Review Review
I once read an article on The Onion called "Point/Counterpoint: Reservoir Dogs is Awesome vs. Reservoir Dogs is the Best Movie Ever. The first guy talks about how great the movie is and the second guy is outraged that the first guy thinks it's merely great rather than the best movie ever. I feel somewhat the same way about Gamespot's review of the Logitech Cordless Action Controller:
http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-5266-1169-x-x-x
They only gave it a 9.0 and put it in the hardware of the year section. That's really not enough. It's the first wireless game controller that is incredibly good and has no drawbacks at all. The review lists two negatives: 1) the receiver is too tall for the slim version of the PS2 (no it isn't, who cares?) and 2) the d-pad isn't as good as the Sony Dual Shock 2's especially for fighting games that "require the utmost precision." I almost fell out of my chair when I read that. Maybe they should be asking me which d-pads work well with fighting games, not the other way around. The d-pad on the Logitech controller is far better than the weird 4 separate buttons disaster that the standard PS2 controller uses. Actually having diagonals at all is way better than not having them when you are trying to do a quarter circle motion to throw a fireball.
I use the Logitech wireless controller all day every day at work, and I have two of my own at home. Seriously, what does a controller have to do to get a 10? Anyone who doesn't have one is missing out.
--Sirlin
PS--Logitech, please contact me so I can be your celebrity spokesperson.
January 5th, 2005 at 8:12 am
You say “It’s the first wireless game controller that is incredibly good and has no drawbacks at all.” What makes it better than the Nintendo Wavebird?
January 5th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
Ah, here’s two answers:
1) Wavebird doesn’t have rumble, and it’s bigger than the normal controller. Logitech has rumble, is the same size as it’s counterpart, and is actually better due to the better d-pad.
2) Ok, ok I should have said “first wireless PS2/Xbox controller that is actually good.” The wavebird is very good, no doubt about it.
–Sirlin
January 5th, 2005 at 12:47 pm
Sirlin, I definitely agree with you about the PS2 controllers not being up to snuff when it comes to fighting games. I prefer diagonals big time and I feel like I’m disadvantaged everytime I use a PS2 controller. Most people think I’m bitching when really I just recognize a good controller from a bad one when it comes to fighting games. To be fair, one can certainly get used to a PS2 controller, so it’s really an acquired taste. But one shouldn’t have to acquire taste for crap.
I was playing Melty Blood on PC with a friend of mine and he has these controllers that are six button, but the D-pad is at a diagonal rather than straight up and down. Can’t anyone just make a normal pad like the SNES had and go from there. I can play with a Dreamcast controller better than I can play with most things(besides an SNES pad) and I know a lot of people hate the Dreamcast controller for fighting games, but I took the time to get used to it and now I like it. Anyway, that’s all I had to say on that.
-Squire
January 14th, 2005 at 1:57 am
Try playing fighting games on an n64 controller. Yuck.
I certainly do fine with the ps2 controller in fighting games with no real feel of a disadvantage. My pad of choice for crushing foes in GGXX:reload would be the Gemini Axispad — which is an utter piece of crap driver wise that grew on me. The D-Pad is the nice disc shaped kind(like the Cordless Action Controller), with high rises for each direction. My friends call it “The Grinder” for that reason. It chews up ones fingers pretty good. Almost feels like a mean Wingman(Why on earth didn’t Microsoft use a modified wingman for an x-box controller?).
Maybe it didn’t get a 10 because it didn’t do any super special extra stuff(turbo, macro, toast).
Eitherway I never got the cordless thing. Nothing pisses me off more then having to change the batteries on controllers/mice/keyboard. I’ll get a wireless controller when it has a lithium battery and charging dock(that would be swank).
January 19th, 2005 at 8:32 am
Gamespot’s ALWAYS strict when it comes to the numeric score they give in reviews. I wouldn’t know so much for hardware tho, since I mainly read game reviews. And besides, of all the perfect 10’s they gave so far, I can say I disagree with about half of them. Chrono Cross was great, but it wasn’t perfect.
On the issue of the Dual Shock, it may suck for quarter-circle-intensive 2D fighters, but it does a FINE job for 3D fighters. The SNES pad gave me sore thumbs after an hour or so of SF2. Although the Dual Shock DOES give me sweaty palms when I break out Potemkin. :o
February 7th, 2005 at 7:00 pm
Gee Sirlin, your weblog is almost as boring as your website now. Do something about it!
February 16th, 2005 at 1:44 pm
Have you gotten the logitech controller to work with World of Warcraft? If so, please tell me how
November 4th, 2005 at 7:37 am
come on dudes, if you’re going to play fighting games, gotta get one of these =D
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/
obidos/ASIN/B0002MNXD2/
qid%3D1129050658/250-5311752-2807419