There are lots of different control styles for video games, but two of the most widely used as the D-Pad and joystick.
Personally, I prefer using the joystick because I started gaming in arcades and on the Atari 2600, which used that. The more precise moving speed in some games (as in, push a little to walk, more to run) can make for a fun element, too. The D-Pad (D for directional, btw, introduced by Nintendo on the NES I think) works really well for some games, but even on the NES I preferred using a joystick controller to the D-Pad.
What's your opinion?