Samba Maracas
Custom designed Maracas gaming controllers are perfect for Samba De Amigo. Features authentic maraca sounds, custom multi-colored LED illumination which reacts to maraca shakes and enhances all Samba games with the look and feel of actual maracas.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Maraca Version of DDR
I purchased these for my teenage daughter, who loves her Spanish class at school. I thought it would be fun to have these to go along with the Samba de Amigo game. The maracas make the game. I don’t think it would be nearly so fun to play if you didn’t have the maracas to play along. I just purchased a second set so we can have two players at a time. Other reviewers have suggested that they are not well built, but so far, we have had no issues, and they don’t seem to be especially flimsy. I am very pleased with them. We have put batteries in, to use the lights function, but have not found that the lights particularly add to the maracas. They are fine without them.
5 Stars Best Maracas for Samba
I’m a hard-core Sambe de Amigo addict and this is the second brand of Maracas I’ve bought. The game really needs to be played with two remotes instead of one remote and one nunchuk. This set gives you three handles to attach to the maracas: two remotes and one nunchuk, so you have to option to use either configuration without having to buy two sets in order to use two remotes. These are also more compact and not as heavy as the other brand I’ve tried … a fact I appreciated after an unpleasant incident with my first pair involving fractic over the head waving and some ceiling fan lights! Have fun!!!
2 Stars Fun, but flawed
When I first got these maracas I loved that they made the game feel more realistic. The sound of the maracas, the visual of them, the flashing light… I thought they were great.
Then, when playing last night, the plastic sleeve that goes around the nunchuck snapped mid-game. Yep, with less than 2 hours of use, I was shaking away to Oye Como Va on hard, and in mid-song the left maraca head went flying across the room. After finishing the song I went and checked out the part that had snapped.
The plastic at the top of the nunchuck is pretty thin, and it had snapped on both sides. Luckily they include an extra handle (so you can play with 2 wiimotes), so I was able to change it out and continue playing, but still… it shouldn’t have snapped in under 2 hours of use.
4 Stars Shakin’ good time, despite control flaws
Those of you who remember playing Samba De Amigo for the Sega Dreamcast back around the turn of the millenium will remember how fun it was to use actual Maracas as the controller for the game, allowing you to feel totally immersed in the game experience. This time around, Sega has re-released the game for the Nintendo Wii as its motion sensitive controllers seem the perfect fit for a game built solely on controller movement.
An item of note, this review is meant to rate the overall experience of using the DreamGEAR Maraca sleeves rather than a review of the controls of the game itself, but it’s important to describe the limitations, or shall I say, the temperment of the Wii controllers (Wiimote & Nunchuck)and whether the Maraca sleeves add or detract from that experience.
The biggest plus going for the DreamGEAR controllers is that they give you a choice of control setup whereas other third party versions of the sleeves only allow for Wiimote and Nunchuck. If you feel that controls are more receptive using two wiimotes, you have the ability to use the extra wiimote sleeve for that scheme. It was THE deciding factor in choosing the DreamGEAR Maracas over any other. Another cool little feature these have is that there is a motion sensor inside the maraca itself which causes colored LED lights to respond each time you shake them. However, since you are most likely going to be focusing your attentions on the TV screen to make sure you are timing your moves right, you’re not going to be focusing on the LED’s anyway – especially if you’re playing with the lights on. However, bystanders watching you make a fool of yourself might enjoy the extra eye candy provided. Unfortunately, you’ll need to invest in – that’s right – MORE batteries (4 AAA’s to be exact).
Which brings me to the one negative of the peripheral, the weight. The maracas feel incredibly top-heavy and after a couple of songs of vigorous shaking, your forearms and wrists are gonna feel it! Not to mention if your using hustle mode and will need to swing them all around as dance combos. For some, this could be considered a good thing as the extra weight will only add to the workout, but for the younger crowd, it’s a lot to ask, unless you’re the offspring of someone like Jay “The Juiceman” Kordich or Tony Little.
To be honest, I haven’t been using the attachments at the moment as I am trying to complete the game, and as those who own the Wii-version of the game can attest, “Superhard” mode is challenging enough without any other hinderances added to the mix. I intend to use the attachments more once everything is unlocked, that way I can enjoy the game in it’s purest form on some of the more “responsive” levels.
In closing, the DreamGEAR maraca attachment is a great accessory to a classic game that will ultimately give you the most authentic experience since the Dreamcast original.
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