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Sometimes, when I hear the madness surrounding the PS2, I just have to chuckle. Essentially, what the PS2 does, the Sega Dreamcast has been doing for well over a year now. Let's face it - the PS2 is not THAT better than the Dreamcast - it may be slightly superior, but the fact that the PS2 does not do anti-aliasing pretty much negates any extra polygon-pushing-prowess it may have. The fact that the PS2 is backwards compatible with the thousands of PSX games available is hardly comforting either. Yeah, so what if there are a LOT of titles. I don't want QUANTITY, I want QUALITY. Afterall, it's all about the games...
Still, this is not meant to be a PS2 bashing review. I acknowledge the PS2 and wish it every success. But for now, I have my Dreamcast and I am damn happy with it. Why? Because I now have a copy of SonicTeam's awesomest title ever - Samba De Amigo.
It's games like this that we need more of. I've seen enough first person shooters and racing games to last me a lifetime. It's time to move on and harness the power of these gaming systems to give us a new experience. Samba De Amigo does that and more!
So what is this game all about? It's about playing the Maracas. The game is fundamentally extremely simple and you'll be playing in minutes, but it can get very challenging, which guarantees many, many hours in front of this wicked title.
Basically, you must play the maracas as the mexican-ish music plays. There are three maraca positions for each hand - low, normal and high. There is a coloured circle on the screen corresponding to each of these positions for the left and right hands. As the music plays, little blue balls approach these circles and you must shake those maracas when the blue balls land in the circles. Dead easy to play.
Incidentally, you can play this using the controller. Setting the controller type to Type B is very playable. However, for maximum enjoyment - and if you intend on playing this game at a party, like it was meant to be played - you should buy the optional maracas. Using the maracas will force you to get up and jive to the music and generally look like an idiot.
Back to the game....the main playing mode is called Arcade and it consists of two stages. You get to choose your height and the level of difficulty. Finally, choose the song you want to play to and then the fun starts! The game rates you constantly as you play, grading you on a scale from E to A. In addition to playing the maracas correctly, you will also be asked to "Strike A Pose" at certain points in the song. A stick man will appear and you must mimic his pose in order to gain more points.
All the while this is happening, the wonderful music is pumping in the background, getting you in the groove. Initially, you have a choice of about six latin-influenced songs, including the Ricky Martin stalwart Livin' La Vida Loca, as well as the Macarena, La Bamba and a host of other totally cool grooves. If you play the challenge mode and succeed, you can unlock even more songs, including Tequila and Soul Bossa Nova.
In addition to the music, there's a whole party going on on the screen. The graphics in this game rock and are asbolutely stunning to look at - though if you're the one playing the maracas you won't have much time to look at them. The game's main character, Amigo, will be rocking in the background with his maracas. But it's not just him - everyone in town seems to be getting in on the act, including some elephants and even the buildings, trees and old Mr. Sun himself. As your rating climbs towards A the graphics reach a feverpitch of psychedelia, adding to an already intense gaming experience.
In addition to the standard Arcade mode, there is also a Challenge mode which, as mentioned above, allows you to unlock additional songs and basically lets you fine-tune your maraca-playing skills. There are also some fun mini-games to try out as well. Surprisingly, this is quite a deep game with lots to explore.
The games themselves don't last much longer than a minute, which makes this a perfect party game. Everyone will get a chance to look their silliest as they play those maracas.
The graphics get an A+ rating and so does the sound. They both complement each other perfectly. Gameplay is also top-notch as it is easy to learn but difficult to master.
Once again, Sega has succeeded in creating an AAA title for their Dreamcast. This is the kind of game we need more of - it is a refreshing change from what is generally a ho-hum videogame market. So get Samba De Amigo - and those maracas - and get all your friends together for a rockin' good party, Sega style. Ole!
Still, this is not meant to be a PS2 bashing review. I acknowledge the PS2 and wish it every success. But for now, I have my Dreamcast and I am damn happy with it. Why? Because I now have a copy of SonicTeam's awesomest title ever - Samba De Amigo.
It's games like this that we need more of. I've seen enough first person shooters and racing games to last me a lifetime. It's time to move on and harness the power of these gaming systems to give us a new experience. Samba De Amigo does that and more!
So what is this game all about? It's about playing the Maracas. The game is fundamentally extremely simple and you'll be playing in minutes, but it can get very challenging, which guarantees many, many hours in front of this wicked title.
Basically, you must play the maracas as the mexican-ish music plays. There are three maraca positions for each hand - low, normal and high. There is a coloured circle on the screen corresponding to each of these positions for the left and right hands. As the music plays, little blue balls approach these circles and you must shake those maracas when the blue balls land in the circles. Dead easy to play.
Incidentally, you can play this using the controller. Setting the controller type to Type B is very playable. However, for maximum enjoyment - and if you intend on playing this game at a party, like it was meant to be played - you should buy the optional maracas. Using the maracas will force you to get up and jive to the music and generally look like an idiot.
Back to the game....the main playing mode is called Arcade and it consists of two stages. You get to choose your height and the level of difficulty. Finally, choose the song you want to play to and then the fun starts! The game rates you constantly as you play, grading you on a scale from E to A. In addition to playing the maracas correctly, you will also be asked to "Strike A Pose" at certain points in the song. A stick man will appear and you must mimic his pose in order to gain more points.
All the while this is happening, the wonderful music is pumping in the background, getting you in the groove. Initially, you have a choice of about six latin-influenced songs, including the Ricky Martin stalwart Livin' La Vida Loca, as well as the Macarena, La Bamba and a host of other totally cool grooves. If you play the challenge mode and succeed, you can unlock even more songs, including Tequila and Soul Bossa Nova.
In addition to the music, there's a whole party going on on the screen. The graphics in this game rock and are asbolutely stunning to look at - though if you're the one playing the maracas you won't have much time to look at them. The game's main character, Amigo, will be rocking in the background with his maracas. But it's not just him - everyone in town seems to be getting in on the act, including some elephants and even the buildings, trees and old Mr. Sun himself. As your rating climbs towards A the graphics reach a feverpitch of psychedelia, adding to an already intense gaming experience.
In addition to the standard Arcade mode, there is also a Challenge mode which, as mentioned above, allows you to unlock additional songs and basically lets you fine-tune your maraca-playing skills. There are also some fun mini-games to try out as well. Surprisingly, this is quite a deep game with lots to explore.
The games themselves don't last much longer than a minute, which makes this a perfect party game. Everyone will get a chance to look their silliest as they play those maracas.
The graphics get an A+ rating and so does the sound. They both complement each other perfectly. Gameplay is also top-notch as it is easy to learn but difficult to master.
Once again, Sega has succeeded in creating an AAA title for their Dreamcast. This is the kind of game we need more of - it is a refreshing change from what is generally a ho-hum videogame market. So get Samba De Amigo - and those maracas - and get all your friends together for a rockin' good party, Sega style. Ole!
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