amigo featuring a live chimpanzee, they got a bit outraged (as is their wont). They sent a letter to Sega describing the quite horrible life that goes along with being a Hollywood chimp, including, obviously, separation from family, but also painful training methods and eventual abandonment to even worse conditions. We all like to think that acting chimps retire to slightly downscale, but still opulent, hilltop mansions, but apparently this isn't the case.Sega responded by pulling the ads from their website and pledging never to cast great apes again -- thus helping to ensure a happier future for chimps. Not to mention a more dignified future. PETA then sent them some vegan chocolate. That's not necessary, PETA, Sega already apologized! We're just glad Sega wasn't shooting ads for Super Monkey Ball.%Gallery-20601%[Via Joystiq]
Sega receives vegan, monkey-shaped chocolates from PETA
Look, we don't condone the unethical treatment of any creature forced to endure the repetitive waggling that's characteristic of rushed, rehashed Wiimakes. It's disgusting -- about as disgusting as little vegan chocolates in the shape of monkeys!So when PETA says it's grateful to Sega for pulling the Samba De Amigo promos featuring a real chimp from its site (not that the ads aren't still on YouTube ... and embedded after the break) and sends the publisher a gift basket full of fake chocolates, we have to wonder if the effort isn't more trick than treat. After all, the damage is done. And, according to PETA, soon after defeating the down-and-out, middle-aged-man actor in a flailing contest, this chimpanzee was shipped to the laboratory -- no doubt to live out his tortured days testing the stability of future revisions of Wii wrist straps.In all seriousness, though, kudos to Sega for pledging to keep great apes out of future marketing. Now, if only we could convince the company to be more sensitive to the plight of lycanthropic hedgehogs ...
From disgust to joy: new Samba de Amigo trailers
This Samba de Amigo trailer starts off badly. And by "badly," we mean terribly. For the first 34 seconds, it's just a bunch of bratty kids hamming it up with some of the worst having fun acting we've ever seen. The occasional glimpse of the game and that chimpanzee from an earlier video helps a little, but it's still fairly risible.Then, the trailer totally turns it around, instantly grasping victory from the jaws of defeat. How? Because the chimp, for some unspecified reason, starts breakdancing. Suddenly, this becomes the best videogame trailer of 2008. Hit the jump for a second video featuring the simian handing out a thrashing to (and then planting a kiss on) Dad.Source: Chimp beats puny manSource: Chimp breakdances%Gallery-20601%
Metareview: Samba de Amigo
It was one of the biggest hits on the Dreamcast, and possibly the most joy-filled games ever (it actually made us like Ricky Martin). It has Ulala. It has sombereros. It has a trailer featuring a monkey. By all accounts, we should love Samba de Amigo like our firstborn. Do the gaming press agree? IGN (75%) feels the game is more suited to a casual audience: "In the end, I think this is a really good game for casual gamers. I showed it to some non-gamer friends this weekend and they had a blast just playing on easy. I had to practically rip the remotes out of their hands to get them to stop. But here in the IGN office, fans of the original Samba pick up the remotes, crank up the difficulty, and find the controls to be almost unworkable. This monkey is still a charmer, but his Wii controls need refining." NGamer UK (6/10) is not so keen on the responsiveness of the controls: "That old Samba magic is still there, but the challenge is in beating the controls, not the game. This should have been way better, given the console's strengths." [Nov 2008, p.56] Eurogamer (6/10) also points out the below-par controls, but acknowledges that the game can still be fun: "Apart from the obvious fact that party games have moved on an awful lot since Samba De Amigo first appeared, there's no denying that the control system just doesn't quite translate as well as it might have - and that can only hurt its appeal in the long run. There's still a decent amount of daft fun to be had out of this joyous little game, but it's definitely best sampled in small doses." %Gallery-20601%
Samba maracas are unofficial, which probably means no bundle
Samba de Amigo ships out next week and we're still scrambling over the maracas situation. We once thought that a retailer's mocked-up bundle box was proof that a maracas peripheral would be bundled with the game, but that image was taken down and, in fact, Sega denied that a peripheral would be produced. And then that statement was seemingly excised from the original source. And then actual pictures appeared of some Wii maracas, along with standalone retail listings. It's been a bit confusing.It would appear that you'll be paying an extra $14.99 for the first set of maracas and not the second, because looking at the box, it is quite clear that these Wii maracas are not official Sega products. Gamestop lists them as being produced by Cokem International. That, and the fact that no retailer mentions a bundle (and the fact that Sega said they weren't making any) makes it very likely that you'll get a disc with Samba and nothing else.The good news is that it's basically just a bulb with a Wiimote-shaped slot (and hopefully some rattly stuff inside), and so it doesn't really matter who makes the thing.
Samba de Amigo Wii maracas priced, dated on Amazon
As you could probably deduce from earlier posts concerning ill-conceived pseudo-peripherals for Nintendo's latest home console -- we're not really fans of most Wiimote attachments. We don't need a cheap, plastic tennis racket snapped to the front of our controller to "get our McEnroe on" when playing Wii Tennis. We don't need our Wiimote to look like an ugly sword to carve up baddies in Twilight Princess. However, we suppose the only thing that could counteract our disdain for these shoddy add-ons is our unbridled love of Latin American percussion instruments.We caught a glimpse of the "prototype" Samba de Amigo maracas a couple months ago, but a recent Amazon listing for the attachments shows that the ol' bean shakers have undergone a makeover, taking on a sassy red finish. The date Amazon has listed for the maracas is September 23 for the price of $14.99 -- though considering the title will come bundled with the attachments, you'd only need to pick these up if you wish to share the true Samba experience with a multiplayer pal. Or if you somehow broke yours, we guess. Or if you're Goro.
Latest Samba de Amigo trailer shows Sonic rocking out
A new trailer for Sega's upcoming music title Samba de Amigo has hit the net, showing off such songs as "Mambo #5" and "Hot Hot Hot," as well as "Soul Bossa Nova." For those of you who've caught the whole track list, you're pretty much settled on whether this is a strong track list or one that's lacking. So, what is it? Are you looking forward to this? Are you going to get those maracas, too?%Gallery-20601%
New Samba minigame indirectly reduces worries about Wii controls
Good news, everyone! No matter how it turns out, Samba de Amigo on the Wii won't have the worst controls of any Samba de Amigo game! That honor now goes to the promotional minigame Sega just released. In this scaled-down version of Sonic Team's joyous music game, pairs of keys on the keyboard substitute for maraca motions. It's not really that the controls are bad, but they are a bit confusing if your hand happens to move. And obviously they don't compare with maracas.Unfair comparisons aside, this three-song Flash demo actually illustrates how to play Samba pretty well for new players. Just imagine those three rows of circles as representing heights at which you shake. Samba vets will also be interested in the downloadable wallpapers and such that you're awarded for clearing a level -- and in the first chance to hear the bowdlerized lyrics in the "Mambo no. 5" cover.%Gallery-20601%
Release day DLC and full song list revealed for Samba de Amigo
For those of you interested in upcoming Samba de Amigo for Wii (that would be all of you, we hope), word has dropped regarding what songs will be included in the title. And if the inclusion of Ulala is news to you, you've failed to pay attention.The first pack of downloadable songs will be available on September 23rd and include: Mambo Mambo – Lou Bega I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow Are you Going to Be My Girl – Jet For the rest, head past the break.%Gallery-20601%
Samba De Amigo Wii Maracas get priced and dated
Samba de Amigo is barreling towards the Wii, and we all understand that it'll be a lot less exciting without the Wii Maracas. Thanks to Amazon's quick trigger finger, we now know that Sega's Wiimote accessories will go for $14.99 per pair, and if all goes to plan, they'll be shipping out on September 23rd. Of course, we'd suggest you pocket that and just craft your own wildly colored (and slightly gourd-shaped) Wiimote covers, but we understand not everyone was blessed with those DIY genes.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Samba de Amigo gets dates, DLC and full song list
They just don't make maracas like they used to, eh? Nevertheless, Sega will proceed with the revival of Samba de Amigo, albeit with a pair of fiddle sticks (or just one Wiimote and a tethered Nunchuk, if you prefer), when the game ships to retail September 19 across Europe and September 23 in North America. The new Samba will offer plenty of nostalgic songs, plus a generous helping of fresh tracks, including a wag-a-long to Rihanna's smash hit: Pon de Replay. We've laid out the entire song list for you after the break.Additionally, Samba's first downloadable song pack will be available for purchase on September 23 -- a long-term storage solution is still up in the air. All song packs will include three songs by their original performers. Sega has not confirmed songs for individual purchase nor announced pricing. The first pack will include: Mambo Mambo – Lou Bega I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow Are you Going to Be My Girl – Jet %Gallery-30119%
Amazon dates, prices maraca attachments for Samba de Amigo
It would seem the final maraca attachments for Samba de Amigo on the Wii have been leaked over at Amazon (you can catch an eyeful above, obviously). For those of you who've been following the title, you already caught a glimpse of the earlier version. We guess those were just prototypes. Personally, we dig the red.Amazon has a date on these for September 23rd, along with a price of $14.99, should you need that extra pair for some multiplayer action. Obviously, the game will release in a bundled form for those of you that absolutely need these hunks of plastic with your game.%Gallery-20601%[Thanks, Redd Starrs!]
Wii Warm Up: Samba de Ulala
Certain Sega-friendly elements of the Wii Fanboy blogging staff were super-excited to see Ulala appearing in Samba de Amigo. Of course, we're still beyond freaked out that there is a new Samba de Amigo. For us, the Space Channel 5 star adds a lot of interest to the game. But most people aren't us. Most people have no idea what Space Channel 5 is (judging by the precipitous drop in price of the excellent Space Channel 5 Special Edition on PS2), and may have a passing interest in Samba. You guys, being avid game nerd types, probably average somewhere in the middle: whether or not you care about these games, you're at least familiar.Does the appearance of a classic Dreamcast-era character like Ulala increase your interest in the remake/sequel to a classic Dreamcast rhythm game? Or is Sega all about Sonic for you?%Gallery-20601%
GC 2008: Left! Right! Chu! Chu! Ulala in Samba
Click for more Ulala goodness. A Sonic cameo in Samba de Amigo has long been old news, grandpa, but we've also been promised appearances from other Sega characters and venues. Here are the fruits of those promises: a cameo from the galaxy's funkiest news reporter, Ulala, and a special Space Channel 5 stage. Ulala's presence makes perfect sense really; as the protagonist of Sega's other awesome rhythm extravaganza, her inclusion was surely inevitable. Now all she needs is her own game. You listening, Sega?%Gallery-20601%[Via press release]
Samba DLC shown off, needs more Sega
Sega confirmed the first Samba de Amigo downloadable content last week, a three song pack containing "Mambo Mambo" by Lou Bega, "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow, and Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" Bouncy guitar pop isn't a musical genre we'd normally associate with Samba de Amigo, but "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" looks like great fun in this new trailer.We'll tell you what this does need an injection of: old, awesome Sega music. We recall the original Samba de Amigo and Samba de Amigo Ver. 2000 had plenty, so maybe we'll get lucky! Shaking maracas to "Super Sonic Racing" was one of our favorite Dreamcast memories.%Gallery-20601%
Major Minor's Ultimate Raving High School All-star Samba de Dance Dance party @ E3 2008
The first thing we noticed when we stepped into the Showcase Pavillion at this year's E3: This is really quite small. The second thing we noticed: Everyone seems to be dancing! Everywhere we looked, there seemed to be someone (usually with a Wii Remote/Nunchuk in hand) waggling about to some vary hard-to-hear music. But don't just take our word or it. Check out our video montage of just some of the dancing fools on this year's show floor. See if you can guess which dancers are random attendees and which ones are PR people who've been assigned to pretend to be interested in dancing these same steps ALL DAMN DAY. Fun!
Sega unconcerned about Wii storage, falling
Planning ahead, you're doing it wrong. That appears to be the mantra for Sega, at least when it comes to the ever-elusive topic of Wii storage. Strange, given that it's also a topic upon which the company is blazing a trail, announcing yesterday plans to release downloadable songs for the upcoming Wii-exclusive Samba de Amigo. In the same interview that gave us this insightful nugget, we also asked Sega marketing VP Sean Ratcliffe how the company plans to cope with the console's internal shortcomings, to which he had little response."This is an innovation for us, so we're going to test the waters and see how well this goes," he explained. "It's clearly something we'll need to address in the future, but for right now I don't think it's going to be a problem in terms of storage for us...we're going to have to cross that bridge when we come to it." Just forgive us if we don't follow you across that expanse -- that bridge is likely to fall out from under you.For more on Sega's strategies, or lack thereof, look for the full interview soon.
