After having tried out Samba de Amigo for the Wii earlier this year, I’ve been taking the final retail version for a spin lately. It’s just as fun (though it’d be nice if I had maraca controllers), and it apparently doubles the soundtrack from previous games. Just cycling through the songs made me feel as if I was in the 90’s again. Yeah Ricky Martin.

Many of the songs are locked, and some even need to be purchased for an extra 500 Wii Points per set of 3 songs. That’s a lot of songs, once you get through everything. You can watch and listen to three of them - spanning about thirty years - in the video above. Ten points if you can actually dance the Macarena while the song is playing… or better yet, get everyone in the room to do it.

Gearbox Software’s Samba de Amigo for the Wii on the show floor, so I’ll be getting some time with the game there as well as hopefully during our private session with Sega in the morning. Until then, there’s a fact sheet for the game included after the break.

Oh, and Sonic’s in the game.

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More Wii Remote accessories! This image from a UK retail site shows what looks to be near final (though still concept) box art for Samba de Amigo, including a pair of maraca shells. While the box art may change, if it came from official sources, you can expect the shells to be available one way or another.

I must say, though, that those shells don’t look particularly strong around the Wii Remote itself. One strong flick, and that shell could snap off and fly right at the TV. No more Samba…

HMV.com
via IGN Wii

Some new information regarding Samba de Amigo’s game modes have been revealed. As we already know, each player will use two Wii Remotes to shake up, down, left, and/or right. Three difficulty modes will be available, with hard requiring you to shake frantically in order to keep up with the routines.

“Hustle Mode” will involve less shaking and more arcing motions and poses as if you’re dancing, while “Love Love Mode” (ooh-la-la) will serve as a two-player co-op mode where you’re scored based on how synchronized you and your partner are.

The last bit of new info tells us that the game’s online functionality includes the use of leaderboards to compare your scores with others. That’s good to know and all, but we still have the mysterious Pay & Play aspect to figure out…

The Gamer’s Voice