Back in the day, there was no "gamepad". Controls were built around sturdy arcade joysticks. Joystick controls provided solid horizontal and vertical movement as well as big durable buttons for hitting.

I experienced some frustration in Frogger, dying from hitting the water at times when my thumb ran across the Xbox 360's D-pad to try to make a sudden movement or get home in time. Then I remembered there was an alternative to the game pad on the Xbox 360. The Hori Arcade Stick. I found one at a local EB Games (marked down to $39.99 from $59.99). I hooked it up on and gave it a shot with some rounds in Frogger and found the joystick controls were more accurate. I made it quicker to Level 4, had less "slip-ups" on getting Frogger home. I tried it on Joust. The large buttons were easier for me to hit to improve the flight. It also helped in Street Fighter, making Honda's "Hundred Hand Slap" easier to perform with its big smackable buttons.

So without getting too lengthy, if you can track a Hori Arcade Stick down and are into Xbox Live Arcade games, I highly recommend trying it out. The Wii console is providing alternative controllers for its "Virtual Console" games. Maybe Microsoft will pick up on that and release some first party controller(s) for the 360 Xbox Live Arcade titles. For now, see if you can track down the solid Hori Arcade stick. The official Hori USA site (here), currently does not link to anywhere online where you can get one.

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