I always find this topic to be really interesting since there’s no objectively correct answer, and it tends to be something people have experience with.
Obviously, the best answer is “let the player pick”, but personally, I’m 100% in the inverted camp (both y and x axis, because apparently some maniacs only invert one). I have no idea where I picked up inverted controls, but I’ve favored them as long as I remember playing games, so I figure some early titles I played had inverted by default, which checks out since I played a lot of vehicle-based games.
For me, one of the worst experiences is realizing a game I really want to play only supports uninverted camera (or in the case of a couple, only supports inverted y), because it totally demolishes my ability to reasonably play the game with any degree of skill.
I prefer uninverted purely because that is what I grew up with. On the og xbox there weren’t many options to change controls, so you had to put up with what the game gave you. I can play with inverted controls, but it feels like writing with my left hand.
Yeah, playing older games is really a crap shoot as to whether or not it has the controls you’re used to since actual choice is relatively recent.