“A classic and beloved rhythm music game, Samba de Amigo has had fans shaking for years with its party-like soundtrack, colorful characters and casual yet addictive gameplay,” said Tammy Robinson, Senior Director of Mobile, SEGA of America. “Samba de Amigo is another great example of the fun that can be had on the mobile platform.”

Actually, it's a rather good example of how much better gaming is on the iPhone, but I suppose that wouldn't be a very good marketing blurb, now would it?

We explained how involuntary chimpanzee "actors" are taken away from their mothers when they are just a year or so old and forced to perform confusing and repetitious tricks. We also explained some of the horrible methods that chimpanzee "trainers" use, such as electric shocks with shock collars and prods, isolation, beatings with sawed-off pool cues and slapjacks, and food deprivation. Then, at the ripe old age of just 8, the chimpanzees reach puberty and their showbiz careers are over—and they end up being dumped at dismal roadside zoos or sold to laboratories for experimentation.

In thanks, PETA is sending Sega a lovely card and some vegan chocolates shaped like monkeys, which I am sure in their world means "thank you". In mine it means, "Haha! Those weren't real chocolates!"

Chimp, Chimp Hooray—SEGA Pulls Ape Ad! [PETA]

Sexy Samba trailer [Sega Nerds]

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!]

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.

Wii Maracas [Amazon, via Go Nintendo]

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

SEGA PRESENTS FULL SAMBA SONG LIST AND OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE

SAN FRANCISCO (August 20, 2008) –SEGA® of America, Inc. is excited to announce the full song list and release date for the upcoming Wii™ home video game system-exclusive title, Samba de Amigo™. Named the Best Wii Music Game of E3 2008 by IGN.com, Samba De Amigo is a fast-paced, irresistibly fun rhythm game that invites gamers of all ages to shake to the Samba-infused beats using the Wii controllers as maracas. Featuring both single and multiplayer gameplay and playable with either a Wii Remote™ and a Nunchuk™ or two Wii Remotes, this addictive game will ship to stores across Europe on September 19, 2008 and North America on September 23, 2008.

Samba de Amigo, first made famous in arcades and on the Dreamcast™, is filled with wacky characters, bright environments and a soundtrack of over 40 songs. The full soundtrack will feature classic tunes from the original Samba games and a series of all-new modern day pop hits exclusive to the Wii version. Here is the official list of songs featured in the game (asterix denotes that the song is performed by a cover band):
Returning Classics from the original Samba de Amigo:

Vamos A Carnaval – WaveMaster*
Volare – Gypsy Kings
Hot Hot Hot – Arrow*
Salome – Chayanne*
Tubthumping – Chumbawumba*
The Cup of Life – R. Martin*
Samba de Janeiro – Bellini
Mambo Beat – Perez Prado*
Livin’ La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin*
Bamboleo – Gipsy Kings
Take On Me – Reel Big Fish
El Ritmo Tropical – Dixie’s Gang*
Macarena – Los Del Rio*
La Bamba – Ritchie Valens*
Tequila – Chuck Rio*
Soul Bossa Nova – Quincy Jones
Samba de Amigo – Bellini
The Theme of Rocky – Bill Conti*
Mas Que Nada – Jorge Ben*
Sway – Gimbel and Ruiz*
El Mambo - Solemar

All-New Wii-Exclusive Songs:

Baila Me – Gipsy Kings
Papa Loves Mambo – Perry Como*
Mambo No. 8 – Perez Prado
Conga – Miami Sound Machine*
Low Rider – War
Mambo No. 5 – Lou Bega*
Oye Como Va – Santana*
Asereje – Las Ketchup*
Arriba Allez – Bellini
Magalenha – Bellini and Mondonca Do Rio
Ran Kan Ran – Tito Puento*
Groove Is In the Heart – Dee Lite
Jump in the Line – Harry Belafonte*
Do It Well – Jennifer Lopez*
Como Ves – Ozomatli
Cha Cha – Chelo
Pon de Replay – Rihanna
Smooth – Santana*
Mexican Flyer – Ken Woodman*
Borriquito – Charo
Un Aguardiente – WaveGroup
Solo Tu – WaveGroup
Tango With Me – WaveGroup

Samba De Amigo will also be the first Wii title to offer downloadable content, with the first song pack being available for download on September 23, 2008. Song packs will be obtainable in groups of three and will feature songs by the original performers. The first downloadable pack will feature:
Mambo Mambo – Lou Bega
I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
Are you Going to Be My Girl – Jet
Specific download pricing will be announced soon.

Samba de Amigo will be rated “E” for Everyone. For more information about the game, please visit www.sega.com. For screenshots and art, please visit the SEGA FTP site at http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

Returning Classic songs from the original Samba de Amigo:

Vamos A Carnaval – WaveMaster*
Volare – Gypsy Kings
Hot Hot Hot – Arrow*
Salome – Chayanne*
Tubthumping – Chumbawumba*
The Cup of Life – R. Martin*
Samba de Janeiro – Bellini
Mambo Beat – Perez Prado*
Livin’ La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin*
Bamboleo – Gipsy Kings
Take On Me – Reel Big Fish
El Ritmo Tropical – Dixie’s Gang*
Macarena – Los Del Rio*
La Bamba – Ritchie Valens*
Tequila – Chuck Rio*
Soul Bossa Nova – Quincy Jones
Samba De Amigo – Bellini
The Theme of Rocky – Bill Conti*
Mas Que Nada – Jorge Ben*
Sway – Gimbel and Ruiz*
El Mambo – Solemar

All-New Wii-Exclusive Songs:

Baila Me – Gipsy Kings
Papa Loves Mambo – Perry Como*
Mambo No. 8 – Perez Prado
Conga – Miami Sound Machine*
Low Rider – War
Mambo No. 5 – Lou Bega*
Oye Como Va – Santana*
Asereje – Las Ketchup*
Arriba Allez – Bellini
Magalenha – Bellini and Mondonca Do Rio
Ran Kan Ran – Tito Puento*
Groove Is In the Heart – Dee Lite
Jump in the Line – Harry Belafonte*
Do It Well – Jennifer Lopez*
Como Ves – Ozomatli
Cha Cha – Chelo
Pon de Replay – Rihanna
Smooth – Santana*
Mexican Flyer – Ken Woodman*
Borriquito – Charo
Un Aguardiente – WaveGroup
Solo Tu – WaveGroup
Tango With Me – WaveGroup

* Denotes the song is performed by a cover band

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.

And there's the other side for you, if you're a Samba de Amigo back up dancer fetishist/completist.

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.

SEGA UNLEASHES SONIC AND BRINGS SAMBA RHYTHMS TO LEIPZIG

GC 2008 – SEGA confirms games line-up

LONDON & MUNICH (August 14, 2008) – SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® Germany GmbH today announced the titles which will be presented to the public and industry professionals at Games Convention 2008. Two SEGA heroes will dominate events in the consumer area (Hall 5, Booth F02), which will strongly and positively stand out from the usual trade fair booths thanks to its special design. Amigo, the clever monkey from the Samba De Amigo game series celebrates his comeback exclusively on the Wii, and at the same time, his public premiere. For the first time customers will be able to shake their Wii remotes to the beat, next to, and on the stage – 40 well-known songs and new game modes provide long-lasting enthusiasm. Samba De Amigo will also be the primary element of our professionally moderated stage show – with full audience participation.

Sonic will also be taking the trip to Leipzig and presenting himself to the public in two games. Along with his role-playing game premiere Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, developed exclusively for the DS by BioWare, the cool hedgehog will play up his strengths in Sonic Unleashed. Visitors to the Games Convention will get to experience the new and, in many areas, heavily improved gameplay for themselves. With the Olympic Games in mind, the SEGA booth will also showcase the athletic field – along with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 will also be waiting for medal-worthy video game athletes. The booth will be rounded out with Dinosaur King, the game to the new TV series, and Space Siege – another thrilling PC adventure from cult designer Chris Taylor.

In the Business Center (Hall 1, Booth I31), SEGA will provide an outlook for more up-coming highlights. Notable developers from Japan (Platinum Games), the UK (Headstrong Games, The Creative Assembly), and Australia (The Creative Assembly Australia) will give media representatives a sneak peek at forthcoming SEGA titles for all platforms.

Besides a world premiere, which will be announced in time for the start of the trade fair, new versions and demos of the presented games have been developed especially for GC. The titles presented in the business area include the epic Empire: Total War, the action packed espionage RPG Alpha Protocol, Platinum Games’ highly anticipated Madworld and Bayonetta, the long-awaited comeback of Golden Axe, the Japanese strategy eye-catcher Valkyria Chronicles, and Stormrise – an all new kind of strategy game designed specially for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. In addition, all titles from the consumer area will also be available in the Business Center.

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]

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.

The game starts by having players calibrate the two controllers by holding them in the different positions. And play seemed to be pretty responsive, though the game did fail to recognize the correct position a couple of times.

There will be both single player and multiplayer and the developers told me that the game will also allow you to post your high scores to an online leader board.

The game looks like the sort of pick-up-and-play fun that will end up being a huge hit with the Wii's casual gamers and could also strike a chord with Nintendo's more hardcore fans.

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

The alpha version of Samba de Amigo for Wii looked to borrow heavily from the Dreamcast classic and its semi-sequel Samba de Amigo Ver. 2000, as a good portion of the stages were lifted from the original with the "Hustle" mode from 2000 included as a gameplay option. (For those unfamiliar, it adds more "dancey" arm swinging moves to the violent, rhythmic shaking that made the game famous.)

While the game's soundtrack is still to be finalized, a grouping of classic Samba jams was already in place, including "Samba de Janiero," "Cup of Life," "Hot Hot Hot" and "Vamos a Carnaval." We heard that over three dozen tracks would make it into the final version, but Sega reps were mum about what exactly those songs may be.

The game played as one would expect Samba de Amigo to play—simply shake the controller in time and in the right position for maximum monkey satisfaction. A handy calibration mode makes things more accurate, but even factoring that in, there were more than a few shakes that felt a touch off. That may be due to the way that Gearbox is determining the location of the controller, but whatever they're doing, it's better than not having Samba at all.

Samba de Amigo's Wii port was obviously still in the very early stages of development, yet it still remained to capture the gleefully fun experience of flailing about to Ricky Martin songs with plastic controllers in-hand. That said, not having actual maraca controllers, ones that rattle realistically, hurts the experience somewhat. We sincerely hoping that Sega and Gearbox Studios release a proper maraca controller alongside the game for the million of Wii owners who will want the authentic feeling that only maraca shaped controllers can provide.

Check out a new batch of screen shots—portions of which look suspiciously crisp—in our gallery.

The team already has Borderlands, Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway, Aliens and Samba de Amigo for Wii on its plate, with the newest super secret project to get some serious attention only after at least two of those games ship. That means whatever Gearbox has been tapped to create, it's a long way off.

So, let's start the predictions, gang. We know that Gearbox currently has strong ties to Sega and has done plenty of work for Valve in the past. The team also handled the original Halo PC port. We also know that their forte lies in first person shooters, but aren't afraid to tackle a rhythm game remake.

Unfortunately, we may not know for years what the team has planned, but we're going to be hovering closely to (read: stalking) Mr. Pitchford at both DICE and GDC this month to try to learn more.

If you're an industry developer, this is the most important post you've ever read... [Gearbox Forums]

Hit the jump for the shameful and embarrassing clips.

Topless Girl [Giz]
Topless/Bottomless DC [Giz]

"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?

"We're huge Samba fans. Huge Dreamcast fans," Pitchford tells me. "We totally told SEGA they had to let us do it. People want a Samba Wii game." SEGA consented, and Gearbox dove in trying to squeeze the max potential out of the Wii-mote. Sure, Nintendo is making tons of money with the Wii. Third party devs haven't been as rewarded for Wii innovation. Case in point: Capcom's Zack and Wiki, which posted embarrassingly poor sales figures. Pitchford does point out that SEGA has hit with Mario and Sonic at the Olympics — though, that game *does* feature Mario. Still, Pitchford is optimistic.

"Third parties are doing alright with the Wii if they spend the right amount of money and time," he says. "People bought the Wii for the promise of the Wii Remote."

While, the Dreamcast version of Samba de Amigo has specially designed maraca peripherals, Gearbox has the challenge of turning the Wii-mote into, well, maraca peripherals. Here's the challenge: The Wii-mote itself is high tech, while the Nunchuk Wii peripheral is not. Sure, it does have a three-axis accelerometer, but still isn't the same level of technology that's in the Wii Remote. What's more, the Wii-mote doesn't always know where it is in space. It knows it's been moved, but positioning it can be tricky. So getting the Wii-mote and the Nunchuk to input the same? Or what about making it so players can use two Wii-motes instead of a Wii Remote and a Nunchuk? Not easy! "It's possible," Pitchford explains. "You just need a lot of smart people who can do a lot of math." Attitudes like that (and only attitudes like that) will keep the Wii out of the third party hobo gutter.

Not exactly what you'd expect from a company that cut its teeth on WWII tactical shooters. "Steven Spielberg told me he really thought the Brothers in Arms series had beautiful graphics," Pitchford says. The upcoming Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is more accessible than previous its titles and better looking. "If I had to guess, it's 15-20 percent more high def than Gears of War," he says. Don't expect a Portal type add-on game bundled with Hell's Highway, but the concept of that added content is appealing to Gearbox. "It's added value," Pitchford says. "Like at the beginning of Pixar movies. They have those little shorts, which give them an opportunity to experiment and try out different things. I don't know if we'll have time to do something like that before Brother in Arms: Hell's Highway ships, but definitely before the generation is over."

Gearbox points to historical and military accuracy as to what separates Brothers in Arms from other shooters. The market is clogged, choked with WII shooters — so much so that dev Infinity Ward took the World War II out of World War II shooter Call of Duty in the latest installment in the series. "The Call of Duty guys makes great shooters, but they're just Quake dressed up in World War II. There are no characters in it I remember. There isn't deep historical accuracy. It's just a really fun shooter." Going as far as to employee a military officer for consulting and use WWII aerial surveillance maps for creating in-game maps, Gearbox isn't pussyfooting around.

While Gearbox ponders ways to keep WWII real for gamers, it's taking a major step with original IP Borderlands. The FPS took inspiration from movies like Mad Max and Raiders of the Lost Ark and even TV shows like Firefly and Deadwood. It's set in the future on a large planet that rotates so slowly that it takes something like one hundred hours to turn once. The season is spring and things are coming out of hibernation. Characters are class based with a solider, a hunter and a magician. Players can level up their characters and go on side quests. Sound like a RPG? "In the beginning of Halo, Master Chief is the same as he is at the end," says Pitchford. "Sure, the story has changed, but the character hasn't." Leveling up the characters in Borderlands does change them. "The coolest thing about games like World of Warcraft is leveling up your character and then going to up to band of weaker players and totally destroying them," he says. The game allows for up to four player co-op that allows new players to enter and leave on the fly. Also, it's possible to play with characters of different levels in co-op and even level-up your own characters in co-op. Not only will this sort of leveling up change the playing field in Borderlands, but guns. Lots and lots of guns.

Borderlands features an in-house Gearbox created weapons sequencer that can produce up to a half a million different weapons — all with different names, appearance, properties. "Imagine any cool weapon you've ever wanted in a game," Pitchford says. "Borderlands has it." The sequencing means that players will most likely never see the same weapon twice. Ever. Gearbox doesn't seem concerned about the possibility of there being one single weapon that is more powerful than anything else in the game. "If there's a gun that can break the game, why would we limit that?" he says. Do you think there is a gun that can break the game? "I don't know," he says. "I guess we'll find out." Gearbox doesn't care either way. Or maybe, it just cares too much.

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

SEGA Gets Shakin' With Samba De Amigo

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (October 25th 2007) - SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. are excited to announce that they are bringing back Samba De Amigo™, the Dreamcast classic that helped to create the now-popular rhythm music genre. Created exclusively for the Wii™ home video game system, this vibrant and addictive new game lets players shake to the beats of a samba-infused soundtrack comprised of popular new songs as well as fan-favourites from the original game.

Playing as the grinning, sombrero-topped monkey, Amigo, players shake the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ like maracas, in time with the visual beats of the music on-screen. The perfect party game, Samba De Amigo is packed with lively stages and a host of colourful characters. More details about this exciting new title including a full song listing as well as new special features will be revealed over the next few months.

Developed by acclaimed developer, Gearbox Software, Samba De Amigo will be exclusively available for the Wii in Spring 2008.

It's coming to everything—PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS—for maximum profit. A handful of screens await you.

Confirmed: Samba de Amigo Coming to Wii [1UP - Thanks Jasu, ya Jerk]

This weekend, I don't think I'll be doing much more than firing up my Tekken 5 download from the PlayStation Store. We're officially departing for GDC on Sunday night, so the only other thing I have on my list is to obsessively complete Castlevania Portrait of Ruin before I move on to Dragon Quest Rocket Slime for the DS.

What pre-GDC video gaming goodness do you have ready to fire up this weekend? We'd appreciate you letting us know in the comments. Michael McWhertor

I've still got mine hooked up to my living room television, a copy of Samba de Amigo nestled within, a pair of official electronic maracas no more than six feet away from the console.

Tonight I'll be firing up some games I haven't played in years: Phantasy Star Online, Ikaruga, Cosmic Smash, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Bangai-O and Zero Gunner 2. (Yes, I'll be staying in this Saturday night, unfortunately.) Maybe I'll see if I can work in some Jet Grind Radio, but that might be pushing it.

I'll tell you what I remember most about my Dreamcast after the jump, and I invite you to chime in with your thoughts on the best console of the very late 90's.

My first Dreamcast (aka Katana) memory was seeing screenshots of the awful Godzilla Generations and that bizarre disembodied head floating around a (at the time) mindblowingly rendered city. As a long time Sega fan, I was already hooked.

The next outstanding teary-eyed moment was my first hands-on experience. My friend Corey and I rented a Japanese console, as well as copies of Power Stone, House of the Dead 2 and Blue Stinger. After enjoying some 3D brawling and zombie shooting—not to mention the recreational pharmaceuticals and ensuing Taco Bell feast—we laughed ourselves silly by the travesty that was Blue Stinger. Good times.

Sega's September 9 launch was also my first experience with midnight mania. Already having taken the next day off from work (I was REALLY psyched) I left my live-in girlfriend to her rest while I ventured to the mall, to queue up with my fellow nerds. After waiting in line for 90 minutes, I walked out with my console, Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur, Power Stone and Hydro Thunder. Sadly, I was too tired to actually play the damn thing when I got home, but dedicated most of my day locked on to the giant Dreamcast controller.

I've had many parties and some impromptu band sleep overs that almost always resulted in someone asking to fire up the Samba de Amigo party machine. Hell, we even had drunken sessions with Typing of the Dead.

I remember getting "hit on" for the first time in an online game by a bunch of dudes in Phantasy Star Online, as my adorable HUnewearl Mika pranced about the station, looking for free gear. Men. So predictable.

Oh, I suppose I could go on and on about my time with my Seaman, my first import game purchase ever in Ikaruga, spending $80 on maracas when I was barely making rent, playing NFL2K1 online and loving it, buying all those great Capcom fighting games and rarely playing them, blowing my Shenmue per diem on capsule toys, but we'd be here all night.

Let us know in the comments just how much you love your Dreamcast, or, when you Dreamcast noob slackers are finally going to go out and pick one up and restore your gaming cred. Ikaruga, here I come! Michael McWhertor