Samba Maracas

by DreamGear

Product Features

• User friendly snap-in-handles design
• Motion activated LED rhythm lights
• Real percussion sound

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001HC09M4
• Item Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Media: Accessory
• Release Date: October 10, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,105 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Now you can shake your maracas right along with Amigo the monkey using the Samba Maracas exclusively from dreamGEAR, the perfect accessory for any and all maracas games. Custom multi-colored LED lights illuminate in time with your shakes and produce authentic maraca sounds for an enhanced gameplay experience. Includes 1 Nunchuck and 2 Wii Remote maraca extensions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shakin' good time, despite control flaws, November 23, 2008

By 

CTDuran71 "Stephen B." (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Samba Maracas (Accessory)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but flawed, November 25, 2008

By 

JDMS (seattle) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Samba Maracas (Accessory)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Maraca Version of DDR, January 23, 2009

By 

J. D. Fegler (Chesterfield, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samba Maracas (Accessory)

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.