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View Full Version : Gaming Peripherals: What do you think?


SuperMatt723
13-04-2009, 20:46
Throughout gaming history, many have tried to make games more interesting by adding a different way to play other than the controller. yes all the way back to Atari, we've had to buy useless peripherals.

This little topic came to my mind when cleaning my Room, to find A Wii Balance Board, A DDR Mat, 3 Guitar Hero Controllers, a Rock Band Guitar, A Rock Band Drum set, Donkey Konga Bongos, and a Wii steering wheel. The Software may be good, but is it worth the extra money? You be the judge.

Kaito-kun
13-04-2009, 20:58
Throughout gaming history, many have tried to make games more interesting by adding a different way to play other than the controller. yes all the way back to Atari, we've had to buy useless peripherals.

This little topic came to my mind when cleaning my Room, to find A Wii Balance Board, A DDR Mat, 3 Guitar Hero Controllers, a Rock Band Guitar, A Rock Band Drum set, Donkey Konga Bongos, and a Wii steering wheel. The Software may be good, but is it worth the extra money? You be the judge.

Well, we can't have a thread like this and not mention Steel Battalion can we? Or that weird NES glove thingy...

Oh, and this may be an odd question but why do you have 4 different guitar controllers? Surely the maximum you need is two.

Rayne
13-04-2009, 20:58
What a great topic :ohmy:

I'm split on the issue, in some games it really enhances the gameplay and makes it a lot more entertaining (House of the Dead, Guitar Hero) in others however it doesn't do anything to make the game feel more fun.

The Mario Kart Wii Wheel was utterly useless but it didn't cost any extra money so I don't really mind -_-

mazonemayu
13-04-2009, 21:09
up to this day I'm still loving the DC ASCII Mission Stick, coz it can be used for so much more than just flight sims.

what was that ring thing for the mega drive called again ( a big ring you laid on the floor & had to stand into), now that was utter crap

MrEthernex
13-04-2009, 21:17
I'm also on both sides, so I'm just gonna list some good and bad ones.

Good: Rock Band / Guitar Hero, Light Guns, Steering Wheel

Bad: PowerGlove (the NES glove), DDR mats (the foldable ones), Light Guns (when they start dying), Wii Steering Wheel, NES Speedboard

The Speedboard:
http://www.nesplayer.com/database/accessories/images/speedboard.jpghttp://image61.webshots.com/161/1/21/91/521712191jgYEhx_ph.jpg

IT'S A HUNK OF PLASTIC.

Rayne
13-04-2009, 21:20
While I remember, here's the king of all peripherals:

http://www.golem.de/0212/23214-steel%20battalion%20controller.jpg

I'd kill for one of those :P

SuperMatt723
13-04-2009, 21:46
Hey, Rayne ill sell you an American version :P
it was called the Activator, mazonemayu
and my sister was obsessed with guitar hero, so i have a GH2 for PS2, GH3 for PS2, Rock Band for PS2. I only got the GH2 360 guitar for free.

7Force
13-04-2009, 21:47
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3176/tranceviberatora.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tranceviberatora.jpg)
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2148/rez010708.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rez010708.jpg)
A girl gamers best friend:biggrin:

Kaito-kun
13-04-2009, 21:53
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2148/rez010708.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rez010708.jpg)
A girl gamers best friend:biggrin:
7Force, I am appalled!! That's sexism! Guys can find similar pleasures too.

Hang on, it's only taken us 7 posts to reach perverted levels. A new record: We should be proud. ¬_¬

Rayne
13-04-2009, 21:55
Hey, Rayne ill sell you an American version :P
it was called the Activator, mazonemayu
and my sister was obsessed with guitar hero, so i have a GH2 for PS2, GH3 for PS2, Rock Band for PS2. I only got the GH2 360 guitar for free.

How much, how much?! XD

It was named Steel Battalion over here :) I think there was like, one copy for every city in the UK XD

The Guitar Hero series has gotten just a little over the top, I love seeing the some of those few people with literally 14 of those plastic instruments :blink: insane.

Edit: Kaito, the images in my mind will take years of therapy to go away D:

Reknoc
13-04-2009, 22:04
How much, how much?! XD

It was named Steel Battalion over here :) I think there was like, one copy for every city in the UK XD


I remember seeing on in my local Gamestation a good while ago. Shame I missed my chance to get it. :(

Also here's (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/1/9/synesthesia-revisited/) a slightly less creepy picture about the Trance Vibrator

mudokon100
14-04-2009, 05:24
I regret reading this thread now. Anyway...
I've only ever had 2 peripherals, both for the ps1 - a light gun for Die Hard Trilogy and Steering Wheel with Pedals for... well for racing games in general.
The gun did jack all. Hell, if you didn't aim dead center, it reloaded. So basically you were screwed if the enemies decided to stand slightly to your left. Or right. Or on a ledge. Or sit down. Or go to sleep on the floor.
The wheel, however, made for endless fun. I can still remember spending hours on test drive 4, merrily slamming it left and right to get around the corners... Yeah, we broke it. T'was fun while it lasted though.

richarddavies
14-04-2009, 09:56
I saw a steel battalion not too long ago in a gamestation in Oldham for about £100. It's something i'll get if i've got money to burn but i've heard mixed things about the game itself. Saying that though even if it blows it'll be a good investment in a few years if you keep one in good condition.

Dr Shaneman
14-04-2009, 10:57
7Force won this thread already XD.

Ok, the things I won't deem useless are mostly steering wheels (other than the Wii's) as they do help on some games and save your X or A button from being stuck in the future.
Guitar Hero guitars... I guess they are pretty good and I enjoy using them.
Donkey Kong Conga's are useless, you could have just used a controller and the game wouldn't be much different.
Guns are pretty useless to me as I play most FPS games on PC.
DDR mats sell well and I guess if you took them away it would just be another rhythm game so I say they are useful.

sonicfanRICH
14-04-2009, 12:24
I have the Donkey Konga bongos, which I enjoyed using actually. I also like using the dance pads to get a little workout while playing Stepmania or Mario: DDR. I also have Taiko Drum Master, which is not too bad either. I really wish I could try playing games with gun controllers and steering wheels like in the arcades. I also have never played fighting games with an arcade stick before, it would just seem strange to me.

What I really want the most is the maracas for Samba de Amigo! The game is not right without them!

Reknoc
14-04-2009, 14:00
I quite liked the WiiWheel actually, it didn't cost anything and was a fun alternative control scheme for Mario Kart. Though it does remind me of one steeringwheel I got for the SNES for the original Mario Kart, it was basically the same as the WiiWheel only without actually working.

My only problem I have with Peripherals is if they only work with one game, or a very small series of games and cost extra to buy.

7Force
14-04-2009, 21:21
The Para Para Paradise motion controller

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/6744/ppp1.jpg (http://img82.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ppp1.jpg)
http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/6962/ppp2.jpg (http://img82.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ppp2.jpg)
http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/9618/ppp3.jpg (http://img82.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ppp3.jpg)

I've played on this and its good fun.

Dr Shaneman
14-04-2009, 21:31
What the hell? That's some design there.

Zackmaiden
14-04-2009, 21:33
What's it even supposed to do?

mazonemayu
14-04-2009, 21:58
looks just the same as the dreamcast one, only its green

7Force
14-04-2009, 22:03
Wiki to the rescue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Para_Para

And about the game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ParaParaParadise

here is some video to help you to (this is the arcade version on show)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv3-ShAuAJQ

mazonemayu
14-04-2009, 22:09
here's a vid I made last year of the DC version (DreamParaPara)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww3P6vEka9o

MrEthernex
14-04-2009, 22:11
The Para Para Paradise motion controllerTo me, it looks like playing DDR with the Sega Activator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-UZv3AS-E
I remember the Activator being mentioned earlier in this thread, but I don't know if anyone posted a video (Sorry, lazy :P).

sonicfanRICH
15-04-2009, 03:58
That ParaPara looks like a very strange game with the motion sensors, but also seemingly boring. I was expecting some leg movement too.

mazonemayu
15-04-2009, 08:22
well, obviously you can use both arms & legs; there's crazy vids of japanese folks, doing the most insane moves for this type of game (DDR included), but since its not my fav type of game, you won't see me swinging through the vid :P

I just made it coz someone asked me to demonstrate the motion sensors

7Force
15-04-2009, 21:15
I think in the right enviroment its a great laugh. They have it at the troc in london and its quite a hit.

Kaito-kun
15-04-2009, 21:22
I think in the right enviroment its a great laugh. They have it at the troc in london and its quite a hit.
I saw that when I was there last week. (I think I'm in love with that arcade) I was a bit tempted to try it but I didn't want to look like an idiot by myself.

mudokon100
15-04-2009, 21:48
Closest thing I've ever seen to that was a boxing game over in the disney "VR Arcade" center in florida. It was a boxing game, and fully sensed your movements so it really had you working out on it.
Of course the best boxing (or at least fighting) game I've ever seen has to be Fight Mania. Those red lights... they made me so adrenaline-pumped, I hit one so hard the machine reset (their fault for saying "finish it with one punch!") so I kinda ran out the arcade ^^;

7Force
15-04-2009, 22:11
I saw that when I was there last week. (I think I'm in love with that arcade) I was a bit tempted to try it but I didn't want to look like an idiot by myself.
When your with mates you wont care.

Kaito-kun
15-04-2009, 22:12
When your with mates you wont care.
Exactly, I would have been more than happy to if I was with friends but I was by myself so I didn't. I just played DDR instead: Took me two rounds to figure out how to up the difficulty. >_<

7Force
15-04-2009, 22:38
Exactly, I would have been more than happy to if I was with friends but I was by myself so I didn't. I just played DDR instead: Took me two rounds to figure out how to up the difficulty. >_<
I never play DDR on my own I alway make sure I got mates with me if I wanna play that.

Dr Shaneman
15-04-2009, 22:51
Or you could be like me and not care XD.

Mena
15-04-2009, 22:54
I'd quite happily make a fool of myself whether I'm on my own or with company ^_^

mudokon100
15-04-2009, 23:21
Not to my taste. Only time I've ever tried was when I was out with my first GF. The look she gave me put me off doing it forever :S

SuperMatt723
17-04-2009, 01:30
Ill play it by myself, get good, then wow all of my pals. lol

No but really the most expensive peripherals out are the Guitar hero/Rock Band Full Band kits. i meAN, THE NEW BEATLES PACKAGE IS 250 USD!