Remember those buzz wire games? The ones that move around and you have to guide the ring through the course without touching the sides? Did you ever think that by as late as 1999, a studio would make a video game based on this for the Sony PlayStation? Video games by this point had players exploring vast worlds, leveling up characters, and stealthing your way through air vents to destroy top secret weapons. To me, Irritating Stick stands out for how unorthodox its simplicity is by this point in gaming.   

As far as I'm concerned, Jaleco has always been one of the most mid tier game publishers/developers throughout the years. A good chunk of their library were respectable rentals in our household during the 8-bit and 16-bit period. Rushing Beat was fun, and little else left an impact on me. So it's bizarre that Irritating Stick has such a fleeting charm. 

Known in Japan as Ucchan Nanchan no Honō no Challenger: Dengeki Iraira Bou Returns, (or "Ucchan Nanchan's Challengers of Fire: Irritating Electric Stick Returns", a way better name than IRRITATING STICK), this was technically developed by Saurus Games, who was a subsidiary of SNK. They've worked on games like The Last Blade, Art of Fighting 2, and Shock Troopers before dissolving in 2000. Irritating Stick being close to one of their last games. 

The graphics, what can be said? This is one of the least interesting video games of the era.  Under normal circumstances, I'd say it's pretty pitiful, but there's very little else that can be done, because it's restricted by the concept in order to get the best of its gameplay. You're a pair of hands controlling a rod, but the perspective is 180 degrees to adequately see the map. This means you're practically controlling a silver ball through lines. If it weren't for the background wallpapers, instant replays, and the occasional obstacle, it would be as minimalist as an Atari 7800 game. Irritating Stick is guaranteed to turn heads and make people say "what the f**k are you playing!?" as you're moving a dot around the screen. Not Metal Gear Solid or Bushido Blade. This is Irritating Stick, bitch!

The sound is fun. I love the cheesy announcer voice, I'm a giant mark for camp for the periodic play-by-play and trash talk for hitting the edges. The music reminds me of Zoop, in the sense that its simple production and beats can be an effective leveler for your reflexes. The music and gameplay are pretty intertwined.

Regarding the controls, it's a good thing that Irritating Stick is Dualshock analog compatible, I couldn't imagine trying to play this madness on the PlayStation D-pad. It controls pretty well, and the responsiveness is the game's greatest feature. Despite its whacky concept, Irritating Stick can be highly addictive. The speed of the stick movement can be adjusted on the fly to make navigating through tighter spaces less stressful. Careful, because there is a time limit for the courses, making the need to traverse at a modest pace very paramount. 

I think Irritating Stick could make a fun activity-style video game. When I first played it, I messed around for a bit, and put it down. Time passed, and something in my head told me I can do better than last time. There's a couple of different game modes to select through, like Arcade, which features courses of escalating difficulty. You can also modify a handful of your own courses and let your friends give them a try. The fact that such a simple concept can be such an entertaining game is quite telling of substance over style. Even then, the music and presentation makes up for its basic visuals.