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When I started this review, I wanted to be able to point out an obvious winner between the Afterburner and the Cobalt Flux, but I can't. What I will tell you is that the Afterburner is an excellent pad, and that I honestly believe it's worth the $200 ($100 less than the CF) + shipping that it costs. Out of the box, you get a durable pad with arcade-style recessed arrows and support for the PS2, Xbox, and PC (Macs included). Although most players will probably use the Afterburner for dancing games on the Playstation 2 platform, I have tested the pad with the Xbox, a Windows PC, and a Mac, and have confirmed that it works well on all of them.
The pad itself has a very nice feel to it. As mentioned before, the four directional panels are all lowered like in the arcade, making it easy to know where you're at and not accidentally miss an arrow. Although Cobalt Flux has alleviated the problem of being almost entirely flat with their recent release of the arcade-style mod kit, it's an additional $25 on top of the standard $300 cost of the pad. Some may prefer the feel of an out-of-the-box CF though, so I guess it's nice that they're given a choice.
Though the Afterburner mimics the arcade's recessed arrow panels, it doesn't feel quite the same as the arcade platform. The arrows have a bit more give than the arcade's do, and generally feel more... fragile. I've been unable to cause any damage to the pad though, even when jumping from the top of my couch and landing directly on a panel (yes, I really did something as silly as that for the purpose of this review, shush). Would I let it get run over by a car like I would with my CF? Probably not, though I never really thought that was a realistic test anyway (it does make for good bragging rights, however).
Even though my Afterburner has been reliable, I do read reviews that others post on forums, and I have seen that not everyone has had the same luck as I have. Particularly scary is the fact that RedOctane only offers a ninety day warranty, versus Cobalt Flux's six month warranty. In light of these things, I'm sure a lot of people are concerned about the long-term reliability of the Afterburner, which is why Jason and I will be maintaining a blog which will detail the lives of our pads. We're only two owners out of many, but hopefully it'll prove to be informative for people looking to purchase a metal pad -- after all, when you're going to lay down $200+ on a dance pad, you want it to last, right?
RO's previous metal pads had left me terribly unimpressed, and although I do know a few people who were happy with the Afterburner's predecessor, the much vaunted Cobalt Flux was still considered the best, both by me and many others as well. The Afterburner levels the playing field considerably, and I recommend everyone looking into upgrading their dancing experience give it a serious look. Although it doesn't have the proven reliability of the CF yet, it's 100 clams less, looks great, feels great, and plays great. I am definitely not disappointed with my purchase.
Stay tuned to ITG Freak for news about the blog's location.
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