I have been a fan of the Elite series going back to the 1984 original. The follow ups to that were a bit buggy but still enjoyable, and I waited (very) patiently for another Elite for many years after that.

Elite: Dangerous certainly doesn't lack for ambition (the same can be said for the previous incarnations if you consider the technology and games around at the time), it is simply massive in scale. If you are someone who has a facination with the stars and what might be out there, then I think this game is ideal for feeding the imagination for something we will never get to do for real in our lifetimes. It looks stunning, and with the attention put into the Stellar Forge simulation (which uses lots of complex sciency stuff to try and give an idea of what actually might be out there in our galaxy) mixed with real data from discovered stars, if you allow yourself to be immersed into the game then it can be a beautiful experience.

As for the gameplay itself, I really like the flight model they have gone with. It is more akin to the original Elite game, where you would roll and turn to find your target, as opposed to the follow up Elite games which tried to use a newtonian method, but just ended up being a case of space lancing as you whizzed back and forth past your target, taking pot shots, which turned out to not be as much fun. As so with fun in mind, Frontier decided to reduce how fast you can yaw when compared to the other axis, which brings back more of the feel of the first game, but then with the addition of vertical and lateral thrusters, it doesn't make landing on the iconic Coriolis space stations so painful.

The game keeps many of the core elements of the previous games, namely commodity trading, mining, combat, missions and ship upgrades, and adds exploration into that mix. I feel that the missions don't feel anywhere as interesting as I remember them in First Encounters, but then my favourite part of that was following the story driven missions which are not part of this game, presumably due to the multiplayer nature of it. Frontier have said they aim to expand the mission set, and will hopefully add in missions that have more than one part in the future.

Commodity trading is basically what it sounds like, moving cargo from one destination to another for a profit, which is the staple mechanic for all Elite games. Some people find this boring, and it can be a bit of a grind fest if you let it, but mixed in with other activities and it can be quite rewarding to find a decent trade route and get that next ship upgrade. Likewise, exploration might not be everybodies cup of tea, but there are some fascinating places to aim for and explore.

I think the combat is the most fun element to the game, and just like the old days of XWing vs Tie fighter, being sat in the middle of a furball, with lasers and missiles buzzing all around you, and a large capital ship in the middle to dodge and weave around can allow you to really get lost in the game. Also I am very much looking forward to the CQC update coming in 1.4, which basically throws you into an all vs all arena to battle it out in small versatile ships.

The soundscape to this game is very well thought out, and very subtle where it needs to be, it certainly impressed me more and more as I found out about how they use sound throughout the game, and the ship sounds are really amazing.

I would suggest getting a joystick to play it. It can be played with mouse&kb or a gamepad, and many people are happy to play it that way (apparently the way they have done the control scheme for the xbox works really well), but I play this with a Saitek X55 and I just couldn't imagine getting quite the same enjoyment out of it without a joystick. I also have a Track-IR head tracking system (there are other cheaper alternatives out there that work just as well), and this is also something I now feel that I can't play the game without. (Until I get a device such as the Oculus Rift anyway :D)

Fortunately I got in at the Premium Beta stage, which means that I have already paid for all future expansions, and one downside I have seen, is that I think the price they have set for the next expansion 'Horizons' seems a bit much to me. We have yet to see what content this brings after the Planetary Landings, but I would have liked to have seen this nearer the £20 mark, especially as there are more expansions to come, which could really bring the price of the overall game up quite high.

Also, I have only recently converted my game over to steam, which is why my hours played is quite low.

I have been a fan of the Elite series going back to the 1984 original. The follow ups to that were a bit buggy but still enjoyable, and I waited (very) patiently for another Elite for many years after that. Elite: Dangerous certainly doesn't lack for ambition (the same can be said for the previous incarnations if you consider the technology and games around at the time), it is simply massive in scale. If you are someone who has a facination with the stars and what might be out there, then I think this game is ideal for feeding the imagination for something we will never get to do for real in our lifetimes. It looks stunning, and with the attention put into the Stellar Forge simulation (which uses lots of complex sciency stuff to try and give an idea of what actually might be out there in our galaxy) mixed with real data from discovered stars, if you allow yourself to be immersed into the game then it can be a beautiful experience. As for the gameplay itself, I really like the flight model they have gone with. It is more akin to the original Elite game, where you would roll and turn to find your target, as opposed to the follow up Elite games which tried to use a newtonian method, but just ended up being a case of space lancing as you whizzed back and forth past your target, taking pot shots, which turned out to not be as much fun. As so with fun in mind, Frontier decided to reduce how fast you can yaw when compared to the other axis, which brings back more of the feel of the first game, but then with the addition of vertical and lateral thrusters, it doesn't make landing on the iconic Coriolis space stations so painful. The game keeps many of the core elements of the previous games, namely commodity trading, mining, combat, missions and ship upgrades, and adds exploration into that mix. I feel that the missions don't feel anywhere as interesting as I remember them in First Encounters, but then my favourite part of that was following the story driven missions which are not part of this game, presumably due to the multiplayer nature of it. Frontier have said they aim to expand the mission set, and will hopefully add in missions that have more than one part in the future. Commodity trading is basically what it sounds like, moving cargo from one destination to another for a profit, which is the staple mechanic for all Elite games. Some people find this boring, and it can be a bit of a grind fest if you let it, but mixed in with other activities and it can be quite rewarding to find a decent trade route and get that next ship upgrade. Likewise, exploration might not be everybodies cup of tea, but there are some fascinating places to aim for and explore. I think the combat is the most fun element to the game, and just like the old days of XWing vs Tie fighter, being sat in the middle of a furball, with lasers and missiles buzzing all around you, and a large capital ship in the middle to dodge and weave around can allow you to really get lost in the game. Also I am very much looking forward to the CQC update coming in 1.4, which basically throws you into an all vs all arena to battle it out in small versatile ships. The soundscape to this game is very well thought out, and very subtle where it needs to be, it certainly impressed me more and more as I found out about how they use sound throughout the game, and the ship sounds are really amazing. I would suggest getting a joystick to play it. It can be played with mouse&kb or a gamepad, and many people are happy to play it that way (apparently the way they have done the control scheme for the xbox works really well), but I play this with a Saitek X55 and I just couldn't imagine getting quite the same enjoyment out of it without a joystick. I also have a Track-IR head tracking system (there are other cheaper alternatives out there that work just as well), and this is also something I now feel that I can't play the game without. (Until I get a device such as the Oculus Rift anyway :D) Fortunately I got in at the Premium Beta stage, which means that I have already paid for all future expansions, and one downside I have seen, is that I think the price they have set for the next expansion 'Horizons' seems a bit much to me. We have yet to see what content this brings after the Planetary Landings, but I would have liked to have seen this nearer the £20 mark, especially as there are more expansions to come, which could really bring the price of the overall game up quite high. Also, I have only recently converted my game over to steam, which is why my hours played is quite low.