Here are two Wii games, both by Activision, who get Wii controls perfectly right and perfectly wrong. This can even occur in the same game. It’s fascinating to look at this in what is the Wii’s formative period, as developers that are not Nintendo, and even Nintendo itself, figure out how to wring the best performance out of the little console’s scary new controls. (The same thing happened with the DS.)

The two games, “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance” and “Call of Duty 3″ are both essentially their Gamecube versions with Wii controls strapped to the top, like many Wii games today.

“Marvel” is a top-down Gauntlet-esque game that continues the “X-men Legends” line of games, only now with all kinds of Marvel characters. The standard controls are nothing special, but they get the job done and don’t get in the way. Let me make this clear – this game is all about pushing buttons. Pushing buttons a lot. This is, spiritually, Diablo with superheroes and on a console. It’s great fun with a couple friends – a spiritual successor to old school co-op arcade beat-’em-ups.

On the Wii, though, the controls are all motion-based. So, every time you need to do a basic punch, you have to move your wrist. Anything. This game is far too combat-intensive for this. Your arm is tired in five minutes. Additionally, ridiculously precise motions are required to do special moves.

This is an example of why Wii controls cannot be adapted to certain game designs created with standard controllers in mind. Developers and publishers of certain titles will need to realize that they pretty much cannot be adapted to motion control. The Gamecube controller and the classic controller exist, and developers will need to learn to require them, or at the least, allow their use so Wii owners who encounter terrible motion controls can at least run back to what they know works.

Not all games have terrible controls, however. Activision’s own Call of Duty 3 is slightly flawed due to its relatively uninspired single player and lack of multiplayer. It’s a decent game, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nothing special, aside from the controls, which adapt extremely well.

Obviously, the Wii’s remote is used to aim by pointing at the screen. Various other motions are mapped to the remote and the nunchuck. My favorite would have to be tilting the remote to lean around corners. It feels so right.

I have a few issues with the controls. One is the silly motion scripted fights that have me pumping the remote and nunchuck asynchronously to fight off a Nazi. They’re just tiring and don’t really work. Essentially, the motion control equivalent of button mashing. The driving controls also leave a bit to be desired, but they’re a rather tiny portion of the whole game.

Overall, though, these are two examples that should caution developers. You don’t have to make everything in the game motion based, and if the motion controls you develop suck, don’t be afraid to ditch them. We’ll all thank you in the end.