Circle Pad Pro XL Review

        Much like myself, I believe most reporters would admit that in early 2012, when the original Circle Pad Pro attachment released for the 3DS, they may have believed that Nintendo's right-analog-nub attachment would be the ultimate defense against the PlayStation Vita. Well, as it turns out, we were all dead wrong, and 3DS really never needed to defend itself against Sony, as it would go on to sell millions more consoles than the Vita could ever hope to (at least at the time of this writing).
        Nearly a year has past since the release of the original 3DS Circle Pad Pro, and now, for the first time ever, in the United States, the Circle Pad Pro XL for the Nintendo 3DS XL is available from Nintendo's official online store, but is it worth the $19.99 plus shipping and handling fees to control in-game camera angles more naturally? That depends. If you own or plan on owning any of the games supported by the attachment within this short list and find the games' default camera settings awkward, then perhaps you should look into buying this accessory, but otherwise be weary.
        While the "CPP XL", as the crazy kids are calling it these days, certainly gets the job done, it does so in perhaps one of the most inconvenient ways possible. First of all, after unpacking the device and attaching it to my Nipplechu 3DS XL, I realized the device wasn't pre-charged. After being slightly frustrated with that idea in my head, I then realized the device required one AAA battery in which it wasn't packaged with. So, slightly more frustrated now, I began to search for AAA batteries when, at last, I'd found what I was searching for, and *SPOILER ALERT* the experience was far from rewarding.
        Now, after undergoing all of that trouble to properly play Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, I assumed my pain was short-lived. It wasn't. The system failed to recognize the Circle Pad Pro for nearly 20 minutes, and shortly after, the game ceased to utilize the accessory whatsoever during certain areas. This caused me worry, as I bought the accessory solely to play this game with a more natural feel.
        Eventually, I reached a section of the game in which I needed to use the touch screen to continue, then realizing, once again, another shortcoming of this accessory: IT PREVENTS ACCESS TO THE STYLUS! At this point, I was a much more frustrated Gabe, a Gabe who could probably go for a few Mega Stuf Golden Oreos at this point. So I took a deep breath, held my head up high and whispered quietly, "I'm going to give this accessory a mediocre review." I then realized just how nerdy my life really is and how badly I'd wished for Dream Drop Distance to control its own camera angles.

Pros:

-Gets the job done

-It's worth it for the novelty

Cons:

-Incredibly bulky

-Requires, but doesn't include one AAA battery

-Isn't rechargeable

-Prevents access to stylus

-Limited configuration options in-game (i.e. inverse camera control)

Bullogna Score: 6.0... Meh.