If you enjoy rhythm games, you'll have a good time with Samba De Amigo, but control problems hinder much of the fun.

User Rating: 7.5 | Samba de Amigo WII
I find music games to be really fun. My friend and I would play Parappa the Rapper throughout the weekend nights trying to get good scores by tapping the corresponding buttons to the beat of some fun rap music. Fast forward to present day, when rhythm games are a lot more interactive and involve quite a bit of physicality. Sambo De Amigo is one such game; originally released for the Dreamcast a while back. I never got the opportunity to own the DC game, but it wasn't until recently when I caught interest in the franchise as the Wii version was being announced.

On the Wii, Samba De Amigo makes perfect sense. The Wiimote and Nunchucks are good alternatives to the Dreamcast's expensive maracas (although you can buy third-party maraca attachments for the Wii remotes.) There are over 40 songs ranging from licensed music to original tunes, all appropriately Samba in nature; some more than others, but that's okay. There's a handful of game modes like Career Mode, Hustle Mode, Classic and even some minigames.

For the most part, the Wii controls work decently well, and you can even use a second remote as a second Maraca if you choose not to use a Nunchuck. But when it comes to some of the more difficult song choices, they aren't always working with you. More often than not, I easily miss some of the easier beats because the Wii remote or nunchuck doesn't respond at the right time when I need it to, or doesn't even respond at all. This can be really frustrating because you can easily fail certain songs when the Wii remote decides not to be responsive, and sometimes it doesn't even matter how good you are. More difficult songs will give the gist of trouble. However, if you can grin and bear it, you might have a good time trying to outperform your score or completing various modes.

Once you've gone through the entire song list, you can download and buy new song packs that are released periodically when you pay a visit to the 'store'. How you enjoy and perceive the song choices in these downloads are up to you.

Overall, despite some problems, Samba De Amigo is a fun game to behold. Fans of the original game will get a kick out of it, especially since they can experience Samba 2k for the first time in addition to new modes and exclusive music.