Wii Classic Controller aka: Jeffy’s Challenge :

Just after the Nintendo Wii launched I was lucky enough to get my grubby hands on a Wii Classic Controller. This SNES/PS2 hybrid style controller is principally going to be used for playing Virtual Console games, but there are already a few games in development for the Wii that will use it as well (Smash Bros. Brawl and Metal Slug Anthology). Just tearing open the package to the Classic Controller got my retro-lovin’ heart all a flutter and I looked forward to seeing how it would work for the current lineup of VC games. So after just admiring the build quality of the controller for a few minutes, I fired up my Wii and started downloading games from the Wii’s online store. I began downloading old favorites, such as Mario 64, F-Zero, Bomberman ‘93, Super Star Soldier, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda, and much more.

The build quality of the controller is excellent. It’s solid, it’s pretty, and it’s semi-wireless. Instead of plugging into the Wii directly, the Classic Controller plugs into the Wii remote. While it may seem like an odd design choice at first, it’s actually a godsend. You won’t be worrying about batteries since it feeds off of the Wii remote’s power and the lack of a battery compartment makes it nice and light while keeping the cost at a very affordable $19.99. The only real issue here is that you’ll need a Wii remote for every Classic Controller you want to play with (4-player matches will require four Wii remotes). The buttons are a bit squishy, but in a good way. They lack a real distinct click that is so synonymous with retro gaming, but it’s a fair trade-off for the increase in overall aesthetics and comfort. The directional pad (d-pad) is much like what you’ll remember from the SNES but it’s a bit stiffer. It’s ultra-precise and should be perfect for many of the popular old-school genres such as shooters, fighters, and platformers.

I guess rather than a game-by-game analysis of what I thought of the Classic Controller’s abilities, it makes far more sense to comment on how well it emulates the controls for each console represented in the VC library. Right now the VC is offering games from the NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, and the TurboGrafx-16. I’m hoping we’ll see more in the future, but for now it’s a great start. So, let’s talk about how well the controller performs.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Nintendo’s first home console is controlled beautifully with the Classic Controller. I have some rather large hands, so I appreciate the increased size of the Classic Controller when compared to the old NES pad. It makes controlling stuff like Zelda a lot more comfortable. Fans of the NES controller will adapt quickly to the feel of the Classic Controller and newcomers to NES games will probably feel as if the games were designed around the controller in the first place anyway.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
The Super Nintendo sported what is arguably the best and most well-rounded controller for its respective library. It never felt like games had to suffer with shoehorned controls to accommodate for any controller shortcomings. This, I believe, is the reason why the Classic Controller so closely resembles the SNES pad. It is, however, a bit more comfortable to hold than the SNES pad due to the extra thickness of the controller. Still, I think I might prefer the SNES d-pad to the one found on the Classic Controller. It’s not that the Classic Controller’s d-pad has anything wrong with it, it’s just that the SNES d-pad was as close to perfect as it gets. Much like with the NES, SNES fans should be pleased with the Classic Controller’s look, feel, and functionality.

Nintendo 64
Unlike the much-loved Super Nintendo, the Nintendo 64 controller was a bit of an oddball. Sure, it introduced the masses to analog control, it had a good d-pad, and it brought us the ever so popular trigger button, but the way the controller was split into thirds weirded a lot of gamers out. While I personally liked the N64 controller, I did always find it weird that there were some buttons you couldn’t physically reach at times. With the Classic Controller the weirdness has been done away with, and the Z trigger has been moved up to the shoulder and the analog C-buttons are now mapped to the right analog stick. I found doing Mario’s long jump in Mario 64 a little less comfortable than it was on the original controller, but that’s the only instance where the Classic Controller didn’t feel superior at this point. In the long run, I think most gamers will find that the Classic Controller is what the N64 controller should have been in the first place.

Sega Genesis
The Genesis was the console that first introduced me to 16-bit gaming and was known for being home to countless classics. Even though the controller worked well, I never really liked it all that much. I was never fond of the three buttons in a line (or the two rows of three later on); especially when the SNES pad came out with shoulder buttons. The d-pad was also inferior to the one found on the SNES, but it wasn’t ever much of an issue after getting adjusted to it. Like the other consoles mentioned thus far, the Genesis titles play better on the Classic Controller thanks to its superior design. I got quite a kick out of playing Sonic the Hedgehog on a controller that felt so close to a SNES pad.

NEC TurboGrafx-16
Simply put, I was never the biggest fan of the TurboGrafx-16 (also known as PC Engine) controller. It wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t feel up to par with it’s contemporaries across all fronts. Once again I feel that the Classic Controller really ups the enjoyment factor of each individual title to be found on the VC for the TG-16. Playing Bomberman ‘93 with my wife is an absolute blast (pardon the pun) and Super Star Soldier never felt so good. Hopefully the TG-16 support remains strong since many long-time Nintendo fans may have missed out on this system during its short and mostly turbulent life.

Basically the Classic Controller is the perfect fit for the Virtual Console games. Hopefully the existence of the controller encourages publishers to keep 2D gaming alive on the Wii as well, but we’ll see how that pans out over time. For now, I’m just glad to see that Wii owners aren’t forced into using a GameCube controller to control the VC games.

Oh, and for the first person that can find out why there’s a clip on the back of the remote, you’ll get some sort of prize from me. I’ll dig into a pile of media swag and find something good, but only if you find the real reason behind it before I can.