Smash TV
An arcade twin-stick shooter.
Where Smash TV comes up1 episode or test
- Twin sticksSmash TV designed around two sticks
- Single d-padFits Mario, awkward for Smash TV
- D-pad in 3DClunky games like Tomb Raider
- Analogue stickEffortless to move Mario in 3D
From Smash TV page note
What was said about Smash TV
Smash TV felt awkward on the NES because it was built for twin sticks. The arcade twin-stick shooter was designed around two sticks, so the single-stick NES pad made it feel awkward. The NES d-pad suits characters on a 2D plane like Mario and Zelda, but not Smash TV or Marble Madness.
The same mismatch showed up later in 3D: the d-pad no longer worked, as in clunky PS1 games like Tomb Raider, until the N64 analogue stick made it "effortless to move Mario about in a 3D world." The lesson is to match the controller to the dimension of movement.
Controllers Control Everything
Felt awkward on the single-stick NES pad, since it was designed around twin-stick play.
Smash TV felt awkward on the NES because it was built for twin sticks. The arcade twin-stick shooter was designed around two sticks, so the single-stick NES pad made it feel awkward. The NES d-pad suits characters on a 2D plane like Mario and Zelda, but not Smash TV or Marble Madness.
The same mismatch showed up later in 3D: the d-pad no longer worked, as in clunky PS1 games like Tomb Raider, until the N64 analogue stick made it "effortless to move Mario about in a 3D world." The lesson is to match the controller to the dimension of movement.
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