i haven't played the original X wing or TIE Fighter in so long that i can't remember what the controls were like, but i've been replaying through x wing alliance recently. That is such a fun game! i love the story arc. regardless of the fact that it wouldn't necessarily fit the movie cannon, it's dang fun! As for the control system, while i can't comment on the older one, i think this version is decent. As a pilot myself, i think it makes perfect sense for the maneuverability to be based on speed because that's how it works in the real world (ok, it's much more complicated, but the basic concept is there). One think i would've liked is to have a more noticable delay from the time you change the throttle setting to the time your speed actually decreases. But, i can always chalk that up to the scifi technology. One thing i really did like was how they used the rudder control on the joystick to roll & what would typically be the ailerons to yaw (this is backwards from a real plane). It gives it enough of a difference to feel like something other than an airplane (which it should, seeing as they are spaceships), yet remains a very intuitive control system.