Sony PS3 Street Fighter IV FightStick Review
From being a pad warrior to a stick warrior is no easy transition! You will get owned by the competition so bad when you first move to a stick from using a pad, it will be really frustrating. Although we all started playing Street Fighter II in the arcade, when it made its way onto the Super NES, most of us became pad warriors. We all learned to beat the computer really easily with a pad, and beat all of our friends most of the time. That being said, I can't really say how inferior/superior this is to a true arcade stick. Coming from a pad, it feels like an arcade stick, it plays like an arcade stick, and it even sounds like an arcade stick.
To my understanding it is using replica Sanwa parts, rather than real ones, but you can easily mod it to have the real ones (or shell out the extra for the Tournament Edition stick which uses real Sanwa parts). Once again, coming from a pad, I can't really tell.
If you're coming from a pad as well, there is a pretty tight learning curve to movements, and execution that you may not be used to. I'm still not getting the most basic QCF, QCB + Attack motions perfectly. Thankfully, go into Training Mode and put your inputs on screen to see what you're doing wrong. I've learned on the stick, I'm pressing an attack button before going all the way to forward/back. So, you can learn to correct your mistakes.
However, there are more things you can do on a stick than you ever could on a pad. Challenge Mode is a good example. There are just things that are so much easier to do on a stick than a pad. The easiest example I can think of is Guile's Ultra/Super. DB (hold) to DF, back to DB to UF + Kick. You can do this so much easier on a stick. I can say I can do it nearly 100% of the time with the stick. With the pad, I had to resort to the analog stick, and hold DB, then spin it 720 degrees and hope luck would get it out (maybe about 50% of the time). C. Viper is easier to use with a stick, for example her High Jump execution is much easier.
Short cut commands work on a stick that I couldn't get out on a pad. Shoryuken shortcut DF, DF + Punch works every time on a stick. I couldn't once get that to work on a pad.
The start/select buttons are on the back of the stick, away from you. It's a bit of an annoyance to have to reach over there, but given the size of the thing, I understand the spacing. The Home button is in the upper left corner, along with switches to lock something (never used), and a Turbo setting (never used). Not sure where Turbo would help, since so much of the combos now are timing based; just mashing won't work so Turbo kick, or punch won't help either!
My girlfriend doesn't really like the stick. The buttons chatter and are noisy. She says it sounds like a sewing machine. Everything seems solid, I don't think I could break it from playing with it. If anything did wear out, just be aware that you can replace parts with true Sanwa parts (maybe it makes a difference) rather than by a new stick.
Sony PS3 Street Fighter IV FightStick Feature
- Japanese-style joystick & buttons
- 8-button layout with additional multi-speed Turbo functionality
- Genuine arcade layout
- Wired Cable - 4 M (13 FT) length
- Connect to console via USB
Sony PS3 Street Fighter IV FightStick Overview
The official Street Fighter IV FightStick controller for the Sony PS3 was designed for fighting game fans to recreate the quality, gameplay and precision found in arcades. Using an arcade-style joystick and 30mm quick connect buttons along with realistic spacing and an eight-button layout, the Street Fighter IV FightStick brings the arcade experience right into your home. With separate turbo settings for each button and great ergonomics, prepare yourself for hours of competition, no quarters necessary.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jun 27, 2010 15:00:27
Review Feature Office 2010
