Thanks, Anya.
What are some of the set-backs you've encountered with the D-Pad? Diagonals? Again, IGN preach that in practice it becomes fine, such as Tekken 5 on PS2. I am skeptical of that though.
I do own and greatly enjoy SFA3 Max, although I'm by no means a super-hardcore fighting game fan and mostly use it just for a quick entertainment hit. I've been doing LOADS of travelling lately, with even more to come, so I've really been looking for something fun I can play that rewards you the more you spend with it.