Mad Catz Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Special Edition Fight Stick review

Both the joystick and the eight face buttons are authentic Sanwa Denshi parts, used by all major Japanese arcade cabinet manufacturers. Response times from each button were super-fast, taking almost no pressure to activate a move. The joystick has a Japanese style ball-top rather than an American bat-top and a square gate micro-switch system, but every part can be switched should you want to.

Each button clicks just like the ones in an arcade cabinet

We looked at the Xbox 360 version of the stick, which has an Xbox guide button in the top-left corner next to the turbo buttons; if you buy the PS3 version this will be replaced with a Home button. Turbo functions can be applied to any of the eight face buttons using a toggle, with each one represented by a red light.

Serious gamers prefer wired controllers over wireless as there’s no possibility of signal delay or drained batteries; it’s therefore unsurprising that the stick has a cable. Three meters should be long enough for almost any setup, but you don’t need to worry about storage. A compartment in the back of the case keeps the cable tidy when the sick isn’t being used.

We aren’t professional fighting game players by any stretch of the imagination, but after just a few short hours our ability to pull off special moves in Street Fighter IV was much improved. Marvel vs. Capcom is a much faster game than Street Fighter, so the large buttons and quick response times helped make a massive difference to how well we played. Charge moves in particular are far easier on a joystick than on a control pad, so if you struggle with certain characters then upgrading to a stick makes a lot of sense.

You can easily replace each part by removing a few screws

You have to be a pretty serious fan of fighting games to buy one of these sticks; at £150 they certainly aren’t cheap. Production is also limited to just 5,000 units, so you’ll have to move fast if you want to snap one up. Mad Catz is the only manufacturer to receive the backing of both Marvel and Capcom for its controllers, so they are a must for anyone looking for authenticity. There are other fight sticks available for less, but none can match the quality of this one. With its authentic arcade parts, official artwork and quality construction, this is definitely the stick for fighting game connoisseurs.