Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't be deterred by bad reviews, November 3, 2008
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
Samba de Amigo is the revival of Sega's classic Dreamcast game. The original was one of the first rhythm games to come with its own special peripheral controller in the form of maracas, which have now been translated to the Wii's motion-sensitive controls. You shake your controllers in time with the music, matching the beats in either the high, middle, or low circles.
This game has been unfairly panned in professional reviews, and to get the most out of it you have to understand how the controls actually work. Unlike the Dreamcast version, the Wii remote does not sense height - raising your arms above your head to shake won't actually register a high beat. It's about angles, so you tilt the remote up to hit the high circles, point it down to hit the low circles, and hold it level to hit the ones in the middle. It's very much about wrist work, and once you've got this down the game's easier to manage. The other problem is that the learning curve is pretty steep. Easy is a write-off, Normal isn't much challenge, but at Hard the beats start coming every which way, and it's often hard to focus on what you're supposed to hit next. With practice you'll get better, but the game isn't great at prepping you for the challenge.
Otherwise the rest of the presentation is mostly solid. Graphics are wild, colouful, and totally psychedelic. It's exactly the type of look to make the game stand out. The song list features a bunch of well-known Latin and pop beats, and while a lot of them are covers, this is a pretty strong lineup. There's also downloadable content available, so like other music games you get a bit more value. What doesn't work are the various game modes, which basically all amount to what you're doing in single player career, and the minigames, which are an absolute brainless waste of time. Hit a pinata? What's the point?
I'd recommend going against the reviewers for this one and picking this up if you want a music game that's not Guitar Hero/Rock Band. The Wii controls get the job done once you figure them out, and the catchy beats and visuals make this an easy game to get into.
PS: Like most Wii games, they're selling a pair of plastic maracas that can snap on to your controller for that added "realism." Skip 'em. The shaking is fun for a few songs, but you'll be more accurate without the added weight.
|
|
|
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More fun than a barrel of monkeys!, November 3, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
The first thing I noticed with this game is how incredibly fast you can pick up and play - no cut scenes, dialogue, etc. You even set up whether you want to use a wiimote/nunchuck or wiimote/wiimote combo by simply "shaking your left hand!" It's very satisfying to turn on the game and be playing within 30 seconds, so few are like that nowadays.
The music is so much fun, the colors and background scenes are bright and cheery, everything about the game makes me happy! So far I have done the Quickplay mode, Career, and Minigames. I guess the only thing keeping it from being a 5 out of 5 is that it seems to have a little trouble detecting my movement sometimes. I may have one wonky remote that makes the game even less responsive than it needs to be. Somehow this doesn't make the game any less fun! Normally I'm easily frustrated but this game leaves me grinning from head to toe.
I guess one other oddity of the game is the scoring system: maybe it's me but I can't figure out why an 89% is an A sometimes and a D other times! Maybe it has to do with how many "Perfect!" hits vs "Yeah!" hits?
Really really can't wait to play it with a group, I can see how it would be a blast! I don't have kids but I can't imagine a kid that couldn't handle it. Easy to figure out, super fun to play! One of the best Wii purchases I've made all year.
|
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Samba on the Wii!, November 3, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I rented Samba De Amigo first from a Blockbuster. I was put off from purchasing the game because I've heard so much that the controls do not work well and can be at times impossible to use. After I've rented it and played it for a good couple of days I never really noticed any bad controls mentioned by some reviewers. On Easy and Normal mode I've been able to get an A Rank on every song. The same goes for my nephew (age 8) so the controls must not be as difficult as some say. It's not hard to play but the controls are certainly far from being perfect. Also, with this review I can't compare how the controls do with the Dreamcast version of this game as I've never owned it.
Since I've enjoyed playing Samba De Amigo so much I've purchased the retail version. So far, I'm loving the game. There are plenty of modes to choose from. In Career Mode you can unlock maraca sound effects and other tracks to be playable. The tracklisting is what really got me into this game. There was no other rhythm game I've played where I was most familiar with the tracks. I knew most of the tracks that was played here and enhanced my enjoyment of the game. Later tracks in Career Mode do get much harder to unlock as you progress. Now that I'm in Hard Mode of the game the movements become more challenging but still not impossible to beat. At the time of writing, I've completed 53% of Career Mode and unlocked most of the tracks available with not much motion control issues. I do imagine that Super Hard Mode may have some problems but that is what practicing is for. Also, production values of this game are really great. I love the environments of the stages. Everything moves and flows to the beat of the songs. It may be distracting as you're trying to hit your beats correctly but it's fun to watch.
My biggest complaint with the game are the minigames. The games seem so lazy that after playing each game I felt sort of an empty experience with them. Sega could've done something better with them. The most enjoyable one is the Volleyball minigame and is the most competetive. The rest go so fast they feel as if they were part of a WarioWare title. It is fun for a short period but I feel that I may barely play this part of the game. Another thing is, the graphics to this game are really beautiful. The way they've done the intro to this game is remarkable but I feel as if it were a waste. So far, this is the only cutscene you can see. For a sequal I'd love to see a story mode where it can show more scenes like this. It may ruin the classic feel to Samba De Amigo but I'd definitely be all for it.
In conclusion, with such a large tracklisting (over 40) and downloadable content available for Samba De Amigo you can't go wrong with this game. Plus it is cheaper than the average retail Wii game. With friends this is one of the best party games and rhythm game available for the Wii right now. If Samba influenced music isn't really your thing you may not enjoy it as much. Also, if your the type who still hasn't bought this game because of the controls I say "rent it" before you buy. I did, and didn't expect to get so much fun out of it. Can't wait for a sequal!
One more thing for those who don't know. Sonic the Hedgehog is in the game. However, he's only a guest appearance to the songs "Low Rider", "Un Aguardiente", and "Mambo Number 5" when you've unlocked them in Career Mode. Another guest star from Sega is Ulala from 'Space Channel 5' on the Dreamcast. As of now I don't know of any other Sega cast appearances.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
