Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
UK RRP £69.99/£34.99 | Region PAL | Manufactured by Mad Catz
To coincide with the new WWE All Stars video game released on all major platforms, THQ has teamed up with peripheral specialists Mad Catz to produce two officially licensed accessories for the game. The BrawlStick and BrawlPad are available now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but how well do they complement the frantic arcade style of gameplay that WWE All Stars provides? Thanks to Mad Catz, I've spent the last week battling my way through a colourful variety of Superstars and Legends in a Piledriver-filled quest with both accessories to answer that very question.
By far the most impressive of the two peripherals is the BrawlStick, an arcade machine-style eight-button and joystick configuration that really heightens the core old school experience of the game. As you can see from my review of the title itself, WWE All Stars combines elements of '80s and '90s gaming with today's high definition revolution to create what you could genuinely imagine would be the kind of wrestling release we'd be playing way back when if the technology was there.
If you've mastered the multi-layered gameplay with a standard controller, you'll naturally need to get used to the radically different configuration of the BrawlStick, but it's well worth the early hassle. It's not just another cheap and gimmicky product, but a very helpful tool that fits right into the action.
The spacious layout of the black OSBF buttons allows for the easier and far more effective execution of combo strikes and manoeuvres than regular controllers can offer, which is extremely helpful in a game where quite literally a split-second can result in a momentum shift in favour of your opponent(s). Greater resistance in them would have been more preferable as they're a little too easy to accidentally press, the consequences of which can sometimes be the catalyst for your grappler's shoulders being pinned to the canvas. This is not the case for the ball-top joystick however, as it has quite the desirably sturdy fitting, which surprisingly results in very smooth movement for your wrestlers as you lock-up, run and drive your foes down to the mat.
The BrawlStick, which connects via cable to your console of choice, also has a Turbo button that works hand-in-hand with the main configuration and subsequently the stringing of combo moves, as well as conveniently-placed Start, Select and Home buttons that completely erase the insufferable problem of inadvertently pausing your game or bringing up the XMB screen during combat.
It may be plastic, but this is a high quality product featuring artwork pleasing to the eye of WWE fans and with enough weight that it can be placed both on a surface or your lap without fear of slipping. WWE All Stars is truly given another dimension by the BrawlStick, accentuating the authentic arcade-style feel.
Not quite so impressive in quality is the BrawlPad, which is the aesthetic antithesis of everything the BrawlStick is. At half the price, it's the budget accessory for the game. To hold it's reasonably comfortable in its smoothness, but feels hollow and lightweight. Visually it's like an ugly hybrid of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers and contains the same likeable artwork as the BrawlStick, which is at least something, but unfortunately the plastic it's made from looks cheap.
But aside from its appearance, the BrawlPad is indeed another handy accessory beneficial to the game. WWE All Stars' requirement to hold the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons simultaneously to perform certain signature moves was obviously one of the focuses of the controller during development, as the suitably wide and circular L1 and R1 buttons sit alongside X, Square, Circle and Triangle, whilst L2 and R2 are positioned atop the shoulders.
The BrawlPad's inability to provide gamers with the same kind of arcade experience as the BrawlStick may stick out like a sore thumb, but there is no denying its prowess as a specialist's controller. Where it lacks the aesthetic punch of its more expensive counterpart it draws equal in terms of effectiveness to actual gameplay with its button placement and flowing, effortless D-pad, so ultimately both products have their uses, which is quite something when you compare them to other accessories that are more about the brand than value for money and quality.