The Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 have been lacking in terms of peripherals for die-hard fighting game fans to emulate the arcade experience. To commemorate the release of Soul Calibur IV for both PS3 and 360, Namco Bandai and Hori, a well-known and respected Japanese video game accessory company, teamed up to bring fighting enthusiasts the Fighting Stick EX 2 – Soul Calibur IV Limited Edition.

Licensed by Namco Bandai and both Microsoft and Sony for their respective releases, the Fighting Stick EX 2 sports two separate looks for each console’s port;  the Xbox 360 model featuring a more angelic tone with Siegfried, Hilde and Ivy gracing the cover; and the PS3 rocking a darker tone with Hilde, Mitsurugi and Nightmare.

The only true difference between the two console incarnations besides artwork is the PS3 version having three turbo buttons while the 360 version does not.

With Hori being a Japanese company, the stick has a more contemporary arcade look with the rounded lollipop-styled control stick and the buttons lined in a downward arc. While this may be a turn-off to some gamers because of the more American-styled arcade cabinets, the stick still does fighting games justice.

The FS EX2 is very durable. Accuracy and response time for the stick is spot on; no delays were experienced during testing. One interesting perk with this arcade stick is the fact that it clicks with every input; while it may sound like an annoyance, this isn’t as much of a nuisance as it is a plus.

Any fighter striving for perfection when trying to pull of complicated combos or chain moves will love the fact that they can audibly track their directional movements as they go along. The sound isn’t loud enough to actually interfere with the gameplay, but it is loud enough to let the gamers know what they are doing.    

The controller is wired, and this may be a downside to those of us who have been spoiled with the recent wireless innovations of the current generation systems. The stick comes with an ample amount of cord, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. At least purchasing batteries won’t be a worry.

For those fighting game fans that long for the day of the arcade, this is probably the closest you’ll get for a reasonable price. In this case you get quite a bit more bang for your buck. With the natural advantage of utilizing multiple inputs and a price tag of $60, no fighting game fan should pass this up. This stick is exactly like what you would find in an arcade.

The only two possible cons noted with this release from Hori is the fact that it’s a wired controller and you can’t use it for much else past fighting games. It’s a stick made specifically for Soul Calibur IV and other fighting game releases, so this really shouldn’t be much of an issue.

With so many new fighting games on the way in upcoming months  - Tekken 5, Street Fighter IV, King of Fighters XII, and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, just to name a few - this stick is a must have, especially if you enjoy high-end products at a low-end price.

Here is a user "unboxing" video we found - check it out for yourself: