The Games Machine editors disclaim any liability in the event of subsequent demolition of the premises. at the session From Samba de Amigo: Party Central. Take life responsibly.
Developer/Publisher: Saw / Saw Price: 39.99 Location: texts Multiplayer: Local co-op, online co-op PEGI: 3 Available at: Nintendo Switch, Meta Quest, Meta Quest 2 Date of issue: August 29, 2023
By the time you read these words, it will be too late for me. You should know that, in violation of any workers’ rights, the despotic editor-in-chief of this magazine gave me the opportunity to write the review, jumping, swinging and dancing, despite the 36 degrees of this scorching summer. I also suggest turning off the air conditioner to create more atmosphere.
Samba de Amigo: Party Centralrhythm game created and distributed by Sega. it can also be played while relaxing on the couch, but, as the famous commercial said, he will only half like it. Here we begin almost unconsciously to keep the rhythm by tapping our foot, then take a few timid dance steps just to accompany the bass, finish squirming and singing until late into the night, interrupted only by the arrival of the forces of order, alerted by angry neighbors, who are greeted with the words of Giovanotta: “The party is here ? Slip into grotesque floral Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts and head to the Caribbean.
SAMBA DE AMIGO: PARTY CENTRAL, FROM THE ARCADE WITH SWEET
It was 1999 when Sega released Samba de Amigo, developed by Sonic Team, for arcades to ride the tsunami of rhythm game success led by Dance Dance Revolution.released by Konami last year. Inspired by Latin American culture, instead of a pressure floor, it provides players with a pair of maracas to perform certain movements to the rhythm of the music, following on-screen instructions.
The playlist is a bit low-key, but the K-Pop Music Pack is on the way and could make a difference.
After a good feast of tokens, conversions for the Dreamcast and Wii arrive, the latter a bit muted, and then nothing if not a cameo by Amigo, the game’s mascot, as a selectable character from Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. However, someone must have considered the two Joy-Cons on the Nintendo Switch worthy of being turned into maracas., and now, 24 years later, the sequel to Samba de Amigo: Party Central comes out. Is there still a place for representatives of this genre? In fact, party games have never known decline, living in their own dimension. They certainly won’t run alone, in the dark and with headphones on like immersive sims, but expect them to dominate the big screens at every birthday party or pizzeria at home with friends.
Often you have to imitate the movements of virtual dancers.
To get the most out of Samba de Amigo: Party Central, plug the Switch into your TV, grab a Joy-Con in each hand, stand up and make sure there’s nothing in range of the big meter, so don’t wear it Don’t run the risk of accidentally hitting your mother-in-law or breaking the trash can with the ashes of Nonna Filiberta? The gameplay is very simple: there are six rings around the circumference, resembling the tops of an imaginary hexagon. The top two, left and right, denote top left and top right shaking. The two middle symbols mean a strong shake left and right, and so on.
Mini-games, local and online competitions, proximity tests and challenges to the last follower can spice up any birthday or pizza party with friends.
The bubbles then come out of the center of the screen and quickly head towards the ring, and we just need to perform the right gesture when they are exactly inside it. Each small mistake in time costs points and resets combinations.. Memorizing the sequence helps up to a point, as often we are encouraged to participate in random choreographies suggested by a stylized dancer, or to try our hand at special modalities, like double speed, or maybe hitting baseballs, or even avoiding a grenade. Thus, the outcome of a performance can change at any moment, and nothing is certain until the last note. As a reward, in addition to the satisfaction of being the king of the party, we also receive virtual currency that can be spent on purchasing skins and customizing our avatar.
YOU YO! ALE ALE ALE! GO! GO! GO! ALE ALE ALE!
Once you’ve chosen a song and a difficulty level out of four, Samba de Amigo: Party Central catapults us into a Latin fiesta, which can be a concert, a street party or any occasion for fun, the important thing is that there are people who admire our movements , cheer when we create perfect sequences and whistle when we make a wrong move. Graphically, as always in such cases, it’s very simple but gives a good idea of the situation, and Amigo dances with us in a triumph of colors. Despite the chaos that is sometimes created on the screen between congratulatory inscriptions, all kinds of bonuses, firecrackers, practical jokes and chestnuts, the balls that need to be watched always manage to remain clearly visible. But let’s talk about the real protagonist: the music! Day 1 has a 40-song playlist that I honestly expected to be richer in Latin hits given the theme of the game.
The boss fight is a test to the last.
Instead, apart from Ricky Martin’s La Copa de la Vida and covers of Macarena and La Bamba, there are no notable productions. Even the greatest samba hits were missing, I didn’t expect Terra Samba, but it would be interesting to explore the genre a bit. Luckily, a good spot has been given to international artists such as Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Kesha, Maroon 5, Steve Aoki, Miley Cyrus and more, as well as winking seniors with Chameleon Karma, Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive and “You Give Love” to Bad Name. It doesn’t surprise me, even if I struggle to make sense of it in this context, that he forcibly stuffed Sonic with snippets from the soundtracks of the most famous hedgehog games in the world, even dedicating the first DLC “Sonic the Hedgehog Music Pack” to him.
Luckily, a good spot has been given to international artists like Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Kesha, Maroon 5, Steve Aoki, Miley Cyrus and more.
However, I’m interested in the K-Pop Music Pack that will be released on September 27, which I don’t have any more information about at the moment. So I should emphasize that other similar games like Just Dance and Guitar Hero have had a more interesting playlist, but it’s just a matter of licenses, so to speak, so things can change. On the other hand, the various game modes are excellent: mini-games, 1v1 duels, tournaments for up to 8 players, last ally challenges against brutal bosses, online competitions and proximity tests where synchronization is everything.
Summing up: Samba de Amigo: Party Central is a classic game that you are unlikely to start playing alone, but not to be missed for New Years, birthdays or any house party. We challenge each other to see who is the best dancer, we laugh at the one who does all the steps wrong, we laugh and have fun and sweat. Then, after the fiesta, you’ll probably put it off until the next opportunity. The virtual maracas work really well and don’t suffer from any input lag, and the only bewilderment at the moment is the playlist, which doesn’t have many Latin hits and many well-known songs.
Test platform: Nintendo Switch
How it happens, how it works: Technically undemanding to Swtich, which ensures a smooth ride without any problems. Due to the nature of the game, the most enjoyable experience is when you connect your console to your TV.