Recent Buys: Episode 12 - Sticks and stones may break my bones but bullets will surely hurt me

It's been a while since I've made a Recent Buys post and as you may have guessed, the purchases have piled up since the last post.

I'm going to do this chronologically which starts off with something big. This was the biggest single purchased item on my current list. I finally stepped it up, arcade stick wise, by getting myself the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 Sa. Purchased brand new for 6500php, I am happy to say that I do not regret buying this. My transition from pad to stick is still a awkward depending on the game but for the most part I am leaning towards sticking with the arcade stick.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnpaCwj-77o[/youtube]

Next up is another arcade stick and this time it's the Hori Fighting Stick Mini 3 for PS3. From what I gather, this is a fairly new stick from Hori and as of this posting I haven't found any solid reviews for it yet which peaked my curiosity for it. Since I couldn't find a review of it online I decided to make one myself and I am very impressed with this budget arcade stick.

Third on my list could possibly be a candidate for my favorite game of 2012 and that is Persona 4 Arena, or in my case it's Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena since my PS3 could only play the R3 release. This game is so much and with it's magic netcode, this is the only fighting game that I can enjoy playing online.

Last up is the most recent of the bunch (happening only yesterday) and is a $20 PSN card. For what reason did I buy a $20 card? I got it mainly for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Yeah yeah I can already hear everyone saying "why get it on PS3 when it's so much better on PC?". The main reason for that is because my PC can't run it. Sure lobbies on PC can max out at 32 players per room while PSN can only have up to 10. But remember that the PS3 version does support cross-platform play meaning that I can also play with or against steam users online.

This is more of a runner up that anything but it still counts. CS:GO is $14.99 on PSN which left me with $5. I used the remaining $5 to get episode 2 of The Walking Dead game. Episode 1 was such a blast and I remember that episode 2 is already out. I remember getting episode 1 with the money left over after getting Skullgirls so a similar scenario happened in the case of episode 2. I would have gotten a PSone classic instead but the cheapest PSone classics title is going for $5.99 and I was 98 cents short.

Hori Fighting Stick Mini 3 Review (PS3)

As time goes on, gadgets and accessories tend to grow in features, but shrink in size. However, the opposite seems to be happening when it comes to game controllers meant to emulate the arcade cabinet experience. These arcade sticks appear to be increasing in size as more and more come out. Hori has also been following that same path, but they haven’t neglected that the market demands stuff that shrinks. Here is a look at one of their latest products, the Hori Fighting Stick Mini 3.

For those looking to not necessarily shift from gamepad to stick but are curious enough to want to spend a bit of money, this might be the stick you are looking for. The FS Mini 3 is what its name suggests: it is a mini arcade stick. It’s as fully functional as any of its bigger brothers, sporting an 8-button layout, a square-gate arcade stick, both Start and Select buttons, a PlayStation Home button and a Turbo button.

The Stick

Due to its small size, the square-gate stick doesn't have much room and definitely feels a lot tighter than those SANWA Denshi sticks you'd find in Japanese arcade cabinets. I wouldn't knock it points for that though, as the more solid feel might be more suitable to your style. I found myself pulling off fireballs and tiger knee inputs a whole lot easier on this stick, and the tighter clicks makes me feels as if I'm playing on an octagonal-gate to some degree.

The Buttons

The buttons follow the standard button layout found on most arcade sticks I've seen for the PS3 with Square, Triangle, R1 and L1 filling out the top row while Cross, Circle, R2 and L2 fill out the bottom row. They aren't the same kind of soft touch buttons found in the arcades. They do feel a bit spongy but are still very responsive and work well. The turbo button allows you to set which button you want turbo activated on, and you can have more than one button set on turbo. Not as convenient as having a turbo toggle switch, but it's still nice that it's there.

"Size comparison with the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 Sa"

I got this cute little sucker at Mr. Dynamic for 2500php and it's definitely better than the iCore Arcade Stick that I got earlier this year. I've tried it with games like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and Persona 4 Arena. I guess the only real downside I can give to this controller is that when I'm playing with it on my lap, I usually need to find something to put under it for additional support, like a wide notebook or a throw pillow to keep the whole thing from wobbling around. That said, if you want a functional arcade stick that barely takes up any space, then this might be the stick for you.

Score: 86/100

Pros:

• Compact and lightweight
• Wired (3m long cable)
• Good grip rubber feet
• Works on PC
• Price

Cons:

• Wired (if you don't like wired controllers)
• Small size might be awkward
• Still more expensive than a regular PS3 gamepad
• Doesn't look to be easily modifiable
• No cable storage