Should you buy a fight stick for Jump Force?

Best answer: While Jump Force is a fighting game, it's not one that was meant to be used with a fight stick. We'd recommend a Scuf Vantage controller instead, but you should opt for the Razer Panthera if you have to have a fight stick.

• Scuf: Scuf Vantage ($200)
• Amazon: Razer Panthera ($200)

Why Jump Force is better with a controller

Jump Force is a fighting game, so surely it must be even better with a fight stick, no? That's sound logic and we don't blame you for thinking that way, but there are a couple of things that make Jump Force better to play with a controller.

For one, the game's action takes place on a 3D plane, which is a style of gameplay that an arcade stick doesn't always properly support. That's because you'll require camera manipulation, and without a right analog stick to do that it'll be tricky to perform optimally.

Plus, Jump Force is a fairly basic game when it comes to mechanics, at least compared to some of its more serious EVO-bound contemporaries. Fight sticks are used to give players precise inputs to more easily pull off more complicated combos. While there will be a lot of moves in Jump Force, many of them don't require more than fairly basic combos and only a couple of button presses to execute.

The Scuf AdVantage

If you're really serious about stepping your game up in Jump Force, you might want to look into a Scuf Vantage controller instead. It's a pricey little $200 thing of a thing, but here's why.

For starters, Scuf controllers are built to offer more durability over the long run, so your buttons and analog sticks should hold up much more nicely to your exploits over time than the DualShock 4 could. And even if it does get worn down, almost all of the buttons and parts on Scuf controllers are modular. This means you can take pieces off at will either to replace them or to clean the controller.

This means you can truly make the controller your own. Don't like vibration? Remove its vibration motors. Prefer a little more resistance or pull on your triggers? Change those with an included adjustment tool. For Jump Force, the interchangeable directional pad will definitely be desirable, as you can change it from a cross-style design to something more akin to a satellite dish, giving you more precise diagonal input, which is perfect for fighting games.

We also can't forget the sax buttons and rear-facing paddles. The former gives you two programmable buttons — one on each side — to make it easier to execute certain actions while still having full control of the others. Meanwhile, the rear-facing paddles each correspond to a face button on the DualShock 4, giving you yet another option to hit the buttons you need without having to do some weird finger gymnastics.

Then there's the fun stuff, which is being able to buy cool designs or even put together a custom design of your own. You can change the color and style of components, as well as whether you want Bluetooth connectivity.

You can still use a fight stick if you want

You know, you don't have to listen to this advice. You can still buy a fight stick to play Jump Force with. It won't be pretty, but if you have your heart set on a fight stick then we'd recommend the Razer Panthera, which we consider to be the best available.

You're going to need its high degree of customization to make it more appropriate to use in games like Jump Force. Even if you can't get the most out of it for Jump Force, there are and will be plenty of 2D-plane fighters launching that will let you get even more out of it.

Scuf Vantage

$200 at Scuf{.cta .shop}

Take full control of your games.

The Scuf Vantage is the latest high-end controller option from the quality peripheral maker. With interchangeable parts, programmable buttons, and excellent engineering, it gives you as much control over all your games as possible.

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