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Conclusion
The driving advantage
Before we go on, I would like to state for the record that any of these wheels make driving games more fun than any other controller setup. For basic functionality, the less expensive wheels do a great job, the extra features of the MOMO Force or Act-Labs is similar to buying a luxury car simply for the comfort and feel. Is this worth it? Probably.
The Logitech MOMO Force is my favorite wheel of this roundup because it comes very close to the Act-Labs in terms of the feel, but it can be used on the PS2 and PC, and it looks and feels great. That said, having two wheels is better than one, and you may find buying two inexpensive wheels to go head to head a better value than a single super wheel. Did I mention that the leather wrapped wheel feels like an expensive leather upholstery? Italian leather, of course. The good news is that thanks to Logitech's wide distribution network, it's possible to find a MOMO Force around $160.
Act-Labs has a wheel with great potential, with many add-on accessories, but since it is does not support the Playstation 2, it is a little less versatile than the competition. Act-Labs confirmed that they are still actively pursuing the development of the PlayStation 2 adapter, but had no idea if or when it would actually come to market. If a new hardware adapter is required, we expect that it would only cost around $20. Still, there are some of you who never plan to purchase a Playstation 2 or perhaps insist on the PC or Xbox platforms. For you, the Force RS is your ideal choice. There isn't another wheel with a more realistic feel and the clutch and shifter only make it better. The sUrface 1030 is the mousepad for the hardcore FPS gamer, and the Act-Labs Force RS system is the steering wheel for the hardcore racer. Unfortunately, the look of the wheel itself looks like it belongs on a Cutlass. I know it is a matter of personal opinion, but I prefer the look of a Ferrari steering wheel, but in the end it's the driving experience, and not the looks that matters.
One thing that's worth noting is that Act-Labs has made the Force RS a system rather than just a steering wheel. Since the Clutch Performance Pedals and Shifter will work as independent USB controllers, it's still possible to use another other steering wheel such as the MOMO Force; if you have the money, you can have your Ferrari wheel with direct shifting and a clutch, getting the best PS2 and PC experience.
The Thrustmaster wheel is a good buy at $100, because it adds the shifter that makes driving a little more fun. I like the stiffness of the wheel which pays good tribute to its Nascar name. I personally have never driven a Nascar car before, but you would imagine that the controls would be very stiff, with little power assist, a robust Detroit muscle car feel.
The Logitech Driving Force is your basic no frills controller. The extra PS2 gamepad controls are nice, but they don't affect gameplay significantly. You may still be able to find bargain prices on the PC version, the Wingman Formula Force GP, and save yourself the Windows Registry hacking.
Mass Effect 3 PC Demo Impressions Mass Effect 3, EA/BioWare's third iteration in their series of sci-fi action RPGs and one of the most anticipated titles of the year, is fast approaching its March 6th release. This week, though, they released a playable demo on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 that offers a glimpse into both the single-player and multi-player portions of the full game.
Whether you're waiting impatiently for your download to finish or don't have the time to check it out yourself, go ahead and read some impressions of the demo from resident FSers Synch and Vandy in today's article!
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Intel Core i7-3960X Sandy Bridge-E Performance Review
Today marks the launch date for Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E line of processors, a new family of high-end Core i7 products based on the LGA 2011 platform. This new socket is poised to replace the existing LGA 1366 specification used by the more powerful Nehalem and Westmere parts from the past couple years, specifically Bloomfield and Gulftown, the Core i7-9xx+ line of CPUs.
With 6 cores, 15MB of cache, and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory, the Core i7-3960X sounds like quite a catch. Want to know more about it and how it performs? Read on!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
Following up on our hands-on preview from earlier this month, here's an interview with Supersonic Software, creators of Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. The game's coming out on XBLA and PSN in a matter of weeks, but for now, Luke chats with the developer about its predecessors Mashed and Micro Machines, how difficult it can be to get an indie game published, the closure of Codemasters' Guildford branch, and more!
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