Gearbox Partys In Dallas Tonight With DJ Jazzy Jeff

Gearbox Software is celebrating the upcoming release of Samba De Amigo and Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway with a Victory Party, being held this evening at the Palladium Ballroom in Dallas, TX. Festivities kick off at 8:30PM, running til whenever the booze runs out. The party features musical guests Candy West and the Whatchamacallits, Josh Taylor, and (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air guest star) DJ Jazzy Jeff featuring SKILLZ.

The party is open to everyone, but you have to be 21 (Samba De Amigo is pretty racy) and you have to RSVP at the website before heading out. They've still got slots open, so if you're in the Dallas area tonight or just a really big DJ Jazzy Jeff fan with airfare money to burn, hit the link below to sign up!

Gearbox Software Victory Party [Gearbox Software - Thanks Connor!]

Samba de Amigo: The Truck Spotted On Unspecified Freeway

Reader John E writes in to give us a heavy dose of not news. "I was driving on the freeway with some friends and we saw a Samba De Amigo truck driving around," according to his e-mail. "I haven't seen anything on this anywhere else on the web, so I'm not sure what it's for." (OMG, does that mean we have an exclusive?!)

We know what it's for John: making us seriously consider purchasing a commercial truck with bright red rims and Samba de Amigo branding, then having a custom horn installed that blares "El Ritmo Tropical" at anyone whose driving technique we disagree with.

Here Are Your Salsa-Red Samba De Amigo Maracas

We already figured you'd be getting some replica maraca controller shells with a Samba De Amigo bundle, but now you'll also be able to stock up on spares, should you wish to give a second player the same kind of faux-Mexican authenticity. Or add a little flair to your kitchen utensils or tool set. Either or. Amazon have standalone maracas listed at $15 for the pair, and unlike the HMV ones, these are all red, so they should shake even faster.

Wii Maracas [Amazon, via Go Nintendo]

Sega's rocking maraca Wii game hits Europe on Sept. 19 and North America on Sept. 23, Sega announced today. Samba de Amigo, the famously fun Dreamcast title, will include have more than 40 songs to play through including some songs from the original game.

Samba de Amigo will be the first Wii game to offer downloadable content as well, with the first song pack hitting on Sept. 23. Song packs will come in groups of three and will feature songs by the original performers.

The first song pack, which has yet to be priced, will feature:
Mambo Mambo – Lou Bega
I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
Are you Going to Be My Girl – Jet

Oh dear. You've gone and done it, Sega. You've gone and done the one thing you needed to do to get us interested in Samba De Amigo again. You brought in a Space Channel Stage, with an Ulala cameo. Ulala and monkeys and (simulated) maracas? It's like a Dreamcast reunion party. You know how to get a man mildly excited, Sega. Oh, along with the Space Channel news, they also released the final tracklist for the game, which you can find after the jump.

Pictured: A scene from Sega's business center booth, far from where consumer eyes survey, where only check-signin' shot-callers (and lowly press) have access. That means that even an innocent title like Samba de Amigo for the Nintendo Wii has to be sexed up for those who might not "get it," an attempt to lure in buyers (and creepy press) with means other than good gameplay.

These spotted ladies aren't just loitering in the business area, they're attracting the regular Joes at Sega's on-floor display booth. The outfits are demure by E3 or TGS standards — as are the majority of Games Convention's "booth babes" — but certainly designed to get the job done.

Sega has just announced their line up for Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig, Germany next week, with Sonic the Hedgehog and the public debut of Samba De Amigo at the forefront of their presentation, though both could be upstaged by the super-secret world premier hinted at in Headstrong's pre-convention postcard. Along with the world premier of a new title, Sega will be parading about Sonic in both Unleashed and Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood flavors, with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games thrown in for good measure. Rounding out their booth presence will be the game of the TV show Dinosaur King, and Gas Powered Games' Space Siege.

The company's presence in the Business Center closely mirrors that of E3, with Alpha Protocol, the new RTS Stormrise, and PlatinumGames titles Bayonetta and MadWorld on display, along with Empire: Total War, Golden Axe, and Valkyria Chronicles. Between the titles we know about and the one we hope we know about, it should be a very exciting GC for Sega indeed.

Samba De Amigo Wii Maraca Controllers Appear

In our previous encounters with Sega, reps have told us that they were "thinking" about maraca controllers for the Wii version of Samba de Amigo. They're "looking into it," they say. Well, if this box art from UK retailer HMV is right, they're pretty much a lock. Dug up by GoNintendo, the included maracas appear to be sleeve-style attachments, not dedicated controllers similar to the ones Sega shipped alongside the Dreamcast version of Samba.

HMV is currently listing the game and maraca combo for £34.99 (about $70 USD). We've contacted Sega to find out more and have expressed our genuine excitement, hoping that they'll get back to us sooner rather than later.

Samba De Amigo: Including Maracas [HMV via GoNintendo]

The First Samba de Amigo Wii Trailer Is Fantastic

The Chimp Is Awesome [Sega Nerds]

Lets get to what everyone is thinking first: No the Wii version of Samba de Amigo shown this week did not have Maraca-shaped Wii remotes. But that doesn't mean they aren't coming.

In fact a rep told us that they are looking into a "Maraca sleeve" for the remote and even spoken with some manufacturers about it.

In the game, for those of you not familiar, you take on one of several colorful characters dancing and playing the maracas to music. The rhythm game is played by shaking the remote and nunchuk in time to the music while making sure they are in one of three positions: above your head, at your waist or held pointing down.

Samba De Amigo To Get Paid DLC?

Sega is revitalizing one of its most endeared and niche properties with Samba de Amigo for the Wii, handing of development to Gearbox Studios and trading in expensive, dedicated and unreliable maraca peripherals for a pair of Wii controllers. The Wii version can utilize either a nunchuk-and-Wii-mote combo or, preferably, a dual Wii Remote set up. The latter scheme feels more natural and, if Gearbox Studios gets force feedback and proper embedded speaker output working, potentially more authentic.

But how true to the original will Sega's casual-friendly music game ultimately be?

Samba Di Amigo: Shakycam

A shakycam vid of some German dudes playing Samba Di Amigo on the Wii has turned up. And...hrm. Look, maybe it's on easy. Maybe the guy's never played it before in his life. Maybe the light from the windows was interfering with the Wii Remote, maybe the lovely Sega handler hadn't explained things properly to him or maybe it just looks so cold and lifeless because they're, well, German. Those are all things to consider. Because if you watch this without considering them, you may be a little underwhelmed.
SEGA Gamersday: Wii Insider Coverage [Wii Insider, via Go Nintendo]

Gearbox Hints At Something Huge

Wii Boobs (So Old), Dreamcast Moobs (So New)

Know this: Hot Tears of Shame is equal opportunity. Hot Tears of Shame doesn't care if it's featuring jubblies or ding-dongs — just as long as it's embarrassing or shameful. We've got two HTOS clips to prove just that! One involves a fat dude in his underwear playing Samba De Amigo, and the other features a naked woman playing Wii Sports. But since we've already seen naked women playing Wii Sports (so old!), we recommend checking out the fat dude's man boobs first. What's more, the naked lady clip (starring Penthouse Pet Shay Laren) doesn't really feature that much gaming. We feel kinda ripped off. There is real bowling, though. Oh, both clips aren't sorta Not Safe For Work, they're TOTALLY Not Safe For Work.

Hit the jump for the shameful and embarrassing clips.

Sega Superstar Tennis Debut Trailer

Move over Mario and friends, you aren't the only collection of characters that can have a sports game. Sonic and friends are taking to the court in a new tennis game entitled Sega Superstar Tennis. While sports games don't really intrigue me, I do like the collection of characters they've gathered for this game like Nights (from NiGHTS), Amigo (Samba De Amigo) and my personal favorite, Space Channel 5's Ulala. Of course Sonic and Dr. Eggman are on hand as well because after all, what would a Sega title be without Sonic. But this trailer really begs the question: Who would win in a tennis match, team Mario or team Sonic?

By Brian Ashcraft

"Thing I love about Kotaku is that you just don't care," says Gearbox Software boss Randy Pitchford. (Not sure if we don't care per se, but rather, that we care a little too much.) It's a few days before Christmas, and he is showing me around Gearbox's Texas HQ that occupies the top four floors of a suburban Dallas high-rise. Pitchford is open and upfront. Want to take a picture of a wall with concept art? Sure. The dev opened up its doors and showed us pretty much everything it could. Gearbox, best known for the Brothers in Arms series and the Halo: Combat Evolved PC port, is poised for a breakout year in 2008 when the company brings Dreamcast title Samba de Amigo to the Wi, puts out original FPS Borderlands and a new entry into the Brothers in Arms tactical shooter series. With its pedigree Borderlands makes perfect sense. But Samba?

This isn't a submission for our now expired Dementium: The Ward contest, simply photographic evidence that Samba de Amigo for the Wii won't make its ship date because the gang at Gearbox Software is too busy mummifying Master Chief instead of finishing the note charts for the latest Ricky Martin tune. It's a good effort and I'm quite sure that the Chief will make his journey to the afterlife safely, but please, Gearbox staffers, get thee to a Wii development station and make with the samba already.

Starring Master Chief as "The Mummy" [Gearbox Software Forums]