With the Wii almost here, we’ve got to know: is the Wiimote actually better than a regular controller?

In a recent interview with Nintendo Dream, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that GameCube games may be getting facelifts for the Wii. While the question of how extensive the improvements would be still hasn’t been answered, it brings up an interesting question: is the Wii remote so powerful an asset that its mere inclusion can drastically improve a game?

This has already been brought up with a more high-profile game that’s actually launching with the Wii. With Twilight Princess, the Nintendo faithful seem to be split up into two camps: those who want to play it with a GameCube controller and those willing to take the plunge with the remote. I haven’t played it with either, so I’m not qualified to comment on either method’s positives or negatives, but the general consensus has become pretty vocal about wanting the option to play both on the same disk, just in case. Having played TP on both the GameCube in 2005 and on the Wii in 2006, PGC Director Jonathan Metts had this to say:

An open letter to Nintendo.

Dear Nintendo:

There is a high level of frustration among Zelda fans right now, which is itself a feat that you should note. We are, after all, a very resilient bunch. We have put up with Twilight Princess' repeated delays and stylistic changes while patiently ignoring the dearth of official details and the game's recent lackluster E3 appearance. At times, it seems like you are throwing roadblocks in the way of us devoted Zelda players, and the latest and most bitter of these was the announcement that both a GameCube and Wii version of Twilight Princess would be released simultaneously. Now, I understand that you have tremendous faith in Wii and want Zelda to prove the new console's worth; at the same time you have clung to the release of a GameCube version as a sign of goodwill to those who purchased the system for Zelda alone. This is, I suppose, fine by me. Really, for the Nintendo faithful it should be a no-brainer: buy a Wii, get Zelda. From our mentality, the Wii version of Zelda is preferred since Wii is your new system and we're getting it anyway. Unfortunately, the problem facing Zelda fans now is that you have decided not to implement GameCube controls for Twilight Princess on Wii, confusing gamers as to which version truly is the next Zelda game.

But without Wii, does anyone care?

PAX is “in the can", as they say, and if you’re wondering why we didn’t talk much about it, it’s because there isn’t all that much to say. Nintendo showed off about nine games for the Nintendo DS, including the fantastically quirky Elite Beat Agents, and the Lemmings-esque Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2, but the Wii was nowhere to be found.

I’m sure that Nintendo will put out a press release talking about how successful a show it was for them, but the truth of the matter is that there was an underlying sense of frustration, for the gamers, for the press, and even a bit from Nintendo’s staff themselves. Nintendo had a golden opportunity to steal the show from even Penny Arcade themselves, and the company squandered it.