Beat Pad Score: 92% Developer: Mad Catz Device Type: Controller

Function: A dance pad controller for the GameCube? Yes that's right, with the recent release of games like DDR Mario Mix, Mad Catz's own MC Groovz Dance Craze and Karaoke Revolution Party for the GC, Mad Catz has decided to put out a dance pad for all those Cube gamers out there who either need a second pad for Mario Mix or need a first one for Party. That's where Beat Pad comes in. Like most dance pads, the Beat Pad puts the four directional buttons at the top, left, right and bottom sides of the pad. With the exception of games like Pump It Up: Exceed, this fits the standard arrow configuration in most dancing games. The A and B buttons are mapped to the upper corners of the pad, while X and Y are at the bottom corners. Start is on the top right edge of the mat, while the Z button is on the top left edge.

Performance: Beat Pad's buttons seem to be fairly responsive. I never found myself cursing the pad for not sending the signal or sending it too late. In general, it was obvious that the only real thing messing up my performance in one of the few dancing games for the GC was me. Though not as heavy and sturdy as the High Octane Ignition Pad that I use for the PS2, the Beat Pad is fairly reliable and seems to be able to handle quite a bit of stress. And because the pad isn't as stiff as the Ignition Pad, I was able to easily fold it up and slip it into areas that the PS2 pad couldn't.

Features: Fully Featured Digital Controller 8 Action Buttons Directional Control Rubberized No Slip bottom material Works great for action and dancing games Durable textured surface for improved traction Play games the way they were meant to be played Thick, heavy-duty padding

Drawbacks & Problems:: Even though the Beat Pad features a "No Slip" coating on the bottom, it didn't really seem to work for me. I could see how this rough to the touch, rubberized bottom would help out if you had your dance pad on a tiled or hard-wood surface. But alas, my living room is carpeted and the no slip bottom did little to keep me from constantly adjusting either the pad or myself. This is an issue that I see, but not to this degree, in the heavier Ignition Pad so this is obviously an issue that no one has really solved yet (at least without making the dance pad a permanent fixture in your house. All in all, the Beat Pad is a great peripheral for the few games that require a dance pad. Games like Mario Mix, Karaoke Revolution and Dance Craze are fairly new to the GameCube, but hopefully in the time the system has left in it's life cycle, we will see more games that effectively use controllers like this.

-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer