Samba de Amigo ver. 2000

"Grab your maracas and go ape wild with one of the funnest video games of all time!"

After hearing so many good things about Samba de Amigo, I was pissed when I learned Sega canned the American release of Samba 2000. This means many gamers and many people who are already fans of the maraca-shakin' monkey would miss out on the complete experience. Samba de Amigo v.2000 is really a much more complete package than the already fabulous original.

The concept behind Samba de Amigo, for those who don't know, involves shaking two maracas, one in each hand, in six different positions along with a song. Sometimes shaking them as fast as you can, sometimes slow. Sometimes, the game forces you to hop into a silly pose with your maracas. Needless to say, the ''optional'' maraca controller is really a necessity to enjoy the game.

What makes Samba de Amigo v.2000 a worthwhile upgrade is the addition of many new songs along with all the ones present from the original (not including all the new songs you can download of the internet to your vmu), a new super-hard challenge mode that really tests your maraca-shaking skill, and most importantly... the hustle mode. This new mode actually forces you to ''dance'' with your maracas, swinging them back and forth between two points (i.e. above your head or from side to side) and sometimes swing them around in a complete circle around you. This new mode adds endless replayibility to the game. You also get two new difficulty levels which is a nice addition to those who already mastered the original game.

The music is an important part of the game, but thankfully it is all wonderful. All the original songs, plus many, many new ones... covering a variety of genres, not just latin beats. You can also go online and download a whole bunch of remixed songs from different Sega video games (sadly, no Space Channel 5 tracks). The amount of new tracks here by itself makes the old version obsolete.

As far as graphics go, Samba's are whimsical, sometimes psychedelic... but they always complement the fast-paced excitement of the game.

Probably one of the only problems with Samba is the issue of control. Playing with the regular dreamcast controller is boring, so maracas are the only way to go. However, sometimes they can be too sensitive... and other times, not sensitive enough. The wires also get in the way, especially during the hustle mode. Be careful when purchasing 3rd party maracas as I've heard many of them really don't work that well. But despite the problems, control is for the most part - excellent and very accurate, meaning when you miss a shake, it is almost surely your own fault and not a faulty maraca.

Samba de Amigo v.2000's presentation is simple and stylish. It's also one of the most purely ''fun'' games I've ever played. There are some control issues that have to do with the sensitivity of your maracas (go for either the Sega or EMS maracas) and I still can't pull off a total 360 swing in the hustle mode... but there is so much gameplay here that this is one of those games that never gets old, even after you've mastered all the songs (which will NEVER happen - there are just too many). It is also a great workout for your arms, especially if you can really get into the game. As you become addicted to the world of Samba, it's hard NOT to get into the music a little bit. This is one of the must-have Dreamcast games and maybe my favorite. Import it now! This is a wonderful gift from Sonic Team. Let's hope this isn't the last we see of Amigo.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/02, Updated 03/28/02