Rave Station Score: 95% Developer: Blaze Device Type: Controller

Function: When it comes to physical activity, there are basically two sorts of people: those who are active and those who aren?t. Too simplified? Look at it this way... no matter how many groups you divide people into, you?re likely to find a lot of video gamers in the less active groups. Why? Playing games is only slightly more active than watching TV. Big deal -- your fingers move. Well, Blaze?s Rave Station is designed to change that. The Rave Station looks like a small(ish) square exercise mat/pad with up, down, left, right, X, O, square, and triangle (buttons) indicated on the pad in a square layout. In addition, the Rave Station has an area that is marked Select and another marked Start. If you feel like something?s missing, you?re right. There are no shoulder buttons on the Rave Station, which means that any games that REQUIRE use of the shoulder buttons will not work with the Rave Station. However, from the practicality standpoint, you?ll be GLAD they?re NOT there. Believe me when I tell you that you?ll have your hands (feet?) full just trying to ?dance? around to the correct ?buttons? (areas on the pad) in time. Is it dancing? Well, it more often looks simply like you?re having some sort of fit, but that of course would depend on the skill and balance of the player and, of course, the game selection itself.

Performance: Think of the various PlayStation controllers you?ve used before. Now concentrate on the one that had the LEAST control of any of them. If you?ve played with one before, it?s likely that you?re thinking of a digital game pad. The analog pads allow for much more control over motion than a digital controller. However, every digital PlayStation controller I?ve ever tested has had shoulder buttons. Enter the Rave Station. This pad has the fewest controls of any PlayStation compatible controller I?ve ever seen. Period. That instantly slams it, right? Not necessarily. The Rave Station is well suited for older games and the ?less complex games,? such as the dance-type games and even some fighter games. Fighter games? Yes. In particular, my wife and I take turns kicking my ass playing with the Rave Station and the Twin Shock Arcade stick (also by Blaze). One of us plays on the Rave Station and the other uses the Twin Shock. When the one on the pad gets tired, we switch places. Consider the Rave Station a ?niche? controller. I don?t think Blaze would be the least bit upset with that description. This controller is not meant for every game. However, for certain games, it does give you the opportunity to ?get into the game...? or at least ?get up off your butt? -- probably advice you?ve heard a time or two before. At any rate, if you select the right game, the Rave Station can be an absolute blast. If you?re one of those gamers who actually are somewhat physically active (and your friends are as well), then you may want to get two Rave Stations and go head-to-head (foot-to-foot?). If you?re less active (like me), you can do just fine by taking turns. Be forewarned, however -- when you?re using a more ?mainstream? controller and you get your ass kicked by a girl using the Rave Station, you have no excuse. The Rave Station is constructed of flexible plastic, allowing you to fold it up for storage, and seems to be pretty sturdy. I haven?t tried to destroy it intentionally, but I?ve been jumping, stepping, stomping (falling, rolling, passing out in an asthmatic fit) on it since it came in, and it doesn?t appear to be worn out or to have developed any functional problems. So, you can feel free to roll it up, store it, drag it out when you want to have a fun, wacky ?game night,? and abuse the hell out of it, and then put it back into storage if you need to. (WORD TO THE WISE: the pad should not be used while wearing shoes. Socks or barefoot is fine.)

Features: Durable plastic Rolls up for easy storage Allows gamers to get active

Drawbacks & Problems:: In the heat of furious gameplay, the Rave Station can scoot around a bit. In addition to being a minor inconvenience, this can cause buttons not to be where you expect when you ?put your foot down.? Usually this results in doing the wrong move or such, but one problem I often had in the beginning was stepping on the Start area when intending to step on the Triangle area, thus pausing the game. (Sorr-EEE!) Also, the lack of shoulder buttons can often be overlooked on an individual basis, in order to play certain games. However, if playing head-to-head with a person who has a controller that HAS shoulder buttons, the person with the shoulder buttons may have an additional advantage. You need to have more room for the Rave Station than for a normal controller. While this is only needed while you are actually using the Rave Station, this may mean relocating things a bit to be able to use the Rave Station. Overall, the Rave Station is a good controller. If you?re curious about it, you?ll probably like it. If you don?t like moving much, then you might want to pass on b.. uh, surf on over to a different controller review...

-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins