Manufactured By:  Gravis

Retail Price:      $39.99 (US)

Review Date:  03-11-01

Gravis started producing gamepads many years ago.  My very first gamepad was the classic Gamepad from Gravis.  It was a bone shaped controller with 4 buttons and a d-pad.  The layout was not very comfortable but it got me started.  As you can see from the image above the ergonomic layout of the Gravis gamepads have improved greatly.  The advent of digital connections allows Gravis to offer more buttons, axis controls and special features such as rumble effects.

• 8 way proportional d-pad
• 2 analog controls
• 2 Precision buttons
• 10 programmable buttons (4 triggers)
• Powerful Xperience profile software

• Sports games (NHL, NFL, Baseball series games)
• Flight Sims/Arcade (MS FlightSim, CombatSim, Crimson Skies etc.)
• Racing Games (Need For Speed, Powerslide, Midtown Madness, etc.)
• Space Sims (Descent Freespace, Forsaken, Mechwarrior III, Incoming, etc.)

The d-pad is a very well designed pad.  Its a smooth surface that does not offer much grip, nor does it have a recess for your thumb to sit in.  Still, its action is clean enough that this is not an issue.  It glides in all directions with a small amount of pressure.  For most games tested I used the d-pad as the primary control surface.  Having it located closer to the front as I already mentioned is nice.

Under extended use the pad continues to be quite comfortable.  The pad has a nice solid feel to it without being over-heavy.  The fact that the pad is easy to grip and the d-pad does not require great effort to operate makes the Eliminator Aftershock a good choice for heavy sports games fans.  I played NHL 2000 for a few hours using the pad and was never disappointed.  Likewise, FIFA 99 was also well received with the pad.  Neither of the games took advantage of the rumble effects.  However, the included Madden 2000 has some effects that deliver a distinctive rumble when your player is tackled.

In racing games you need to assign buttons the action of the gas and brake functions or use the analog sticks for this purpose.  Since the sticks are self centering you need to hold the stick in the exact position you wish.  Most race games, even arcade style ones, require you to have semi-accurate brake/gas control.  Its somewhat tricky with the analog sticks and requires your constant attention unlike a throttle wheel.  The short throw of the analog sticks also makes accurate control something that takes practice.  Rumble effects provided road and engine noise, crash feedback and even helped determine the tire grip to a certain extent.  A wheel offers better tactical feedback but the rumble effects are a nice addition.

Space and flight sims were quite good with the Aftershock GamePad.  The lack of a throttle was the only drawback from this pad.  The multiple control surfaces allowed great control of directional movement and viewing.  The many buttons provided control of ship weapons, wingman commands and more.  The keyboard was only needed for some advanced functions.  The rumble effect gave a good level of feedback.  In Descent III and Freespace the rumble effects alerted me to collisions and enemy attacks.  Unlike a joystick I was not able to determine what direction the attack was coming from but it added to the experience.

Action games such as Tomb Raider, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and the like played well with the pad.  The 10 buttons and the ability to program them with the profiler was a joy.  Most of these games have a few primary actions and a few other minor actions.  The profiler allowed me to easily assign these actions to the different buttons of the controller and get into gameplay without having to hunt for the proper key on the keyboard.  Depending on the game the d-pad was usually the primary control surface.

Setup -
Setup was problem free.  Its easy too!  With the USB setup you can plug the controller into you system with it on, let Windows recognize it and insert the CD.  A purple haired maven congratulates you on your controller selection and helps you with the process.  The only thing you will need to do on your own is determine which controller series you have.  For the Eliminator Aftershock select the Eliminator option and the proper drivers and profiles will be setup.

Once the software is installed put it through a quick calibration and test and you're set to play with the advanced settings of the Aftershock.  You can create a variety of settings and save them for use.  

The second CD contains the full version of Madden 2000 from EA Sports.  The game is a great football sim if you don't mind all of the John Madden voice-overs and commentary!  At least he does not have his magic pen to draw all over your screen while you are playing.  The game gives you a great opportunity to try out your new pad and play with the configuration setting to find the best setup.  The addition of a fully functional, decent game is an added bonus that makes the Aftershock a stellar value.

The Xperience also offers comprehensive on-line help files.  They go into specific details on setting up, saving, exporting and using specific game profiles.  The Gravis website offers few details on this new controller and historically they have given good support.  Hopefully they will create a profile download section for this and their other controllers.

If you are looking for a fine, easy to use rumble gamepad the Eliminator Aftershock Gamepad is a great choice.  The Control Center recommends the Aftershock Rumble Gamepad!

• Precise and stable USB connection
• Numerous buttons 
• Powerful profiler/setup utility
• Nice ergonomics
• Decent rumble effects

• No throttle
• Few profiles available, must create your own

1 Stick  - Not Recommended
2 Sticks - Functional            
3 Sticks - Recommended with some issues 
4 Sticks - Recommended
5 Sticks - Highly Recommended!

Buy the Eliminator Aftershock Gamepad