Hori Soul Calibur II arcade stick.

GameCube Soul Calibur II Hori Joystick
The perfect controller for the arcadist in all of us.

April 04, 2003 - The Japanese game accessory manufacturer "Hori" often releases specialized joysticks to coincide with new fighting game releases. Virtua Fighter 4, Dead or Alive 3, and many other games have received the treatment and Soul Calibur II is the latest. In Japan, Hori recently came out with both PS2 and GCN Soul Calibur II Joysticks to coincide with the launches of the games. The only difference between the two, apart from the plug that goes into the system, is that the color scheme on the PS2 version is different. (The button layouts and stick are the exact same.)
At nearly $70, though, it costs more than Soul Calibur II does, so is it worth it to finally be able to control Link with an arcade joystick? Keep reading.

Design
The first thing you'll notice when you take it out of the box is that controller is really, truly big! Take a look:

It's nearly twice as wide as the GameCube itself, and only slightly less heavy. But the controller is well constructed and feels like it can take a quite a beating. The plastic used for the outer shell is as tough as the GameCube's and the bottom is metal, so you can toss it around for a while without problems if that's your thing. I was able to use it comfortably in my lap although a table is recommended, as it can weigh you down after a while. By the way, those top two yellow buttons are "Start" on the left and "Z" on the right.

The joystick feels comfortable and the "bulb" was just about perfect for my hands. (Which are not very big for that matter.) It's very much like an arcade joystick, and moves smoothly with just the right amount of resistance. It also "clicks" like an arcade joystick, giving it more realism. The buttons are excellent, true arcade style, and they also click when you hit them and have great resistance.

The length of the cord on the joystick is the same length as a regular GCN controller. Having been used to the Wave Bird so long this seemed a bit short to me at first, and since you'd probably want to put this on a table rather than just resting it in your hand, the cord length may be an issue to you depending on your gaming setup. However, you can also buy cord extensions -- if you're willing to spend this much for the true arcade feel, a little more probably won't kill your wallet either.

As far as the physical design goes there are two main problems. First off, the joystick surface is completely flat. Why does this matter? Because arcade fighting games' playing surfaces are usually slanted so your wrist rests properly. With this joystick your wrist is often pressing against the plastic, and it can be slightly painful after a while. The other issue is this:

Note that the GameCube controller has three control sticks (analog, d-pad, c-stick) while the "Cube/Stick" has one. The joystick only controls the diagonal pad, not the analog stick (and of course not the C-stick), nor is there any option to make it control the analog stick. So you won't be able to play Smash Brothers, and most other games with this controller, which is disappointing. Be sure to consider the fact that you may only be able to use this controller with SCII before purchasing it.

Play Control
Soul Calibur II is, simply put, meant to be played with a controller like this, it's incredible. When I first booted up the game and began playing, it actually felt like being back in an arcade, minus the annoying kids and token machines. I've played Soul Calibur II with the Wave Bird a few times and the experience is far below that of this joystick. Moves are very easy to pull off (easier than on the regular controller at that) although you are losing the benefit of being able to assign button-moves to the C-stick.

The button layout is pretty good and it's easy to pull off some of the game's dual-button press moves and combos. I'd also say that it's easier to pull off moves that require quick taps of the A / B / K buttons with this controller (at least its been my experience that my own fingers respond better to the arcade 'pop-back' buttons than the less agile GCN controller buttons.)

The button layout on the joystick is set as the following:

A, X, Y
B, L, R

Since you can change them to whatever you'd like in the game's menu, there aren't many issues with this setup, although it's interesting that they chose to put L/R on the bottom right, and not have X/Y and L/R go vertically, matching closer to the Street Fighter setup. The only annoyance with the buttons is that the "Z" button is located at the top right of the controller, and that's not too handy to hit in the heat of battle.

Value
Admittedly other joysticks which cost only $30 or so more (such as the X-Arcade) will probably give you better options (the X-Arcade may be able to work as an analog stick as well), and let you use the joystick with other consoles for the price of an adapter. Since there are no GCN to (System-X) converters, the fact that you don't have that option may make this controller less desirable. And as I already mentioned, you'll want to consider how many games using the D-pad on GameCube you'll be purchasing in the future when noting its cost.

If you're a Soul Calibur fanboy, though, or just like collecting official game related accessories, you may want to go with this controller, even if the only difference between it and other joysticks is the graphic on the front panel. (Worth the cost of admission just to see Cassandra's lovely face staring back at you each time you play.)

Conclusion
One of the best things about this controller is how impressive it looks and the double takes done by people who see this large chunk of plastic sitting in your living room. (Unless you're sitting with the controller on your lap, in which case you look quite lame, I can assure you.) If that makes you happy and you've got the money and are looking for the best Soul Calibur experience you can find, go for it. Its an excellent arcade stick and will definitely improve your game, but probably not so much as to make up for its cost.

-- Jay Navok

Performance - 9.2

The controller performs remarkably well and you'll likely see an improvement in your gameplay. Great arcade feel. The drawbacks is that it only simulates D-Pad support.

Build Quality - 9.0

Consider this first party quality as far as the design and assembly goes. Its constructed beautifully and plays like a dream, although the flat surface may cause some chafing on your wrist.

Value - 7.0

At $70 it won't break the bank, but you may have to put off getting a game or two to be able to afford it. If a deeper Soul Calibur II experience is worth giving up Splinter Cell or Burnout 2 to you. 7.0

Features - 9.0

This controller looks cool and is the way to own on Soul Calibur II. If you're looking for a serious way to play the best fighting game out on GameCube, you need a joystick, and this is it.

Overall Rating 9.0 (Not an average)

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Cool reivew but i dont have much money to spend on accesories. Heck i have little money to buy games! I dont think the cotnroller will be a success IMO.

probably not. I remember really wanting an arcade stick like that for SNES. But I think they were like

I might get it when theres no good games coming, but this year theres doesnt seem to be a break

I'm happy with my likkle Hori Digital Pad.