The best of the Wii could have been done on a normal controller with only a few minor tweaks.
Well that's just wrong. There is zero chance that Wii Sports Resort could have been done on a regular controller. Period.
Pretty sure Ian is referring to obvious critical hits like Mario Galaxy, SSBB, Mario Kart, Mario 5, ect.. And yes, they all would have worked great on a regular controller, even better for many. The top ten on Metacritic for Wii all are, or could be running on a console. This is strange for a console who's core identity is "motion".
Curious Metroid missed the cut there as its controls severely stomped the previous two on consoles. And Wii Fit, too. But yeah, some of those games could have been on *ahem* "consoles." (Did you mean console controller?) Some games could have been made without HD resolutions or online features too.
Just what are the top ten anyway? I hope all of them apply, it'd be pretty embarrassing if even one didn't.
1. Super Mario Galaxy - You could argue that, but the game did have parts where you controlled things with the motion controller. You could say "better on a regular controller" but the very same critics don't agree and rated this game higher than Mario 64. Go figure.
2. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The - The only actual GC port on the list, and one that has been on a controller. Curious this version sold more, though.
3. World of Goo - How in the blue blazes could this have been played on a controller? The only other version is for the PC and it's mouse-based. Better on a controller? Fail.
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Yes, here's one that can be played on a controller. Better? Maybe, maybe not. But most fighting games get sold with expensive Arcade sticks for people who "swear" they control better than the regular controller. Most people roll their eyes at them, though.
5. Rock Band 2 - How is THIS a console controller? So motion controllers don't add anything but big plastic fake instruments do? And played better on a controller? And would it have sold or been reviewed better with regular controllers? Ask Rock Band Unplugged. Also, epic fail.
6. Metroid Prime Trilogy - And no way, not even the critics you are citing groupthink style agree with you on this, this game stomps the previous versions in control.
7. Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition - Ditto here. Playing this game makes playing the old GC one and especially RE5 a pain in the ass.
8. Okami - Yes, this one has been played on a regular controller before. It is a PS2 port, after all.
9. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - How about I skip this one? We've covered this one.
10. Beatles: Rock Band, The - More plastic guitars? How about I go down two more to get past the repeats?
11. Guitar Hero 5 - *sigh*
12. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 - Hitting buttons is better than swinging the club? Not even you think so.
So really, only a few games can be considered "better" on a controller, and those happen to be built with it in mind, GC or PS2 ports, to be specific. The rest, when made with the Wiimote (or plastic guitar controllers) in mind, are better games than their forefathers including control which the majority of those reviews actually aggregated by metacritic state. (Particularly RE4) And when you say "even better," apparently both the crtitics you just cited and the gamers at large don't agree, so...
Oh there I went again, doing more research into your own point than you did. When I heard Ian say the "best of Wii" I didn't immediately think review aggregators for some reason. I thought about the best games on the Wii that use motion controls, and none of them could be done, at all, on a regular controller (since that's the point of the thread anyway). And then you pull metacritic up like it means something and... Well, it just didn't pan out, did it?
... and hold on. "Mario 5?" Do you mean NSMB Wii? I never heard it called "Mario 5" outside of Sean Malstrom. I thought you hated that guy and his opinions? Keep your friends close and enemies closer, eh?
(And sorry everybody. It's just when something gets cited that is purported to say one thing and actually says the complete opposite, it's sort of necessary to point it out. I'll try to refrain from TEXTBLAWKS in the future)