Is it 1995 again?!

SFIV Fightpad Review (360 version)

About a week or so ago I picked up Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360.  My main complaint while playing that compilation was that the method of control most popular on the system, the 360 gamepad, was not at all designed for 2D games.  It’s the wanky d-pad.  Anyone who’s ever played with that controller knows exactly what I’m talking about if they’ve ever tried pulling off some of the more complex combos in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Anyway, when I picked up Sonic’s UGC I also attempted to pick up a Street Fighter IV Fighterpad from MadCatz, but they did not have any in stock.  Big surprise.  At that point I had still not grasped one in my hands let alone actually seen one.  I was super bummed because, even though I had my EX2, I would not have a proper method of input for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Dynamite Headdy or Ristar. 

As luck would have it I caught sight of a pair of fightpads in the Best Buy my cousin asked me to stop at.  One was Blanka and the other being Ryu.  Of course I had to pick up the one with Blanka emblazoned on the face of the pad (‘cause if you have no electrical powers, then you’re lame). 

I immediately opened up the packaging and just held it for a good thirty seconds or so.  The shape of the pad feels so familiar, yet so fresh.  It feels almost as if someone compressed the Xbox 360 pad into some sort of pancake, removed the control sticks and rearranged the buttons a little bit.  That’s the fresh part.  The familiar part is this unmistakable reminder of the Saturn pad that so many people know and love.  Every fighting pad that was released after it tried to mimic the greatness of that pad, but none really ever came close to recreating the sensation of playing with the doomed console’s top quality controller (except for maybe the ASCII FT) until SEGA re-released the Saturn pad on the PS2 and PC/Mac, but that doesn’t count because it was the same controller.  This controller ends the cycle of mediocrity.

First off, is the quality of the controller up to par?  At the beginning I couldn’t quite figure out if I approved of the plastic used for the casing of the controller, but I do understand why they chose the smooth, almost tacky, plastic.  I imagine that it cut costs and allowed for the character portraits to be printed on the faces.  It’s a nice presentation having Blanka glare menacingly at me while I play games that he isn’t in.

Next on the list would be the comfort.  I would venture to say that this pad might be even better than my favorite 2D pad of all time: the original (Model 1 in the US) Saturn pad.  There are rubber grips on the either side and a rubber backing that more than make up for the slipperiness of the controller’s plastic once your hands start to get sweaty.  The d-pad is far better than the Xbox 360’s standard controller, but that isn’t saying much.  It’s a loose, floating d-pad that is very reminiscent of the SEGA d-pads of old, but a little spongier.  And the face and shoulder buttons have just enough throw.

The features are pretty much exactly what you’d expect.  There are the 6 face buttons, 2 shoulder buttons, 8-way d-pad, the 3 “Xbox buttons” and, most importantly, the turbo button.  I haven’t had a turbo button on a controller of this quality, aside from arcade sticks, in a long time.  And I gotta say, it feels like the awkward meeting of 2 good friends after years of separation.  That being said, it’s just amazing to finally have a turbo feature again.  Another cool feature is the ability to flip a switch on the bottom of the gamepad that allows the d-pad to function as a normal d-pad or emulate either the left or right control sticks.  It’s very useful for games that may not support the d-pad inherently.

So what about usability?  As of current I have used the pad w/ Soul Calibur IV, Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (all titles), Virtua Fighter 5 Online and a few XBLA games like Pacman C.E., Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Super SFII Turbo HD and R-Type Dimensions.  The controller functions perfectly w/ all of those titles and had me remembering the good ol’ days of Genesis and Saturn.  Just for the hell of it I decided to try the Fightpad out w/ Halo 3 and Sonic Unleahsed.  As it turns out the d-pad does function adequately as both the right and left control sticks, but I would not recommend it for games that either require both sticks (duh!) or games that might need more precise 3D control (also duh!).

Bottom Line: It’s an awesome controller the likes of which I’ve been waiting to see for a long time.  If you have it, I’m sure you love it.  If you don’t, I’m sure you will love it [if you ever pick one up].

Recommendation: Buy it if you play a lot of XBLA titles and fighting games and don’t want to shell out for a high quality arcade stick or think that arcade sticks are too bulky.  I don’t think I would’ve bought it if I hadn’t found it for $40 at Best Buy.  I searched on eBay for it and could only it for $80+s/h.  To me, it’s not worth that much because I have my EX2, but to each his own.