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
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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

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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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