Name:  - FightingArena
Thrustmaster Description:
Get off the couch – get into the game
For the Gamer who wants the most out of boxing, fighting and combat games, Thrustmaster welcomes you to the Main Event. Step into the FightingArena™, a controller ideally suited for people who are no longer content with sitting on their butts and pushing buttons. The photo sensors situated on the two front bars and the directional footpads found on the mat instantly translate all your moves to your character in the game. This means that you can finally be part of truly interactive gameplay that not only brings realism to the forefront, but also takes the Gamer into the game.
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4/3/2003 - Welcome to Robstas game-room. Have you ever gone to a home electronics store to buy a new controller and find yourself standing in front of a numerous amount of brands and styles to choose from only to walk away frustrated because you weren’t sure if the money you were going to spend would satisfy your gaming needs and desires! This is where joystickreview comes into play. I am an average ordinary everyday dude that is handing out my own personal opinion on the controllers that I review. This time I am going through the motions with another outstanding gaming system from THRUSTMASTER called THE FIGHTING ARENA. Toss out the steering wheels and handlebars, but not your fury to mix-it-up!
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Ding, Ding, Ding!!
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91.5
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| First Impression |
The first thing that I noticed was the size of the box that the FIGHTING ARENA came in. After checking out the dude on the side of the box punching and kicking through beams of light, I was more than eager to put the FIGHTING ARENA together and start playing. As I opened the box and began to take out the pieces to assemble the FIGHTING ARENA I noticed a sudden excitement coming over me knowing that some serious butt-kicking was about to take place. This doesn’t happen to me that often because with most controllers that I use as soon as I get it back to my crib I take it out of the package and just plug it in. The FIGHTING ARENA from THRUSTMASTER requires some assembly which gives the gamer some time to get a few visions of things to come while putting the system together which will definitely get the adrenaline flowing…as if the ride home from way across town where you purchased your FIGHTING ARENA didn’t already put you through the ringer knowing that there is a brand new toy for your PS2 just begging to be put to use by its new owner. I am sure that you will be as impressed as myself and the other gamers that had the opportunity to jump into my FIGHTING ARENA and break a sweat for a few rounds.
Robsta will stand tall and punch out 10 points for this first round of reviewing action. |
10.0
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| Game(s) Included |
I took my time and slowly unloaded the contents of the box onto the floor of my game-room. There were many different things that came out of the box, but a new game was not one of them.
This only means one thing…Robsta will do the old rope-a-dope in round 2 and end up with 5 points to add to this 8 round title bout score. |
5.0
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| Looks |
The FIGHTING ARENA looks like no other controller that I have ever seen. I would imagine that is because the designers at THRUSTMASTER wanted to create another astonishing masterpiece to put the gamer even more into the action than ever before. The mat the player stands on is gray in the center (in the neutral position), the directional buttons are red and the R1,R2,L1 and L2 buttons are orange. This is good because it is easy to see what you need to step on since they are colored so bright. The retractable bars are black, red, and yellow. Another good color combination that is easy on the eyes. The THRUSTMASTER name on the retractable bars and the FIGHTING ARENA logo on the mat add a nice finishing touch to the looks of this gaming system. I will guarantee you that the FIGHTING ARENA looks better than those that felt the wrath of Robsta and the pummeling that they all endured!
Robsta steps over to the corner for some “between round instructions” and discovers 8.5 points for the FIGHTING ARENA. |
8.5
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| Comfort |
The FIGHTING ARENA has a big advantage here because I like anything that makes your playing action more intense than the actual game itself. This is the second controller from THRUSTMASTER that I have had the privilege to review that makes you get off your butt and use your whole body instead of just your hands. COOL! You had better be in somewhat good shape because that will increase your gaming time. I have seen a few dudes already not last as long as others, but use the FIGHTING ARENA often enough and you can just feel the sweat burning off of you.
The mat is comfortable on the feet and I recommend that you don’t wear a lot of clothes because they will be coming off in no time since you will be kicking and punching and moving around more than you normally do when you play with a regular controller - although some of us move around a lot while just sitting in our favorite easy chair. I have broken a few chairs in my day during game play, but I can only imagine the activities that could occur with two FIGHTING ARENAS set-up side by side. I play video games to escape from everyday mumbo-jumbo and the FIGHTING ARENA has taken my game playing to another level. This level is not as comfortable as kicking back on the couch, but as intense as the game play is inside the ARENA... I think that it is a fair trade off.
Robsta hears the bell ring to finish another round as he heads to the corner and finds 9.5 more points to add to the score. |
9.5
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| Construction |
The FIGHTING ARENA from THRUSTMASTER is unlike other controllers that I have tested because I haven’t seen anything like it before. The mat you stand on is actually the D-Pad with the R1, R2, L1, and L2 buttons. I usually wear socks when I step into the ARENA and the plastic covered mat gives excellent traction. The two bars at the front are retractable so they will be functional for kids as well as adults. These bars have infrared transmitters and receivers because this is where the action beams are located. The triangle and square buttons are activated by breaking the light beams that are from one bar to the other right in front of you. The X and the circle buttons are at each side with an infrared beam that shoots diagonally from the top of the bars up front down to a sensor that is located at the rear of the mat. Actually there are only two buttons (start and select) that are really buttons. I have taken the FIGHTING ARENA apart and reassembled it more than a few times and did not run into any glitch whatsoever during game play. This proves once again that THRUSTMASTER creates tremendous QUALITY products.
Robsta gets rocked with a big overhand right and sees 14.5 points circling over his head. |
14.5
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| Playability |
I would like to thank the folks at THRUSTMASTER for coming out with another gaming system that REALLY puts you “in the game.” It’s amazing how once you step into the FIGHTING ARENA you feel like you have entered a whole new video world. The only thing to think about is how much pain I can inflict on my opponent.
At first I programmed the action buttons so I had a better idea on which beams of light I needed to break. I decided that Tekken 3 would be a game to start with so I took Eddy Gordo and challenged Paul Phoenix to a battle at sundown. I figured 3 fights at 3 rounds apiece would be enough to get my head drilled into the dirt since I wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen once I stepped into the FIGHTING ARENA for the very first time. As expected Paul took me out 3-0 the first time through. Even though the second fight was closer at 3-1, my confidence was building so I headed into the last fight and beat him ‘til he left crying like a little baby. I am proud to announce that I skunked him 3-0 with a perfect score on the final round. I stepped out of the FIGHTING ARENA with sweat rolling off of my head and my blood flowing furiously through my veins. “WHAT A RUSH!” Once the fight began I didn’t think about who was in the room or what I could kick outside the ring or how I looked throwing punches and kicks and stepping all over the mat. I’m sure that I let out a big “hooooooowaaaaah” in there somewhere to but it didn’t matter because I was having a BLAST!
Breaking beams of light are much more fun than pushing buttons. By no means did I master the FIGHTING ARENA with this one fight, but I knew that there were going to be many more tremendous demonstrations of astonishing moves and blows to the body yet to come. I was impressed with how responsive the beams were and the mat too. I found myself looking down at the mat at first to make sure I was hitting the directional buttons accurately as well as the R and L buttons. It took a lot of practice to get comfortable with not looking at where I had to put my feet. Whether it was working or not I seemed to accomplish the moves that I had set out to try and figured out most of them. I borrowed a book from RW to get some extra moves in Tekken 3…little did I know that was an encyclopedia of action and directional buttons for all of the moves for each character. There was no way I was going to spend the time for all of them so I concentrated on Eddy Gordo since I had already used him in the earlier fight. There was a lot of time with Eddy’s back on the ground, but that is what it takes to learn new moves especially ones that I have never tried before even with a new style of game controller. I liked getting into a hand stand then punishing my opponents with a variety of spins and kicks once I was able to remember the sequence of action buttons needed to make the special moves. The FIGHTING ARENA made the action feel all the more real. I am positive that I personally will never step inside of an “OCTAGON or an ELIMINATION CHAMBER” or be in a “STEEL CAGE MATCH,” but the FIGHTING ARENA will allow me to walk away with my nose, eyes, and the rest of my face looking just like it did once I entered it.
I wanted to try a different game so KL loaned me” Ready to Rumble Boxing” for a while. This game is loaded with cool characters plus a few dudes that we all know that aren’t boxers. I wanted to throw jabs, hooks, uppercuts, and body blows for a different change of pace. I took Boris ‘the bear’ Knokimov and started a career. This game turned out to be a kick in the butt while I was inside of the FIGHTING ARENA. Starting out in ranked in 12th place, I made it all the way to 4th in rankings until MJ took me out in the first round. No, Michael Jordan is not in the game…I am trying to admit that I got demolished in less than 90 seconds by Michael Jackson. Not one of my finer video game moments. The next evening I started again. This time I worked on different moves and added them to my existing arsenal of moves and devoured the competition to become the champion defeating opponents like 400 lb. Mama Tua, Afro Thunder, Butcher Brown, ‘Big’ Willy Johnson, Robox Rese-4 and last but not least Shaquille O’neal. This game was much more fun while standing in the FIGHTING ARENA versus sitting on a chair pushing buttons with my thumbs and fingers. Upon further review I was again amazed at how precise the infrared beams were and the mat seemed to take me everywhere my feet told it to go. I still have a tough time with some of the moves that require you to do 4 or more buttons, but as long as I can stand in the ring, I will keep trying!
Robsta staggers to the corner chair after this long exhausting round and spits 15 wet points into the bucket. |
15.0
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| Value (price for what you get) |
If you are in the market for a new controller and fighting games are right up your alley, then there is no question that you need a FIGHTING ARENA in your crib. The average game-pad costs about $30.00 or less. The FIGHTING ARENA is about $70.00 so for a little more that twice the money as a normal, regular, usual, boring old hand-held controller you can step-up and purchase an epic gaming system and have 10 times the fun, excitement, and entertainment. Once you see your friends step into the ARENA you will be getting your money back every time! I can’t believe I am giving out two perfect scores in a row!
Robsta has gotten a second wind as this bout winds down and he wipes 15pts. of sweat from his forehead. |
15.0
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| Recommend to Others |
There are some people out there who are not into fighting games or don’t want to get off of their lazy A_ _ and try something new. Then there is the true fighting enthusiast who won’t think twice about buying a FIGHTING ARENA. So far everyone that has heard me talk about it wants to see it and those that have seen it and actually had the privilege to step into the FIGHTING ARENA usually say the same 3 words…”One more game?” From kids to adults once this baby is set-up the adventure doesn’t stop until everyone leaves or you have to shut it down because you can’t stand any longer. This will keep the kids in a “SAFE ARENA” to play in so they don’t wander off and get into other mischief doing some backyard wrestling or something dangerous like that. Oh yeah, when you do get your FIGHTING ARENA of your own be prepared for a lot of company!
Robsta raises his hands in victory as the championship belt is put back around his waist and he deals out 14 points for another THRUSTMASTER product. |
14.0
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RECOMMENDATIONS to the Vendor
ROBSTA
The total score came to 91.5 for the FIGHTING ARENA from THRUSTMASTER. I was expecting a high score even before starting this review. I think that the lower base of the retractable bars could have longer feet on them so they will be more stable when they are accidentally hit by mistake. A sheet of decals so the consumer can customize their own FIGHTING ARENA might add to the appearance. A carrying bag would also be easier to carry around the ARENA from place to place instead of that big box. These are small things that I feel could have improved the score, but anything over 85pts. is worth taking a chance on anyway.
Special Thanks to KL,RW,TC and D for extra video help.
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