Elite: Dangerous Reviews
With a fantastic sense of scale, attention to detail, great combat, and an ambitious vision of a shared universe make Elite: Dangerous well worth checking out. But its let down by punishing opening hours and tedious pacing. If you can stomach these, you'll find an entire cosmos begging to be explored.
One of the biggest games ever released, but not the most fun. Elite Dangerous may be too slow and even tedious for some players, but if you are into it's sci-fi simulation, this game is a blast.
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Elite: Dangerous is a phenomenal piece of simulation software, masquerading as a game. I felt like Mal Reynolds, Captain Picard and Luke Skywalker at various points, while at others I felt like a delivery man who was able to make a cup of tea whilst travelling to the next drop off. The emptiness of space can be overwhelming, and Elite: Dangerous revels in that a little too much, but for the brave, or foolhardy, it offers an experience that is unlike anything else on Xbox One.
I would recommend this game if you want a space experience that you can have by yourself, with friends or with people you meet along the way. While not as big or feature laden like EVE Online or the upcoming ambitious Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous is a satisfying experience that fills the void of a space simulator game, yet has an easier to climb learning curve and requires less time investment (and is already released). The game is not for everyone though, especially those expected a space combat game or cannot stand grinding for money.
One day Elite: Dangerous might be worth the price tag, but currently it is not.
The faint of heart need not apply
To summarize, Elite: Dangerous is awe-inspiringly beautiful, but a time sink of galactic proportions.
It sounds like I am harping on Elite: Dangerous, but it's a fantastic game and makes one wonder why space sims have been away for so long. For all of its polish in some areas, it has obviously unrefined aspects in others. For all the aspects that let you tell a story about the game, there's little to allow you to create in a story within it. During the first few weeks, the game will absolutely demand your free time, and you will gleefully engage. It just needs a lot more to sustain itself.
The initial hours are a slog then, but for a game that requires months, maybe even years of play to get the most out of, that graft will be pretty small potatoes in the long run. Had Elite: Dangerous been published along traditional routes, such a steep learning curve would have probably been avoided by an industry that all-too-often likes to play things safe.
Elite: Dangerous is a fascinating exploration of space that will endlessly appeal to some players and thoroughly bore others.
Elite Dangerous is not going to be the game for everyone, and in fact most are going to be turned off by all it demands from players. The fact remains though, that the game does exactly what it wants, and does it very well. It isn't here to please everybody, but those who it is for are going to have a good time.
Elite Dangerous successfully takes the original game and turns it into a true 21st century revolution as you explore the furthermost reaches of the universe as you attempt assassinations, protect spaceports and search for those illusive credits in order to better yourself in this gaming world. The learning curve is a little steep and the controls can be at times fiddle some but overall, the developers of Elite Dangerous should be commended on creating a truly visual, immersive and memorable experience on the PC that not only pays homage to the original but takes it to a new level thanks to the MMO component and inclusion of the Oculus Rift DK2.
Elite: Dangerous is a very ambitious title which has been implemented well so far. It has been "released," however its current base form will leave much to be desired for the majority of players as, while the universe is exceptionally large, what you can actually do, while initially fun and engaging, is quite limited and repetitive.
Most of the time, Elite works. The excitement, even the boredom, of the game is still preserved for me as something I am happy to have paid for. But it would be a poor reviewer indeed who did not mention that the sim's rough edges have not been satisfactorily sanded down.
There's so much to see, do, and explore... if only you knew how.
Elite: Dangerous has core mechanics that work well within the online multiplayer universe, but has many single-player components built-in. Missions tend to get repetitive, but I have yet to exhaust myself exploring a new system or planet. The universe can feel quite empty, even if you are playing with the open-world options. Frontier promises to expand the game with content updates, and if you were looking for a new paint job, they are available for purchase. You'll be sure to experience a new "wow" factor every time you play.
Everyone's experiences in Elite: Dangerous will be unique to them, and it only takes a couple of mesmerising ones to justify the early grind.
Can I go back to my spaceship now? There's a real sweet run I want to make….
Elite: Dangerous is unforgiving, obfuscating, and occasionally dull, but it's always immersive and beautiful. It offers an incredible universe to explore that, despite occasional graphical repetition, offers the tantalising possibility of wonders yet unseen at the end of each new hyperspace jump.
Elite: Dangerous is a beautiful arcade experience, plugged into an empty galaxy, one so big and bold that it might trick you into thinking there's more to see and do than there really is. You'll probably love it anyway.