Elite Dangerous: Legendary Edition - PS4

Also known as: Elite Dangerous: Legendary Edition

Got packs, screens, info?
Requires: Network features
Also for: Xbox One, PC
Viewed: 3D First-person Genre:
Strategy: Trading
Combat Game: Space
Strategy: Combat
Media: Blu-Ray Arcade origin:No
Developer: Frontier Developments Soft. Co.: Frontier Developments
Publishers: Sold Out (GB)
Released: 27 Jun 2017 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 7+
Connectivity: Network play

Summary

The Milky Way is a really, really big place - small in comparison to some other galaxies, but from our limited perspective it might as well be infinite. In gaming nowhere is this more apparent than in Elite Dangerous.

The result of a wildly successful crowd-funding endeavour, Elite Dangerous enables players to explore, trade and fight in a vast galaxy. These are the three pillars that gameplay is built upon and they are all approached through some rock-solid flight controls.

Visually the game is beautiful, without being overly flashy. Planets are varied in type, texture and size. Stars might cause your heart to skip when coming out of a jump only to find one directly before you, necessitating a sharp manouvre to avoid being vaporised. Ship models are lovingly crafted and detailed and for the most part look like functioning piece of machinery. There is a pleasing industrial elegance that harkens back to the simple silhouettes of the original Elite.

Sound design has some stand-out effects such as the slow cracking of a cockpit's glass moments before it is destroyed, leaving you with precious little oxygen to make it back to a station for repair. There is also the ticking noise of heat expansion in metal as you use an afterburning to chase down a ship trying to evade your attention. And then there are the eerie celestial whisperings as you pass through hyperspace.

Combat comes in three flavours. The first is fighting low-ranked pirates, common encounters and generally only last a few minutes as you whittle away at their basic defences, usually scoring you a small prize in bounties to claim.

Next there are Assassination missions. These are against single targets who are much better armed and will absolutely wreck you if you let them get in to a position behind you or with a direct line of sight on your cockpit. Much tougher, but they also award larger prizes.

Finally there are encounters with real people - other players determined to kill other players. They are unpredictable to say the least!

Exploration is both daunting and highly relaxing. There are wonders out there to discover and things gets increasingly interesting as you get towards the galactic core.

Trading is your bread-and-butter for money making. Every station has its own needs that are dynamically generated as items are used up and others produced. This means that bulk trading of food, industrial goods and consumer items generates a steady trickle of income, while rare items will be hard-won but will earn you the big bucks.

With this Legendary Edition you not only get the core game and 1000 frontier points to spend as you see fit - it also comes with the Horizons Season Pass, giving you access to a bevvy of additional content that includes the option to land on planets.