Simply fluid. That's the word for it. As I stood behind a few PGC staffers, awaiting my 5-minute shot at the oh-so gorgeous Super Smash Brothers Melee Battle, I looked back and forth between all the sweet, sweet HDTV screens. Analyazing each and every character and every stager that I could lay my eyes on, I eagerly took SSB2 impressions coming soon.

What I didn't think of was the controller. As soon, as the person in front of me handed me the controller, I clutched the left grip and realized that I was focused on the wrong thing. The design of the controller is nothing short of inspired. The smooth rounded handles of the controller fit perfectly into my hands as my thumb intuitively rested on the analog pad.

As a gamer with large hands, I've frequently complained about the cramped layout of many pads, including the Playstation pad. I've also heard a myriad of complaints from those with smaller hands about the size of the N64 controller. Miyamoto and his team of designers have truly found the perfect medium between the two. Big hands, or small hands, I've asked a few random players, a few company representatives, and when asked about the Gamecube, the first thing everyone seems to gush about (aside from the incredible visuals of course), is the incredibly comfortable controller.

Although I had to adjust a bit to play Smash Brothe Melee Battle, it was due to the subtle changes in gameplay.

As soon, as I had a chance I lined up to play a round of Luigi's Mansion. This game uses a setup of controls similar to that of the Turok games. The left analog controls Luigi's upper body, allowing him to turn and aim with ease, and the camera stick on the right side allows you to move forwards and backwards, and strafe side to side. Choosing to skip the tutorial available in the game, I jumped right into the game, and while I struggled at first, I mastered the controls within minutes.

While I played Luigi's Mansion I was suddenly surprised by an enemy, and I Was happy to notice that for quite some time, the internal rumble motors had been working to subtly enhance the experience of playing the game. Similar in feel to Sony's Dual Shock motors, the rumble was very intuitive and felt like a background part of the game, enhancing the experience, without distracting you from the gameplay.

The L and R shoulder buttons seem to be molded to fit the user's index fingers perfectly. The analog triggers have quite a bit of give, certainly superior to the Dreamcast's triggers, and as Miyamoto proudly noted during his pre-show demonstration, the triggers also feature something I can only describe as "click-action" , where aids the player in realizing when the button has been fully pressed. This feature could definitely come in useful for action games which require a rapid fire finger.

Overall, the controller was incredibly intuitive, and seemed to just meld right into the hads. Impressions gathered from random show-goers and personnel are very positive.

I'll have further impressions as I continure to play with Miyamoto's "baby". Feel free to send me any questions about the controller to breakyboy@planetgamecube.com, and I'll read and respond to your questions as soon as possible.