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Arcade Stick or Controller?


Mei Ninja
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So I saw a Tekken Tag Tournament 2 arcade stick for sale and I have a couple questions for anyone who's ever played this game (or any Tekken for that matter) with one. Living in a city that has all of zero arcades, I've never really played any fighting game using an arcade stick. I don't have a lot of complaints with using a controller, but I've heard from other gamers that people using an arcade stick will always whoop your ass in versus or whatever. So my questions are...

 

Is it easy to make the transition from controller to arcade stick? Or is using one a completely new learning process? Also, for people that use an arcade stick with this game, how difficult do you find facing the CPU overall?

 

I'm just wondering if it's worth the time to invest in an arcade stick or if using a controller is more or less the same. I'd appreciate any input on the matter!

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I was in the same situation as you a couple of years ago, when I decided to buy that Virtua Fighter 5 Arcade Stick.

 

The thing I can say to you is: With daily practice it will take you roughly a year to get where you been with your controller, and another 2-3 on top to really master the stick. It's a COMPLETELY different world, imagine youre using all your fingers, so those muscle memories need to be entirely created from the scratch.

 

(P.S.: I sold it after 1 week; but those numbers are roughly what I remember back from my personal researches.)

 

In short: Godly patience, or stick to your controller.

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I've never really played any fighting game using an arcade stick. I don't have a lot of complaints with using a controller, but I've heard from other gamers that people using an arcade stick will always whoop your ass in versus or whatever. So my questions are...

 

Is it easy to make the transition from controller to arcade stick? Or is using one a completely new learning process? Also, for people that use an arcade stick with this game, how difficult do you find facing the CPU overall?

 

I'm just wondering if it's worth the time to invest in an arcade stick or if using a controller is more or less the same. I'd appreciate any input on the matter!

 

First, don't get the misconception in your head that because someone is using an arcade stick they're going to beat you. Pad/stick means nothing in the face of strategy.

Personally i played T6 either on an xbox 360 controller or my TE stick and this roughly determined who i used on either controller. Mishima's on stick and then everyone else was feasible to me on a pad. I can play a lot of fighting games but only some i can play exclusively on a pad (Project Justice/SCII) and some i pretty much need a stick just to be comfortable (KOF/CVS2)

 

I have a question for you though, what's your execution like on a pad? What fighting games do/did you play and what kind of technical things could you do in them. The reason i ask this kind of determines how easy you will pick up a stick. I taught a friend how to use a stick after he'd been using a pad for KOF and he managed to pick that up to near my levels of execution after just 10 weeks. The confident you are in understanding what you do on a pad and how you do it will help you greatly in understanding what your doing on a stick.

 

Tekken imo is or can be 'easier' on a stick for several reasons but Tekken is also one of the more exhausting games to play on a stick since, the better you get the more you realise you are moving a great deal compared to the movement in a 2D fighting game, so if you have a range of different games at your disposal, you might want to try some different excercises on each game to get a good feel on different ways to approach handling it.

 

If you can get it cheap and don't mind having a go every once in a while then go for it and see how you feel after a month, if you don't like it then you can always sell it or not feel so bad if you spent a ton on it.

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I have a question for you though, what's your execution like on a pad? What fighting games do/did you play and what kind of technical things could you do in them.

 

My top three are Tekken, Dead or Alive, and BlazBlue--in that order. I prefer Tekken the most because stick movement is minimal and buttons pushed are very deliberate and precise compared to any other fighting series I've played. Dead or Alive is a lot of fun but the CPU in that game is absolutely ruthless thanks to the counter system. BlazBlue is also great but I have nightmares of Unlimited Ragna ripping me apart to the sound of "Carnage SCISSOR". Also it's not much of a combo fighter so much as "can you pull off this ridiculous series of button presses at the right moment?" fighter. I dunno what else to call it--I'm not particularly intense when it comes to fighting games.

 

So yeah, hope that explains things.

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So I saw a Tekken Tag Tournament 2 arcade stick for sale and I have a couple questions for anyone who's ever played this game (or any Tekken for that matter) with one. Living in a city that has all of zero arcades, I've never really played any fighting game using an arcade stick. I don't have a lot of complaints with using a controller, but I've heard from other gamers that people using an arcade stick will always whoop your ass in versus or whatever. So my questions are...

 

Is it easy to make the transition from controller to arcade stick? Or is using one a completely new learning process? Also, for people that use an arcade stick with this game, how difficult do you find facing the CPU overall?

 

I'm just wondering if it's worth the time to invest in an arcade stick or if using a controller is more or less the same. I'd appreciate any input on the matter!

 

I considered getting an arcade stick but I just wasn't willing to spend 100+ euros on a good one. I tried a stick out once and I thought it was to heavy and it just didn't feel comfortable. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a controller. There are a lot of pro fighting game players who use a controller, WolfKrone, Fanatiq, Vangief and MastaCJ for example. The only bad thing about it is that you can't press the X and B or Y and A button at the same time because you only got 1 finger you can use. That's the reason why I couldn't play Nina in SFxT. But you can always assign other buttons to do that little trick.

 

Anyway, this is what I'm using. (I ordered the Ryu version btw but the assholes send me this version instead.)

http://www.xbox2go.nl/images/ssken.jpg

 

This baby is light, comfortable and helps you take your skills to the next level. The D-pad feels great and the buttons are easier to press and twice the size of a Xbox controller, your thumb will fit perfectly on those buttons. It may take you a week or two to get used to the additional 2 buttons on the front but it's very useful for fighters. There are also 2 bumpers on top.

 

There's also a SFxT version of it which is 15% smaller in size and has a slightly bigger D-pad. There was a sale on the Madcatze store which offered this baby for just $20. Think this should be available for $40 at GameStop.

 

I got mine for like 2 years now and it still work perfectly. Kinda wish it would defect in some way so I had an excuse to buy the SFxT version :p Only bad thing I can say is that when you plug in a mic/headset, others may sound as if they're far far away. You can still hear them perfectly fine but you'll notice the quality when you compare it with a normal controller.

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In Tekken I use Lili/Asuka and in DOA I use Ayane/Christie or Ayane/Ein.

 

Then using a stick should go relatively well for you, since none of those characters have anything overly complicated or confusing to do. With a bit of practice you should be able to transfer over pretty easily. Give it a try and see what you think. :)

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Anyway, this is what I'm using.

 

Wow, I've never seen a controller like that. Looks like it'd be boss for fighting games. Especially those trigger buttons since I hate having to hold my pointer finger up there for the triggers when playing fighting games.

 

Thanks for the suggestion!

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I never really thought that having a stick really helps for this game, mainly because there are only 4 attack buttons and most moves only require a single direction and attack button as opposed to quarter circle/half circle motions like in Street Fighter or KoF. That being said though I do use a stick for this game (although I used a pad for Tekken 6 and was able to get all the achievements with it no problem).

 

Whether a stick or a pad is better is kinda irrelevant because it really boils down to your personal preference and skills. I know for Street Fighter most pro players use sticks because they are most comfortable with that but there a few players like Wolfkrone who use pad and are really great players that can compete at the highest level.

 

I dont know what most of the pro Tekken players use since I dont really follow that scene as much but I'd say that if you can get your hands on a stick (like borrow it for a friend or whatever) try it out to see if it feels more comfortable to use but don't expect that just because you have a stick you'll be dominating everyone and winning EVO anytime soon :p

 

Also as M1 Punk suggested using a fight pad may be a nice alternative to shelling out $100+ on a fight stick. It's relatively cheap and may just suit your style better than a regular controller or an arcade stick.

Edited by Rapture639
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