Damn it. I just got the PS2 version of SC II about a week ago and now I see this thread. btw do they sell the SC arcade joystick at ebgames? I think I saw it before but just now I searched for it and couldn't find it.
I only played it for 15 minutes though. I tried the practice mode and then the main/arcade one. With absolutely no skill I think I could've finished the game in one sitting. It's still next to the PS2 for another time maybe. At first I thought it might take me a long time to get the hang of it but ditching practice and trying the game was a shock. How long did it take you guys to learn SC/SC II?
If this free stick is the stick I'm thinking of, and it most likely is, the Nuby, then it's not worth it even for free. Sad to say I actually owned that stick for a few weeks and it couldn't even cut it as a backup. The only good thing about the stick is that it supports all three consoles out of the box, but the actual stick and buttons are among the lowest quality I've seen. I don't plan on hijacking, and explaining what to buy (again), but please take it from someone who's had experience with this exact hardware: You can do much better.
The beauty of SC is that any halfway decent gamer can pick it up and feel comfortable with it in mere minutes, but don't mistake passing the game on default settings for actual player versus player skill. That, as always takes longer; the difference here is that the game is simply easier to get into.
Chrono, doesn't take much to breeze through arcade mode. Weapon Master mode will take you some time. But once you start playing against other people who have some skill you'll realize that SCII is an exceptionally deep game to learn.