Elite: Dangerous

 PC
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1913 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,150 out of 1913
  2. Mixed: 209 out of 1913
  3. Negative: 554 out of 1913

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  1. Rowbot
    Jun 12, 2015
    0
    I'm going to keep this really short and sweet, since most of the honest reviews touch on 99% of what I'd tell you, anyways.

    -You will most likely not enjoy this game if you don't have a flight stick/HOTAS setup of some sort. They don't tell you that before buying the game, though. Playing with mouse/keyboard or a gamepad is possibly, but not recommended. -They have lied MULTIPLE    I'm going to keep this really short and sweet, since most of the honest reviews touch on 99% of what I'd tell you, anyways.

    -You will most likely not enjoy this game if you don't have a flight stick/HOTAS setup of some sort. They don't tell you that before buying the game, though. Playing with mouse/keyboard or a gamepad is possibly, but not recommended.

    -They have lied MULTIPLE times before and after release concerning features and broken promises to early adopters and backers.

    -Game is basically a grind and running back'n'forth between stations and planets

    -Pretty game... but a whole lot of pretty EMPTINESS!

    -Users are shadow banned frequently from forums and game for minor or ZERO infractions at all. If you don't agree with them, you better keep it to yourself!

    -This game is a glorified space flight sim. The "MMO" part comes from the grind and lackluster controls/combat. They literally took the worst aspects of the MMO genre and slapped them on a flight sim to make it an "MMO". The combat could actually be good if the controls weren't so horrid, but since combat is so reliant on being able to control your craft... yeah...

    -You'll get hardcore zealots of this game attacking these points, especially the last one, but let's get one thing straight here - they've put hundreds of hours into this game and spent hundreds of dollars on flight sim peripherals, so OF COURSE they're going to defend it with their very lives!!! Yes, competent, engaging, and thrilling combat can be had in this game if you have the hours and the equipment... but do you really want to bother? I sure as Hell don't!    … Expand
  2. Tick
    Jun 12, 2015
    3
    I'll start off with the 10/10 rating I give everything and work backwards to my score of a 4.

    The Interface is not mouse driven in menus. You have to use keyboard controls which is not intuitive seeing how you used the mouse to navigate the menus before the game launched. The interface has to be instinctual and natural to the majority of PC users. This means the Mouse. The interface is    I'll start off with the 10/10 rating I give everything and work backwards to my score of a 4.

    The Interface is not mouse driven in menus. You have to use keyboard controls which is not intuitive seeing how you used the mouse to navigate the menus before the game launched. The interface has to be instinctual and natural to the majority of PC users. This means the Mouse. The interface is a Vital component as it should be background and thoughtless. Just a smooth interraction to get through so you can play the game. It isn't... It's awkward. You cannot use your mouse in the various menus. When you are in the system map and click on a station you do not get options like "set destination" or anything. You have to use your keyboard as if you were playing an old 286 computer computer game. The galaxy map you can click on things and a pop-up menu does come up but it is so sensitive that trying to mouse over to the options closes it more often than successfully choosing an option. Interface -3

    Graphics are pretty good. They are by no means Amazing. I have settings on Ultra and run it on a 60hz 4k monitor. They never made me go "WOW" they were just pleasing. Score: +2

    the ships are kind blah. Just wedges that look kind of dated. Put up against the environmental graphics the ships look drab... Score: +0

    Controls: They are complicated. This is a steep learning curve. If you have just a mouse and keyboard you have to fool around with the controls for quite some time to get anything resembling intuitive controls to fly with. Score:-1

    Manual everything: Docking is a pain in the butt. Apparently after you play the game for a while you can buy a computer to automatically dock... but if you have played the game long enough you may just like manual docking and not want the computer to do it for you... I don't know why the auto-dock computer isn't a starting item and you can save ship resources by taking it out later on... It's easy to miss the spot you have to land on, you get warnings by the station to MOVE NOW OR YOU WILL BE SHOT, you accidentally press a button to deploy hard-points and your guns deploy. You were just fined. Score: -1

    Navigation: It's ok, you have to adjust the mouse sensitivity and dead-zones to improve this, and if you don't know what these are because you're new to games like this.. You're SOL. Some planets don't even show up on the system map because they are tethered to another planet.. Nothing explains this, you have to figure it out on your own. The ships seem sluggish, and you have to fool around with Pitch, Yaw and roll to get something you like, again if you are unfamiliar with what this means, you're again, SOL. Score -1

    Tutorials: Not very helpful at all. This game assumes you are experienced before you play. It assumes you're an existing backer. It assumes you've played the original game. It seems that without a HOTAS or Joystick set-up the game puts you at an initial disadvantage. Buying a new HID before you experience the game is asking a lot. New Player experience Score -2

    I tried going back to this game, and I couldn't... It's just so boring. I had to drop my score by another point. -1

    I really want space games on the PC to make a come-back. I didn't back the game, and I wanted to try it once it was released. I bought the game, and my experience has not been that positive at all. I showed the game to some friends. they were not that interested in picking it up after seeing how much micro-management is required at the start of the game. I can see micro-management of all the details giving efficiencies and advantages once you become more familiar with the game, but it seems that you have to deal with all this right out of the box and can earn money and buy stuff later to reduce the micromanagement..... Strange..... The community generally says "we want a complex game. So get out of here" I'm sure I'd want a more complex game as well, once I have sunk my teeth into it... but not right out of the box...

    I can't in good conscience recommend this game to anyone other than the initial backers.    … Expand
  3. cryon1cang3l
    Jun 11, 2015
    4
    Its a grind heavy game, even after patch 1.3.02 where PowerPlay was introduced.
    The multiplayer is limited, the game has a pesky peer2peer system (so the server will provide only background information to the client and all interaction happens between clients and it IS bad for an MMO).
    The game has a hard limit of 32 player per instance, but after 10-12 people its almost impossible to    Its a grind heavy game, even after patch 1.3.02 where PowerPlay was introduced.
    The multiplayer is limited, the game has a pesky peer2peer system (so the server will provide only background information to the client and all interaction happens between clients and it IS bad for an MMO).
    The game has a hard limit of 32 player per instance, but after 10-12 people its almost impossible to play in the instance.
    PvP is very limited and most people play this game solo.
    Balancing is poor. PvP works based on how many shield cells you can fit in your ship, not on how good you can fly.
    This game looks nice and will entertain you in the first hours, but the "lategame" is boring, there is nothing that you can do outside of grinding for even more credits and reputation/power.    … Expand
  4. hrsr0
    Jun 8, 2015
    1
    Kickstarter stated offline play , frontier then lied and knew about this up until the end of beta period , so that its difficult to get any refunds thereafter knowingly decieving the people who made it possible , and shamefully discarding any responsability as unnaceptably limited if it was offline, absolutely pathetic, moronic and downright unprofessional.

    Gameplay suffers immensly    Kickstarter stated offline play , frontier then lied and knew about this up until the end of beta period , so that its difficult to get any refunds thereafter knowingly decieving the people who made it possible , and shamefully discarding any responsability as unnaceptably limited if it was offline, absolutely pathetic, moronic and downright unprofessional.

    Gameplay suffers immensly from that pathetic attempt to slap this would be awsome singleplayer game mmo mechanics.
    Pathetic attempt to recreate a awsome game wich shares only the name with this disgracefull if not insulting iteration
    Boring, dull, full of grind,devoid of any meaningfull gameplay like in the old elites its nothing like the old games only the name, everything suffers from the fact it requires an online connection all the time to play what a joke.

    graphics 4/10
    sounds/music 6/10
    atmosphere 5/10
    gameplay -2/10
    deceving scum -234/10
    customer support inexistant , an absolute insult to everyone unfortunate enough to require 'assistance' -55/10
    story not applicable

    Not matter what they add to the game with its mmo mechanics, online requirement to play a singleplayer game = dead and buried game nothing will ever change that good riddance.    … Expand
  5. Midds
    Jun 7, 2015
    7
    Elite: Dangerous is, at its core, a solid game. The flying is smooth, the visuals are great, the fighting is entertaining and the size of the game's universe is an interesting and unique aspect. Unfortunately, the amount of variety in the things you can actually do is unnecessarily limited.

    Your choices are mining, trading, bounty hunting and exploring. Unfortunately, the combat and    Elite: Dangerous is, at its core, a solid game. The flying is smooth, the visuals are great, the fighting is entertaining and the size of the game's universe is an interesting and unique aspect. Unfortunately, the amount of variety in the things you can actually do is unnecessarily limited.

    Your choices are mining, trading, bounty hunting and exploring. Unfortunately, the combat and trading (i.e the only significantly profitable ventures in the game) can become repetitive relatively quickly due to the little variety within those ventures.

    Elite: Dangerous has so much potential to be a great game, but unfortunately, that is all I am seeing. Potential.

    Nevertheless, I still have my hope that this game receives the attention it deserves from its developers.    … Expand
  6. FilthyHeathen
    Jun 7, 2015
    2
    Awful awful awful. Any decent game is a combination of a number of factors most of which ED does not have. For a start, it is incredibly user un-friendly. There is absolutely NO in-game guidance on what to do. To get any idea of what to do requires watching lengthy Youtube clips!! Really?? With the amount of time and money spent on developing this game, they couldn't have includedAwful awful awful. Any decent game is a combination of a number of factors most of which ED does not have. For a start, it is incredibly user un-friendly. There is absolutely NO in-game guidance on what to do. To get any idea of what to do requires watching lengthy Youtube clips!! Really?? With the amount of time and money spent on developing this game, they couldn't have included some in-game help?? It seems like a game geared towards those 'hardcore' gamers who like to be dropped into a jungle with just a spoon and their wits and expected to make it back to camp. This will appeal to a small percentage of the gaming community. Not all of us are Rambos or familiar with (or even like) the 'learn as you go' approach. Once word gets out this will affect sales with 1000s either avoiding the game or wanting their money back. This is where I have to address the discrepancy between how the game is advertised and what it actually is. It's marketed as a space sim that's exciting and full of amazing space battles etc. Rubbish. For a start, your ship's maneuverability is pathetic. The 'yaw' is painfully slow. It's like flying a Space-wheelchair! What dog-fights I did have were completely uninspiring and unsatisfying. If you manage to keep your sights aimed on an enemy ship, and manage to track it around, it'll take about five minutes to kill. Nothing like the amazing movement you're shown in the ads. If human beings have the technology to fly between the stars and populate galaxies, why does it take so long to turn your ship 360 degrees on the yaw axis?? It's maddening! You'd think they'd have automatic docking procedures as an option as well, but no. If I'd wanted to play a flight sim I'd have bought a flight sim. And unless you like being continually blown to pieces, space battles are to be avoided for a loooooong time, until you've managed to deck out your ship with decent spec. In order to do this requires trading between star systems. Once the novelty of this has worn off, it's simply BORING! Getting to the next place to dock takes far too long. Even the 'jump' gets boring - same old 'warp-effect' every time - it's fairly unimaginative in this sense. Some of the graphics in this game are impressive, but the UI isn't very imaginative. Lists of options that requires trawling through to get any idea of what is going on and what you're supposed to do. Again, when it's so complex, you'd think a little in-game help would have been provided?! Then, just when you're getting the hang of it, someone in a more advanced ship, blows you up and steals your cargo - cargo you've spent hours trying to acquire. Such things do not inspire one to continue playing.
    But continue I did, because the new update 'Powerplay' arrived this week. Great, I thought, some greater meaning and purpose to the game beyond simply trading goods for cash to up-spec your ship. But again, huge disappointment. You can't pledge yourself to any faction until you've ranked up to a certain level! So once again, I find myself scraping my way through the galaxy trying to rank up and facing the same frustrations as before. Boring boring boring.
    I can understand how this game would appeal to people, but they do not comprise the majority of the gaming community. If this was their plan, then fine - just don't advertise it as something other than what it is.    … Expand
  7. Grobi
    Jun 5, 2015
    6
    Everyone who played the original game back in the 80's, should be right at home. It's the 21st Century version of "Elite." But newer, uninitiated players may find it strangely desolate and repetitive. A grand space simulation, aimed at the series' hardcore fans.
  8. dubsdj
    Jun 4, 2015
    9
    I agree this game seems like a mile long and an inch deep. I find doing short stints most evening keeps the game fresh. The actual mechanics of the game are very impressive and with the DK2 it is something to behold. The game is punishing and I remember Frontier Elite II was the same back in the day, however you just have to accept that its not a game that you finish in a couple of daysI agree this game seems like a mile long and an inch deep. I find doing short stints most evening keeps the game fresh. The actual mechanics of the game are very impressive and with the DK2 it is something to behold. The game is punishing and I remember Frontier Elite II was the same back in the day, however you just have to accept that its not a game that you finish in a couple of days like most titles these days.. This is a real game like back in old days that were a significant effort to progress. Very rewarding to somebody who has patience like myself but for a casual gamer then you should forget this title as you will not enjoy it I guarantee! Cannot wait for more content, planet landings is really the most important thing missing from this game and I look forward to it, especially with a DK2!… Expand
  9. theWhip
    Jun 3, 2015
    7
    Und Multiplayer fähig ist es auch nur eingeschränkt, wenn sich alles in Instanzen abspielt, wo wie ich hörte immer nur max. 200 Spieler + NPCs befinden.... das ist echt wenig bei 400 Mrd. Sternen....
  10. rootz
    Jun 1, 2015
    5
    If you like to jump from system to system to copy of copy of copy with some other planet names and colors and you think you are exploring space than this is a nice game for you !
  11. Smilingcookie
    May 29, 2015
    8
    Daunting to get into, but once you start getting it, it's really good.

    What is immediately clear is the quality of the graphics and the sound. They are incredible and really give the right sensation to flying a spaceship. The atmosphere works, and imparts the feeling a cutthroat galaxy where you have to make the right decisions to survive. The training missions do a good job to teach    Daunting to get into, but once you start getting it, it's really good.

    What is immediately clear is the quality of the graphics and the sound. They are incredible and really give the right sensation to flying a spaceship. The atmosphere works, and imparts the feeling a cutthroat galaxy where you have to make the right decisions to survive.

    The training missions do a good job to teach you flight, combat and travel. After that however, I didn't know where to start and it took me quite some time to figure out how things worked. The game doesn't hold your hand and at first there doesn't seem to be any story. Only after I started making decent money trading and kept returning to a certain station several times, I saw that the universe was changing as a direct result of the multiplayer interactions. Once you start to perceive this, you understand this IS the story and you are making your own way through this backdrop of political and economical shifting of powers.

    Multiplayer Combat and ship progression are very well balanced. It reminds me of the "invasions" in Dark Souls II. Even with starter equipment, a competent beginner can be quite dangerous to players who have much better equipment depending on how well each controls his craft. Like in Dark Souls, better equipment does give you an significant edge, but it doesn't guarantee victory. There's tough choices to make. Can you take out this target or will you bite off more than you can chew? Should you defend/retaliate against this attack or should you try to escape and continue on your way? This keeps encounters interesting every time.

    Mechanisms are put in place to balance things out even further. First time I got interdicted, I lost my shields and was almost gone, when local security sent a fighter to combat my attacker. I was preparing to jump out of the conflict and flee, but at the last moment I changed my mind, decided to head back and helped local security finish off my attacker. Result: a warm glow of satisfaction and a financial reward for assisting the local security.

    Right now I'm about 30 hours in, about to buy a better ship for the first time (I skipped some lower class opportunities and will directly buy an adder). Since ship upgrades are expensive and meaningful I'm excited to get one and try out more difficult missions. next I'll probably set out towards our own galaxy to see what it's like, or join a political faction... 8.3/10.    … Expand
  12. init000
    May 26, 2015
    0
    The game is an empty husk of what it could be. The main reasons why I dislike the game is that virtually all the "sandbox" aspects of the game are fake and/or marketing blather devoid of any meaning. The players actions have absolutely NO influence on the game world what so ever. Did you think that trading and item values were influenced by the actions of other players? Guess again - itsThe game is an empty husk of what it could be. The main reasons why I dislike the game is that virtually all the "sandbox" aspects of the game are fake and/or marketing blather devoid of any meaning. The players actions have absolutely NO influence on the game world what so ever. Did you think that trading and item values were influenced by the actions of other players? Guess again - its just a fake economy like in single player freelancer which changes the item prices, not the player-traders. The list goes on. So why exactly should I play a game devoid of any content (in the traditional sense) and instead play a "sandbox" when I actually don't have any influence on the sand in the box? It's basically an over-hyped flight simulator in space with a cheap economy-simulation shoehorned on. The actual gameplay is repetitive and boring without exception. If you want a real sandbox game in space (that isn't just a huge fake and trying to steal your money with the name "Elite") then give EVE Online a try. Elite offers nothing that EVE doesn't except for the flight simulator aspects (but they are basically just a huge time-sink to try and hide the fact that the game is shallow, has no breathing living world and offers virtually no content).

    Really bad game, not worth the money. Play EVE instead - that game actually offers a real sandbox where every action has an influence on the game and not just some cheap excuse like Elite Dangerous.    … Expand
  13. joejean
    May 25, 2015
    4
    After buying the game, I was in heaven, I like to learn on my own, so I took off into space and started learning what I could. The mechanics of the game seemed great, it seemed they would work great for an MMO, supplying small space stations with trading revenues would make the station expand in size and the faction in control of it would start rising in the picking order of that system.After buying the game, I was in heaven, I like to learn on my own, so I took off into space and started learning what I could. The mechanics of the game seemed great, it seemed they would work great for an MMO, supplying small space stations with trading revenues would make the station expand in size and the faction in control of it would start rising in the picking order of that system. You would create guilds and nurture specific parts of space to grow them and be allowed to make missions for your guild members, creating a 3 tier economy between the NPCs, the game Powers (politicians) and the individuals (independent players).

    You could form groups of flying wings to secure or interdict certain parts of space, the interaction possibilities seemed endless, this add everything a great MMO should have. I was so hyped...

    So I played at steam release about 160 hours in 12 days, learning organically I would say, trying to avoid going on youtube for easy answers and so forth. But then, the wall hit me, I started looking at videos released by the game makers, most of witch we're 2 years old, promising the moon, the sun, the whole universe in fact (pun intended)... Well, I started seeing a trend, the maker (don't wanna name him, I feel dirty just thinking about him) was a smooth talker, savvy man, saying everything right, everything anyone wants to ear, then, at the end of each reply he would give he'd be like: "If this sounds good to you, then please, please go on kickstarter and back us up."

    This trend kept going and going, he then produced super high quality videos of his entire staff, each of them making a passionate plea about how great the future of the game is and how ships would be multicrewed and you could board them and then fight in first person mode to then take over the ownership of that vessel, those poor employees seemingly pouring their heart out, being so emotive and seemingly so priviledged to be part of such a great game endeavour.

    Then I read a blog written by said game maker, talking about how the new gaming industry is basically the new far west, comparing his business basically to a cowboy living in one of the hardest, dirtiest, lawless era of mankind, a time we're people killed for food, destroyed an entire native civilization for greed and so forth.

    At that point I understood what this guy's game was, he's a con artist, a smooth talker.

    He talked people into giving him over 3 million dollars, went corporate, ISOed on the stock market and is now ready to reap his rewards. From all the features he "talked" about, about only 10% made it in to release, which that's a wrong appellation, this is an ALPHA product, sold at AAA price.

    Worst thing I found tho, is that the MMO tag was applied WRONGLY on the steam client, fooling me into believing this game would have human interactions in it, when in fact, 10,000 players online could all be in SOLO individual instances, making this the biggest SINGLE PLAYER game ever made...

    In over 400 hours of play now, I came across about 12 people total in their so called OPEN PLAY...

    Add to that the total lack of directional content, you are suppose to read walls of text as if we are in 1984 still, even then most of the text content is fluff and mostly pointless, as a single player you have no influence on anything.

    Top this off with a fanboi community bent on attacking anyone making the slightest negative comment on the game, a fanboi community actually given FREE CONTENT and EXCLUSIVE features to edit their own community goals, allowing people who bother to go to the forums a huge edge on regular fools like me who bought the game in good faith, thinking this was a serious game maker, not a con artist led project to spruce up the corporation stock...

    This game will most likely see one more free patch (powerplay) and then it'll be 1 or 2 half done expansions for money, close the books, start the next title to release on steam next year, close the servers for E:D and ride the fame train with nice fancy videos and more smoke and mirror effects to reap the maximum out of the unexpecting steam crowd.

    All in all, there is fun to be had in the game if you like being a loner, never meet other players and basically be a space trucker... Go watch some videos on youtube, look at the guy talk, wouldn't he sell you a used car? See the glimmer in his eyes? That's the glimmer of greed...    … Expand
  14. Privata
    May 24, 2015
    10
    The best ,the deepest and the biggest space sim out there.
    in a 1:1 scale universe were every planet is truly unique and true to real life (thanks to the amazing stellar forge tech)
    The combat is like Xwing alliance but with modern graphics The trading is better than X2-3 The exploration is engaging and wonderful the moment you fly inside a nebula is life changing... they have a    The best ,the deepest and the biggest space sim out there.
    in a 1:1 scale universe were every planet is truly unique and true to real life (thanks to the amazing stellar forge tech)

    The combat is like Xwing alliance but with modern graphics
    The trading is better than X2-3
    The exploration is engaging and wonderful the moment you fly inside a nebula is life changing...

    they have a 10 year plan for elite and it shows.    … Expand
  15. BearStrangler
    May 23, 2015
    3
    The game is pure junk. Half hashed project, very unfriendly to users. Feels and looks bad. Repetitive. At a lower price point maybe, get this on sale.
  16. ireviewthings1
    May 19, 2015
    6
    Read a question about it once: "is this even a game?"
    Fair enough.
    Elite feels more like a simulator then a game. The flight mechanics are amazing. The ships just feel amazing to fly. There is a lot of micro management. Like Han Solo flicking all kinds of switches, using all kinds of systems while people who are watching you probably have no idea what the hell you are doing. Once you    Read a question about it once: "is this even a game?"
    Fair enough.

    Elite feels more like a simulator then a game. The flight mechanics are amazing. The ships just feel amazing to fly. There is a lot of micro management. Like Han Solo flicking all kinds of switches, using all kinds of systems while people who are watching you probably have no idea what the hell you are doing. Once you have a real purpose to do anything in Elite, it shines. It just feels that great as a flight simulator in space. The problem is the game part. The contextualization fall completely flat. You start with a ship and some cash with THE ENTIRE MILKY WAY to travel to. And that is all they tell you. No story, no nothing. Just a huge amount of systems, factions, wares, weapons. What you do with it is literally your problem. The lack of direction soon turns into a lack of purpose. If you manage to find some for yourself and make up your own stories like you used to do as a child with action figures, go ahead.

    Disclaimer: If I would have a Oculus Rift, it probably would have been rated higher.    … Expand
  17. aymli
    May 16, 2015
    10
    I really believe this is the kind of game you like or dislike very much. Good graphics, good fun, good fights, good learning curve. Missions are too simple right now but the powerplay that will be introduced in the end of may will give it much more depth. The variety of roles you can have make it difficult to get bored ( fight, trade, mining, piracy ) even if the general gameplay is theI really believe this is the kind of game you like or dislike very much. Good graphics, good fun, good fights, good learning curve. Missions are too simple right now but the powerplay that will be introduced in the end of may will give it much more depth. The variety of roles you can have make it difficult to get bored ( fight, trade, mining, piracy ) even if the general gameplay is the same for all of them. I really like this game also for one thing: i m a big multitasker ( tv / phone / pc games at the same time ) and this game allows you to be playing and stopping a while watching something else without any problem lol… Expand
  18. suncokret
    May 15, 2015
    0
    Basically a framework - great graphics, great sound. That's it. Could've been great. But it's not.

    Just tell me, what's the point of 100+ billion star systems if the space feels *empty* as hell, the stations look the same, the stars look the same? Is it really logical and scientific to have the same stations thousands of LY away? How many pilots will go even remotely deep? 0.01%? People    Basically a framework - great graphics, great sound. That's it. Could've been great. But it's not.

    Just tell me, what's the point of 100+ billion star systems if the space feels *empty* as hell, the stations look the same, the stars look the same? Is it really logical and scientific to have the same stations thousands of LY away? How many pilots will go even remotely deep? 0.01%? People in multiplayer are so scarce, the further you get, the less and less real people are encountered. It's EMPTY.

    It's obvious that Braben's main highlight was the "hundreds of billions" star systems. I'd much rather have only 500 stars in total but busy and exciting gameplay, with mystery and suspense. If I need the space atlas, I'll use Stellarium.
    Besides, it's easy to add the stars no one sees and cares and much tougher to build the great gameplay.    … Expand
  19. StockportJambo
    May 14, 2015
    3
    Backed this game at planet naming level (£750), as well as sunk another £200+ into it since then on merchandise, skins, and so on. I named my planet & space station after my late Dad. I was heavily involved in the Design Discussion Forum (DDF) all the way through. Needless to say, I wanted this game to be good.

    Unfortunately, once the initial "wow" factor of the huge galaxy wears off,    Backed this game at planet naming level (£750), as well as sunk another £200+ into it since then on merchandise, skins, and so on. I named my planet & space station after my late Dad. I was heavily involved in the Design Discussion Forum (DDF) all the way through. Needless to say, I wanted this game to be good.

    Unfortunately, once the initial "wow" factor of the huge galaxy wears off, you discover there's very little actual game there - and, worse, even less opportunity for you to create your *own* game. The systems are very similar, the stations are even more similar, the NPCs serve no purpose whatsoever, and the ill-advised & badly implemented "multiplayer" doesn't make up for the overriding feeling that the game is largely devoid of purpose. Everything feels "fake".

    It looks pretty in my Oculus Rift (bought for the game during alpha). It's a useful tech demo in that respect. The menu systems are terrible. Having to take your eyes off the action to fiddle with menu options to do some basic task is stupid. I'm not surprised that they're releasing a console version, as the "game that is designed for the PC from the ground up" (as promised during the Kickstarter) clearly wasn't.

    There is no pause button. Even if you only play solo (as I usually did) if you accept a (boring, fetch and carry) mission, you better finish it in that play session because the timers will count down on it even if you're not playing. Then you will lose rep. It would make sense if there was an actual effect on the system / faction if they didn't receive their 6t of Tea in time... but there isn't.

    It's incredibly grindy. There's nothing to do except grind for more cash to... buy a bigger ship... just so you can grind faster to... what? That doesn't count as "progression".

    There is a 1.3 update coming - codenamed "Power Play". With luck, that will address *some* of the deficiencies of this game for *some* people. No word on any further updates though... so I wouldn't hold your breath.

    However, the overriding feeling I have is one of profound disappointment & regret. I wish I hadn't spent so much money on it. I wish I hadn't named a space station as a memorial to my Dad as the game will now only exist for as long as Frontier continue to pay for the servers, thanks to their disgraceful last-minute bait'n'switch on offline mode. I am happy that some people are getting enjoyment from it, and it is clearly aimed at a demographic, but I am now acutely aware that this demographic does not include me... a huge fan of the originals and a high level Kickstarter backer.    … Expand
  20. foddsnbimml
    May 13, 2015
    1
    Klasse Stimmung, nette Grafik, super-Sound - leider den Content und die QS vergessen - so würde ich das Spiel im aktuellen Zustand beschreiben (V 1.2.07). Es fehlt hier absolut an Tiefgang, ein Riesen-Gegrinde, um an größere Schiffe zu kommen, mit denen man nichts, aber auch gar nichts anfangen kann (kleinere Mopeds tuns genauso), der "MMO"-Part des Spiels beschränkt sich auf "Gegrieft undKlasse Stimmung, nette Grafik, super-Sound - leider den Content und die QS vergessen - so würde ich das Spiel im aktuellen Zustand beschreiben (V 1.2.07). Es fehlt hier absolut an Tiefgang, ein Riesen-Gegrinde, um an größere Schiffe zu kommen, mit denen man nichts, aber auch gar nichts anfangen kann (kleinere Mopeds tuns genauso), der "MMO"-Part des Spiels beschränkt sich auf "Gegrieft und Gegankt"-werden (mit zahlreicher Unterstützung der extrem schlecht geführten englischen und deutschen Community). Leider keine Kaufempfehlung, auch wenn es nach fast 30 Jahren sehr in den Fingern gejuckt hat - spart´s Euch das Geld, und macht nicht den gleichen Fehler wie ich - schaut in einem Jahr noch einmal herein, sofern dann noch am Spiel weiterentwickelt wird.… Expand
  21. Braddyapples
    May 12, 2015
    3
    The game is seriously boring. There are a lot of features in the game, but none of them are fleshed out very well. Only buy this game if you're looking for a huge time sink with pretty space visuals. That's about it.
  22. shadragon
    May 11, 2015
    10
    I've owned the Elite: Dangerous game since February 2015 on PC and have spent 350+ hours on it. I play it every day.

    Elite: Dangerous is not for everyone. It requires the player to invest time and effort to achieve even a basic level of game play. Then it gets even more challenging. If you lack patience or imagination, if you want instant gratification, or if you expect to be a game    I've owned the Elite: Dangerous game since February 2015 on PC and have spent 350+ hours on it. I play it every day.

    Elite: Dangerous is not for everyone. It requires the player to invest time and effort to achieve even a basic level of game play. Then it gets even more challenging.

    If you lack patience or imagination, if you want instant gratification, or if you expect to be a game god dominating everything and everyone around you within an hour, do not buy this game. You'll be disappointed.

    Elite: Dangerous is HARD; at least until you understand the many facets of game play. There are hundreds of factors that can kill you and there is a steep learning curve to the game. It does not hold your hand and explain every little thing as you go. Just taking off and landing safely are a challenge. The game is unforgiving. Mistakes, even small ones, can kill you. The game is real time. There is no pause, there is no save, the game goes on no matter what you do.

    Elite: Dangerous is immersive. The visuals and sound are like a hot bath you plunge into. Weapon and engine noises differ with each ship model. You can modify your ships with more powerful engines, weapons, armor, shields and equipment. I play the game in 1080 resolution with 7.1 surround sound headphones and it is awe inspiring at times.

    The Elite: Dangerous galaxy is the same galaxy we live in today. There are 400 billion stars and 99.99% can be explored or visited. It is a monstrously huge game map and only 0.02% of the galaxy has been explored so far.

    The comments that this is a simple space trucker sim are from people who rage quit when they were not perfect in the first half hour. As I said, it takes time and mental discipline to get the flight mechanics under control. Once you "get it" you can pivot in space and fire behind you without losing forward momentum. Or if you prefer, Newtonian flight mechanics.

    In a traditional flight game, you set pitch, yaw, roll and throttle and away you go. Elite: Dangerous has several dozen settings you can set just for piloting your craft. Many of them are OFF by default, but as you grow more confident and daring you'll find those settings add a depth and sophistication all their own. You can use a mouse and keyboard, but a joystick or HOTAS rig will see you in good stead.

    You can choose to be a pirate, bounty hunter, miner, explorer, trader or switch from one career to the other constantly. Many players have several ships they can switch too.

    When you start you will have the option to do tutorial missions. DO THEM. Make your mistakes there and learn how to fly and fight. You may spend several hours in the sims adjusting controls, trying different throttle settings and getting comfortable. This is time well spent. Many give up on the tutorials because they are hard and go into the game unprepared. Skip the tutorials and I guarantee you'll regret it.

    Elite: Dangerous is a game of power management. When in game you only have a certain amount of power in your ship. You need to manage your shields, weapons and engine power. In game this is the SYS - ENG - WEP. Adding power to one takes it away from the others. Learn the implications of this in a safe environment. Run out of fuel and you will die.

    Heat is your enemy and allows you to be tracked. Weapons fire, silent running and flying too close to some planetary bodies make your ship hot. You need to know what to do because extreme heat will damage your ship hull and internal components. If your hull falls to 0% you will die.

    There are three game modes. All of them require a constant Internet connection be active:

    Open - This is where many people start. You can interact with thousands of other Commanders (CMDR's). It is a dangerous place with CMDR's who will shoot you up just to watch you burn. Open is for people who know what they are doing and can either defend themselves of know how to run. Both PC's and NPC's can be found in Open. Both will try to kill you or take your cargo. PC CMDR's can be identified by hollow rectangles. Green are friends, yellow are unknown and red are hostile. Remember, just because someone is green does not mean you are safe.

    Solo - This is the same as Open, but you are the only PC. You can learn game mechanics here without the danger of players shooting you up. Be warned, NPC's will still interdict and try to engage you.

    Private Groups - This is for several players to either game privately or with like minded players. Not ready for Open? Then join a private group where you can learn the game in (relative) safety. Form your own group for you and your friends, or join an established one.

    The largest private group is Mobius with over 8,100 players (as I write this) and more joining daily.

    As for the "shallow" reviews, Elite Dangerous is as deep as your own imagination. The game is a backdrop and YOU make things happen. Imaginative players will love this game.

    I'll see you in the big black CMDR.    … Expand
  23. GingerElvis
    May 11, 2015
    10
    I am absolutely loving this game. It's tough to get started, but it's very rewarding if you can get to grips with the controls.
    A huge universe to explore, brilliant combat, complex trading systems etc. It's an intelligent game, so perhaps not for the impatient CoD type player who just wants to shoot everything and get massive power-ups all the time.
    It's also being constantly improved    I am absolutely loving this game. It's tough to get started, but it's very rewarding if you can get to grips with the controls.
    A huge universe to explore, brilliant combat, complex trading systems etc. It's an intelligent game, so perhaps not for the impatient CoD type player who just wants to shoot everything and get massive power-ups all the time.
    It's also being constantly improved by the developers, and will continue to evolve for some time. It still has a few issues - for example it still needs to improve its multiplayer functionality - but as I say, it is constantly being improved and things added.
    I don't buy the argument that it's unfinished - it's a brilliant game as it stands, but I'm impressed the devs want to keep adding to it, and (generally) listen to their fanbase.    … Expand
  24. Sirus
    May 9, 2015
    2
    Do you want to fly through the galaxy, become any role you desire, board plants and space stations and walk around your ship as well as being informed on what's what?

    THIS IS NOT THAT GAME. I have played this game, and the developers refuse to fix bugs until the entire community kicks their butts about it and THEY RELEASED AND UNFINISHED GAME. You CANNOT explore the stations, your    Do you want to fly through the galaxy, become any role you desire, board plants and space stations and walk around your ship as well as being informed on what's what?

    THIS IS NOT THAT GAME.

    I have played this game, and the developers refuse to fix bugs until the entire community kicks their butts about it and THEY RELEASED AND UNFINISHED GAME. You CANNOT explore the stations, your ship, nor any planets. There is no real exploring and combat is a joke, you both fly in a circle of eachother and the entire faction galaxy system is not dynamic at all. You will run out of interesting things to do like I have, all the while we were promised a dynamic galaxy, exploration of your ship, planets and stations, but non of that has arrived, nor will it until another space sim game comes out called Star Citizen, which is much more dynamic than this sad excuse of a space sim.

    Do yourself a favor, do not buy this game, wait until either they actually finish this half-made game or wait for a better space sim like Star Citizen, which comes out early 2016.    … Expand
  25. Bi1iruben
    May 9, 2015
    1
    Learning curve to high. Initial tutorials fail to explain what to do - software so hopeless in its instructions as to need youtube to explain needs its developers fired. Ships too sluggish to turn to be other than target practice, and for the short limited times I can use this, I am never going to improve to get past initial tutorial introduction. That online-only makes prospect of joiningLearning curve to high. Initial tutorials fail to explain what to do - software so hopeless in its instructions as to need youtube to explain needs its developers fired. Ships too sluggish to turn to be other than target practice, and for the short limited times I can use this, I am never going to improve to get past initial tutorial introduction. That online-only makes prospect of joining real game suck. Screen display designed for those with better than 20/20 vision, or monitors larger than 21" - otherwise forget about being able to read ultra-small size text.
    A lot of hype, and little consideration for the casual player.    … Expand
  26. Not_Casual
    May 7, 2015
    2
    There's a lot of stuff here that's neat, but to 'release' the game in it's current state is just a setup to be disappointed.
    The multiplayer has no grouping systems at all. No way to share missions, waypoints, or bounties. Defeats the purpose of working together. And pvp conflict is completely undermined by there being no penalty/countermeasures for death logging. About to kill someone?    There's a lot of stuff here that's neat, but to 'release' the game in it's current state is just a setup to be disappointed.
    The multiplayer has no grouping systems at all. No way to share missions, waypoints, or bounties. Defeats the purpose of working together. And pvp conflict is completely undermined by there being no penalty/countermeasures for death logging. About to kill someone? Blip, they just logged off so they didn't lose anything.
    For a 4 Billion star system galaxy there is little variety in populated areas, and most populated systems look/feel the same because every faction is using the same two or three space station models. There is no voice in the game. All things are text based unless you can voice with a friend on the lonely multiplayer. To top off the lack of variety, missions are usually "Haul this somewhere", "Kill this dude", "Kill -These- Dudes", and "Bring me Something". Even the old freelancer had double the variety of missions and the culture differences in people who settled in different areas gave great variety to the people you could meet.

    The only thing this game is currently good for, is the flight model, which is better than Star citizen's flying turret vomit comit mess; and the Accurate 1.1 scaling of the universe. It's a neat little star explorer simulator but that's all it has going for it right now.

    I'm really hoping they continue to add things. I hear they only released it because the publisher pressured them for a 'release' or they would pull the plug. I will continue to wait for the game to be the polished mmo space adventure that I was promised. And I will update this review as they add their little weekly patches.

    Update-
    After a few months, the wings update has allowed people to group, and that's just about the only noticeable improvement. I gave this game a lot of leeway with my previous score, but the insane lack of meaningful updates is continuing to cripple this seemingly already dead game. Death logging is still undermining the entire point of an open world setting. There is 0 risk because anyone can alt+f4 with no consequence whatsoever. Furthermore the ability to take the same ship between open world and single player is utterly mind boggling. Grind your dream ship without risk in single player and then log into open play to nuke everyone. And when you're done be sure to alt+f4 to avoid dying. To top it all off, I've been playing this since release, and aside from friends i've cooped with, not seen ANY OTHER PLAYERS.

    To sum it up, essentially everything this game promised to be is currently a lie. The only pleasure to be had in this is in the exploration. The ai is too dumb to provide any sort of combat challenge. Other players seem entirely absent, or exploit the game to undermine any pvp. And even when you do go out to explore eventually the billions of unnamed systems all start to seem alike save for the one or two with rare celestial bodies. Even then these are rare and you visit them once. Avoid this like the plague until its sold at about 10 dollars, or the game crippling multiplayer issues are resolved.    … Expand
  27. Avadon
    May 4, 2015
    7
    "Hey, you know the X series? Let's make a game like that, but with vastly superior flight model and production values... and NONE of the depth!" Why... You know how in X you can build factory complexes and become a tycoon and eventually form your own fleet, including capital ships, and lay waste on the Xenon controlled space, with you leading the armada while piloting any ship you want?"Hey, you know the X series? Let's make a game like that, but with vastly superior flight model and production values... and NONE of the depth!" Why... You know how in X you can build factory complexes and become a tycoon and eventually form your own fleet, including capital ships, and lay waste on the Xenon controlled space, with you leading the armada while piloting any ship you want? Well, in Elite you can't do anything like that. You can only grind aimlessly, buy a good ship, and then immediately quit the game.

    At least the devs are actively making content for the game (as free patches for now). It desperately needs a full fledged expansion though, even if they charge 30$ for it, I wouldn't mind buying it, because I want this game to improve so badly, and I want a reason to come back and revisit it.

    Is it worth 50$ right at this moment? Well, if you are a spaceporn guy who gets really really excited about flying to Altair and Alpha Centauri and Fomalhaut or something (and I mean REALLY excited), then there is not much to do other than grind for months. However, the foundations for a truly amazing game are here, and it will only get better with time no doubt. But for how long and how good will it eventually be? Noone knows. If you feel like taking a gamble, go ahead. I'd say you have a good chance of eventually not regretting your investment.

    NOTE: Best with a flight stick, playable with a pad, but personally I was unable to control it with k/b+mouse. At all. It's all a deadzone conflicting nightmare. So if you all you have is kb+m, be warned.    … Expand
  28. aatomix
    May 2, 2015
    2
    The game is allright, altough there is a sense of scope, every station looks the same, every pirate behaves the same, all the ships look the same.

    No offline singleplayer.
    No steam keys for early backers.
  29. fozz
    Apr 28, 2015
    9
    I've put about 80 hours into this game, and I must say that for the first 10 or so hours, I wasn't sure about it. However, once I actually started to figure out the intricate complexities of the game, I realized that this game is absolutely incredible, and the developers are continually making it better. Many of the negative reviews stated that the game, when released, wasn't "complete"I've put about 80 hours into this game, and I must say that for the first 10 or so hours, I wasn't sure about it. However, once I actually started to figure out the intricate complexities of the game, I realized that this game is absolutely incredible, and the developers are continually making it better. Many of the negative reviews stated that the game, when released, wasn't "complete" and therefore not worth the full price, but I beg to differ. The game is still $60, and the developers are continuously updating the game with huge content that most games would charge as a $10 DLC. With Elite: Dangerous, when you buy the game, you are buying the current game and all future updates. If you go to the forums or newsletters and read about the developer's long-term goals, you'll realize that they are 110% committed to continue updating, fixing, and improving the game. I honestly cannot think of a game that I have been more excited about than this one, and I've already put more time into than most games. I highly recommend it, and I caution readers of these reviews to take most of the negativity with a grain of salt because most of these negative reviews are from people who expected a game that was never promised to them.… Expand
  30. AlienSpaceBats
    Apr 28, 2015
    6
    I feel bad disliking this game so much because it was a gift, but after numerous sessions I often felt frustrated and annoyed to the point where I just had quit out of the game, especially during my first ten hours.

    The game is a work in progress however, and has a long way to go. This is my second or third revision of this review, and I went from outright frustration and hate, to    I feel bad disliking this game so much because it was a gift, but after numerous sessions I often felt frustrated and annoyed to the point where I just had quit out of the game, especially during my first ten hours.

    The game is a work in progress however, and has a long way to go. This is my second or third revision of this review, and I went from outright frustration and hate, to something approaching liking it.

    Elite: Dangerous makes a terrible first impression, it does a terrible job at explaining itself and has a huge learning curve. To make things more difficult than they already are, there are some vague tutorial missions that explain some basics, and some obnoxious, barebones YouTube tutorial videos that attempt to explain *what* to do, but never *how* (familiarity with the genre helps). I found these are as useful as a wooden compass. I soon learned that I was expected to hit alt+tab to find out everything I needed to know, or check keybinds; something I had to do constantly. There is no manual; to compare, my physical copies of X2 (The Threat) and X3 (Rebirth) came with instructions the thickness of a novella, and a huge fold-out sheet listing key functions. I suppose I was lucky in a sense though, as I know people in person who play the game who I could query on the massive list of questions and issues I had with the game. One could argue that this would form a 'social' part of the game, but I like space sims, so I'm anything but social.

    A lot of effort has clearly been put into the game, it looks and sounds amazing and has the potential to be truly immersive. The universe is truly huge and the possibilities might be endless - I don't know though, because it's never explained outside of exploration, delivery jobs and combat sorties what exactly I'm able to do. There are peculiar design decisions in place that just serve to make the game more confusing and annoying, polyhedron space stations with one (hidden) letterbox docking entrance (approach vectors would be nice!), fines for every minor infraction from hovering too close to a landing pad that isn't yours (leave me alone, I'm learning to fly!), fines for spending too long exiting a station, timed docking procedures, confusing docking manoeuvres (don't you dare park the wrong way around!) to an unintuitive UI and hidden, dogpiled menus that hide crucial information from the beginner.

    Currently, I think the main problem is that the game feels like an F2P MMO as opposed to the free-roam sandbox it's supposed to be, as a participant in this game, I feel as though I've no presence or identity, just a faceless blob delivering tea to the outer reaches of space or destroying/being destroyed by the occasional pirate that attempts to interdict me.

    The experience improves over time, but from the perspective of a beginner, 20 hours may be too much an investment to simply learn the ropes.    … Expand
  31. Wally_Allen
    Apr 27, 2015
    6
    Ok so let me start out by saying I am a fan of this game and have been playing since beta.... with that being said.... I'm very disappointed with the graphics... all the shudders and stutters and whatnot... then noticing after setting my graphics to what I want they would get changed without me doing anything all of a sudden my graphics a subpar and it looks like a first year xbox 360Ok so let me start out by saying I am a fan of this game and have been playing since beta.... with that being said.... I'm very disappointed with the graphics... all the shudders and stutters and whatnot... then noticing after setting my graphics to what I want they would get changed without me doing anything all of a sudden my graphics a subpar and it looks like a first year xbox 360 game.... the game is buggy and shouldn't be a full release yet ... it's not ready... I would say hold out for at least 6 months to a year before you get it .... it's no different than it was in straight beta ... though my computer ran it better when it was in
    "beta"....

    really tired of game companies releasing unfinished buggy games.... for now elite dangerous get's put away ... I'll wait till it's not a glorified alpha game...

    overall frontier has dropped the ball on this and pushed it's release way before they should have... very disappointed at this point....    … Expand
  32. Ottomic
    Apr 26, 2015
    9
    It could be a bit more complex, it could be a bit more entertaining (Powerplay will probably do that), but as it is now, I am very glad to have trusted Frontier and put down the most money I've ever paid for a videogame. The audio and graphics are astounding, the fighting is fun, the flying feels right and it's all around an incredibly satisfying game. I feels what X2 felt when it cameIt could be a bit more complex, it could be a bit more entertaining (Powerplay will probably do that), but as it is now, I am very glad to have trusted Frontier and put down the most money I've ever paid for a videogame. The audio and graphics are astounding, the fighting is fun, the flying feels right and it's all around an incredibly satisfying game. I feels what X2 felt when it came out, only bigger and better. And I love it.… Expand
  33. captrex
    Apr 24, 2015
    9
    Elite: Dangerous- Pros and Cons
    I personally enjoy the game and would recommend it as a must have for any PC gamer, that being said It has its upsides and downsides.
    Pros -Massive Universe (400 Billion Stars) -Extensive and immersive economic system -Beautiful Graphics -Believable and immersive universe -Player Crafted Story -Future Updates giving new content to the game Cons.    Elite: Dangerous- Pros and Cons
    I personally enjoy the game and would recommend it as a must have for any PC gamer, that being said It has its upsides and downsides.
    Pros
    -Massive Universe (400 Billion Stars)
    -Extensive and immersive economic system
    -Beautiful Graphics
    -Believable and immersive universe
    -Player Crafted Story
    -Future Updates giving new content to the game
    Cons.
    -Sad Lack of content on the fringe worlds
    -May become tedious at times
    -Very steep learning curve
    -Some Bugs

    1. The internet seems to have a vendetta against this game due to its current only online status, which is said to be changed in the future. These people tend to rate it very badly and for superficial reasons. The 0/10 and 1/10 reviews are most definitely angered offline players. What I recommend you do is look up gameplay on YouTube and see if you like it, if you do buy it, if you dislike it don't buy it.
    2. Many people say that this game feels like its "still in Beta" and in some respects that is true, but with patches and updates being released very quickly, this problem should be fixed very soon.    … Expand
  34. Branko
    Apr 23, 2015
    5
    It's basically a modern remake of Elite. The multiplayer component is one of the most contrived ways of having multiplayer I have seen so far. It is essentially a single player game, and while graphics are good and flying in space is rather fun, the game is rather shallow and after some time amounts to a grindfest for the next ship.

    The crux of the matter is that there is no really    It's basically a modern remake of Elite. The multiplayer component is one of the most contrived ways of having multiplayer I have seen so far. It is essentially a single player game, and while graphics are good and flying in space is rather fun, the game is rather shallow and after some time amounts to a grindfest for the next ship.

    The crux of the matter is that there is no really meaningful multiplayer experience, and Elite is rather boring concept for a 2015 game - grind (trading being the most profitable but mind numbingly boring, combat being repetitive farming of easy to kill NPCs) to progress from ship A to ship B. This more or less summarizes the concept of the game. Once you get your ship as long as you have a bit of credits you cannot lose it. It's like Elite:Mostly Harmless And Rather Dull.

    On the upside graphics are lovely, and the feeling of space and flight are well done.    … Expand
  35. Gondor128
    Apr 21, 2015
    8
    Here, take a ship, some credits and have fun. Elite: Dangerous doesn't hold your hand, in fact, you don't even see the hand. It **** you out into the milky way and sends you on your way (locked and loaded). What every nerd longs for, an open galaxy with endless possibilities. But thats not enough, not in a game with so many possibilities. This game is dying for a storyline, the game isHere, take a ship, some credits and have fun. Elite: Dangerous doesn't hold your hand, in fact, you don't even see the hand. It **** you out into the milky way and sends you on your way (locked and loaded). What every nerd longs for, an open galaxy with endless possibilities. But thats not enough, not in a game with so many possibilities. This game is dying for a storyline, the game is thirsting for something more. But that something more isn't here yet. The game runs perfectly, if you think of perfect like driving around a parking lot that full, and nobody is leaving. The game itself seems so close to being done, close, but not done. Like a late beta, the meat isnt there yet, but it could show up sometime? Maybe? Who knows, because nobody has told me **** For whats there, the games fun, if you like unfinished games, this is the game for you. Oh, its not unfinished in a bad way, its unfinished in a good way. Like Star Citizen, its not done yet, but when it is, oh man... Your dick wont go down for days.… Expand
  36. TGMode
    Apr 18, 2015
    7
    I played the original and it was like nothing else, you could just fly forever and I did. I loved it. Then X came along and I thought of it as an up to date Elite. That was in 1999. Now the new Elite has come along and it's a disappointment. It looks great but that's about it. I don't think it is anywhere near as good as the X games. I was disappointed with Rebirth when it first came outI played the original and it was like nothing else, you could just fly forever and I did. I loved it. Then X came along and I thought of it as an up to date Elite. That was in 1999. Now the new Elite has come along and it's a disappointment. It looks great but that's about it. I don't think it is anywhere near as good as the X games. I was disappointed with Rebirth when it first came out but they have patched it up to a good game. I hope this will happen with this game. I have quit for now after giving it a good go but there isn't enough to do. It's a huge game but it's repetitive and boring. I did see one site had titled their review "In space no one can hear you yawn". I'll keep my eye on the game and drop back in when it's finished. Till then it's back to Rebirth.… Expand
  37. Fost
    Apr 14, 2015
    10
    You can leave Earth behind in this game and for a while you really are in space. The fact it gets this right is an incredible feat. Quite simply the game I have played more than any other in a lifetime of gaming. Not without faults it's true but it's getting better with every iteration.
  38. Kalunha
    Apr 11, 2015
    10
    ce jeux est juste un chef d oeuvre ! décalé du temps, mais tellement immersif, des ajouts qui viennent agrémentés vos aventures a travers l univers. Nous ne sommes qu une poussière dans l univers, on se développe, on grossit.. mais on peut aussi vite redevenir poussière... un bon joystick ( x52pro ) est obligatoire. mais toute une vie ne sera pas suffisant pour tout découvrir... énorme !ce jeux est juste un chef d oeuvre ! décalé du temps, mais tellement immersif, des ajouts qui viennent agrémentés vos aventures a travers l univers. Nous ne sommes qu une poussière dans l univers, on se développe, on grossit.. mais on peut aussi vite redevenir poussière... un bon joystick ( x52pro ) est obligatoire. mais toute une vie ne sera pas suffisant pour tout découvrir... énorme !
    rien a voir avec les productions re édité sans cesse ! pas arcade ! mais un vicieux plaisir qui vous fera frissonner dès que votre coucou prendra des coups !
    GG HF !    … Expand
  39. Luckiernaut
    Apr 9, 2015
    9
    Amazing space ship pilot simulator. Traverse the milky way in all its glory to amass great wealth and fortune via exploring, mining, transportation of goods, bounty hunting or even piracy. Very immersing experience with the focus of piloting in a multilayer galaxy not so far away.
  40. fu8276
    Apr 8, 2015
    0
    Hard to know where to start with this game. The few things that are good about it are overwhelmed by the bad. This game is nowhere near the state that deserves a full price release. It is not even fit for beta. In empty shell.
  41. Premier84
    Apr 8, 2015
    3
    I originally wanted to give this game a 0 but it risks my review of not being credible. It cringes me that I actually have to give this game a 3.

    Here are the good parts of the game. It is beautiful! The details of the planets and the stations are incredible. It's huge. Being able to produce the game that has 1 to 1 scale is quite commendable. But really that's it. Might as well    I originally wanted to give this game a 0 but it risks my review of not being credible. It cringes me that I actually have to give this game a 3.

    Here are the good parts of the game. It is beautiful! The details of the planets and the stations are incredible. It's huge. Being able to produce the game that has 1 to 1 scale is quite commendable. But really that's it.

    Might as well market this game as a space simulator, where you fly endlessly, having absolutely nothing to do. You have 4 professions that you can pursue but it is completely lacks any depth. Bounty hunting is you looking at some Bulletin Board, clicking on the same mission over and over again to catch extremely weak pirates that fly towards you like mindless fish in a tiny stream that flows towards you. You do this over and over again, without any variety whatsoever, and the fans and Frontier calls this bounty hunting.

    Mining is completely garbage. I have never seen a single person enjoying mining, not even the hardcore fans. Basically, you shoot some laser at a rock, and you literally have to pick up all the tiny pieces by positioning yourself with the rock. It is completely ridiculous. It is 3301 and you'd think they would have invented a better to pick it up.

    Exploring is also completely bogus. All you do is fly into an instance (please note that all the instances look exactly the same, maybe it has different names and the number of planets and stars, but that's about it) click on a scanner button, and then you are done. That's "exploring". Fans hail this as something amazing but you have to understand majority of the hardcore fans are fans of the original Elite (in 1984) and they are now in their 40s and they have no idea what good games are suppose to be like.

    Trading is the another repetitive profession without any specific value. You go into a station buy some commodity and then sell at another. It is sad because this is the only way you can make money so everyone is pretty forced into it.

    And by now, you must be thinking that the game must have other features to it. But no, that's it. This is literally all you can do. There's no end-game and your actions don't really affect the background simulation and the background simulation don't affect you. So there's really no difference between playing this as an offline game or online.

    Also, how dare Frontier market this game as MMO? There is a limit to its instances (64 players). In reality, I have not seen more than 5 to 8 people in an instance.

    How dare Frontier market this game as a sandbox? It is definitely not a sandbox game. Your actions have no effect on the game, and the game has no effect on your play.

    They recently introduced a four player "co-op" missions but that's as much as MMO you are going to get.

    Finally, what's worse is the Frontier Development team. They do NOT listen to any of the suggestions made by players. Instead of spending their money on improving the game, they are spending it on expanding it to Xbox and Mac. They are literally taking money away from players with false advertisement, with words like MMO and Sandbox.

    If you mention this at all on the forums, you will get banned and will delete your posts. It is incredible. Stay away from this game and please do not support such companies.    … Expand
  42. NeoMorph
    Apr 7, 2015
    4
    This game isn't finished. It's still a beta in my mind.

    For example mining... what a load of twaddle. No mining scanners (so trying to find decent mineral loads suck), huge asteroids that run out of content after a couple of chips are removed (and you cannot tell which roids are empty AND each chip is only a small percentage of an actual sellable unit so if you have 99% of platinum you    This game isn't finished. It's still a beta in my mind.

    For example mining... what a load of twaddle. No mining scanners (so trying to find decent mineral loads suck), huge asteroids that run out of content after a couple of chips are removed (and you cannot tell which roids are empty AND each chip is only a small percentage of an actual sellable unit so if you have 99% of platinum you can't even sell it yet!!!), every time you remove a chip you have to chase it down with your ship and scoop it up and then return to the roid to chip off another - total pain in theass!, AI miners that jump in and start nicking ore from the asteroid that you are mining but if you shoot them YOU ARE FINED!!!!! Come on FFS... I loved mining in Eve Online... This however is total crap. Also the AI miners can suck the chips right into their craft but yours can't... Weird!

    The holographic displays are often washed out by the excessive glare... which is why holographic displays will never catch on. Look pretty but are poor replacement for a good LCD.

    The galaxy map is another good example of "looks pretty" but is actually frustrating... Stars that you are looking at fade out at the wrong moment so it gets hard to track routes. Also trying to find a station that sells items you want is annoying because it takes so long to load up system displays... also you can't select destinations from an in system display (say WHAT? Did they even think this through). There should be less of a load time than the galaxy view but it is the opposite. I think the 1984 version loaded quicker lol.

    For example I wanted to find a station that I could pay the fine for killing the claim stealing miner I killed... After I waited 60 seconds for a system display to pop up ( yeah, I waited 60 seconds and it STILL didn't appear) I said sod it and killed the game.

    I loved Elite back when it was released in 1984. This should have been much better but other than the nice graphics it seems less. Maybe once they finish the game it will be worth playing but at the moment it's grind central (and this is from a player that normally loves the grind).

    I really should have remembered that I said I would never buy another Braben game after First Encounters.    … Expand
  43. Heathy87
    Apr 7, 2015
    7
    Compared to the X-series that is X3:TC or AP, Elite simply lacks depth, Its not finished like others have said and is largely hinging of the success of its expansions and content patches. Elite is good in many ways, Its graphically superior to X3, has deeper combat and has a much larger game world (the entire milky way) but lacks any real depth or synergy with the game play professions youCompared to the X-series that is X3:TC or AP, Elite simply lacks depth, Its not finished like others have said and is largely hinging of the success of its expansions and content patches. Elite is good in many ways, Its graphically superior to X3, has deeper combat and has a much larger game world (the entire milky way) but lacks any real depth or synergy with the game play professions you can take up.

    You either Fight, Trade, Mine, or Explore.

    Fighting is done in various places in the game, it doesn't feel very consistent in that there are either a limited number of ships in your instance, or they continually spawn in, it can be fun but becomes a grind relatively quickly no matter where your doing it.

    Trading speaks for itself, unlike the X games however where trading seemed to have an effect on the stations, getting them to create new items over time, the Commodities market in Elite seems flat and lifeless, there is no crafting in this game by players or by the game world itself everything simply exists, so trading is a means of moving stuff from A to B endlessly trying to make a profit while doing so.

    Mining is a sub set of trading, as there is no crafting or manufacturing aspect to this 'mmo' you simply sell what you mine, no depth here. fly to asteroids shoot them scoop chunks, currently its less intuitive than if you could get out the space ship with a pickaxe.

    Exploration has the most depth for me, you have enough star system to explore the galaxy is massive, if all you need is the variety of space itself to keep you entertained you'll enjoy this aspect of the game, although it doesn't necessarily have much depth in itself, its a matter of going out scanning planets and star and returning to civilisation with the data.

    Basically I feel its potential but Elite: Dangerous doesn't really do anything new, the cockpits are nice to look at, space is great, the detail and sound are top notch, but there is barely an mmo here and barely a game I would consider playing for more than a couple of hours every other day. No matter what profession you do in Elite it doesn't not feel like a grind toward a new ship.

    If your the kind of person that is happy just exploring space from a first person perspective, uninterested in too many complex game features and player impact, you'll like it, there are plenty of places to visit in the galaxy and plenty of nice vistas to find.

    If you want a deep complex sand box mmo similar to Eve online, you will not find it in Elite, they both try to achieve similar things that is a breathing universe, although Elite is a far cry from the intricacies that gives Eve its notorious wrap for having a extremely steep learning curve. and depth/synergy with the professions.

    I'll Score the game a 7, and put it on Par with what X3:TC is sitting at on this site, which i think is fair, although X3:TC or AP, are currently the deeper games of the 2, what elite has is better fidelity and sound mostly, but less player control no empire building which directly results in basically less things to do to keep the game feeling grindy. Elite: Dangerous is not a terrible game its simply not a very deep one, although as time goes by it hopefully will grow depth to bring it in line with X3 or Eves longevity/complexity.    … Expand
  44. CoSm1c_gAm3r
    Apr 6, 2015
    4
    I am quite disappointed by "next" game from Elite universe. This game also suffer from casual targeted crowd.

    They made some idiotic design for lateral rotation that will make your teeth sparkle from grinding it while you try to rotate just to see for example station details or land on landing pad! I heard all excuses/explanations and all are totally retarded and all of them made me    I am quite disappointed by "next" game from Elite universe. This game also suffer from casual targeted crowd.

    They made some idiotic design for lateral rotation that will make your teeth sparkle from grinding it while you try to rotate just to see for example station details or land on landing pad!
    I heard all excuses/explanations and all are totally retarded and all of them made me laugh.
    Small ships and medium ships rotation rate is more than 1 minute to make 360 degree turn while in full stop. That is just plain retarded design. Nothing can excuse such idiotic design. NOTHING!

    Idiotic boost system that uses always the same amount of power but when you are at "TOP SPEED" then adding 1-10 m/s cost still the same amount of power from capacitors :D
    Also any boost would kill pilot because it creates so many G's that only robots and androids would deal with it without any problem. But cargo would turn into mashup so passengers would need to be frozen hard or something just to survive that trip with immortal player character that can be killed by ship explosion.

    About that. ships explode because ED future didn't deal with instability of explosives so if magic HP meter go down then ship is turning into big POFF! xD
    I can compare that to Star Citizen and I see that Chris Roberts used more common sense. In SC ships mainly are destroyed and if more damage is dealt or they crash into asteroid then it fell apart while in ED ship crashing into asteroid just bumps away then after a second it decides to go boom! How dumb is that!!! :D

    If you love details in design and value sense, logic, and basic believability then this game is not for you.
    I bought it when it was in beta and even if I don't like this game then I am not totally disappointed because there was very long period in gaming industry that space sim was ignored and SC with ED may change that so it was worth to support this game but it is not satisfying for my taste and my demands. To bad that it was touched by casuals demand as lots of modern games. Dumbed down just to earn money on not demanding players. Sad modern gaming reality.    … Expand
  45. TekDragon
    Apr 5, 2015
    0
    Extremely disappointed in Frontier for **** on their Kickstarter backers with an inferior product. While others get to enjoy the game in the Steam environment they've cultivated for a decade or more, with an easy to access game library, friends list, and amazing community - those of us who backed have to manage our game through the website of some no-name UK company.

    Had I known this    Extremely disappointed in Frontier for **** on their Kickstarter backers with an inferior product. While others get to enjoy the game in the Steam environment they've cultivated for a decade or more, with an easy to access game library, friends list, and amazing community - those of us who backed have to manage our game through the website of some no-name UK company.

    Had I known this was how Frontier would treat their backers, I would never have supported Elite: Dangerous.    … Expand
  46. zerobane
    Apr 4, 2015
    1
    An ocean with a depth of a puddle is probably the easiest way to sum it up...

    Spent another couple hours in game(as suggested); after writing the first review; decided to re-write. I do see the valid point that there is definitely a potential of a great game; its just not there yet. Still would not buy again, at least not until it undergoes a major overhaul. Unless you like playing    An ocean with a depth of a puddle is probably the easiest way to sum it up...

    Spent another couple hours in game(as suggested); after writing the first review; decided to re-write. I do see the valid point that there is definitely a potential of a great game; its just not there yet.

    Still would not buy again, at least not until it undergoes a major overhaul. Unless you like playing games with lots of grinding around a single objective; an open sandbox .

    Pro's
    1. Excellent graphics
    2. Decent controls; if a little frustrating at first
    3. Immense universe with endless possibility
    4. UI was awesome when I used my occulus rift with; one of the best OR experiences yet.
    5. Good support for hotas setup

    Cons:
    1. Complete lack of content is stunning
    2. missions are tedious and boring; rinse and repeat. Seems like they are 3 or 4 templates they just re-use over and over again. The term; doing a grind comes to mind.
    3. It takes hours and many youtube vidoes to get the basic mechanics down. Even to fly a simple mission and make it back.
    4. Game has 0 soul; looks like the only reason to do anything is to get more money and a bigger ship.
    5. Shallow and boring; there is just not much to do at this point.
    6. The galaxy feels empty; 0 human interaction; just lost and alone as you start your adventure. (system wide comms or alliance chat would go a long way)
    7. mission design and implementation feels very demo'y with a bare minimum scaffolding buried under there UI's.
    8. Many of the UI's are very unintuitive; need to constantly look-up command via keyboard map or youtube; VERY simple visual cue's on UI would fix all of this.

    Advice to DEVs; stop everything and start developing story, characters and content! And most important; a decent intro/tutorial with some story!

    Overall it feels like a great blank canvas; just waiting for a masterpiece. The real question is will it ever get there...

    Too many of these games just keep making more ships, bigger and badder weapons and better game engines; while never focusing any of the sprints on metas or story.    … Expand
  47. ShinsFortress
    Apr 4, 2015
    5
    Nice idea. Would have been happy with less tweaks on making it big and more on making it good. I've played almost all the space sims that there's been, and this one is not in the top 10.

    Okay, but not worth the £40 they're charging at the moment.
  48. hawkenfox
    Apr 3, 2015
    7
    PROs
    1 - 400 Billion Stars
    2 - Great Ship interface 3 - Great fun in wings with friends 4 - Cruising through space demonstrates it's vastness. 5 - Ever changing player crafted storyline with their interaction with persistence AI characters. 6 - No 2 planet are the same 7 - Nebulas are beautiful and getting more beautiful thru updates. 8 - If you are a space nerd you will get space    PROs
    1 - 400 Billion Stars
    2 - Great Ship interface
    3 - Great fun in wings with friends
    4 - Cruising through space demonstrates it's vastness.
    5 - Ever changing player crafted storyline with their interaction with persistence AI characters.
    6 - No 2 planet are the same
    7 - Nebulas are beautiful and getting more beautiful thru updates.
    8 - If you are a space nerd you will get space orgasm.
    9 - No hand holding figure the game out ... for those who love this sort of stuff.

    CONs
    1 - Not really a full game yet.
    2 - Certain career path are not focused on and lack polish. Eg. Exploration.
    3 - Space can feel empty when you travel the fringe world.
    4 - Bugs and more bugs (expect that in all next gen games with loads of hardware to render to.)
    5 - Downloading the game from frontier can be a pain but there is a steam version now.
    6 - Steep learning curve for some players who require hand holding (Hint : Play the training mission)

    Elite is not a full game at the moment. Although it's released in Dec 2014, frontier is still developing the release version. I am a beta backer, did not really agree with the way it's being done. Certain key feature
    that were promised never came, some backers asked for refund on the game. They felt betrayed.
    Nonetheless I still hold high hope for the game as there were active development every month and lots of
    patches when the need arises. Needless to say it's a painful still beta game, and probably will forever be
    beta.

    It's only right that I should warn potential buyer into this game that if you are not ready to come into a beta
    game that have been said to be fully release , dont. Just dont because you would feel cheated. But if you
    came here to see some beautiful space scape your money will be well worth. Just have to sit tight to let
    the feature roll in. I come on and off the game once in a while so I don't feel burnt by the current lack of
    content. The only cool thing in Elite Dangerous is pvp , war , community events and wings system where
    you can have friends in a squad of 4.

    With that being said it's a strange kind of MMO ... althought it's an MMO with 100K players only 32 players can appear in the same instance. So for example no more than 32 human players will be visible to you in the same system. There have been some issues with match making, bugs that make wing members invisible and such. Yes there are bugs and issue, but all modern games have loads of them as they become more complex over the years to write and compile... so this will be the future issue of all next gen games.    … Expand
  49. KWAiRT
    Apr 3, 2015
    9
    Graphics
    -Beautiful detailed graphics with a strong sense of immersion
    -Massive galaxy to explore with epic 1 to 1 scale and perpetual motion including gravity. No skyboxes or backgrounds. What you see is the Milky way in all it's vast glory 100K LY across in any direction. -Detailed planets, star descriptions and information based on current scientific data -Beautiful starships    Graphics
    -Beautiful detailed graphics with a strong sense of immersion
    -Massive galaxy to explore with epic 1 to 1 scale and perpetual motion including gravity. No skyboxes or backgrounds. What you see is the Milky way in all it's vast glory 100K LY across in any direction.
    -Detailed planets, star descriptions and information based on current scientific data
    -Beautiful starships ranging from small fighters to capital ships that are fully animated with detailed interiors and lighting

    Engine
    -Stable 32-bit Cobra engine with internal 64-bit precision and procedural implementation
    -Excellent multicore CPU optimization and GPU usage
    -Comprehensive mouse + keyboard controls yield one if not the best implementation to date
    -Full support for gamepads, joysticks, HOTAS, trackers, voice activation
    -Best Rift support and implementation in a PC game to date that allows for optimal image quality and performance

    Sound
    -Lucas quality 5.1 audio by Jim Croft with amazing sound fx and OST
    -Built in VOIP for direct and group chat complete with it's own special fx
    -Every ship sounds different and everything is fully audible from the scraping of asteroids to buzzing of fighters flying by

    Gameplay
    -Play the way you want when you want
    -Combat, exploration, mining, smuggling, trading, and missions all give way to community faction based events and background story
    -Multiple factions and different government types for various star systems including minor factions and corporations background simulation
    -Amazing physics and collision detection give way to a flight model designed for balanced gameplay and superb control across any device
    -No fast travel with never before seen Supercruise travel mechanics using the Frame Shift Drive to accelerate to speeds from 30 Kps to FTL speeds while not subject to relativity
    -Good selection of ships and modules to experiment with on your ships effecting everything from mass to heat
    -Easy to learn hard to master but won't hold your hand gameplay with a massive sandbox to play in
    -Manual docking and full hands on spaceship control
    -No pay to win and bought items are purely cosmetic with several paid expansions in the works
    -No subscription fees

    Multiplayer
    -Massively multiplayer with the ability to play solo, group, and open game modes (Instances limited to 32 peers)
    -Solo and group modes are still connected to the metaverse allowing players to influence and join in on community events across the galaxy
    -Wing support is now in allowing up to 4 players to form a wing or group and stay connected while linking nav computers, dropping beacons, and sharing the fruits of their labor. Custom wing assist and targeting icons allow for excellent group functionality and teamwork.
    -Cross platform multiplayer will allow PC, Mac, XBONE, and PS4 players play together.

    NOTE
    The game continues to evolve with frequent updates and bug fixes including new content. 1.3 is in the works now which will bring a bunch of improvements to mining and some other changes with two new ships on the horizon. The Federal Corvette and the Imperial Courier and we already have two other new ships in the 1.2 update.

    CONS
    With offline being dropped there is no chance for mods to explore a more custom and personal version of the game. Of course this means online is also required (Solo play however only sends meta data and is all run on your local PC)
    The game could also use a more refined comprehensive tutorial to explain some of the finer details (the community is there to help though)
    Default controls are somewhat awkward without some customization
    Instancing issues can be a hassle at times due to some NAT restrictions
    p2p nature of the networking code can lead to poor host quality with no region locks or filters    … Expand
  50. MadMaxx
    Apr 3, 2015
    4
    Beautiful game, horrible monotony. Awesome game to play for a week or two. Most users don't last much beyond that. I've played since December 2014, but I must admit I have to urge myself to log in, or even find a reason to log in and play. I've also brought many friends to the game who did not last more than one week.

    It seems even the old Star Wars Galaxies and older games had many    Beautiful game, horrible monotony. Awesome game to play for a week or two. Most users don't last much beyond that. I've played since December 2014, but I must admit I have to urge myself to log in, or even find a reason to log in and play. I've also brought many friends to the game who did not last more than one week.

    It seems even the old Star Wars Galaxies and older games had many more fun things to do. In this game, it's Trading, and Combat. Missions are broken to a large extent, and even if they worked fine, there is nothing to progress to other than a title. Content additions are very slow to be put into the game, and it ends up creating a continual revolving door of players.

    Things that were considered feature additions (multiplayer) should have been added back in beta, and the mission system should never have been released in this state. Even something as simple as adding more ships seems to take twice as long as any other 3D space sim I've ever played.

    In general, it's a fun game to play for a couple weeks between games, but that's about it.    … Expand
  51. LordDwyer
    Apr 3, 2015
    8
    Firstly, if you are thinking of buying this game, do the research. It is NOT and arcade shooter or a casual game. It is MASSIVE! I mean bigger than anything I have ever played. I've read some reviews that are negative, and to be fair, the majority of the negative reviews are written by morons who had no idea what they were buying.

    Graphically: It is beautiful. Depth: I'm still    Firstly, if you are thinking of buying this game, do the research. It is NOT and arcade shooter or a casual game. It is MASSIVE! I mean bigger than anything I have ever played. I've read some reviews that are negative, and to be fair, the majority of the negative reviews are written by morons who had no idea what they were buying.

    Graphically: It is beautiful.

    Depth: I'm still sinking and I am 6 months in. You can role as combat, trader or explorer and that is only down to ship loadout and option, not a class selection. Freeform is the word of the day.

    Playability: Expect a steep learning curve and remember that the forums are your friend. I use a HOTAS, keyboard and mouse. To be fair, I'm currently saving for a Wookie co-pilot.

    My only negative is that because the play space is so vast you may forget it is an MMO at times. Exploring is a lonely business, but combat if gritty and intense. Don't expect to dock at a station with a nice cutscene sequence, you land that ship yourself, controlling all aspects of your ship position.

    Anyone with less that a few weeks in game experience writing reviews is simply not qualified, and so their opinion should be immediately discounted.    … Expand
  52. 2chill
    Apr 3, 2015
    4
    Frontier Developments have spread themselves too thinly with just the PC release. With impending Mac and console versions on the horizon I can see the already sketchy support for the PC version becoming diluted further.

    The game has improved since release, with there being almost weekly updates or patches. However, with each update the game's FPS takes a dramatic hit - especially if you    Frontier Developments have spread themselves too thinly with just the PC release. With impending Mac and console versions on the horizon I can see the already sketchy support for the PC version becoming diluted further.

    The game has improved since release, with there being almost weekly updates or patches. However, with each update the game's FPS takes a dramatic hit - especially if you are playing on a lower spec system.

    Stutter, stutter, stutter.... = unplayable.

    I really wanted this game to be the one I played for the next few years (like many of us did with the original back in the 80's). This is not going to be so, as after a couple of months I am already playing it less and less. Even with the inclusion of new content, Frontier Developments are far from filling the massive void they have created.    … Expand
  53. Toumal
    Apr 2, 2015
    8
    There's currently a campaign going on against Elite due to the developer announcing that they are not shipping with an offline mode (They might do one lateron, but they said they can't make promises).
    If you see reviews giving 0/10 then you know you've found one of the disgruntled offline players. Did Frontier handle that whole thing well? No. However those are not reviews anymore, just    There's currently a campaign going on against Elite due to the developer announcing that they are not shipping with an offline mode (They might do one lateron, but they said they can't make promises).
    If you see reviews giving 0/10 then you know you've found one of the disgruntled offline players. Did Frontier handle that whole thing well? No. However those are not reviews anymore, just revenge attacks.

    Yes it's online only at the moment. Don't buy if you live on an oil rig with no internet connection. It's annoying that the developers basically keep all the stellar data on their servers and you need to have internet connection for the game to know what stellar bodies to generate, but that doesn't make Elite a 0/10 game. Not by a long shot.

    Elite Dangerous is an amazingly beautiful, if troubled game. The feeling of space flight has been nailed in a way that competitors will struggle to match for some time. Space really does feel big, you're not restricted to a cubical "mission area", Space is also pretty empty, but when you do get close to planets, gas giants, stars or even black holes, Elite turns into the most beautiful space game to date. There are entire websites dedicated to collecting the best screenshots from the game, and for good reason. And then you stare into space and wait for your frameshift drive to take you to a station that's quite some distance away, doing nothing. Well, almost, for there's pirates pulling you out of frameshift. But there can be stretches of boredom.

    Sound design is simply 10/10, hands down. The entire idea of your ship "generating" sounds for your situational awareness instantly solves any of the "sounds in space" issues, and the first time someone shatters your cockpit glass you'll hold your breath instinctively.

    The overall stability is good. There's a constant stream of patches with both bugfixes and major new features. Multiplayer is a bit hit and miss, with the peer-to-peer networking sometimes causing problems. These days it works most of the time, but it's still spotty at times.

    The controls are perfect. The ships are huge and have significant mass, and the game feels like it. You're not turning on a dime in Elite, since even the smaller ships are the size of a small house, and the bigger ones get up to half a kilometer long. And that without even counting the non-controllable capital ships that are several kilometers long and announce themselves with one of the most amazing warp-in effects you've ever seen in a game.

    Oh and you don't need a joystick for this game, many people including myself are happily playing with keyboard and mouse.

    Why is this only 8/10? Because once you've mastered the various activities, you realize that a lot of the long-term motivation is still missing. We've had a big update recently that does help and turns Elite into a great Coop experience, but it clearly needs more actual content, more activities to do.

    Luckily Frontier is working on new feature updates and there's even (paid) expansions adding a first person mode as well as multicrewing and flying and landing on planets coming up.

    As it is, Elite is not a 10/10 game. That said, it could end up being a 10/10 in the future, and it is wholly recommended in it's current form. It will definitely entertain you longer than any CoD game. Elite is a deeply atmospheric game with slightly spotty networking but extremely polished combat and controls. You will have a lot of "wow" moments, and the next feature update isn't too far away.    … Expand
  54. Suckit
    Mar 29, 2015
    4
    However, the game falls very short in a number of areas that were frankly disappointing and frustrating. The game is a wreck when it comes to immersion! The 3 major factions Empire, Federation, and Alliance are simply text based descriptions. Other than a text based description of these, there's no 'literary characterization' of these factions. In the movie Jaws, the chick who dies at theHowever, the game falls very short in a number of areas that were frankly disappointing and frustrating. The game is a wreck when it comes to immersion! The 3 major factions Empire, Federation, and Alliance are simply text based descriptions. Other than a text based description of these, there's no 'literary characterization' of these factions. In the movie Jaws, the chick who dies at the beginning from the Shark? We probably don't even remember their name because no literary characterization was made with the person, as opposed to the main characters in the movie. If people establish a relationship with a character or get to know them, they care more. The factions are just lame text based descriptions of one another: No cinematics, no audio interactions from the AI from these factions, no personalization that makes a Federation player feel different from an Empire and so on... As far as I'm concerned, the 3 factions are simply the same thing that are simply rebranded with a different name, a few different ships, and a few differences in trade. 400billion star systems that are just recycled with various minor factions. It's just regurgitated art. Even in games like Privateer, you could interact with the AI and message them and see a visual of them. Hell, if you accidently shoot an ally ship in combat, there's no warning message like, 'Hey watch your fire man!" Instead, your status blandly changes to 'wanted' and then every friendly ship starts firing on you. Also where's the interaction with other players?
    BORING. The missions are formulaic, bland, and create problems for a player starting out. Combat strike missions assasinating a target usually consist of 150k credits but are almost always an anaconda, so...say a player wants to take these missions, even in an upgraded viper it's pretty much a death mission. Missions like kill bounty hunters, or strike traders, often have consequences of becoming wanted in the system and having all the system security after you, so there's no point to accepting these missions even though they appear, and sometimes they are offered by the controling system faction which makes no sense when they'll make you a wanted target. But, many of these missions consist of searching around the system going to random "unidenifiable signal source" points...randomly searching around for these to find either your strike target, your black box, your rebel plans, insert purplenerpleberry A. Advance in rank: Okay, you take a mission sponsored by the Empire which you do essentially for free to take 4 illegal cargo items be it slaves, or combat stabilizers, etc...doesn't really matter just insert item A, B, or C here. So, the next step is finding a station where you can buy this crap, and you have to go through the galaxy map and try to sort through gov't types as well as system economy to find that item. Combat stabilizers is in High Tech econ system, and then you need to find an anarchy, independent, or dictatorship gov't in order to have a chance at buying the illegal item. So you set out for the item with a limited timeframe and this system you want for the item could be 50ly away after spending 25minutes jumping from system to system and playing the Elite Dangerous waiting game, you get to the station and find that it's not sold at that station, doesn't have a commodity market, or they're out of the item. Furthermore, the 3d map grid system becomes annoying to use because of the scale of the systems and Z axis to try to find systems around you isn't always user intuitive, you could spend 15minutes simply looking around the nearby stars zooming and out moving around on the x, y, and z axis to find what you're looking for. But anyway, players complete this stuff looking for 'more' in the game only to find just rinse and repeat. So, essentially there's no motivation to continue playing the game because once you complete a mission you get simply a change in text showing you're now allied or friendly with Purplenurple A.
    There isn't enough variety in the types of weapons with pros and cons. Mainly consists of either beam, pulse, or burst phrases in whatever will fit onto your ships hardpoint that do damage against the shields, and then multicannons to do more damage against armor. We need more of a variety of combat visuals. The use of gimbal weapons in the game that 'autotrack' as opposed to non gimbal is pointless from a balance perspective. It is pretty much always advisable to go gimbal because you will hit 100% of the time and the damage from a non-gimbal isn't significant enough to justify use. Another oddity is that although there are classes of modules with grades, it appears that no matter what ship you buy, you can never fully equip it due to power restrictions...
    This game has an ' Indie feel' but is asking a triple-A price point at 60$...but (feels beta).    … Expand
  55. Vidicus
    Mar 28, 2015
    7
    When it comes to space flight sims, none can touch Elite Dangerous. The game is beautiful, has great sound, and the flight controls work fine. The only downside to this game is the current lack of content. No story, no NPCs, and little to do outside of mining, hunting, exploring, and trading. However, if you own a Oculus Rift.... this game is a must have. Perfectly executed for VRWhen it comes to space flight sims, none can touch Elite Dangerous. The game is beautiful, has great sound, and the flight controls work fine. The only downside to this game is the current lack of content. No story, no NPCs, and little to do outside of mining, hunting, exploring, and trading. However, if you own a Oculus Rift.... this game is a must have. Perfectly executed for VR gameplay.... a true treat to behold.… Expand
  56. celloknife
    Mar 28, 2015
    9
    The way the galaxy has been modelled with procedural generation to a dot with actual data is amazing. Travelling through it is a dream come true. After seeing so many Youtube videos of Elite explorers I had to try it out and it has not disappointed. Black hole light distorsions, nebulae, oyu name it... Being able to chase and combat wanted PC or NPC to know stars has no price.
  57. teethbits
    Mar 28, 2015
    10
    I have been having the best time of my life with my friends in the Lugh system. Testing on background simulation goes well and the recent Community Goals have made the conflict explode PVP wise (in a good way!): Blockades, combat zones, interdiction wars... all in Wings. Awesome fun.
  58. chokecook
    Mar 28, 2015
    10
    So, this is either your game liking or it isn't.

    If it is, then this is the bstest space sim you can possibly play on a PC.

    I've basically stop playing everything else. I'm probably over 50 hours now and still just feel like I'm not even getting started, and every flight is an adventure
  59. tman123
    Mar 25, 2015
    2
    Well, as a Kickstarter backer i followed all the process from jan 14 to release in dec 14, now after playing since Gamma there are a couple of reasons why the game is NOT worth buying until its finished:

    - Not more than 1/3rd of the promised Features are implemented (Ships, Backgroundsimulation, Fuel-Types, NPC-Wings, Crew etc.) - The Features that are implemented are working on a very    Well, as a Kickstarter backer i followed all the process from jan 14 to release in dec 14, now after playing since Gamma there are a couple of reasons why the game is NOT worth buying until its finished:

    - Not more than 1/3rd of the promised Features are implemented (Ships, Backgroundsimulation, Fuel-Types, NPC-Wings, Crew etc.)
    - The Features that are implemented are working on a very very Basic Level - theres no depth in none of the 3 main parts (exploring, trading, fighting), and also no depth in any of the missions
    - theres absolutely no dynamic universe at the Moment. every single Action has to be done by developers which means theres no Chance to control things for the playerbase
    - the community, especially the english and german ones, are basically rude, the official english Forum is oversaturated by fanboys and the Moderators in both communities are extremely biased
    - bugs in almost every core-feature (Wings, Trading, Exploring)
    - cheaters everywhere (in open Play)

    Well - some plus´ses for the game: Great Sound (best part of the game, especially with cinema-Setup), good graphics and a very performant engine. Players are leaving the game and thats not a good sign.

    Just check all the Newsletters from Frontier against the ingame Content. They are lying everywhere. Also the Support is a joke.

    Dont buy it until its done.

    This game Needs a year or two until its ready for the market.    … Expand
  60. Cmdr-coypu
    Mar 24, 2015
    10
    Rewarding to play as long as you know that you are going to have to invest time in learning how the Elite universe works and that you are prepared to live with the consequences of E:D's risk mechanics.
    i.e. never fly a ship you cannot afford to lose !
    HOTAS gear is not essential, I have played with mouse / keyboard since launch date - just bought a HOTAS set now for a change. The people    Rewarding to play as long as you know that you are going to have to invest time in learning how the Elite universe works and that you are prepared to live with the consequences of E:D's risk mechanics.
    i.e. never fly a ship you cannot afford to lose !
    HOTAS gear is not essential, I have played with mouse / keyboard since launch date - just bought a HOTAS set now for a change.
    The people giving this game a score of 0, after playing for weeks and then getting bored, are being rather mean-spirited I think - any game that you have played for weeks and enjoyed has been a good game I believe. Every game gets "old" after a while so it seems unfair to give E:D such a low score. I have played a lot of other great games for far fewer hours than I have spent in E:D and still considered it a good investment of my leisure time. Perhaps it is because E:D has no set "end" that people stop playing when they have got bored and some have only negative impressions at that point and have forgotten all the fun they had ? Whereas with other games once you have reached the "end" you can have a more positive closure experience.    … Expand
  61. JigiSix
    Mar 24, 2015
    8
    (TL;DR: TRY COMBAT INSTEAD OF BORING THINGS)

    I've played Elite: Dangerous for a few hours now, and the graphics look amazing, the sound is great but the gameplay is semi-repetitive which I can understand, as I've just only started playing. I hope the gameplay will change up a bit after a few more hours. For now, it's been something like this. Step one, get to a station. Step two, get a    (TL;DR: TRY COMBAT INSTEAD OF BORING THINGS)

    I've played Elite: Dangerous for a few hours now, and the graphics look amazing, the sound is great but the gameplay is semi-repetitive which I can understand, as I've just only started playing. I hope the gameplay will change up a bit after a few more hours. For now, it's been something like this. Step one, get to a station. Step two, get a delivery mission. Step three, deliver the data and get like 700 credits (which, for those of you who don't know, doesn't get you **** Step four, repeat the process. Tried combat. Immediately killed a high value target, got quite a bit of money. Play dangerously in Dangerous, and you'll do **** amazing.    … Expand
  62. Mhiester
    Mar 24, 2015
    7
    The 1.2 update and patches after it are a very good sign for Elite. Progress continues at the same pace that was going at beta.

    Yes, the game is unfinished, and it's still a grind, but it's gotten better. The developers have added features that were needed (wings), and have been balancing, along with adding promised content (ships). If you are able to stand the grind to progress, and    The 1.2 update and patches after it are a very good sign for Elite. Progress continues at the same pace that was going at beta.

    Yes, the game is unfinished, and it's still a grind, but it's gotten better. The developers have added features that were needed (wings), and have been balancing, along with adding promised content (ships).

    If you are able to stand the grind to progress, and the continuous development process, then this is a great example of a space game. The flight mechanics feel great, and make combat about much more than just aiming fast. If you aren't convinced by the game at the moment, keep an eye on it as more time goes on for it to be developed.    … Expand
  63. Mattyboy1509
    Mar 23, 2015
    10
    To be honest I am a fanboi but I do have to say up until 1.2 a slightly embarrased fanboi who didnt play it that often. However its now good and shaping up to get even better. Although you do have to actually find a thrill in drifting among the stars and being in space ! I do luckily.
  64. boldsirrobin
    Mar 23, 2015
    8
    I'll confess at the beginning - I was a fan of the original 1984 Elite, so I may be biased. My first impulse was to give it a 9 or 10, but that would be silly, as I agree with some of the negative comments here; l love the game in spite of its obvious faults. I give up on games very easily (because life is too short to play tedious games) but I've been playing Elite: Dangerous since theI'll confess at the beginning - I was a fan of the original 1984 Elite, so I may be biased. My first impulse was to give it a 9 or 10, but that would be silly, as I agree with some of the negative comments here; l love the game in spite of its obvious faults. I give up on games very easily (because life is too short to play tedious games) but I've been playing Elite: Dangerous since the day it came out and am still trying to squeeze time out of my busy schedule to play it, so it must have some magic.

    Pros:

    + Beautiful graphics and sound.

    + Flight - you have pitch, roll, yaw and four directions of thrust, and a choice between the default flight assist mode where the ship does more-or-less what you'd expect, and "flight assist off" where it behaves in the crazy way objects in space actually behave.

    + Combat - a variety of weapons, ships and tactics, and everything from one-on-one encounters to massive PvP+PvE battles that go on for weeks.

    + The galaxy as your sandbox.

    Cons

    - Although its better than the release version, it needs to develop multiplayer a lot more, though the latest version does have "wings" (i.e., combat teams). Teams and events tend to be organised via the forums or social media; this should be integrated into the game.

    - While player actions do affect the universe, the devs need to tweak this to work much better. Of course the actions of one player can't have a major effect on the fate of empires, or even most star systems, but there need to be certain tipping points where a system could go either way depending on what players do. One thing people like about games is the idea that their character is going to make a difference.

    - The universe is kind of homogeneous. Types of government need to have more effect on how business is done, starports need to look more different from each other, there should be rare local commodities, weird religions you can get on the wrong side of - in short, different cultures.

    - Missions are generally obtain/transport/destroy one-offs, with tiny incremental effects on your reputation. They need to feed into each other more.

    Procons (i.e., things some people will hate and others may not be bothered by or even like)

    * There's no back-story for characters or an overarching story line. You start as a blank slate, and if you're not careful, you'll continue as one.

    * Space is big. That's an advantage in many ways, but it does mean you won't run into many other players outside a few popular (and hence dangerous) locations. Sometimes nothing much happens - you can spend a long time just travelling from one place to another. It used to annoy me, and it's a deal-breaker for some people, but now I kind of enjoy the change of pace.

    * There are few limits on PvP. If some guy with an Anaconda (the biggest ship) feels like blowing your little Sidewinder out of the sky, there's nothing to stop them except the prospect of their bounty increasing, which tends not to deter pirates who have Anacondas. Even NPC fights can be absurdly one-sided (hint: don't investigate anything that says "Strong signal source"). On the plus side, you get more of a sense of danger from the game, which leads us to ...

    * Real penalties for dying. Your ship is insured, but you'll lose a lot of money, all your cargo and even cartographic information (but not any bounties on your head, unfortunately). Some people hate this; I find it adds to the excitement. Fight or flight is a serious choice.

    * It's difficult. You'll spend a long time just learning how to fly your ship, and it'll be a while before you can enter a combat zone and survive more than a few seconds. Personally I like that it's difficult, but I agree with criticisms of the learning curve. The game needs proper tutorials that talk you through things, not a few basic solo missions and links to YouTube videos.    … Expand
  65. beastlyfido
    Mar 23, 2015
    3
    If you are a die-hard Frontier or Elite fan(like me!) this might be worth the $60 just for the thrill of seeing Braben and team back in action. I'm a kickstarter, I was excited. I am sure this will be an excellent game in months but for now it is extremely (extremely) dull and buggy. For a new player or for a gift it has nowhere near the polish or game play you expect from a 2014If you are a die-hard Frontier or Elite fan(like me!) this might be worth the $60 just for the thrill of seeing Braben and team back in action. I'm a kickstarter, I was excited. I am sure this will be an excellent game in months but for now it is extremely (extremely) dull and buggy. For a new player or for a gift it has nowhere near the polish or game play you expect from a 2014 title.

    There are about 6 storyboards: trade, launch, supercruise, jump, dock, and combat. As of 1.2 several of these are still buggy and when they work they are still dull. Some would add exploration but all the systems are essentially the same "feel" even if generated procedurally, so that gets old quick.

    There are only a few station models, ship models, and mission types. It is a small game aspiring to be giant one.

    You are expected to grind like crazy to get anywhere. I expected that but this takes it to the extreme. I have been playing Federation missions since release and am still neutral. (6 weeks?) Many of the procedurally generated systems are so silly that you can spend 15 minutes in supercruise just to get from a jump point to a gas station.

    On the plus side the visuals are great when they are there, and the sound design is fantastic. You'll unfortunately spend most of your time watching low-frame rate star field simulations while trading and watching Netflix in another window for weeks in order to be able to properly do combat or exploration.

    Combat is trivial once you've fought a few times. Most non-NPC players simply hit the alt-f4 combo to get out of it because they are trying to trade. The combat rewards also don't scale well. Dying costs about $180k in a small fighter (you start with $1000), and beating a ship you shouldn't be able to beat gives you about $20k.

    I do think they have the potential for another classic here but for now it's mostly potential. The reliability of the system in America is also below par for a retail game.

    p.s. if you liked cruising around planets in Frontier, you can't interact with the planet surfaces at all...yet.    … Expand
  66. samualsson
    Mar 22, 2015
    10
    Recently picked up this game, its a refreshing change of pace from most triple a games right now! The sights and sounds.. breath taking. I'm really impressed with what they put together here, so far i've put 100 hrs into the game, and I just don't do that if I think a game is crap. I usually consider getting 30 hrs of a game decent for my money.

    But it's not just me - two buddies of    Recently picked up this game, its a refreshing change of pace from most triple a games right now! The sights and sounds.. breath taking. I'm really impressed with what they put together here, so far i've put 100 hrs into the game, and I just don't do that if I think a game is crap. I usually consider getting 30 hrs of a game decent for my money.

    But it's not just me - two buddies of mine picked it up last week and since then we have been having a blast playing together!

    After doing a bit of research, and finding out about future expansions, I'm even more excited!

    10/10 fly safe!    … Expand
  67. Alcubierre
    Mar 21, 2015
    9
    This game is first and foremost a sandbox. If you like sandbox style gameplay, this is a fantastic title for it. Your actual options as far as the game is concerned and how you want to play it are essentially limitless. To be fair, as everything is organized around income generation, this does somewhat restrict what you could do, at least at the moment. You've got several generalThis game is first and foremost a sandbox. If you like sandbox style gameplay, this is a fantastic title for it. Your actual options as far as the game is concerned and how you want to play it are essentially limitless. To be fair, as everything is organized around income generation, this does somewhat restrict what you could do, at least at the moment. You've got several general income paths, either by trade, by exploration, or by combat.

    Exploration is purely exploration at the moment. It involves very pretty pictures, interesting systems, and a whole lot of scanning. It's somewhat repetitive but less so than other things. The appeal of exploration is the views, and really the chance encounters with extremely rare stellar objects, including Earth-like planets. If you're the first person to scan these objects, your name is permanently written on it, netting you prestige with any other player who visits. Now the galaxy is a reasonably accurate depiction of the Milky Way, with around 400 billion different star systems that can be visited. This is a major selling point of the game, and provided you're willing to go off the beaten path, there is no lack of places to scrawl your name saying "I've been here". Several large areas in the galaxy that currently require permits will be homes to vast alien empires, once this component of the game is implemented. Eventually the game designers will be implementing expansions that allow for planetary landings, though on the hundreds of thousands of Earth-like worlds, I wonder how they could successfully implement alien wildlife in a way that was realistic, exotic, and also reflecting the differences between worlds. I imagine this will be an incredibly large expansion, that is if it will net the realism that the designers are hoping for.

    Trading is the most repetitive of all game activities, though it tends to be the most profitable after a certain point. It used to be the absolute most profitable activity in the game, but significant profit increases have been added to the other income streams, balancing this out a bit. It is by far the safest way to make money, and it takes a lot less initial investment to get going. There is a very zen quality to trading, jumping between stars and plotting routes. A subcomponent of trading is mining, which is not particularly interesting, but a very effective way to get out of lower tier ships. Lastly, rare trade goods net some of the highest profit margin, but require large jumps and sophisticated route mapping to do well. Also human pirates love to predate these routes, so your day can easily get ruined if you're not paying attention. Black market trading is the one kind of trading that is more interesting in its own right. Sometimes you have to sneak into stations past the police forces, who will ruin your day if you get caught. Lots of fun when you do it right, and pirates will be selling all their goods on the black market.

    Finally, combat. You can bounty hunt, play as a mercenary, or be a pirate. All are a huge amount of fun, and it's never repetitive because every fight plays out differently. It's incredibly skill based, and the attention to detail that the developers paid really shines in combat. You have full 3-D maneuvering, allowing you far more sophisticated maneuvers than you could fly with a plane. Clever people with good situational awareness and piloting skills will excel at combat.

    Now, as far as the overall feel of the game, the sandbox portion cannot be overstated. This may be a major turn-off for some people. This is a game where hundreds of thousands of players are always interacting and aiding in the progression of the game. The game actively changes based on player input, and developer prompting as well. But in a sea of several hundred thousand, the actual impact you have will be quite small. For example, a recent mercenary mission I played for around 15 hours, made 11 million credits was in the top 15% for progressing the mission, but the mission wasn't completed until 35 BILLION credits were made. As you can see, no one person can change the course of the game. There is also no false premise about giant universe ending events. No game bosses (except the capital ships) and no god-like level of achievement where you can't be beaten. You will probably never be able to own your own capital class ship. They cost hundreds of billions of credits. So you can't bully your way through the game with your giant pile of cash. And you can't count of being some massive hero either.

    This game is presently solid. The fundamentals are great. Though there is a lack, at the moment of content diversity, they keep adding to the game and expanding this. Eventually players will be able to walk around, and FPS will become a thing. But if you want a storyline or a quest line, you will not get it in this game. This sandbox factor means no one holds your hand. I like it, others don't.    … Expand
  68. chrisfs
    Mar 21, 2015
    9
    Elite Dangerous is an futuristic, space flight "sand box" game. You play a solo character who is a small time pilot with a spaceship. You can play in several different ways. You can engage in combat, in trade between solar systems, explore new systems or mine asteroids. You can do one, some or all of these, but you don't HAVE to do any of them. I think this is one of the best aspects ofElite Dangerous is an futuristic, space flight "sand box" game. You play a solo character who is a small time pilot with a spaceship. You can play in several different ways. You can engage in combat, in trade between solar systems, explore new systems or mine asteroids. You can do one, some or all of these, but you don't HAVE to do any of them. I think this is one of the best aspects of the game because it allows for different types of people to enjoy the game. Some people aren't good at combat. In some games, that rules out the whole game, but in this game, you can prosper in the game without firing a shot and often the occasional attacker by avoiding 'bad neighborhoods' and running away. With 400 billion solar systems, there's space for a lot of different people.

    I also like it's emphasis on space travel as a thing in itself, where you need to plot courses, take fuel into account and navigate around starts and planets in order maintain the best speed. Space flight is not simply a thing between battles, it's a thing itself. Because Elite Dangerous is more than just a first person shooter in space, there is considerable learning curve at first, and there can be a good deal of time between combats (although you can always find them if you spend time with the game to find out how). It's a space game and not a shooter with space as a skin.

    When I see criticisms of it being "boring", it usually boils down to people having an expectation that it's solely a combat game (it's not) or it's a 'conquer and rule the galaxy' game which it's not as well. It's better to think of it like a "Firefly The Game" game where your focus is to trade and do missions to keep yourself flying, rather than conquer a planet and build a private empire. That's not something you can do. If people expect it to be something it;'s not , that's when I see complaints. Might as well complain that crossword puzzles have no guns.    … Expand
  69. samuedgideon
    Mar 20, 2015
    10
    An absolutely fantastic game that I've already poured hours and hours into since release. I'm surprised so many people are being hard on it. I love that it isn't insta, you set your own goals though there's plenty of help offered by the missions system. Absolutely fun!
  70. WhatsaUsername
    Mar 20, 2015
    0
    A very, very boring flight simulator disguised by pretty graphics to make people believe its a real game. At first you'll be impressed by how nice everything looks and how cool it is to fly around in your ship, but then you'll realise that theres absolutely nothing to do but grind the same 3 tasks over and over again ad nauseam.

    I'll say one thing for the developers, they've really    A very, very boring flight simulator disguised by pretty graphics to make people believe its a real game. At first you'll be impressed by how nice everything looks and how cool it is to fly around in your ship, but then you'll realise that theres absolutely nothing to do but grind the same 3 tasks over and over again ad nauseam.

    I'll say one thing for the developers, they've really captured the feeling of empty, lifeless space very well. Too well. I think its a stretch to call this a game - more like a proof of concept for something better (like maybe Star Citizen?).    … Expand
  71. deb0
    Mar 19, 2015
    0
    A total ripoff. Engine is full of bugs, support is pathetic, and the community is hostile and unsupportive. I wasted alot of time and money on this as a beta-backer. Not worth half of what I paid.
  72. terminatahx
    Mar 19, 2015
    0
    A complete waste of money and time. After grinding hard to a Type9, I could no longer deal with the lack of content, community lack of support, censorship, and rampant bugs. Once the newness of the game wears off, you will find yourself bored to death. The economic engine is the biggest problem for me: larger ships are penalized for being better trade ships, the supply/demand model isA complete waste of money and time. After grinding hard to a Type9, I could no longer deal with the lack of content, community lack of support, censorship, and rampant bugs. Once the newness of the game wears off, you will find yourself bored to death. The economic engine is the biggest problem for me: larger ships are penalized for being better trade ships, the supply/demand model is a disgrace: all prices across the entire universe are within the same narrow price range. Bottom line is that on the service, the game is jaw-dropping gorgeous. Once you learn about the "core" of the engine and it's shortcomings, you feel duped. Don't buy, unless you are desparate for a game where you can fly around in space.… Expand
  73. jamesmills83
    Mar 18, 2015
    10
    Some people say this game needs time to play. they are right it does. it will take days/weeks/years of your life. there isn't really an end goal other than making money (and reaching elite status) which is used to buy and upgrade your ship. yes if they stop releasing new ships and ship units there will come a point when there is nothing left to do. but your talking about years to do that.Some people say this game needs time to play. they are right it does. it will take days/weeks/years of your life. there isn't really an end goal other than making money (and reaching elite status) which is used to buy and upgrade your ship. yes if they stop releasing new ships and ship units there will come a point when there is nothing left to do. but your talking about years to do that. yes you get frustrated with it and wont play for weeks or days. but then you'll log back in and then you'll loose yourself in this beautiful game. there are week points. the mining being one of them. but mining is never going to be as exciting as fighting… Expand
  74. Rauta
    Mar 17, 2015
    7
    My opinion is based on current state of E:D (v. 1.2).

    As for the graphical side of the game it's very good, even on worse PC 's game's running smoothly enough. Sounds and music stands on a high level. The feeling of flying is great on joystick and decent on mouse and keyboard. Although there are a lot of things that are not yet fully finished and makes me feel that I payed 40€ for    My opinion is based on current state of E:D (v. 1.2).

    As for the graphical side of the game it's very good, even on worse PC 's game's running smoothly enough.
    Sounds and music stands on a high level. The feeling of flying is great on joystick and decent on mouse and keyboard.

    Although there are a lot of things that are not yet fully finished and makes me feel that I payed 40€ for product not yet finished. The universe is beautiful but it feels like it is mostly dead, and as far as there are community goals that are bringing the game back to life a bit there's still not really that much to do. There is no planetary landing (yet) and no first person module (yet) which in Star Citizen (SC dev 's had much more money and the game is not released but still) will be already implemented on release. Nonetheless it is a good game that can bring up a lot of fun if you are not against a continuous repeating the same scheme all over again. I would also love to say that after adding needed expansions and some more polishing it will be perfect space sim but right now it deserves 7/10.    … Expand
  75. Danceswithsheep
    Mar 17, 2015
    5
    I expected too much so I guess it's my fault I feel let down.

    I love the handling of the ships and it looks fantastic but there is this confused keep it real vibe that stops it being fun which for me can be summed up in three elements 1. The way it is set up for griefers in multiplayer and the reverse of the old school MMO trope where in this game the last touch, no matter how    I expected too much so I guess it's my fault I feel let down.

    I love the handling of the ships and it looks fantastic but there is this confused keep it real vibe that stops it being fun which for me can be summed up in three elements

    1. The way it is set up for griefers in multiplayer and the reverse of the old school MMO trope where in this game the last touch, no matter how slight, wins you all the bounty. So you play in Solo mode but are affected by the multiplayer happenings and everything is second hand because the multiplayers got there first.

    2. Because it's 'real' if you go too far there are no stations to land on so no jobs to do and every chance you will fall victim to problem number three

    3. If you lose your ship then you lose a lot of your time investment due to the flaky insurance system they have set up which is like the worst car or home insurance you could ever buy and where assets on other stations cannot be used to offset losses.

    In essence it seems to me they have forgotten this is a game, it's very punishing if you die and offers none of the save options a single player game might so it sucks fun from exploring where a mistake or bug can result in you losing all your personal progress. It's like it wants to be Eve but without the gameplay of that model.

    I was hoping for exciting surprises to be hidden randomly amongs the stars but nothing there, this is truly an empty Galaxy. Don't look for Sci-Fi fun and gaming here, this is pretty turgid (pun intended).    … Expand
  76. stonecoldamason
    Mar 16, 2015
    10
    ELITE is back, I was an original 84 player and loved it, it coming back answered all my gaming wants and needs, I am a fan, but I hope this review is taken from a players point of view and not a fan-boy’s.
    To explain, I played in beta, and happily worked out some of the bugs, the game at that time and even up to gamma release wasn't as complete as I would have liked, however it promised    ELITE is back, I was an original 84 player and loved it, it coming back answered all my gaming wants and needs, I am a fan, but I hope this review is taken from a players point of view and not a fan-boy’s.
    To explain, I played in beta, and happily worked out some of the bugs, the game at that time and even up to gamma release wasn't as complete as I would have liked, however it promised to deliver everything I expected and I do expect Frontier developments to deliver on those promises. As of the last update, Wings, (1.2), I am really happy with the content, two more playable ships delivered plus lots of added extra’s, and 1.3 promises to have another two playable ships delivered plus a lot of added extra’s, as it stands our own Milky way is completely rendered to 1:1 scale, and you can visit any one of 400 billion stars, including black holes.
    Starting with a small one man craft called a sidewinder and 1000credits, you can pirate, trade, bounty hunt, be a mercenary, delivery driver, explorer or choose from or be a part of three factions, Federation, Empire and Alliance Navy Pilots, pilot several ships of different types, costing money that you earn in game, (There is no pay to win here!) the ships are fully upgradeable, and can be customized from paint jobs and decals purchased from the online store or earned in game.
    Visiting the Sol system and seeing Earth from Space is an awesome sight, populated planets now have lights showing populated area’s that you will in a proposed update be able to land by and see, you can also fly out to see the Discovery (Voyager probe) which is en-route to the outer reaches of our galaxy.
    The graphics are quite literally out of this world, the sound is awesome, the ships move very well, I play using a keyboard and mouse, but the games supports Joysticks (Hotas) also Oculus Rift Virtual reality headsets, You can also use voice attack, which is a 3rd party verbal commands system via a headset, all adding to the immersive content.
    There are a lot of folk that call aspects of the game grinding, I call it playing, other games have similar elements, grinding to get better gear, weapons etc.., in order to get more expensive ships and weapons you need to grind, this is not hand holding, you won't get things given to you on a plate, which Imo I reckon a lot of younger players don't like, you have to earn and work hard to get the bigger better stuff, I started with the starter ship, I have just earned the rank of Baron with the Empire, and I can buy an Imperial Clipper worth 22million credits, credits I've worked hard doing everything I can in game, you need to vary your game play, just trading from A to B can become boring if that is all you do, think Euro trucking simulator (Not everyone's cup of tea), having said that, if it's a good trade route, it’s a quick way to make money and can be worth the grind in the long term, trade your way to better ships and weapons.
    The Elite Dangerous world is exactly that, dangerous, don't expect an easy game, you can lose your ship in a fight, or just bad piloting, make sure you fly with sufficient funds to cover your insurance, play in open play is a choice to potentially meet other real pilots in their ships and pvp in open play is a possibility, or play in solo, which is pve, you can also play in a group with friends who also play the game.
    The game is improving with every update and they are coming thick and fast, don’t lose faith, the waiting and the playing are well worth it.    … Expand
  77. Carameldigestiv
    Mar 12, 2015
    10
    This great game as it stands is amazingly epic and very much daunting for the newbie. there is no tutorial or help. this is a game like those in the pre 2000 era. this is a hard but rewarding game . the more you dedicate to it, the more you will be rewarded. the coming expansions leaves me hopeful that this will be the stuff of legend in a matter of years
  78. Spunky_NvK
    Mar 12, 2015
    10
    I had t o login an give an honest review of Elite Dangerous. I'm 54 years old and have been a big pc gamer since the beginning. My first favorite PCc games was the Wing Commander series, and I loved wing Commander Privateer!! Then when I got into FPS like Unreal Tournament, Counter Strike etc. I did not play a space game again. Lately I have been playing games like Far Cry series, MetroI had t o login an give an honest review of Elite Dangerous. I'm 54 years old and have been a big pc gamer since the beginning. My first favorite PCc games was the Wing Commander series, and I loved wing Commander Privateer!! Then when I got into FPS like Unreal Tournament, Counter Strike etc. I did not play a space game again. Lately I have been playing games like Far Cry series, Metro Last Light, Insurgency, PayDay2 etc. When I heard about Elite Dangerous it intrigued me so I bought the game in the middle of January of this year and have been playing ever since. As a matter of fact ED is the only game I have played since I loaded it!!

    I have read several reviews that complain about the following:

    - game has no depth
    - game is boring
    - not much to do
    - has a lot of bugs and glitches
    - the game is not MMO
    - the game is empty

    Well my comment is the above comments are all a bunch of rubbish!! currently there is a ton of stuff you can do, if there wasn't I would not be playing it! ED is the most immersive game that I have ever played and you actually do feel like you are in a spaceship travelling through the Galaxy. ED really gets your imagination flowing and the sense of adventure happening. Right now I'm half time Trader and half time Bounty Hunter. I'm currently Allied and Friendly in several Star Systems and I'm having the time of my life!

    ED is the best PC Gaming experience I have ever had in a long time!    … Expand
  79. CaliforniaDream
    Mar 12, 2015
    10
    By and large the greatest simulation space combat combat game out there. It is really an amazing game if you are capable of playing it. This is a game like a lot of excellent older games; not everyone has the brain power required for it. It doesn't spoon feed you anything, you learn or you die.
  80. mulv81
    Mar 11, 2015
    2
    Euro Spaceship Simulator 2015 - Contrails in space! This is the most vapid entertainment product I have seen since the 1980's. This is labelled an MMO? Oh, please. Way to completely miss the mark.
  81. RandyFandangle
    Mar 11, 2015
    4
    EDIT: Back after a month to update review, and it's going down from a 5 to a 4. Nothing new of any use, still empty and buggy. On the plus side, an XBOne version is on the way..... wish they'd stick some content in the PC version before trying to cash in with a feeble port. The 4 is still for potential, though I'm not holding out much hope any more at this stage. Disappointing in theEDIT: Back after a month to update review, and it's going down from a 5 to a 4. Nothing new of any use, still empty and buggy. On the plus side, an XBOne version is on the way..... wish they'd stick some content in the PC version before trying to cash in with a feeble port. The 4 is still for potential, though I'm not holding out much hope any more at this stage. Disappointing in the extreme.

    (Previous review)
    Giving this a grudging FIVE for now, as I've only been playing for a couple of weeks. I'll come back later and update after another week or so.
    What I can say is that NO WAY IS THIS WORTH 10/10 AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW!
    There are just too many bugs, and mechanisms that don't work as they should. Well, I'm praying they aren't working as they should, cuz if this is how they have designed it then God help us.
    Had some fun, but it's hard to find sometimes. Frontier are gonna have to release some damn good stuff very soon or players are gonna bail.
    Hey, the 5 is for potential. Will have to see.    … Expand
  82. Arniedadrink
    Mar 11, 2015
    6
    This is the core of what I hope will become a great game but at the moment a lot is left up to your imagination on what is happening in the universe around you. There are some background stories going on but keeping up with them seemed like you had to keep reading small new clips in game on a daily basis and the information in them was too brief to keep me interested. How to representThis is the core of what I hope will become a great game but at the moment a lot is left up to your imagination on what is happening in the universe around you. There are some background stories going on but keeping up with them seemed like you had to keep reading small new clips in game on a daily basis and the information in them was too brief to keep me interested. How to represent what is going on in the universe definitely needs to be thought out a bit more.… Expand
  83. aspaceman
    Mar 11, 2015
    10
    Ignore those invested in 'other' space games using meta-critic as a gorilla marketing exercise. They are doing the genre a massive disservice and possibly damaging a resurge in a much needed return to greatness from games about flying about in space craft having great space adventures. Read the official reviews, watch videos, look at the website and look at the forums. This is the firstIgnore those invested in 'other' space games using meta-critic as a gorilla marketing exercise. They are doing the genre a massive disservice and possibly damaging a resurge in a much needed return to greatness from games about flying about in space craft having great space adventures. Read the official reviews, watch videos, look at the website and look at the forums. This is the first epic space game in years to do justice to the genre.… Expand
  84. danjjuk
    Mar 11, 2015
    9
    Long awaited sequel to a game that inspired an industry . Space gaming is back. If you had any interest in the classic space games, either the early Elite games or later games such as Privateer/X-Wing/Freespace then this deserves your research & time. The latest updates have improved multiplayer & group play and Frontier continue to add new features each month. The flight model is sublimeLong awaited sequel to a game that inspired an industry . Space gaming is back. If you had any interest in the classic space games, either the early Elite games or later games such as Privateer/X-Wing/Freespace then this deserves your research & time. The latest updates have improved multiplayer & group play and Frontier continue to add new features each month. The flight model is sublime and the 1:1 model of our universe is beautiful and vast. I've been playing whenever I get a spare moment since release. There are so few games out there that go to these kind of lengths anymore. The possibilities with VR and other peripherals make this one of the most sophisticated PC games on the market. Yes it's online, but no there are no subscription fees, no pay to win assets. The ticket price is on the box, it's a ticket to space. You want to go to space don't you?… Expand
  85. vckyuyeah
    Mar 11, 2015
    9
    I just cant believe all the good press reviews so I had to get the game and see it for myself. I am an original backer at StarCitizen and an EVE capsuleer, but have to say Elite is really winning me over with its subtle, no **** sim philosophy.
  86. glitchinthesky
    Mar 11, 2015
    10
    Beauty of a space sim, respecting the long Elite story and taking it it into present times. The game has been programmed to also be ready for the future (4K) and the attention to detail is best in class.
  87. wingfan
    Mar 11, 2015
    10
    Best cash I have spent in a very long time. I am also a backer in Star Citizen but I have already given up on that pay to win monstruosity that is bug ridden and its community is just toxic too. Elite in the other hand is probably the best space sim I ve played. And devs are constantly out there to answer most problems.
  88. tf65
    Mar 10, 2015
    1
    Nice graphics and sounds, Everything else is poor. Lacking content, just a test beta version really, released way too soon. Wait a year or two or three.
  89. postitnow
    Mar 10, 2015
    9
    Old school space sim for old school players? not for those with no patience that is for sure. if you dont know what the old elite games were about and enjoy that sort of gameplay, ED probably isnt for you.
  90. PrettyBanana
    Mar 10, 2015
    9
    For all those who loved Elite and and similar games, this will be a great game. The open universe to explore in a gorgeousl visual rendition of the classic game. Of course, being a real sandbox, many people might not like this, but others will also find that it both caters to hardcore online players and casual solo gamers
  91. WeirdClick
    Mar 9, 2015
    10
    Elite Dangerous is a fantastic game. It's perhaps one of the most immersive space game I've ever played, and I've pretty much played them all, being an avid space sci-fi gamer.

    What's fantastic about it is my playtime... 700 hours already, and I have not even gotten started!
  92. Paulinacre
    Mar 9, 2015
    10
    Finally had to buy the game and did so about 3 weeks ago and I am glad I did. Mind you before I bought it, I read a lot about it and when I started playing I was already expecting a starting state, but some key features are already there and I am loving it .
  93. TonyFinn2
    Mar 9, 2015
    2
    I am amazed there are people giving this game 10. Actually I'm not. Lots of people put $100s into the development of this game and desperately want it to survive. Well sorry, I think it deserves a 2 in the current state. So much of this game is missing. I'll try again in a year.
  94. salsaman
    Mar 8, 2015
    10
    As of 1.2 , Mar 2015 beta, this is the game I have been waiting for since forever. Been playing a lot and enjoyed every day I have played, and observed and followed ED become what it is today. As ED grows in time its going to be the best space game.
  95. afterburnermia
    Mar 8, 2015
    10
    This is a really excellent game if you play and learn it with the correct attitude. If you're looking for Freespace, Wing Commander, or one of those games, that is not what Elite is, nor what it was back in the old days. This Elite rocks.
  96. fourfingers
    Mar 8, 2015
    10
    Elite has returned! Brand new, upgraded and sparkling but at the core it's still Elite - you, your ship and the universe of possibilities. Come along for the ride!
  97. Yzaak
    Mar 7, 2015
    10
    The more i'm playing it the more i'm loving it.
    i think it is a very unique approach to gaming, which might not be for everyone. But there are so many games out there that are all the same that it's a relief to see something that dares to break with traditions.
  98. Ranulph
    Mar 6, 2015
    7
    After spending probably around 80 hours playing Elite: Dangerous, I find it a bit of a mixed bag. Echoing other reviews I have read out there, when it is good, it is very good, but it can also be dull and slightly infuriating at times. I have been mainly doing exploration, with a side of bounty hunting. The former can be very dull, even if profitable if you have the right specs in yourAfter spending probably around 80 hours playing Elite: Dangerous, I find it a bit of a mixed bag. Echoing other reviews I have read out there, when it is good, it is very good, but it can also be dull and slightly infuriating at times. I have been mainly doing exploration, with a side of bounty hunting. The former can be very dull, even if profitable if you have the right specs in your ship. The latter can be exciting, but it really depends on your opponents. The frequency of dog fighting in Elite is a bit uneven. Sometimes one gets attacked by pirates in supposedly safe systems, while in star systems where anarchy reigns you don't get almost anything happening. The steep learning curve is fairly steep, which is both good and also bad. I feel some systems would require a bit more explanation. The controls, even if highly customizable, are a bit overwhelming for newcomers. However, if you get a decent flight stick controller (I have the Hotas X) flying will seem like second nature after a while, and that is a pretty good feeling to have. Overall, the game is just good enough to keep me interested, albeit mildly, and I look forward to what the future brings to Elite: Dangerous.… Expand
  99. ffart
    Mar 5, 2015
    1
    I had such high hopes for this game. Perhaps one day it will be worth the money, but not now. A vast empty simulation of space with combat which soon becomes pointless grind. Mining, exploration, ttrading, all broken, all show, just a bad joke. So disappointing. Braben, stick to your shallow animal games.
  100. Veryance
    Mar 5, 2015
    4
    Just the latest entry in the fad of selling an incomplete game as the whole product. The game dumps you into the deep end, probably as a way to obfuscate the fact that at the end of the day, there really isn't much to do. The learning curve is needlessly steep; everything you want/need to do will have to be gleaned from the internet, because the game won't teach you, or even provide theJust the latest entry in the fad of selling an incomplete game as the whole product. The game dumps you into the deep end, probably as a way to obfuscate the fact that at the end of the day, there really isn't much to do. The learning curve is needlessly steep; everything you want/need to do will have to be gleaned from the internet, because the game won't teach you, or even provide the tools in-game to find your answers. After the first couple hours of daunting gameplay, you realize that the tip of the iceberg is actually just the whole iceberg. Balance some spreadsheets, blow up bad guys, repeat. Not to mention that Frontier cleaves to the classic tightlipped-developers-that-think-their-playerbase-is-retarded ideology, which essentially precludes any hope for this game to right the many many things it gets wrong.
    That being said, it's gorgeous to play, and the sounds are amazing, so if you don't want anything more from your game then to fly around in space aimlessly, then this is right up your alley.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best PC Game of 2014
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 8, 2015
    80
    First minute the game takes your breath away and then it entertains you for another couple of hours to end up like a meditative tool for hard working individuals. What a waste and shame for a game in such beautiful environment. [Issue#253]
  2. Ragequit.gr
    May 11, 2015
    90
    Everyone who played the original game back in the 80's, should be right at home. It's the 21st Century version of "Elite." But newer, uninitiated players may find it strangely desolate and repetitive. A grand space simulation, aimed at the series' hardcore fans.
    Read full review
  3. Games.cz
    Apr 23, 2015
    80
    You can focus on the journey, not the destination – even when some "road work" signs will bother you for the time being in the reincarnated Elite. But their numbers are declining with every new update so a thirty-year-old vision becomes more and more complete.
    Read full review
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