The glory days?A big part of my past as a gamer was space sims. In all honesty, it was Wing Commander 2 that got me absolutely hooked on games in general, and with the eventual introduction of games like X-Wing and Tie Fighter I became absolutely hooked. X-Wing was notoriously difficult, but I loved it so much that I beat it and the B-Wing campaigns three times that I can remember. My dad could not beat the sixth mission... of the first campaign (and would always curse about how the computer cheats). Needless to say, the space sim genre has kicked the bucket almost entirely, instead being replaced by the billions of fpses and MMO's (at least on the PC). In fact, there have only been three notable space sim releases in the past three years or so, the X3 games and Darkstar One.
Nothing rams home how dead the genre quite as well as going joystick shopping. Where once there were whole isles in Best Buy dedicated to joysticks, there are now only two or thee sticks in the store if you are lucky. In fact, there are more versions of console flight sticks than PC these days. But the truth of the matter is that there does not need to be the same selection from earlier times. The Saitek X52 Flight Control System is here.
My sad PC setupPriced at just under $100 (and oftentimes found on sale for $60), the X52 is a steal for the functionality you get. It has all of the standard HOTAS (hands on throttle-and-stick) offerings with extremely versatile programming options that allow the stick to be used with any game. Perhaps the best example of its customizability is using the stick with X3: Reunion. X3 is one of those notorious games that could only ever be on the PC because there are a million buttons to press. On the X52, you can easily map all of the buttons with plenty of space to spare. The customization program that Saitek provides allows you to map each button to to keyboard strokes so that you do not need to make changes to the default control configuration.
Saitek X52 Flight StickThe stick itself has six buttons, two point-of-view hats, three toggle switches, and the mode dial. The trigger actually has two modes of use, one that is triggered when it is first squeezed, and the second when you hold it down more than half-way. The trigger has a satisfying amount of tension and clicks when pulled past each stage. There is a safety covered button for launching missiles (down in the picture on the right) as well as 4 other buttons on the top of the stick. The pinky trigger (difficult to see in the picture on the right) that can be used as a "shift" button used in the profile tool to modify button presses into other actions. The mode toggle on the top right of the stick that allows you to switch between what the buttons are mapped to on the fly.
Saitek X52 ThrottleThe throttle features two additional buttons, a slider, a laptop-ish mouse and mouse button, a scroll wheel, two rotary sliders, a point-of-view hat, the clutch button, and a display containing information like the time and what profile you are using. The throttle itself is on a pivot instead of a slider and has a knob that allows the adjustment of the tension. The movement of the throttle feels good, and at the two extremes there is a satisfying click into place. The most interesting part of the throttle is the display. This shows the current profile you are using as well as the current mode selected from the flight stick. Pressing buttons if they are programmed will also display their functionality, and if not then it will simply display the button's name. It also displays other information such as time and date, and even has a built-in stopwatch. The blue nub on the back of the throttle can be used as a mouse, though it's not well suited for precision motion. All of the buttons and rotaries can be programmed, and the clutch button allows profiles to be loaded on the fly.
The complaints against the X52 are minor ones. The tension on the flight stick could be a little bit tighter. The rotary sliders can occasionally freak out. But really, these things can be overlooked because the stick simply feels... right. The parts you touch are covered in a rubber that gives it a very satisfying feel. The buttons have an adjustable brightness and their click feels good. It uses digital position instead of potentiometers which provide an incredible level of accuracy. It's extremely difficult to find any large complaints against it. Simply put, the X52 is a solid product that deserves a place on any sim-junkies desk. 2 Comments
I'm not an avid JRPG fan. I've played through FF7 and 8, but at the time it was excusable. In my teens I would have been more than willing to stab my eardrums with screwdrivers while listening to terrible dialog as long as I got the sweet, sweet cut-scene payoff. Many a terrible Command and Conquer commando mission was completed just to see that sweet cut-scene with the dude getting scabs from Tiberium poisioning. Those were great times.
One of two things happened since those great times. Either my tastes have become Columbia-University-sophisticated, or developers decided that it wasn't necessary to destroy the minds and souls of future generations with terrible dialog and mind-numbing gameplay. I still love fart jokes, so I'm guessing I'm still not Ivy-league material (though I may qualify to be British apparently).
Star Ocean seems to have ignored all the advancement in game design since Final Fantasy VII, instead drawing on that tried and true practice of painful dialog and repetitive combat between cut-scenes. The medium has advanced so far beyond that point, yet here I sit, listening to androgynous teenagers repeating plot points.
The largest disappointment is that for once in a JRPG, the combat is actually decent. While simply mashing A can get you through most fights, it is far more entertaining to attempt to use some of the combat systems depth. Characters can be hot-swapped and tactics changed mid-battle, it's honestly impressive. But then you have Lymle...
Lymle is the mentally handicapped four year old... that joins your party. All of her voice-over work is delivered with the pacing of a turtle, punctuated by a nervous tick (the oddest pronounciation of the word "okay" you have ever heard). Every sentance the character utters is pure torture.
I'm going to try to slog this one out, if only because I'm one of the lucky ones that has not had a crash (so far). I hear it gets better right around hour 10, and I sure as heck hope that it does.
Perhaps playing too many MMO's did wind up causing severe brain damage, but for some reason I'm excited about Dyack's new game. Yes, it's going to be repetitive. Yes, the combat isn't as exciting nor as deep as Dennis made it out to be. But I've now played through the demo probably 8 times and enjoyed it every time.
So, middle of August, you'll know where to find me.
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