For a space simulation, I liked Elite Dangerous. For the most part, I really felt like I was out in the vast reaches of space, and since that's all the game sets out to accomplish, I think the game is a success.

The game is very well optimized. The graphics are beautiful without tanking your machine, and the galaxy is quite large (over 400B star systems, reportedly - and it seems to earn those bragging rights). The game very much made me feel incredibly small and insignificant compared to those giant celestial bodies that litter the void.

There's a learning curve, of course, and it primarily has to do with controlling your ship. My best advice is to buy a cheap HOTAS flight control system. This will make your experience infinitely more enjoyable. Aside from that, it takes a while to learn the way of the galaxy, as you're just dropped into the galaxy and told, in no uncertain terms, "Do whatever you want."

And you can certainly do that.

I spent a lot of time mining. I'm not very competitive, so I enjoyed the relaxing nature of mining asteroids to make money for myself. If I fancy it, I can take another ship around a few star systems, hauling freight around to make credits. I've hunted targets as a bounty hunter a few times just to experience the combat, though I didn't dive too much into it to tell how the combat fares. Suffice to say that all-out firefights are dangerous in this game. I like exploring, as there are a lot of things to see, though your ability to interact with the galaxy is very limited out in the far reaches of space. About the only thing you can do is scan stuff and look at them through your cockpit window. And for me, one blue star is the same as the next, though plotting far-off adventures and coming to the end of them after hours of travel is pretty intoxicating. I just wish there was a little more there to keep me excited about that particular supergiant I made it to. Instead, I often look at it, check it off my bucket list, and move on to the next one, quickly forgetting that it existed.

The game has a reputation system unlike anything I've seen before. Each star system is run by several factions, with one faction having a majority of control over the system. This faction's ideals influence how business and security is run, and each faction is usually backed by one of the three major superpowers of the galaxy. I feel like, after 300 hours of gameplay, I would have understood more of the politics behind the scenes, but as I didn't throw myself into that part of the game, I haven't actually learned much. This seems to be a part of the game you'll have to actively pursue in order to grasp just how it works. For me, I was an independent pilot running around doing jobs for people but pledging allegiance to no one, and so I was neither benefited nor threatened by the politics of the game. Still sounds intriguing, though, so that's another avenue of play I'll pursue in the future.

This is one of the parts of the game that both shines and falls short. There's so much to do in the game that you can spend so many hours exploring them all. That alone will pay for the game, DLC, and a cheap HOTAS. However, I feel like I play this game a few hours a week at most, and each time I'm left unfulfilled. I merely flitted through the galaxy, improving my own bank account, but for what purpose? I can buy any ship I want, I care nothing for the politics, and exploring can get a little boring and lonely after a while.

I want to try reaching out to the community and getting involved that way. I've logged almost 300 hours into the game, though, and I am starting to wonder if perhaps this is where it ends. I can definitely recommend this game to anyone interested in space and space travel, though will be quick to say that the fun does have an expiration date for me, and possibly for you. Though, I believe it was all worth it in the end.

For a space simulation, I liked Elite Dangerous. For the most part, I really felt like I was out in the vast reaches of space, and since that's all the game sets out to accomplish, I think the game is a success. The game is very well optimized. The graphics are beautiful without tanking your machine, and the galaxy is quite large (over 400B star systems, reportedly - and it seems to earn those bragging rights). The game very much made me feel incredibly small and insignificant compared to those giant celestial bodies that litter the void. There's a learning curve, of course, and it primarily has to do with controlling your ship. My best advice is to buy a cheap HOTAS flight control system. This will make your experience infinitely more enjoyable. Aside from that, it takes a while to learn the way of the galaxy, as you're just dropped into the galaxy and told, in no uncertain terms, "Do whatever you want." And you can certainly do that. I spent a lot of time mining. I'm not very competitive, so I enjoyed the relaxing nature of mining asteroids to make money for myself. If I fancy it, I can take another ship around a few star systems, hauling freight around to make credits. I've hunted targets as a bounty hunter a few times just to experience the combat, though I didn't dive too much into it to tell how the combat fares. Suffice to say that all-out firefights are dangerous in this game. I like exploring, as there are a lot of things to see, though your ability to interact with the galaxy is very limited out in the far reaches of space. About the only thing you can do is scan stuff and look at them through your cockpit window. And for me, one blue star is the same as the next, though plotting far-off adventures and coming to the end of them after hours of travel is pretty intoxicating. I just wish there was a little more there to keep me excited about that particular supergiant I made it to. Instead, I often look at it, check it off my bucket list, and move on to the next one, quickly forgetting that it existed. The game has a reputation system unlike anything I've seen before. Each star system is run by several factions, with one faction having a majority of control over the system. This faction's ideals influence how business and security is run, and each faction is usually backed by one of the three major superpowers of the galaxy. I feel like, after 300 hours of gameplay, I would have understood more of the politics behind the scenes, but as I didn't throw myself into that part of the game, I haven't actually learned much. This seems to be a part of the game you'll have to actively pursue in order to grasp just how it works. For me, I was an independent pilot running around doing jobs for people but pledging allegiance to no one, and so I was neither benefited nor threatened by the politics of the game. Still sounds intriguing, though, so that's another avenue of play I'll pursue in the future. This is one of the parts of the game that both shines and falls short. There's so much to do in the game that you can spend so many hours exploring them all. That alone will pay for the game, DLC, and a cheap HOTAS. However, I feel like I play this game a few hours a week at most, and each time I'm left unfulfilled. I merely flitted through the galaxy, improving my own bank account, but for what purpose? I can buy any ship I want, I care nothing for the politics, and exploring can get a little boring and lonely after a while. I want to try reaching out to the community and getting involved that way. I've logged almost 300 hours into the game, though, and I am starting to wonder if perhaps this is where it ends. I can definitely recommend this game to anyone interested in space and space travel, though will be quick to say that the fun does have an expiration date for me, and possibly for you. Though, I believe it was all worth it in the end.