I got familiar with it from TimeSplitters 2, but that’s basically same devs.
Edit: not sure how the control schemes of the FPS sections in Banjo Tooie were, but I could have acquainted myself with it back then. I guess it’s similar due to being a Rare game.
Except you're wrong. The controller is on the BACK of the head, you know, where you're looking. So both x and y should be inverted. Anything else makes 0 sense
Well the analogy doesn't perfectly work with pad controllers.
It does work with flight sticks. Vertical controls pitch (up and down), horizontal controls roll (tilt left and right). You've got pedals/stick twist for yaw (turn to right or left) or the hat/thumb stick for view angle change.
Played a bunch of flight simulators and similar games back in the day. If it's universally considered the best way to steer a goddamn aircraft safely and accurately, who am I to argue.