Many hardcore players of Nintendo's long-running, franchise-merging beat-em-up, Super Smash Bros, will attest that the only way to properly play the games is with a proper, chunky controller with plenty of buttons to enable the widest range of moves and tactics. It's no surprise really: having started on the N64 and then moved on to the GameCube for the subsequent sequel, Melee - both consoles whose controllers could be described as chunky and button filled - Smash Bros. was a game that took advantage of every single button to provide plenty of attacks, taunt options, grabs and - for the wusses - defensive moves. That Nintendo had to simply every character's movesets for the Wii follow-up, Brawl, due to the Wii Remote having just four buttons and a D-Pad was seen as sacrilege to many fans of the previous two titles, who felt reducing the immediately available attacks and using two-button combinations for most moves just didn't offer the level of control they were used to.
Luckily, the Wii offered something that catered to those fans: Gamecube backwards-compatibility. Realising that there would be those craving the greater control of the previous games, Nintendo allowed people who had plugged Gamecube controllers into the Wii to use them as controllers for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, letting them play the new game with their old, familiar controllers even though they'd still be subject to the simplified move sets. That players familiar with the previous generation could fight again using the ergonomic, full-featured controllers they'd gotten accustomed to was a godsend; and so, when the Wii U removed Gamecube compatibility and the Gamecube ports, many weeped that they'd not get the same option in the next Super Smash Bros. title.
Well, dear fans, weep no longer:
It's official: The #WiiU version of #SmashBros. will be playable with GameCube controllers! pic.twitter.com/JMWqTgyM3Y
— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) May 30, 2014
That's right! Nintendo UK and Nintendo of Europe took to Twitter today to announce that Gamecube Controller support will be hitting the Wii U; and will feature in the next Smash Bros. title! From the picture posted, it appears the support will be added via a new accessory which will plug in to the Wii U via USB and offer the standard four Gamecube controller ports like on the original 'Cube and the Wii. Given the nature of the accessory, it seems unlikely this will be used ONLY for Smash Bros. - many Wii games and WiiWare / Wii Virtual Console titles supported the Gamecube and the Wii U is backwards-compatible with those, so we may see Gamecube controls returned to those games; but what's stopping Nintendo also baking Gamecube controller support back into the Wii U Virtual Console or even into future Wii U titles? The prospect is tantalising.
Interestingly, the picture appears to show the Wii U with both front USB ports in use, though the connectors are different colours. This begs the question as to whether the Gamecube add-on will require one or two USB ports to use. What's more, the plugged-in Gamecube controller in the picture features a Smash Ball decal - just a decorative touch, or will whole new, special-edition Gamecube controllers hit the stores once again? There's a lot of questions still to be answered; but one thing's for sure. Those of you who've kept hold of your Gamecube controllers for the last couple of years or more, now have even more reason to feel smug.
Gg Nintendo. Now people can't tell me I'm crazy for keeping four new gcn controllers all these years!
— Digmbot, via Facebook
