Feels like it should really have been called "Party de Amigo" if it's not just samba. I mean granted the original game had Tubthumping and After Burner but you get the idea.
There's still a chance. According to the Plaion press release, characters will be customizable with outfits and accessories.
The base game will feature the following content: Two energetic songs from the series: “Escape From the City” from Sonic Adventure 2 and “Fist Bump” from Sonic Forces. A stage based on “City Escape” from Sonic Adventure 2, featuring Sonic the Hegehog himself shaking it alongside Amigo. https://www.gematsu.com/2023/03/samba-de-amigo-party-central-to-feature-sonic-the-hedgehog-content
I think it’s very important that Sega utilize Sonic in its other franchises. This cross-pollination of IPs will likely encourage greater buy-in from audiences who are primarily invested in a single property. However, I think it should probably go both ways a bit more (the Forces costume DLC was the closest we’ve seen I think). There are too many “Sega fans” who really only know Sonic. This forum isn’t really like that, except for maybe a few younger members, but I’m talking about the types who hang around on /r/SonicTheHedgehog and exclusively refer to SA2 as SA2B . This kind of promotion encourages them to branch out and appreciate the rest of the company’s work. Anyway, semi-rant over… I’m looking forward to this. I have Samba on my DC but I don’t really want to invest in the controllers to play it properly. I have enough fun playing with the DC pad, but I know my girlfriend would enjoy the physicality considering she likes Taiko exclusively because of the drum, and loves that stupid Mario Kart Wii wheel. Though I need a new right JoyCon (I use the Hori split pad pro) so it looks like I need to buy controllers anyway lol.
Well Samba was made by Sonic team and I have no issues with SEGA using Sonic, after all NCL milk and put Mario in bloody everything
Considering many of the assets and songs are similar to Party Central, this could probably just be considered an enhanced port.
The word is that Meta have funded this version. Judging from the lukewarm at best reception to what they're doing and the difficulty their software has faced recently, I highly doubt they will ever let it reach any other VR platforms - so "Samba de Amigo (Meta Quest)" may well suffice if it is being treated as seperate to Party Central. As it stands this is Sega's first inhouse VR title since Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live, so that's sort of notable. But I do notice C-Smash VRS has got in on some cross-brand promotion on Twitter by making the big PR claim that "2023 will forever be remembered as the year when @sega conquered Virtual Reality". Putting the certain quality of the originals aside, I'm not sure simply reviving 20+ year old games by licencing them out to indies and taking money off of a dubious tech conglomerate holds anywhere near as much weight as the AM teams working with one of the biggest early VR innovators to create what has been recognised as one of the most advanced head-mounted displays and simulators up to that point in 1994. Although I suppose SOA were off making their complete failure in the field around the same time too.
I think the “Samba de Amigo (Meta Quest)” title works fine if it’s restricted to that platform. I didn’t realize they played a part when I proposed (Samba de Amigo (2023)”. A little annoying that it won’t see a release elsewhere, but oh well. Sort of an aside to all of this - for a while I’ve been thinking that Sega could make really sick versions of all their taikan arcade games utilising VR. Outrun, Hang On, Space Harrier, etc. I’d love to see new versions of classics come out with a machine and home port simultaneously. Maybe just have them produce a collection for PSVR2 and other headsets? If the amusement divisions wanted to go big, they could probably create a really cool cabinet for a few of these that utilize the vehicle designs + headsets.
SEGA really should port their lightgun Arcades games to SONY VR2 and VR. The likes of House of the Dead Scarlet and Lets Go Jungle would be perfect
