Elite is one of those game franchises that has been around since the early days of gaming. It is also one of those gaming franchises that has always gone above and beyond the competition. Whether a good game was created during the process is up to the gamer themselves. What is guaranteed is tons of planets to explore and hundreds of hours of gameplay. Sounds like No Man’s Sky hyperbole, right? Well, Elite was first released in September 1984.

Elite let gamers live the space life

Being inspired by classics such as Battlestar Galactica and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Elite was grand in scale before starting. You are literally given freedom to live life in space with this franchise. Sure, that life opens a bit as you play – much like real life.

Want to be a good person and do good for others? Stick to legal means of earning a living such as mining asteroids and transporting cargo. Want to risk it all and earn potentially multitudes more money? Check out the illegal options available – piracy is rampant but deadly.

Elite gives you all the tools to live a space life however you like. Just remember, there are consequences for all choices.

Ambitious is not the word

Elite is, well, ambitious. It is huge. Each version of the original release has slight differences. The ZX Spectrum version features an exclusive mission, Supernova, not found anywhere else. The Commodore 64 version features creatures that are remarkably like Star Trek’s Tribbles.

All versions of the original game feature stars with one planet and a space station. That may not sound all that huge at first glance. You must consider the power of the hardware at the time. If you prefer something grander in scale, then check out Elite Dangerous or Starflight or Freelancer.

Then there are the fan ports of Elite to consider.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite space life game is.

Carl Williams

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