Finally got home after two weeks away and fired this game up. There's probably nothing new I can say about it after this many pages. I think "holy happy pig in shit" will suffice.
I know some people are wanting feedback on the Saitek Aviator, so here are some initial impressions.
I haven't played too much Sim mode with the stick yet. So far I've played:
- Arcade mode with the pad: great fun, bit of a thumb killer
- Sim mode with the pad: yeah, nah
- Arcade mode with the stick: oh baby, that's the spot
- Sim mode with the stick: extremely promising
The first realisation was that slothing back on the couch wasn't going to happen. I thought the stick might need to be fastened down somehow, but unlike a steering wheel you can just plonk it onto a flat surface and it'll stay firmly in place during play. Definitely a more serious, less relaxing gaming stance, not helped by a low coffee table. Even pilots have a backrest though, so I'm thinking some kind of lap board will be needed.
Gameplay wise, it's magic out of the box. Just flick the switch to Mode 1 (Mode 2 is no good) and most controls will be where you expect them to be. It takes a few missions to fully get the feel of it, but you'll become one with your plane soon enough. The buttons on this thing feel kind of mid-range quality (this isn't a $200 flight stick after all) but the stick movement feels nice and solid.
The throttle position does feel a little unnatural, but it too has a very nice action. Sure it feels like you're giving it a reacharound, but it's not a dealbreaker. Being able to lock a throttle postion and use your free hand to comb your ace fighter pilot hair is handy. I actually managed to shoot down some bad guys in Arcade mode while eating a sandwich.
I only have one major issue, and if the full game includes control customisation it'll be solved. The button used to track your target (LT on the gamepad) is on the right hand side of the Aviator's face plate. If you're a right hander, moving your left hand from the throttle to here during combat is difficult. If the full game allows us to map this to the X button (under the flip cover on top of the stick) it'll be perfect. If we don't have this option, I think I'll be adding a button to the right end of the throttle so I can use my thumb to track targets. I
don't mind doing this sort of thing.
tl;dr - If you're getting the full game, you need a stick. If you're on a budget, this stick will serve you well.