I fully agree with the OP, although I think it's kind of sad that number 3 is true when there are so many nice planes in the game. But hey, can't knock you guys for being patriotic - I think I'd be pissed too if my beloved Spitfire was as crap as the P51.
And I really feel for you XBox guys - there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel for us PS3ers, but you others are still kind of left hanging in the wind... I hope your patch is right behind ours. At least you can get a heads up when ours comes out as to whether it's worth waiting for yours... Maybe you can take inspiration from edal and his awesome tournament - it really does breathe fun into the game. There must be enough of you to make it viable?
And yeah - the DLC was kinda ridiculous. At least the karmic balance is that XBox guys had a (brief) chance to bag it for 1/2 the price we did.
But I will definitely be buying a sequel, and do feel I have had way more than my money's worth out of this one. Just want the platinum to show my appreciation for the game - only need the weapon unlock (and 100 IL2 missions)...
