Last night I stayed up playing on my Wii.  No, I'm not making a dirty joke.  Nintendo's new console, you sick, sick mind. 

Anyway, I must say Nintendo has hit a hot spot with their Virtual Console games.  That, in addition to their backwards-compatibility with Gamecube games makes their dwindling numbers of Wii titles seem almost unimportant.  I personally love being able to play Super Mario World, Altered Beast, Starfox 64, and Sonic the Hedgehog all on the same console! 

That being said, I'm more than a little peeved with the way Nintendo has handled their control setups for these titles.  It's understandable that the Wii's system does not wholly support the interface for all of its Virtual Console games.  But forcing players to go out and buy a Wii Classic Controller after they have already bought the games with their Wii points is ridiculous. 

Face it, Nintendo.  Just supply a Classic Controller with the Wii system, and this would not be a problem.  Secondly, what is up with the Classic Controller, itself?  Why does it EVER have to connect to the Wii Remote?  Couldn't it just be a secondary wireless device, like the Remote, itself?  With the Classic Controller connected to the Remote, you have a two-handed device connected to a one-handed device.  Logically, you would need three hands to work it.  The Wii Remote was designed to have extensions that would add to its functionality so it can support all the controls that two-handed controllers of the past had.  Adding a two-handed controller as an extension is a bit of overkill. 

When you are using the Wii Classic, you have to use both hands on the controller, and let the Wii Remote dangle from your wrist.  It not only adds a bit too much weight to your arm for comfort, but it is also very cumbersome. 

Last, but certainly not least, Gamecube games.  Eight months ago, I bought Skies of Arcadia: Legends, for the Gamecube, (one of my favorites) knowing that I would be purchasing a Wii as soon as one was available and that the Wii was backwards-compatible.  When my system finally arrived, I immediately ran to my copy of Skies of Arcadia, popped it in, and was shocked and angered.  Using the Wii Remote, you can select the Gamecube game to play, but after that point, the controller stops being usable.  Not having a Gamecube, myself, I stormed out of my room and to the local GameStop.  I grabbed a wireless Gamecube controller, paid my money, and drove back.  Finally able to sit down and control my game, I turned the system on again and loaded up SoA:L.  To my horror, it came up with a screen that said, "No Gamecube Memory Card in Slot.  Continue without saving?"  Crap!  Thankfully, I had thought enough ahead when buying SoA:L that I figured I might need a Gamecube memory card, in case I borrowed someone's GC.  I popped it in, and was finally able to play the game. 

Seriously, what was Nintendo thinking?  "Oh, well obviously everyone who purchases the Wii has a Gamecube already."  Not even the Wii's three-handed Classic Controller will work for GC games.  I must say, Nintendo may have improved the control scheme for new games for the time being, but they simply dropped the ball when it comes to controlling games prior to the Wii.