It's on Steam and written by Symbyosys. Take the time to read this review all the way through.
I know it's very positive about the game, but it also covers the criticisms people have. The best review I have ever read for this game.
Take a moment to give it a thumbs up on Steam if you liked it
So, this game, guys. This game is very special. There are a lot of opinions about it. There are many people that play this a lot, yet at the same time have a lot of complaints. Serious gamers that have played 1000+ hours have negative reviews up.
Some of these folks trash this game to high heaven online yet fire it up every day. They do that because, despite the issues they have with it, they love it. They love serious games. They love space sims. They complain about it with good reason. They want it to be better. The truth is, this game has grand potential, but is already a massive, lumbering giant. It has delivered on promises that no other game has even bothered to attempt. The ones that have promised the features that Elite already has have failed (they shall not be named), or are in development (Star Citizen).
If you're a guy like me, that has been gaming since the 80's, that is passionate about games as a hobby or maybe something more. You have a real life and a real job, you don't post online much, you don't care to involve yourself in mudslinging on the 'net, but just want to play a great game. Listen. Check this thing out.
This game is The Game of Games. I don't mean it is a collection of mini-games. Although, some would argue that. When you get an attempt to pull you out of warp. When you land at a base. When you're collecting salvage in space. When you're mining. When you're scanning planets. When you're scanning ship wakes. When you're dogfighting. When you're comparing trade prices. When you're comparing ships or modules. When you're managing your power distribution. When you're approaching your warp destination. Etc...
Except, look. The common criticism is that old chestnut "mile wide and inch deep". I seriously disagree with that. Do you want play a game as Mal Reynolds or Han Solo? Many games claim "be the next Han Solo". THIS GAME DOES THAT. And it does it better than anything else on the market. Flying your ship feels so good. Everything that surrounds that adds to the experience that you are a lone and powerless privateer in space. You can align with anyone you wish or no one at all. You can be a legit merchant or smuggle under the radar. And everything in between.
Another criticism is the game is "grindy". Well, if you want to farm faction rep or keep incrementing your credits and play the game like you're at a casino, sure it is. This game is an MMO. It doesn't really feel like it at first, but it qualifies as one. People will play it like an MMO, then complain about their MMO experience. Any game with no definite start or end has grinding. You watch the numbers go up. Look, this game is about the experience. It's about the sound of your engine whirring down, it's about feeling the pull of the star as you pop out of hyperspace, it's about the reflection of that giant moon in the grit on your windshield. You can play it however you want. It accomodates you no matter what you decide to do. It has a steep learning curve. It doesn't treat you like a baby. There are a lot of fantastic videos and a vibrant community that is ever-growing. Half the fun of this game is the discovery and the other half is the space privateer experience. You're the Cmdr. This is a game about piloting your own ship in a vast uncaring society, in an even vaster? uncaring galaxy. It's not about doing guild accounting like EVE, or leveling up RPG-style.
The game tries to give you an accurate, to-scale representation of the Milky Way. And well, it succeeds. There is a Galaxy Map in this game. You are a smart person that can at least understand how big our galaxy is. But you need to look at this map, you need to zoom in and out. It will make you go "wooooooow". (Maybe more of a Tim & Eric "bbwwwaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh"). Every time. It still does for me.
Your ship can only jump a few light years at a time. Sometimes, to get to a destination, you'll have to make a few jumps. Do some space truckin'. This can get boring. You don't really have to. The game itself doesn't make you. But you probably should at some point. You're gonna be cruisin' on a space highway. You're gonna pop out next to a white dwarf and really need to pull up and get out of the way before you overheat and/or get too close to the pull and yank you out into normal space. This space truckin' part of the game is par for the course when you have a GALAXY-SCALE area you can travel. Journeys to the center of the galaxy have been pretty well-documented, even if the collective population of players hasn't even discovered a dent of what's out there.
This game is full of moments you make on your own. Full of "emergent storytelling" that I have shared with friends on more than one occaision. That's what makes this interesting. Narrowly avoiding federal scans and evading their grasp by a hair on that tough, pirate-wrought run. Finding yourself dogfighting in the ice chunks of a massive ring around a gas giant in a triple-star system. The game is what you make of it.
Elite is a game that does a little of everything you could ask for in a space sim set 1,300 years or so in the future. It's not perfect. But it's damn near close. It will keep approaching that limit. Again....there has never been another game like it.
Now, I don't know if the game has more unique stars & planets in it than what I've seen. It has a lot, but I don't think it has quasars, pulsars, etc. But I haven't gone very far. You can land on planets. Most are just rocky bodies. Don't get me wrong, the galaxy is already full of amazing destinations and vistas. Later on, Frontier will add the ability to rove around on Earth-like planets, Venus-like, etc. The galaxy will constantly be added to and reworked. And, stuff like multi-crew ships, and aliens? are coming. Alien wrecks have already been found. Interesting. Ya.
This is a game in living development. It has seriously improved since initial release it countless ways. It is NOT an Early Access title. Far from it. Frontier Developments is not a two-horse studio. They have a proven track record, with capitol behind them, and seriously passionate people. They love space sims. They also love roller coaster games. Hey, Planet Coaster will sell. If this enables them to achieve their dreams they have with Elite, I am all for that. They have long term plans for this game and they have already delivered on their roadmap.
My personal criticisms, that will be addressed sooner or later, is sometimes you have to go to external databases on the internet to get some info. I don't like leaving the game for this. That's always a bad look. Also, The bases, beautiful as they are, have little signs of life. We are led to believe most bases are a big hub of activity but right now they still appear a bit lifeless. Common criticism.
Elite is as relaxing and zen-like, as it is challenging and gut-wrenching. The presentation is second to none. This is not a game for everyone, but there is a certain appeal to it that even non-gamers can appreciate. This is a game for discerning adults. I'm not saying kids can't play it. But, it's for people that know what they want, and are looking for a deep experience even if they can't dump 1000 hours into a game. It doesn't really lend itself to playing it all the time every day, at least for me. But for a good chunk of hours every so often. This is the type of game that you could play for the rest of your life in small chunks. It will keep getting better all the time. It's not even my favorite game (it's up there). But...in some ways it's a little more than a game, if you're willing to take the plunge, it's the best "space experience" out there.
I know it's very positive about the game, but it also covers the criticisms people have. The best review I have ever read for this game.
Take a moment to give it a thumbs up on Steam if you liked it
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