Would you spend $150 for a controller? Better yet–would you spend $150 on a controller designed with your favorite genre in mind?
Well, I did–with the help of some in store credit. So, was this money well spent, or am I just an idiot–perhaps a little of both? Click the jump to find out.
Overall: 10
Presentation: 10
Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Gameplay: 10
Replay Value: 10
This year has been a great year to be a gamer–and we’re only in March as of this writing. I’m especially joyful as a fighting game fanatic. Capcom’s Street Fighter 4 has re-defined the genre that they have created. With the announcements of King of Fighters XII, and BlazBlue being brought out here in America (YESSS!!), I can see what I honestly hope will be the re-birth of the fighting genre.
Fighting fans are a unique breed of gamer. Many of us are more than willing to fork out the cash for quality, high end fighting sticks in order to get the most out of our games. I was fortunate enough to acquire the Mad Catz SFIV Tournament Stick at retail, and after paying almost double the price for this stick as I paid for my Hori Real Arcade Pro (with the help of some in store credit), I can honestly say that if you are willing to pay the high cost of entry, you’ll have the best fight stick around.
The first thing you’ll notice about the controller, once you’ve pried it from the gorgeous box it ships in, will be the shape of the controller. It has a sleeker, lower profile than the Hori Real Arcade Pro, even though I noticed no significant difference in weight. The Mad Catz stick feels more comfortable in my lap. Button placement is superb. Just like the HRAP, there are 8 buttons on the layout, but MadCatz put the start and select buttons on the front of the controller. This keeps accidental pressing of those buttons a non-issue. The LIVE button and turbo controlls are tucked away in the upper left hand corner of the faceplate, and there is even a lock-out feature for the guide button, so you won’t throw your mojo off in the heat of battle by interrupting your game. There is a headset jack, and even a storage compartment for the extra long USB chord.
The truly beautiful thing about this controller is that it is the first arcade stick available in America with all Sanwa parts. What that mean is, that the same buttons and stick assembly inside the MadCatz are the exact same buttons and stick assembly used in the arcade cabinets in Japan. Control is on point. While playing Street Fighter IV, I was able to pull off every attempted special move and begin to grasp the new focus, and dash-cancel mechanics of the game. Even characters with 360 degree stick motion moves like Zangief were a breeze to use.
While the controller works great with SFIV, I needed to know how well it worked with other fighters. I cranked up Samurai Showdown II, and the stick worked flawlessly. With 4 buttons on both rows, this controller was also built to play SNK games. After running through the game with Galford and Genjuro, I booted up Street Fighter HD Remix. I found the same level of control in this game too, with the exception of Zangief. While I was able to pull off his pile-driver a little more often than I could using the Hori RAP, I couldn’t pull off the move nearly as often as I could in SF IV. No doubt this is due to the more approachable gameplay Capcom put into IV. I had no issues at all with my other favorite characters either. This stick is butter smooth.
So, in the end, is the MadCatz Tournament Stick worth $150? Well, that depends on your level of devotion to the fight. If you are a casual fighting game fan, the answer is no. The cost of entry is just too high–especially when re-sellers are selling the PS3 and XB360 versions of this stick for upwards of $350–and getting their asking prices. The Hori RAP EX would be an excellent choice, but they are sold out at retailers too, and re-sellers are pushing for $220 and up. My advice would be to opt for the SFIV MadCatz Pad. Its readily available, and is a solid fight pad that will allow you to perform all of the moves. Advanced tactics like the focus-dash cancel are a little harder to do without the use of a good stick.
However, if you are devoted to the fight like me, and you want a stick with arcade exact parts and the versatility to play the the great upcoming fighting games on the horizon–then look no further. Keep a close eye on Amazon or your local game retailer of choice, as the 2nd shipments of these awesome controllers are starting to hit the market. Get them quick, because it is unlikely that there will be enough quantity to meet demand. This stick is well worth the investment.
Tags: Reviews
