The best replacement for gamepad is joystick.

The best alternatives to gamepad are rated as following:
★★★★★  joystick
★★★  keyboard
★★★  arcade stick
★★★  fightstick
★★★  mouse
★★  steering wheel
★★  keyboard and mouse
★  pro controller
★  keyboard mouse
★  mouse and keyboard
★  gaming keyboard
  jxd s7300
  wikipad

Your alternative for gamepad is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about gamepad, one probably shouldn't forget about minecraft.

Other search terms related to gamepad and their ratings are:
★★★★★ minecraft
★★★★ minecraft pc
★★★★ wow
★★★★ oblivion
★★★★ elder scrolls online
★★★ zsnes
★★★ eso
★★ call of duty
★★ mass effect 2
★★ guild wars 2
★★ call of duty 2
★★ pc games
★★ wii u
★ doom 3
★ world of warcraft
★ maple story
aion
any game
You have in mind a companion for gamepad and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of gamepad in all years. Click on graph for more.
gamepad
joystick
keyboard