Random Gaming Thoughts

[prfsnl_gmr]

Me: Visual novels are the pinnacle of literary art. The method in which they weave an emotionally impactful narrative is astounding.

Visual novels:

The language is beautiful...it’s practically poetry...

[PretentiousHipster]

I assume the author used a book as a bong. A very common method of creating poetry. There's proof right here: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ae5b ... inite-jest

[NotLuke]

Because I grew up with video games, certain things will always be associated with video games. Take Electric Guitar Solos. They say three words to me, "Sega CD Soundtrack". At a younger age, I would associate electric guitar solos to the song Beat It, but not after spending countless hours in middle and high school playing the disc based console. That changed the electric guitar solo from something badass to a simple lazy string of notes, often going nowhere, just to remind you know the band owned one or had enough money at the time to hire a studio musician to play a guitar solo.
For only a few years did the wail of an electric guitar bring images of pyrotechnics, badd-assery, and above all Rock N' Roll, as for the vast majority of my life anytime I hear the instrument I either imagine a musician in a booth jamming out to awkward polygons for the soundtrack to Stellar-Fire or a well-intentioned yet delusional musician who is going to make a splash with that new Sonic CD sound.

[Ziggy]

You know, I've found that a lot of people don't know that the guitar solo in Beat It is Edward Van Halen.

[Note]

Has anyone used any of the newer third party N64 controllers on the market? If so, any preferences? I'm interested in getting a new controller for the console, possibly the Brawler 64 but was wondering if anyone had any input, as there's a few different options out there.

[fastbilly1]

All modern 3rd party N64 controllers have very sensitive sticks compared to the original (Digital vs LED for encoder). I have a usb Brawler 64 that I like and think is the best you can get right now. While I like the original formfactor, the Brawler 64 feels like a modern controller. The buttons have the right amount of resistance and now that they have fixed the left shoulder button issue, they play perfectly well. But you will have to get use to the stick. For games like Mario64 it is not a big deal, for shooters though thats a bit tougher but you can get use to it. I like them enough that I am thinking about selling some of my minipads and get 4x of them. The only downside is the Transferpack doesnt work with them.

The USB one has some other issues though. Changing modes from Xinput to Dinput on windows is a cbutton combination, so playing something like Goldeneye/Perfect Dark/Quake 2 you start swapping control methods. It also does not have controller pack slot, so it is lighter and has no rumble. It does however work on the Switch as a usb controller. And playing Mario Tennis Ace's with a N64 controller is pretty awesome.

[Ziggy]

Has anyone used any of the newer third party N64 controllers on the market? If so, any preferences? I'm interested in getting a new controller for the console, possibly the Brawler 64 but was wondering if anyone had any input, as there's a few different options out there.

Yes, I've tried them. In my opinion, nothing beats the original controller. Of course, with the OG controller you have to make sure the stick isn't worn (and be sure to lube it so it doesn't wear!) but other than that it's solid. Every aftermarket controller that I've tried I had something annoying about it that I had to point out.

I actually started a thread that I wanted to compile all available retro controllers currently being produced and have some sort of review/recommendation for each.

http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=52551

Here's my thoughts on the Brawler64. TLDR: It's almost perfect with the exception of the Z button.

I have picked up this controller and put it through it's paces. The joystick is usable. It is VERY comfortable. My biggest complaint is the Z buttons. For some reason they gave the Z buttons throw like an analog button (think L and R on a GCN controller or the triggers on a PS4 or Xbone controller). This was a design choice to give the controller a very modern feel. However, since it doesn't actually HAVE an analog function (nor are any N64 games designed to use such a function) it's not only completely pointless but also gives the control a huge con in the usability department. After using the controller to play Super Mario 64, I was able to get use to the travel of the Z button. But games like Star Fox 64 or Goldeneye, where you might want to rapid fire my pressing the Z button as quickly as possible, it becomes a huge con. This controller would be * perfect * if it weren't for the awful design of the Z button!

I also wrote some notes on teh Retro-Bit Tribute 64 (Hori mini pad clone). I have a real Hori mini pad to compare it to, and they're nearly identical. If you like that layout, the Tribute 64 is a good controller. My only complaint is, again, the Z button. It doesn't have a very responsive click. Some times you can depress the button on the side and not actually register the input, which is very frustrating!

The sticks of the two above mentioned controller are decent enough. Way better than that "Gamecube-like" replacement stick for OEM controllers. But the OG 64 controller still has the best stick in terms of responsiveness. It's a shame, but there's no 100% replacement for the OG N64 controller. At least, not in my opinion. My recommendation is to find some in good condition and LUBE THE STICK so it doesn't wear out!

[Note]

All modern 3rd party N64 controllers have very sensitive sticks compared to the original (Digital vs LED for encoder). I have a usb Brawler 64 that I like and think is the best you can get right now. While I like the original formfactor, the Brawler 64 feels like a modern controller. The buttons have the right amount of resistance and now that they have fixed the left shoulder button issue, they play perfectly well. But you will have to get use to the stick. For games like Mario64 it is not a big deal, for shooters though thats a bit tougher but you can get use to it. I like them enough that I am thinking about selling some of my minipads and get 4x of them. The only downside is the Transferpack doesnt work with them.

The USB one has some other issues though. Changing modes from Xinput to Dinput on windows is a cbutton combination, so playing something like Goldeneye/Perfect Dark/Quake 2 you start swapping control methods. It also does not have controller pack slot, so it is lighter and has no rumble. It does however work on the Switch as a usb controller. And playing Mario Tennis Ace's with a N64 controller is pretty awesome.

Appreciate the feedback on both versions of the Brawler 64. I'm interested in using it on my original hardware, so I won't be looking at the USB controller, but good to know about those issues. That's too bad about the Transfer Pak, but I don't own Pokemon Stadium or any games that use that accessory, so that's not a deal breaker for me.

I'm mixed on the original design, for some games I feel like it works great (Star Fox 64), but for other games, I have some issues using it. For example in Doom 64, I find it tough to press the L button to strafe left, while my left hand is holding the controller by the middle prong.

Good to know you like it enough to contemplate going all in on them though.

Yes, I've tried them. In my opinion, nothing beats the original controller. Of course, with the OG controller you have to make sure the stick isn't worn (and be sure to lube it so it doesn't wear!) but other than that it's solid. Every aftermarket controller that I've tried I had something annoying about it that I had to point out.

Here's my thoughts on the Brawler64. TLDR: It's almost perfect with the exception of the Z button.

I also wrote some notes on teh Retro-Bit Tribute 64 (Hori mini pad clone). I have a real Hori mini pad to compare it to, and they're nearly identical. If you like that layout, the Tribute 64 is a good controller. My only complaint is, again, the Z button. It doesn't have a very responsive click. Some times you can depress the button on the side and not actually register the input, which is very frustrating!

The sticks of the two above mentioned controller are decent enough. Way better than that "Gamecube-like" replacement stick for OEM controllers. But the OG 64 controller still has the best stick in terms of responsiveness. It's a shame, but there's no 100% replacement for the OG N64 controller. At least, not in my opinion. My recommendation is to find some in good condition and LUBE THE STICK so it doesn't wear out!

Thanks for the feedback, Ziggy. I appreciate the detailed information about the issues with the control stick and the Z button. Both sound like pretty serious issues, the control stick might be manageable but I'm not sure about that Z button issue, seems like a really bad design choice. I'm in the midst of a Perfect Dark playthrough, and would like to replay Goldeneye 007 and Doom 64 too -- I feel like the Z button problem would affect all these games. Star Fox 64 is also one of my go to's on the system.

I have 4 controllers from back in the day, and three of them have pretty rough joysticks (most likely from hours and hours of Smash Bros, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye). One of them is in good shape though, so I'd like to use it sparingly and try to keep that one in the best shape as possible. What type of lubrication product do you use on the controller? And do you have to take the controller apart to administer it properly?

Also, I think the thread with reviews of new retro controllers is a great idea and I will begin to contribute to it as I get to check out products currently on the market. The only new retro controllers I've used are the 8bitdo 2.4g Genesis controller, which is great and has become my main controller for the Genesis and the 8bitdo bluetooth controller for SNES, which is also really good and has become my main controller. It feels great IMO, but sometimes the amount of time it takes to pair is annoying, so I may also buy the 2.4g SNES controllers down the line as well.

[Ziggy]

Thanks for the feedback, Ziggy. I appreciate the detailed information about the issues with the control stick and the Z button. Both sound like pretty serious issues, the control stick might be manageable but I'm not sure about that Z button issue, seems like a really bad design choice. I'm in the midst of a Perfect Dark playthrough, and would like to replay Goldeneye 007 and Doom 64 too -- I feel like the Z button problem would affect all these games. Star Fox 64 is also one of my go to's on the system.

So people also have this same issue with the triggers on Xbox One controllers, and there's a mod that people do to get rid of the throw that it has so it just feels like a click. They drill a small hold in it, and put a small bolt with a nut through it so it prevents you from pressing the trigger all the way down. You might have to add a spacer or something inside so that it registers the button press with the shorter throw distance. Or I guess depending on the construction maybe you don't need the stop on the outside of the trigger, you can just get away with a spacer on the inside which would also act as a stop. Anyway, I had thought about doing this to my Brawler 64 controller which would make it decent alternative to OEM. If you're interested in this, I think they mostly call it "trigger stop mod". You can find videos on YouTube.

I kind of glossed over a point in my review and mostly went on about the Z button, but, the Brawler 64 is a very comfortable controller!

I have 4 controllers from back in the day, and three of them have pretty rough joysticks (most likely from hours and hours of Smash Bros, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye). One of them is in good shape though, so I'd like to use it sparingly and try to keep that one in the best shape as possible. What type of lubrication product do you use on the controller? And do you have to take the controller apart to administer it properly?

Any kind of common lithium grease should do, pretty much anything that's a lubricant of some kind. To be honest, I used 3-In-One on at least one of my N64 joysticks, but that's probably not the best thing to use because it's a little too thin (you don't want it to run where it should go). Still, I haven't had an issue with that joystick even years later so I guess 3-In-One is OK to use, just use a little so it isn't dripping.

You really want to disassemble the joystick to lube it properly. Also, even if it's only lightly used there's probably some powder in there. The powder is the plastic slowly grinding away, which is how the sticks get loose over time. It's not too hard to disassemble it, just watch how it comes apart to know how to put it back together. There's lots of videos on YouTube if you wanna watch a few before going into it. Lube any part that has plastic on plastic rubbing, but the part that really grinds away is the bottom of the stick in the "bowl" that it sits in.

[fastbilly1]

I was unaware of the Controller thread, thanks for the heads up Ziggy. As for the trigger Z-button, that really is the only flaw with the controller. I got use to it really quickly when I beat Goldeneye with one a couple months ago, but I can see how it might drive people up the wall. I may do the mod Ziggy pointed out. Honestly I did not even notice it after a short time with the controller.