A lot of the bias probably depends on age. For me, Pacman and other classics just don't feel right with a bat top. I'm good with a modern ball top stick with a decently stiff spring, but imagine there are others for whom only a rubber centering grommet feels right on those games. Beat 'em Ups feel most right with bat tops. For those of us old enough to have preconceived notions of what the game should feel like, there is no joystick that is not a compromise.
By the time I was done modding a pair of Sanwa JLFs to my liking, I had over $200 in them.
After adding optical switches, round restrictors, stiffer springs, hand candy balltops, & a DIY electronic 4/8 way switching, they feel right for most things.
In stock form, I hate them. The springs are light and dainty. They feel nothing like anything I experienced in real arcades.
Someone who never experienced arcades full of machines in the 80's & 90's might have a different opinion.
I've read that there is a difference in the way the average modern American and Japanese arcade patron plays.
Japanese players only move the joystick far enough to trigger the switches while Americans (like me) bang against and ride the restrictor plate.
If you were only looking at things from the standpoint of doing as well in the games as possible without regard to nostalgia, a joystick with a super light spring and hardly any engage distance would be ideal. That allows you to engage and change direction faster, provided you are precise with your movements. The top sim racers in the world turn off the force feedback feature of their wheels and think of it as a game instead of a driving simulator. They are there to do as well as possible in the game, not feel immersed and feel like they are driving a car. I prefer the latter, even if I don't do as well in the game.