Elite: Dangerous

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 150 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 150
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 150
  3. Negative: 36 out of 150

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  1. Fragalicious
    Dec 12, 2018
    6
    'Caveat emptor'

    Look. I've played a fair bit of this. In fact, for the better part of the year, I played a *lot* of this. I enjoyed what I'd played (I've even done the Hutton Orbital run), I have a pile of damn fine ships, plenty of missions, safe, dangerous, easy, hard, everything in between, I made it to Sol, yadda yadda and I left it for a while. Couldn't remember why. I    'Caveat emptor'

    Look. I've played a fair bit of this. In fact, for the better part of the year, I played a *lot* of this. I enjoyed what I'd played (I've even done the Hutton Orbital run), I have a pile of damn fine ships, plenty of missions, safe, dangerous, easy, hard, everything in between, I made it to Sol, yadda yadda and I left it for a while.

    Couldn't remember why.

    I come back to play it this evening, take a quick hop from a base near Mercury to Gorbachev near Earth, land the thing; game drops out.

    "Can't connect to matchmaking server".

    In a solo game.

    Therein lies the problem.

    This reminded me why I put it down in the first place. For a while, I thought it was because of the grind - it wasn't that. I like simulations, in fact I spend a great deal of time with Orbiter 2016 as I did with Orbiter 2010, as well as many flightsims.

    It was the fact it's always online.

    Want to play solo? Sure. But your internet must be connected at all times. Boy, oh boy it had better be one fine internet connection, too.

    So...if you like steep learning curves, fine. If you like space, fine. If you like a grind, fine. These aren't all dealbreakers, if the game is solid.

    However do bear in mind that *this game requires constant online connection to play*.

    It might have gained a higher score from me if it worked. Currently, it's a rather pricey bit of plastic.

    Buyer beware.    … Expand
  2. sneakyc4
    Mar 13, 2021
    5
    Elite is not a game, it's a boring space / loading screen simulator.

    Graphics: 9/10 Sound Design : 10/10 (it's so good you forget about the laws of physics like you re not meant to hear sound in a vaccum) Cockpit Experience 9/10 sooooo immersive, even better in VR Flight model, dynamics 9/10 it's quite fun to fly and pew pew Network: 5/10 limited to wings of 4 lots of    Elite is not a game, it's a boring space / loading screen simulator.

    Graphics: 9/10

    Sound Design : 10/10 (it's so good you forget about the laws of physics like you re not meant to hear sound in a vaccum)

    Cockpit Experience 9/10 sooooo immersive, even better in VR

    Flight model, dynamics 9/10 it's quite fun to fly and pew pew

    Network: 5/10 limited to wings of 4 lots of instancing issues, almost unplayable

    Gameplay : 2/10 (very limited and inconsistent, chaotic) This is the biggest problem of this title. The game is split in many activities ( that have little to no-overlap) and gets overall very basic, repetitive and dull.You will be jumping stars and looking a lot at a loading screen and you are meant to like it!

    MMO : 0 /10 all you can do is shoot others or drop/pickup cargo ... the money in game cannot be transfered. There are lots gameplay limitation that ruins the game (cannot carry upgrades around ...) pushing players to find loopholes to get around those ... leading the dev to create more nerf / constraints to block players to do what they want = no freedom = more salt = less fun. The only impact you can have is the label of the faction controling a system or a nametag on a planet for having discovered it first. This "thing" is soporific!

    Difficulty : 3/10 there s quite a bit to learn before you feel confortable flying around., you may feel like burning your joystick while you are learning... It's really difficult to not get bored too as all the end-game content is simply hidden away behind a soul-crushing repetitive grind that will make you regret to play this game.

    If you like space games, have friends to play with, and have a lot of imagination, then this game is for you : it will provide the world for your space adventures. But don't expect too much variety in missions and activities. The bare extra-ordinary content will be created by you and what you decide to do and will always revolve around doing the same missions or shooting others.

    Space travel is soooo slow and long, this game will require a lot of patience, a lot of time just looking at a loading screen.    … Expand
  3. GameBreakngNews
    Feb 14, 2020
    7
    Love the exploring and the trading makes pretty good $$ but it feels like it's missing something.
    Wildlife on some of these planets.. **** something, alive, anything. Water worlds to explore and give me legs bruh wtf. Forget what I said just give me space legs and it'll be a 10
  4. shiftyman
    Jul 10, 2017
    7
    If you enjoy watching paint dry or grass grow, then Elite Dangerous is for you, this is the kind of game that you could put 500 hours into and still feel like your in training mode, graphics and sound are average, the music is 10/10. If you like grinding for credits and flying around deep space, doing deliveries, trading and a host of other stuff then this is for you.
  5. Craniac84
    Sep 7, 2017
    6
    If you like constant action this is not your game. You spend a LOT of time doing all the small things and not a lot of time doing the fun stuff. I am biased towards more action games so this one wasn't for me.
  6. TantFuriosa
    Jan 5, 2018
    5
    I wanted a space trucker where I just could hang out in space in a ship, listen to some groovy music and grind to my heart's content. Elite should have been a perfect fit but it didn't click. I didn't like the music or ambience. I didn't feel I got any reward for my grinding, there wasn't really anything I could buy that caught my eye. Docking is a nightmare and you have to go out of yourI wanted a space trucker where I just could hang out in space in a ship, listen to some groovy music and grind to my heart's content. Elite should have been a perfect fit but it didn't click. I didn't like the music or ambience. I didn't feel I got any reward for my grinding, there wasn't really anything I could buy that caught my eye. Docking is a nightmare and you have to go out of your way to BUY an auto docking feature for in game credits. Exploring was boring, there wasn't really anything to find. Nothing was beautiful anywhere. I don't do space battles unless they're really cool, which these weren't. Getting started with the game was a horror: I consider myself game savvy and I still got stuck in the tutorial twice and had to go on YouTube to find videos explaining the tutorial. The video explaining how to get past basic flight tutorial has almost 600 000 views. It took me 1,5 hours to learn enough of basic movement and combat just to get out of the tutorial. I gave Elite some fifteen hours in total before I gave up and uninstalled, it just wasn't for me.… Expand
  7. cylentstorm
    Dec 7, 2020
    5
    Elite: Dangerous is a hardcore nonlinear space sim that constantly reminds you exactly how much of an insignificant speck of stardust that you truly are within the vast expanse of the Milky Way. This is not a game that one can "win," because the only real goals are those that you set for yourself. You can mine asteroid belts and planetary rings while avoiding greedy pirates, be a spaceElite: Dangerous is a hardcore nonlinear space sim that constantly reminds you exactly how much of an insignificant speck of stardust that you truly are within the vast expanse of the Milky Way. This is not a game that one can "win," because the only real goals are those that you set for yourself. You can mine asteroid belts and planetary rings while avoiding greedy pirates, be a space trucker/bus driver/smuggler, explore uncharted regions of the galaxy by scanning systems and mapping planets, drive your SRV across the unwelcoming surfaces of lonely moons, or align yourself with galactic superpowers and fight alongside their military forces. All of the above and more are possible. Play in solo/private sessions or take your chances on the open server. It's all up to you.

    Personally, I tend to sample a bit of everything, but I spend most of my time exploring and mining. Combat can be fun, but the mechanics seem at odds with the rest of the game. While I respect anyone with the time and patience to shoehorn themselves into that niche, it never feels quite "right" to me, so I avoid it--outside of the occasional NPC bounty as I scavenge for materials. The flight model in ED is a little weird--with or without Flight Assist. All ships feel as though you are flying through a rather fluid bowl of gelatin--regardless of specs, upgrades, or engineering. They even have "top speeds" and weapons have a very limited range. Yes, even lasers. I understand these design choices, but I get enough of short-range brawling in other games. It's like a more realistic and infinitely more complex version of Ace Combat in space.* (*For console veterans...PC flight/space sim players know what I'm talking about.)

    So, I head to the black...or the rings...or even a bit of station-hopping and sightseeing when the isolation becomes too unbearable. I sing to rocks and howl at moons. (Seriously--if you can convince any of your friends to play with you, that goes a long way toward alleviating the madness.) Fly however you see fit, Commander. ;)    … Expand
  8. wiiuser
    Apr 8, 2021
    5
    An addictive game that I have played for 9 months but be warned, it is a notoriously bland grind with some bad bugs and broken game mechanics. Most of the game is not cross-platform and 80% of the players are on PC.

    The combat is especially bland, I thought I was doing something wrong but now I have the most popular ship, maxed out, and combat is still the most underwhelming    An addictive game that I have played for 9 months but be warned, it is a notoriously bland grind with some bad bugs and broken game mechanics. Most of the game is not cross-platform and 80% of the players are on PC.

    The combat is especially bland, I thought I was doing something wrong but now I have the most popular ship, maxed out, and combat is still the most underwhelming implementation of combat of any mmo I have played. I literally don’t know how you can take such cool space ships and make such a mediocre combat system. Fortunately hitting top rank for combat does lock unlock content or a psn trophy and players can stop at the third to last rank and enjoy some of the functional game mechanics.

    They have just released a preview of the latest expansion and it just a bland FPS mission grind, 4 years in the making. Player owned bases - nope. Walking around ships - nope. It’s basically a stand alone game no doubt with an item mall cash grab on top.

    Faction warfare aka "background simulation" could have been amazing but is underbaked and completely unusable. Fleet carriers / capital ships are also useless - you can use them as a personal repair station but beyond that they are only for the most patient. I took mine to the ends of the galaxy and back twice and the mechanics for long distance travel are tear jerkingly frustrating.

    Most other things are functional but wrapped around a severe mission or gathering grind and when I say severe I mean I have been playing HEAVILY for 9 months and I am only mid-game for combat with enough cash to buy 1 or 2 ships.

    In terms of bugs ... well I just lost a quest that took me 12 hours to complete and capital ships routinely dump players in the middle of nowhere mid-flight and have to double back for them.    … Expand
  9. CoreGamer1408
    May 23, 2020
    6
    The graphics and effects didn't impress. Yes I get why MMO games do have this visual downgrade due to online player base numbers. However Indie No Man's Sky just looks better with it's distinctive style. While old PC games like XR3 2005 and X3TC 2008 models and effects look better than this 2014 ED release.

    I just find it hard to be impressed by space trader/dogfighting games anymore    The graphics and effects didn't impress. Yes I get why MMO games do have this visual downgrade due to online player base numbers. However Indie No Man's Sky just looks better with it's distinctive style. While old PC games like XR3 2005 and X3TC 2008 models and effects look better than this 2014 ED release.

    I just find it hard to be impressed by space trader/dogfighting games anymore after playing so many. You can only do so much with this format for sure. The UI and controls no complaints. The overall presentation is very sleek and polished. The in game encyclopedia explains the mechanics, systems and game universe in digestible bites.

    Looking for a slow paced long form game and never played a game of this format? I would say go for it for sure. This is as accessible as they come in this genre.    … Expand
  10. HappySpaceInvad
    Nov 5, 2017
    6
    One of the major problems with Elite Dangerous, in 2017, is that we have now seen far more realistic depictions of space in the media and popular entertainment... such that the graphics (and physics) of Elite Dangerous look horribly dated.

    You won't see a black hole like the one in Interstellar, complete with acretion disc. You will see stars and planets unfeasibly close together, with    One of the major problems with Elite Dangerous, in 2017, is that we have now seen far more realistic depictions of space in the media and popular entertainment... such that the graphics (and physics) of Elite Dangerous look horribly dated.

    You won't see a black hole like the one in Interstellar, complete with acretion disc. You will see stars and planets unfeasibly close together, with absolutely no matter transferring between them (as per the introduction to Star Trek Discovery). You won't even see a realistic depiction of Earth - it's not aligned properly on its axis, and hours of daylight seem to be opposite to the in-game UCT clock. And countries are a blurry and unrecognisable mess.

    There's a lot of smoke & mirrors too... particularly loading screens trying desperately to pretend they're not loading screens. You've probably not realised most of them... but when you do, they become annoying and 4th-wall-breaking. At this point, I could really spoil elements of the game in a big way for you, but I'm going to hold back and let you discover them for yourself.

    So, with scant visual rewards to speak of, you're left with the gameplay, which falls into two categories:

    1. Dogfights
    2. Tedious Delivery Missions

    If you don't have the appetite or skills for #1, I've got bad news for you: this is what the game tries to push on you at every opportunity. This is a combat-focussed game, make no mistake. All of the major story points and community missions require combat. 9 times out of 10, ranking missions also mandate combat. While attempting to play the game in a peacful fashion, you will be pulled out of SuperCruise ("interdicted") by an NPC who wants to fight you, you will be approached while mining by someone who wants to fight you.

    So, to get the most out of Elite Dangerous, you have to be up for dogfighting... not in the fun sense of space battles, but tedious technical flight-sim dogfighting (turn, rotate, pull up to get enemy in sights, fire, repeat). Seriously... just go onto You Tube and look at some of the dogfighting tutorials people have put up. If that floats your boat... then go for it.

    So, I don't hate the game, and I did get a good number of hours out of it... but it's not a sim, and it's not as immersive as I'd hoped.    … Expand
  11. ChumaGG
    Nov 20, 2020
    5
    Este juego debe ser el simulador de naves espaciales más completo que he visto, sin embargo la curva de dificultad es tan grande, los tutoriales tan malos y la configuración de controles personalizados tan compleja que simplemente no vale la pena perder el tiempo para aprendiendo a jugar esto a menos que seas un fan muy hardcore del sci-fi.

    Ni siquiera tengo misiones, el juego no me da    Este juego debe ser el simulador de naves espaciales más completo que he visto, sin embargo la curva de dificultad es tan grande, los tutoriales tan malos y la configuración de controles personalizados tan compleja que simplemente no vale la pena perder el tiempo para aprendiendo a jugar esto a menos que seas un fan muy hardcore del sci-fi.

    Ni siquiera tengo misiones, el juego no me da NADA en las estaciones y acabo de perder una hora buscando una estación con misiones que hacer.

    en un punto libere por accidente la cámara de cabina (fantástico ahora no puedo pilotar) y tarde 15 min en regresar a la normalidad y ni siquiera se como lo hice.

    por si fuera poco ni siquiera pude escanear un pedazo de metal en medio del espacio (que me encontré buscando estaciones) por que para eso estaba en el modo de cabina incorrecto ¿y cuando me dijeron que había más modos de cabina? y para cambiarlo hay me asignarle una tecla, lo cual no sería nada del otro mundo si la asignación de controles personalizados no fuera tan complicada.

    en resumen este juego es solo frustrante y una pérdida de tiempo.    … Expand
  12. blaze787
    Jul 25, 2020
    7
    Elite: Dangerous is a space sim that allows you to trade, explore, or engage in combat as you see fit and make progress (I won't exactly say "meaningful" progress) in any or all of the three. There are about 38 ships to choose from that vary by cost, and in some cases, other unlock requirements and allow a lot of customizability. Some ships are more suited to exploration, some to trading,Elite: Dangerous is a space sim that allows you to trade, explore, or engage in combat as you see fit and make progress (I won't exactly say "meaningful" progress) in any or all of the three. There are about 38 ships to choose from that vary by cost, and in some cases, other unlock requirements and allow a lot of customizability. Some ships are more suited to exploration, some to trading, and others to combat, while still others are great (but not the best) at all three. Due to the variety of tasks that you can perform, the game can get quite addictive as you spend "just one more hour" to try something else.

    While the game has a lot of breadth, it doesn't have a whole lot of depth. There isn't much of a story to speak of (you'll have to dig for the lore in the form of text or audio logs) and definitely no campaign mode. The game is a sandbox where the galaxy is your playground and you make of it what you will. This in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, the learning curve is steep. Very little is explained in-game and you'll find yourself heading to Google or YouTube quite often in an attempt to figure things out.

    You can either play in Open with other players or Solo, and herein lies the biggest drawback. Once you leave the starter areas, you'll have players in fully decked out ships that are bent on your destruction just for the fun of it. There is no Open PVE server. If you wanna play with others, be prepared to get ganked by experienced players. If you play Solo, you won't have to deal with that annoyance, but you'll be alone. The alternative is to join a Private Group where only you and other like-minded players can have fun, but then the game doesn't feel like a true MMO. If you like the idea of open PVP with ganking, the game may work for you, but these days, you'll still need a fully "engineered" ship. To put it simply, Engineering is the process of upgrading various aspects of your ship to make it a lot more powerful than it is by default. This process is a tremendous grind and not fun at all. It is tedious and will take you a long time. Die-hard fans will attempt to shoot me down for this, but that's no concern of mine. It is what it is, and as a potential new player considering purchasing this game, you deserve to know the facts.

    In my opinion, an Open PVE server will solve this problem and make the game a lot more playable, perhaps even increasing the game's fanbase as more people get to cooperate and socialize with others. Until then, the game is going to remain very restricted. A lot of players did return to try out Fleet Carriers, which are the newest addition. But there's no guarantee that most of them will actually stay once the novelty wears off. So in the end, is the game worth it? It definitely has potential. But Engineering is mind-numbing and Open PVP is a substantial deterrent for many. Those are good reasons not to waste your money.    … Expand
  13. valerich
    Dec 15, 2020
    6
    1. Menu is slow
    2. There is a lot of grind in the game
    3. Fdev, trying to introduce ballang, added another grind - earnings of credits, which in fact did not exist before 4. Fdev, it seems to me, ignores comments on the game that do not fit into their idea of its development 5. To play more or less comfortably, the use of third-party services is required, the game provides little    1. Menu is slow
    2. There is a lot of grind in the game
    3. Fdev, trying to introduce ballang, added another grind - earnings of credits, which in fact did not exist before
    4. Fdev, it seems to me, ignores comments on the game that do not fit into their idea of its development
    5. To play more or less comfortably, the use of third-party services is required, the game provides little information about itself
    6. Это песочница, в игре нет по сути игрового процесса, игра вам не помогает не награждает вас, а только наказывает    … Expand
  14. Yojimbo2015
    Jan 25, 2023
    7
    To those who obsessively explored the vector-graphic galaxy in the 1980's, Elite: Dangerous is an exercise in pure nostagia and comes resplendent with the visuals that were left to the imagination back in the day. The sandbox-style gameplay echoes the original but in today's world it feels a little lacking in narrative momentum and the punishment for death or law-breaking is far tooTo those who obsessively explored the vector-graphic galaxy in the 1980's, Elite: Dangerous is an exercise in pure nostagia and comes resplendent with the visuals that were left to the imagination back in the day. The sandbox-style gameplay echoes the original but in today's world it feels a little lacking in narrative momentum and the punishment for death or law-breaking is far too lenient making it feel a little too much like a constant exercise in level-grinding. But it's incredibly immersive if the idea of space tourism appeals to you.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Best PS4 Game of 2017
62
#62 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
70
#70 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Feb 8, 2018
    60
    For every moment awed in the presence of a monumental celestial body, there are ten in which you’re lonely, humbled, and really quite bored. [October 2017, p79]
  2. Cubed3
    Dec 12, 2017
    60
    Elite: Dangerous feels a bit like a lifestyle choice, honestly. Getting good at piloting and traversing this universe takes almost as long as a full length game in and of itself. For those who endure, there's some exciting things happening in space, but for the rest, the price might be too high. This is clearly an example of a niche game, a remarkably thorough space sim that requires patience and tenacity to unearth its many secrets. It also requires caring about the universe you're in, and that can often be difficult to do after extended periods of time fighting with the game itself, whether it be through the controls or long stretches of nothing happening. As Carl Sagan once said, though: "The universe seems neither benign nor hostile; merely indifferent."
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Sep 25, 2017
    85
    If the PS4 edition is you first contact with Elite, you’re in for a treat, as you receive a game that has been evolving for almost 3 years (but hasn’t aged a bit!) along with Horizons expansion. [09/2017, p.30]
See all critic reviews »