The Caped Crusader of game
controllers
Gotham City may never be the same. A
new Batman has arrived in theaters, wiping out the competition. The effects were
created to be real – very little computer graphic enhancements were made.
Christian Bale’s stellar performance made us forget about the fact that, until
now, he was known as "the guy from American Psycho," and become immersed in his
story as Batman.
Mad Catz is one of the premiere manufacturers of third-party game controllers,
and they just happen to be the company that gained the rights to making
controllers based on this summer’s two hottest comic book movies: the
aforementioned Batman Begins, and the highly anticipated Fantastic 4. What’s a
Batman fan like myself to do but test out their latest controller and see if
it’s got the same high-quality materials used in the standard Dual-Shock 2.
Big, but not too big; ribbed, but not too ribbed; Mad Catz’s Batman controller
feels good in your hands. Whether holding it lightly or gripping it tightly, the
controller has a nice, rubberized grip and a smooth, rounded design that
conforms to the shape of your hands. The buttons are big and plastic-y, and the
thumb sticks were made to withstand long use.
That doesn’t mean you can abuse
them, but the hard plastic shell all but guarantees the controller will continue
working if you want to slap it around a bit after dying in Metal Slug 4 and 5.
You could always do what I do and throw it out the window. When your dad asks
what happened, just tell him it was the kid across the street that did it. You
know, the kid holding the golf club or baseball bat.
The real test for this controller’s effectiveness is how well it works when
being used, not how good it feels while you wait for the game to load.
He delivered in theaters, and Batman delivers at home, too. The number-one thing
a gamer tests when they get a new controller is, usually without even realizing
it, how well the buttons and the thumbstick react to subtle movements. This
controller is just as fast and the thumbsticks have just as much sensitivity as
the controllers designed by Sony.
The first few minutes were a little weird. That’s because this is not an exact
replicas of standard controller. All it takes is a slight change to throw off
your game. By the 10th minute I had gotten past the initial awkward period and
moved onto the second phase: does it make my hands sore? Theoretically the
rubberized grips should put a stop to hand soreness before it can start. I,
however, found it easier to hold the controller between my fingers as opposed to
a tight, full-hand grip. Having a firm grip makes sense – I used to clench and
would pay for it later.
Now that I’ve learned my lesson I prefer to use controllers that aren’t as big
as my hands. The Batman Begins controller is a tad bigger than Sony’s, but after
a while it no longer felt that way. It looks bigger than it feels.
The X, square, circle and triangle buttons are high up on the third-party
controller list. Slightly bigger but spread no further apart, the buttons are
made of durable (but not painful) plastic. They have that great analog (pressure
sensitive) feel that very few games take advantage of, but are worth using for
Gran Turismo 3 and 4.
The only place where this controller doesn’t live up to expectations is the
shoulder buttons. I like the size and texture of them, but they can’t be
depressed as easily as the buttons on the Dual-Shock 2 and other PS2
controllers. To use more than one shoulder button at a time (as some games
require), you have to grip the base tightly, putting an end to your loose gaming
days.
Not a huge flaw, but it’s a solid reason to consider your options before buying
the Caped Crusader of game controllers.
|
Review Scoring Details for Batman Begins Control Pad Pro Controllers |
Pros:
-
It’s approximately the size every
controller should be. -
Has great grip/rubber texture.
-
Durable body; reliable buttons.
Cons:
-
The shoulder buttons are a too
sturdy (they’re hard to press).
Overall: 8.4
Its cool, comfortable design and reliable buttons provide better-than-average
functionality. The clear plastic body and bright red light (that glows brighter
than the Dual-Shock 2’s tiny light) are sure to appeal to Batman fans who want
the most stylish game controller possible. It makes a good collector’s item for
a few reasons: (1) only gamers will have it, (2) very few gamers will avoid
getting pizza grease all over it, and (3) it’s the first of its kind in a new
generation of Batman movies.
