Recent reviews by Its Bandwidth

It's early access. Don't buy a game based on promises. But as long as you're aware and comfortable knowing that you're buying into an incomplete game, it's worth it.

I'm just here to leave a bad review for all the reasons specified by everyone else. No need to repeat what's already been said.

It's been long overdue for a review of this game from myself. I intended to write one much earlier, but at least I'm here now.

TL;DR :: Yes, get it. Graphics are good (No star citizen, but good) and the audio is absolutely great. The attention to detail there is amazing. The game isn't very deep, but they are working on it. The Grind is there, but it's to be expected. Controls aren't easy so don't get discouraged. Overall, the game is great, it does need a bit of additional work but I think the devs could do it. Final verdict, yes.

Alright, the FULL REVIEW:


Alright, what does elite do well?


For starters it's attention to detail is crazy. Sure, maybe the graphics aren't Star Citizen standards, but you feel like your in a spaceship (Especially with VR). The sound design isn't given much recognition, but it's incredible. Each ship has it's own noise which can be heard inside and outside the ship. The COVAS voice echo slightly with ships with larger bridges.

Secondly, the graphics. Sure, they aren't star citizen standards, but they are quite good and shouldn't put too much on your PC. I find that this game also works exceptionally well with Synthwave music. With the graphics improvements done earlier in the year, this game is quite beautiful. If you search up any screenshots, I can assure you that they'll look good. I also recommend watching NotOnlyHere on youtube, they make some really nice cinematic content.

The learning Curve. Yeah, I know, it's a big one. Some may call it a learning wall or cliff. But, let me tell you something. You know the feeling once you've mastered a game? Once you know the quirks and how to play it to it's full potential? Ya, Elite is like that. Flying a spaceship is hard (duh), but once you have it down, you can do so much more than if the devs decided to make the controls easier. The ship itself has many options and there are more keybinds than keys on a keyboard (But you won't need them all, just showing that you can REALLY have control over every specific thing)

Creativity. Their are something like 30+ ships in Elite dangerous, but that's not it. Each one can do everything elite has to offer, but not every ship is the best choice for the job. Now what I mean by that is you can take a ship designed for combat and outfit it to do exploring (If you haven't bought the game yet, those two are complete opposites). Each ship has a number of internal slots that you can fill with WHATEVER YOU WANT. With engineering, you can even modify parts from their original state (although, you have to have the horizons expansion). Each ship can be fully customized to what you want it to be.

Pay to win. There is none of it... kinda. The horizons expansion gives you access to engineers who can boost your ship beyond it's fully upgraded tier, but unless you are doing PvP, it won't affect you. Plus, the Horizons expansion is highly recommended if you want to enjoy this game to it's full potential. The only other currency you can purchase if only for cosmetics. And, with the new ARX update, the currency can be earned in-game (Although, it's quite slow)

Multiplayer. Okay, sometimes, it's laggy and the voice comms don't work. However, that's not what I'm talking about. The fun you can have with people is much more than by yourself. If you are going to get his game, find people to play with. I highly recommend it


Now, what does Elite do badly?


The depth. The only thing I'm ever working toward is the next ship up the line. Many would say that this game is a mile wide, but an inch deep. Over the past years of constant updates, the world has gotten deeper. There are more thing to do than before, and it's easier to begin doing them, but it stills like something's missing. At least, for me.

The grind. It's an MMO, so it's expected. However, the only thing to work toward is the next better ship or upgrading your own. The ships and upgrades get exponentially higher. I'd just like to work toward something else other than my ship. I think PowerPlay might do that for me, but it's just a confusing topic in general to talk about. Either way, the grind is there, and will always be there throughout your gameplay. Just expect it.

The learning Curve. Okay, I know I talked about this earlier, but it's a good thing and a bad one. I've known many players who've quit after their first couple of hours due to the difficulty of controlling their ship. Myself included. Frontier has improved the tutorials greatly from what they once were, but just searching on twitch, players still struggle with a lot of things. My advice, don't get discouraged. This game has amazing things to offer and you'll get through it. If you can connect with other people who've played the game, do so, they'll help.


Okay, these things are neither bad nor good. I just want to share some things. Make of them what you will.


The controls. I've tried almost everything (Aside from a controller as in PS or Xbox). I can say, you don't need to go out and buy a HOTAS (Hands on throttle and stick) or VR or a controller, the keyboard works great. I actually still prefer it over my HOTAS. Elite has many keybinds that are required to fly the ship correctly, so a controller probably won't be your best option. You can try, but you'll end up having keybinds set to when you push multiple buttons at the same time or use some other input device to activate certain commands.

You can't... move. You are suck in that commanders chair. It's not bad, the game works perfectly well and it makes VR even more convincing. I'd just like to get up and walk around, but I think that's most of the playerbase.

On and off. I know this is the case for one other player, but it's just us two that I know of. I can play and get really into it for a week or two, but then I sorta lay it off. Then, I get really back into it, and then I lay it off again. This may not be the case for you, and if may not even assist you in making your purchase, but it's just something I wanted to share. And that's why it's in this section of my review.

Horizons. I'd say it's pretty much a requirement if you want to enjoy this game to it's fullest, although it's possible not to. It's something like an extra $20. The devs tried a "paid update season pass" thingy and then decided it wasn't where they want Elite to go, so all the other updates are free, but this one still costs money. It's not a requirement, you can still have a load of fun, but Horizons will let you do things that multiply your fun with friends. I recommend getting it, but if you are on the rocks about this game, get the regular version first. Try it out, see if you like it, then get Horizons.



Finally, yes, get this game. It's still being constantly updated and we're due for a big one soon. Who knows, maybe we'll finally be able to walk around. One piece of advice I can give you is don't get discouraged. I did, but then I came back, and it's become something amazing. If you don't quit it'll pay off.

I hope this review has helped you in your purchase. Enjoy your game, or don't. The choice is yours.

-- Somewhat

I love where this game is going. You can be creative and thats what I like. I also like the workshop, the people there are so creative and original. You are able to post creations that you've made there as well as download them. overall this game is great. If I could make this game better, I would add a muliplayer feature.