Literally the only problem with the GCN controller was the d-pad, which wasn't really an issue becuase it wasn't relevant for many games at the time anyhow. Everything else about that controller is pretty great, I'd unabashedly call it better than the Dualshock 2 or 3 without hesitation. It's right up there with the 360 controller in terms of feel (sadly it also has a god awful d-pad).
People complain about the face button layout, but the primary button with a set of secondary buttons makes sense to me and I think makes sense for most games, especially Zelda. It's not difficult at all to hit the 3 secondary buttons. The triggers are analog and work just fine, quite responsive (for analog) in my experience. They aren't quick tap shoulder buttons like some games may need but I rarely had an issue playing actual Gamecube games with them.
Wiimotes were ergonomic and quite functional, the IR worked great for shooters and segments of Zelda, etc. The biggest issue was the fact that all buttons except A+B were difficult to reach on the main wiimote. Nunchuk was fantastic.
N64's controller was poorly made and less convenient to use than the GCN's.
