2nd Op By

Dale Weir 2.5 RATING

On every point, Chi and I agree. I too found the bulkier wings of the FighterPad to be too big. I couldnt even reach across to the different buttons with the same ease that I could with Segas default controller. When it came to the control sticks, it was the D-pad that wreaked the most havoc on me. While playing Street Fighter Alpha 3, a game in which a singularly-molded D-pad should be advantageous, I found the D-pad on the FighterPad not nearly as responsive as it could have been. Pulling off the multiple circular motion combinations needed for Ryus fireball or Dragon Uppercut was a exercise of frustration. More problems occurred when handling the FighterPad's L and R shoulder buttons. Whenever I used them, whether for standard button moves or analog button moves, the inclination of the buttons was not conducive to any type of game besides the occasional racer. And to be fair, no one will be picking up a FighterPad to go a couple of laps with Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

Like Chi, I took issue with the fact that while all face buttons were programmable, none would replace the FighterPad's shoulder buttons. This sort of oversight had to be deliberate, but just what they were hoping to accomplish by doing so is beyond me. With one fell swoop, the FighterPad was rendered useless even against Segas default gamepad. And what was to be a saving grace the ability to program up to 50 different button combinations and assign each to a button on the controller turned out to be an utter letdown. It was exceedingly difficult to actually re-assign buttons and it rarely paid off while playing; if the combination were even slightly complex (by involving more than two buttons), they either wouldnt work or not work consistently.

As a standard controller the FighterPad is well below average. The face buttons are responsive, the L and R buttons and D-pad could be considered functional although just barely and the turbo feature works fine. As an aside, the program feature works well for simple button reassignments. However, by its very cognomen, the FighterPad was touted to be some sort of ultimate control pad a Quantum Leap if you will for the fighting game fan and it most definitely did not live up to those expectations.

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