lock thread please

[Lufia Erim]

This is how i held my controller. Left hand thumb on joystick with left index on Z trigger. Righr hand holding the right handle with my thumb over the C buttons.

Now i configured the thumb to look and the C buttons to move foward backwards and straft left or right. R was usually jump and A and B were to "Use" or cycle through weapons. Z was to shoot. And the d pad was to cycle also if applicable.

I remember playing the original Turok: dinosaur hunter ( amazing game btw) and having absolutely no problem playing it. Hell i would even say i really like the N64 controller especially for FPS games on that console.

I however am in the minority. But i think it's because most people held it wrong. Or in a non ideal fashion.

So my question to you guys is: for N64 FPS games how did you hold your controller? and did you ever try multiple controller layouts?

 

[Maximum Bert]

Cant remember how I held it likely many different ways the more accustomed I got to using it. I loved Perfect Dark and played that a ton and so got used to the controller and was able to use it no problem but I always thought it was horrid and not just for FPS but for pretty much every game. I also did not like the Dreamcast controller much but got used to that as well through playing Soul Calibur a ridiculous amount.

The worst controller I ever used was a stick for the C64 it was unresponsive as hell and very impractical to use you basically needed a desk to stick the cup feet down onto but if you pulled to hard in a direction the feet unstuck and the controller tilted instead of the stick it was a piece of junk. Then I got a stick called the Bug (it actually looked like a bug) and that was a fantastic piece of kit..wish I still had it useless though it would now be without the system. Not the best controller ever ofc but the one I have the most fond memories of.

 

[sanquin]

Can't say I disliked it. But I have to say that, having held more modern controllers, it was definitely lacking. Controllers these days are just...better.

 

[Kyrian007]

I still think that Perfect Dark is the best fps I've ever played, but...

The N64 controller was only the best in the pre-dual analog stick era. I still preferred the N64 to the first gen of the PS dual analog controllers (PS chopped the length of the controllers down to little nubs instead of the "handlebars" they had before the analog sticks.) But by the time PS2 and gamecube rolled around, the N64 was pretty outdated.

Plus the N64's analog stick was so freakin' fragile. I've broken dozens. They're easy to repair and I still have a box or so of brand new analog stick modules so I can repair the controllers I have... but there's no excuse for them being that fragile to begin with.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I really liked the N64 controller (my one complaint being the D-pad was positioned too awkwardly to switch to on the fly), but I confess I didn't play many FPSs on it. I think Duke Nukem, and that was it.

 

[Tilly]

Maybe. I remember playing Timesplitters on launch day of the PS2 and realizing how superior dual sticks were for shooters. It's incredibly hard to go back. The only exception would be Metroid Prime which got around the issues with the lockon system.

 

[fenrizz]

I never paid it much mind, but I never disliked the N64 controller.
It was an ok controller, but I much prefer the PS1/2 Analogue controller.

I held it by the middle and right handle btw.

 

[Nazulu]

I can't remember the last time I even held the N64 controller (don't have anymore either), but I wanted to chip in because back then I remember not having a single problem with holding the controller in any game, except Mischief Makers, but I still adapted that. It was much later when I joined some forums I found out many had trouble with it. My favourite is still Gamecube though.

I could unlock everything in Golden Eye and Perfect Dark.

 

[Ambient_Malice]

I liked it. It's a very good controller. Like a Dreamcast controller with more buttons. The problem is the stick is too fragile and grinds itself out rapidly, although lubrication helps.

 

[CrystalShadow]

I love the design, but in recent years I have noticed the flaws.

The first, and by far the biggest problem is stick wear.
A new, unused N64 stick is amazing. Better than what most systems have these days.

One that is even slightly worn out, much less so.
One that is seriously worn out is a nightmare.

For FPS... I don't know. Compared to what predates them, they were brilliant.
Of course, then dual analog happened.

Not that I cared, because I played goldeneye with two controllers... (perfect dark as well) which isn't all that different.

That might've actually existed as a control scheme before the dualshock controller did, I think...
Not entirely sure.

Anyway, second fault of the n64 controller, again more apparent on older, damaged ones, is the seam that holds the two halves of the shell together.
That can kinda dig into your hand a little.

Other than that, I find them very comfortable. The grips are a nice size and feel, the controller is balanced well both for single-handed and two-handed use...

It's just a little weird looking, and can be awkward if you don't understand how to hold it.
It's not difficult, it's just some people apparently can't figure it out.

It has 3 grips for a reason. Not 2, 3.
That's important, because it means there's 3 ways of holding it. (more if you count one-handed options)
And you have to know which of those 3 is appropriate to the game you're playing.
It's almost always the centre and right grip together, but sometimes it isn't.

Of course that doesn't account for the two-handed styles used by goldeneye and perfect Dark.
Those require two controllers, both held one-handed using the centre grip.

But, the fun thing is, the controllers, when held by the centre grip are perfectly balanced for that, so...

Anyway... I like them.
Don't know why people complain about them so much. (other than the durability problems with the analog stick. - that's an obvious weakness)

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

You're not alone. I did like it a lot. The trigger button felt great for FPSs, I used the c buttons for strafing and looking up and down, while the analogue stick was for moving fowards and back whilst looking horizontally. It felt just right. Though going back to holding R to aim accurately is a bit of a hassle. The playstation controller felt like it was there to serve its' purpose and no more. Innovation is not Sony's strong point.