Dragon Ball Z Battle Controller – PS2 – Review

There is a new controller
on the block and it wants to make your gaming time “super”. Nuby has recently
released the Dragon Ball Z Battle Controller for the Playstation 2, to coincide
with the recent release of the last Dragon Ball Z game: Budokai 2. Does this
controller make you feel powered up like a Super Saiyan 3 or does it fail like a
bad enemy? Read on to find out!

The controller is aptly called the Dragon Ball Z “Battle Controller.” The casing
has Super Saiyan 3 Goku on the left and Majin Buu on the right, two of the most
powerful beings in the Dragon Ball Z universe. Instead of the buttons having the
familiar Triangle, Square, Circle, and symbols, the buttons have either: one,
two, three, or four dragon balls on them. This was a nice touch to make the
controller have a more “Dragon Ball Z” feel to it.

The controller also contains a turbo button, which can be mapped to any button,
and a slow mode button. The slow mode button is pretty much useless as all it
does is bring up the menu on and off repeatedly. All of the buttons on the
controller have a very nice feeling to them. What is different is the d-pad is
raised up, to make it easier for fighting games, and I have to admit it does
make it nice.

The Dragon Ball Z Battle Controller is nice and heavy and feels reminiscent to a
first party controller with a few differences. Surprising the controller is a
little bit bigger than the Dual Shock 2 controller. While it does take a bit to
get used to it is nothing that really distracts while playing any games.

The first game that I choose to take this controller for a test drive was
clearly obvious: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2. Using the raised d-pad made it a tad
easier to execute some of the moves. After spending considerable time, with many
different games, the Dragon Ball Z Battle Controller feels pretty nice. The
extra length for the handles is a nice touch for players that have bigger hands.
The buttons were all smooth when pressed in those tight moments, and every game
chosen ran smoothly with no problem. The casing is sturdy, and will be able to
stand up to the abuse gamers might put upon it.

The only real complaint, and it is a big one, for this controller is the cord
length. The cord is about one to two feet shorter than the standard Dual Shock 2
controller. While this might not seem like a big deal, it might be for many
people. I have my console a nice distance, in an entertainment center, from
where I like to sit and play. When I plugged this controller in I had to either:
move my console 2 feet closer to where I sit, or sit closer. I think that this
was a very poor decision not to make the controller cord the same length as the
standard controller; it really becomes an annoyance factor.

Pros:
If you are a Dragon Ball Z you will definitely like the look of this controller.
The handles are longer than the Dual Shock, which will accommodate gamers with
larger hands.

Cons:
Why Nuby decided not to give gamer the extra two feet on the controller cord is
beyond me, but it really is annoying and becomes a hurdle to overcome if you
have everything in a certain place.

Verdict: 8.0
The Battle Controller works well with every game in your PS2 library. The
controller is really comfortable, and is unique looking. The only bad thing is
the controller cord length. The average person might not want to pick this
controller up due to the cord length and the Dragon Ball Z paraphernalia all on
the controller. If you are a Dragon Ball Z fan you will definitely want to pick
this up.