If you are in the (seeming) minority who's into both Street Fighter and Hello Kitty, then this is for you! C'mon, folks! It's okay to like both!As you can see, the artwork that adorns the stick is really adorable. From Hello Kitty dressed as Chun Li, to My Melody dressed as Cammy, and (my personal favorite) Tuxedo Sam who's dressed up like E. Honda, the packaging screams super cute. Personally, I'd have preferred the buttons and the ball on the joystick to also be pink ( or maybe a lavender), but as it is, it's a nice contrast.Functionally, this thing comes with a nice metal base that's equipped with nice, big rubber feet. If you put this on a table, it's not going to slide (though, that depends on how emphatic you are with your movements), but the rubber feet aren't so big that it makes it uncomfortable to place on your lap. The buttons are nice and clicky and are spaced out comfortably ( I have big hands) and aside from my general unfamiliarity with the button placement (This is the first fight stick I've ever purchased for myself), are intuitively placed. There's a Turbo feature, but I'll never use it. With the flick of a switch, you can set your joystick to read as the Directional Pad, the Left, or the Right thumbsticks. Movement of the joystick or pressing of the buttons emits a wonderful clicking sound that brings back my fond memories of playing games in the arcade. Your mileage on this sound effect will definitely vary.Now, onto the only negative I have for this fight stick, and it has to do with the joystick. You see, at the bottom of the joystick (inside the very guts of the controller), is a restrictor plate that limits your joysticks movement (otherwise, you'll just bust the thing up inside while entering your motions). It's square. You wouldn't think that has much to do with anything, but hear me out. It makes it hard to do quarter circle movements. And, let's face it, you tend to do a lot of those in fighting games. Yes, you can learn your way around it, but it definitely threw off my fighting game rhythm. Thankfully, MadCatz made it easy-peasy to switch out, and circular or octagonal replacement restrictor plates are easy enough to find, and relatively inexpensive. Ultimately, I had to find and buy a replacement restrictor plate and install it before I reached optimal satisfaction with the product, and that's the only reason why this stick did not get a 5 star rating.Durability? Well, I just got the thing, so I don't really know. Plus, that will depend on how rough you are with it. Or any sort of controller. It seems sturdily built to me, so I hope that it lasts for a while.So, in the end, if you need a fight stick this is a pretty good one. I will readily admit that there are manlier alternatives. But just think of how much more satisfaction you'll get when you defeat your opponent and they see you did it with Hello Kitty backing you up?
