SAMBA DE AMIGO

Videogames with outrageous peripherals are nothing new. Lightguns have been a permanent fixture in arcades since the early 80's and such devices as track balls, punching bags and fishing rods have all come and gone. However, despite the variety of control methods available, Sambo de Amigo's "maracas" control method comes as a pleasant surprise. The concept for the game was possibly the result of Yuji Naka popping one too many pills, but as original and fresh as Samba is, deep within the core of the game beats an "old-school" heart.

For those of you who've not experienced Samba as a coin-op, I'll explain what all the fuss is about. The game is similar to other "Rhythm Action" games - you have keep in time with a song following on-screen cues. Rather than pressing a button or doing a silly dance, you interact with the game by moving the garish orange maracas. To attain a decent grade you must shake the maracas at three different heights in time with the music. From time to time you'll be asked to strike a pose and hold that pose for a few seconds. The object of the game is to finish each song (there's a wide selection: Aha's "Take On Me", Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping", Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" and several other, mainly Latin classics) and get a C grade or better. I know what you're thinking - it sounds stupid. That's because it is stupid. But it's damn good fun too.

The DC version comes compete with the maracas controllers, exactly the same shape and size as those found in the arcade. However, the majority of the packaging is taken up by the floor sensor, which picks up information from the maracas and tells the DC how high each controller is being held. The setup only takes a few minutes to assemble, and each component bears the typical top class solid Sega craftsmanship (although there are minor problems, which I'll come to later). This forces the price of the game up of course, but the Samba experience is more than worth it.

Breaking away from the other "music" titles such as Beatmania and Dance Dance Revolution, Samba has a style all its own. Every part of the game features the same strong Latin theme - each screen drips with intelligent and eye-catching graphic design, but then you almost expect this level of presentation from a Sega title these days. The in-game visuals are also stunning, but you won't really get to appreciate them unless you're watching someone else play because your eyes are always fixed on the cues telling you when to shake the controllers. When you're doing well, the play area becomes awash with vibrant color and activity as Amigo (the monkey mascot who is the "hero" of the game) is joined by hoards of dancing Cacti. When you're underperforming, Amigo is left on his lonesome with a suitably forlorn look on his face. It's nice to see that some degree of interaction has been integrated.

Fun as the concept may be, it's pretty obvious that soon Samba will become repetitive (even after you've unlocked all the songs and downloaded the tracks from the Samba website). Thankfully Sonic Team have included several mini-games and challenges to keep the game fresh and extend its short shelf life. One such game involves using the maracas as weapon to whack moles as they appear on screen. Another requires the player to vigorously shake the maracas to destroy rocks. These games prolong the entertainment value of Samba, but it's in the multiplayer "party game" option that the real life of the game lies. It's a basic rule of gaming that when more people are involved it amplifies the enjoyment, and this is certainly true of Samba - just make sure you don't mind looking a fool in front of your friends, that's all. There's the option to plug in another pair of maracas and have a two player duel (but you'll have to find someone else who owns the game and maracas, of course) and several "Party" games are included.

Alas, there are some negative aspects to Samba. One which I've already mentioned briefly is the longevity. If you intend to play Samba single player, I really can't recommend it. It's fun for a while, but things quickly become stale once you've unlocked all the songs. The steep price just isn't worth paying for the limited solo play Samba offers. Another minor problem is the control setup. The sensors used to pick up the position of the maracas are often erratic - sometimes they register the slightest movement but more often than not they don't seem to make contact with the maracas at all - this can prove extremely annoying in the later stages of the game, where pinpoint accuracy is required to get anywhere. The solution seems to lie in exaggerating your movements, so when the on screen prompt tells you to do a "high" shake, you hold the maracas well above your head. That way, there is little room for error. However, I don't want to blow this out of proportion - most of the time the control system works fine, and most of the inconsistences can be attributed to human error (holding the maracas incorrectly, shaking outside the reception zone of the floor sensor and so forth) and many people I've spoken to report that they've encountered no such problems. If you have the option to test the game first, I'd recommend it. That way, you can toggle the height option and see if you're comfortable with the control system.

If previous "Rhythm Action" titles have failed to excite you, then Samba might just be the one to convert you. It's a fresh take on what's already becoming a stagnant genre, and offers months of multiplayer fun. However, the high price and minor control problems deprive the game of "must have" status. A worthy addition to any DC owner's library, though. Needless to say, fans of the arcade version should snap up a copy right away.

One final note: To those of you considering buying the game without the maracas controller, I offer this warning - it just isn't as much fun. The control method IS the game in this case, and it's the interaction via the maracas that makes it so entertaining. Without them, Samba becomes just another sub-standard music action game.