Most comfortable controller ever + great analogue stick + buttons have a good feel and are placed in an odd but surprisingly good way + very durable.

The gamecube controller is the only ok one. 

i need one for smash. otherwise i think it's a pretty bad controller, even by past standards. the button configuration was so unnecessary. Like i said though, gotta have it for smash. I'm pretty terrible with out it. Should probably try to remember how i played with the 64 controller.

Methinks you are an unfair judge.

It's funny you should say the GameCube is the only ok one as it's the only one I can recall that didn't introduce important ideas to console controllers that we still use today. I also have to assume that your early gaming experience must have been miserable, as theirs was the best option among the gen 3 and 4 controllers.

One word: PURPLE!

Maybe it's just because I used it a lot, but it just feels really comfortable to use. Everything is easy to reach and use and they've been pretty durable for me

For Tekken the button layout maybe one reason that TTT was never released  on the Gamecube even when IGN reported seeing a working version of the game on the console.  The GC did end up with SoulCalibur II which was well received, but Tekken didn't show up on a Nintendo home console until it returned to the SNES symmetrical diamond layout on the Wii U pad and was then given Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

For Capcom vs SNK 2 the button layout wasn't the problem on the GC, it was the tiny D-Pad. The control scheme you described is only one of the control options and was there because you chose GC-ism, but if you chose AC-ism you get the classic 6-button controls.  My solution to playing Capcom vs SNK 2 on the Gamecube was buying a cheap Pelican Retro Gamepad which was a rip-off of the Hori Digital Pad.

The bigger D-Pad on the Retro pad makes all the difference for this game and other 2D fighters like Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom on the Wii, even though they both have the same GC controller face button layout.  I also liked the that it was a circular shield type d-pad instead of the cross.  I'm also glad it didn't have the arrow indentations of older Nintendo d-pads and that Wii-era and beyond d-pads have gotten rid of this.  

On a related note I dislike playing 2D fighters on the PS3's DualShock 3 because the segmented cross D-pad makes it harder to do easy pivot motions.

In this thread of Gamecube controller love, it pains me to say I bought a Nyko adapter that let me used my PS2 controller for Soul Calibur 2.

The Controller was great for most games but not for everything. With the right games, it was a dream come true! The best around! But with other styles of games.....

Comfort, comfort, comfort. Uniquely shaped buttons kept everything orderly, and the C-stick was an early adoption of the offset analogue sticks that worked so well on the Xbox 360. The wide range of sensitivity on the shoulder buttons + click was awesome as well.

Because it was a super ultra mega step waaaaaaaaay above the garbage that is the N64 controller. Nowadays it lacks inputs and the C-stick really wont cut it, but it's still decent enough, I can go back and play Thousand Year Door and Pikmin with it no problem.