The Gamecube Controller

The Gamecube pad still controls Smash Bros. just as God intended. They’re a combination as right and pure as Digestive biscuits and chocolate.

That big, tactile left analogue is as warm and welcoming as a hug from a rosey-cheeked Santa. The right stick, while not quite as well-placed as the one on the classic controller, is easy to hit and made eminently flickable by its nub-like design. And the button layout just makes total sense. The depth of the buttons and the physical differences between them make it impossible to accidentally hammer the wrong one in a frenzy, and everything on the face of the pad is laid out and sized exactly according to the game’s command priorities.

We’ve only found two stumbling blocks, and they’re very, very small ones. While their physicality is brilliantly designed, the sticks don’t feel quite as smooth and quick to respond as those on the Classic, although that could just be our controllers beginning to show their age. They’ve battled hard and served us well over the years, bless them. Additionally, and we’re being really nit-picky here, the GC pad is the only wired controller of the set. As such, it feels a little restrictive now that we’re used to the modern joys of wireless, but that’s probably more of a psychological thing than a real problem. After all, Melee played just fine last gen. And if you really do have a major aversion to digital umbilicals, there’s always the Wavebird. 

Verdict: Old friends are still better. But only just.