AlwaysGaming

My name is Brad Tramel. I'm a video game journalist and college student, but I find time for all this social stuff, too. If you like what you read, follow this page to see all of my editorials, reviews and previews. You can find the entirety of my writing over at Gameblurb.net or by following @bradtramel on Twitter.
Happy gaming, everyone.

Review Of The Rcade Freek Analog Stick Extensions

Kontrol Freek is a company dedicated to bringing accessories that either give gamers a competitive edge or alter the gaming experience in some way. Their new product, Rcade Freek, does just this. As apposed to other products like their overwhelmingly popular FPS Freek and Speed Freek accessories, this set of analog stick extensions have been tailored to a more specific and (now) less common niche of the gaming market—arcade junkies.

Rcade Freek is an accessory that you snap onto your traditional analog sticks, raising their height and changing their feel in your favor. This particular addition to the already wide range of Kontrol Freek products brings gamers an option to get that joystick feeling under your thumbs without emptying your wallet on an expensive arcade emulator. Compared to some arcade emulators, which would take up massive amounts of space and usually run consumers $100 or more, the Rcade Freek will run you a mere ten dollars.

The initial feeling will be uncomfortable for those who would be making the jump from standard Xbox 360 or PS3 analog sticks, as the height is raised even higher than Kontrol Freek’s FPS sticks. (Find my review of them here). However intimidating this raised height may seem, it’s easily overcome with minutes of playtime or even changing the positioning of your hands. You can position them traditionally, which will be necessary for many games such as Trials HD and Mortal Kombat. Games that require small amounts of button presses such as Pacman and Geometry Wars can be played with your hands grasped around the analog sticks—arcade style. Both methods work well and are comfortable.

Playing actual arcade games from the Xbox Live Marketplace like Pacman and Galaga greeted me with a welcomed and joyous nostalgia. But make no mistake, these aren’t designed to improve player skill, only to provide a wider range of motion and emulate the arcade feel. If you’re looking to get better at the aforementioned arcade games, your remaining options are practice, practice, and..erm..practice.

I particularly enjoyed using them with Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. Being a game that only requires analog sticks to shoot and an occasional bomb set off my a trigger, it was a perfect accessory to have.

The build quality is the only component of the product that worried me. They are very light, and are made out of hard plastic. The lack of hard rubber or a textured surface to prevent sweaty hands from slipping in the midst of the game may be a con for some gamers, myself included.

The Rcade Freek product may worry consumers, initially, but despite the slippery feel, the Rcade Freek will be a worthy investment for any console arcade junkie or for those looking to build their stock of gaming accessories.

  1. bradtramel posted this