Where there’s never a final frontier
It’s hard to accurately convey what a game-changing, mind-blowing experience it was when Firebird’s intergalactic, space-trading adventure Elite first hit home computers back in 1984. It wouldn’t be amiss to compare it to the 2001 launch of Grand Theft Auto III, as Elite – for the first time – opened up the linear worlds of gaming’s formative years, and instead of telling the player what to do, asked “What do you want to do?”
It’s a mentality that is alive and well today in the form of Frontier’s Elite Dangerous, which retains the exploratory instincts, and deep, open-ended gameplay of the original series, now dressed up in enticing and atmospheric modern-day visuals and sound. Since its initial launch in 2014, Elite Dangerous has grown into an epic inter-planetary adventure, hooking in new players with each passing update and offering endless hours of adventure.
If you are yet to blast off into the great unknown yourself, then next week could provide the perfect opportunity, as the base edition of Elite Dangerous will be given away gratis on PC via Epic Games Store. From November 19 through November 26, all you need do is log in to your EGS account and pick the game up, and you’re good to go.
Who knows? Your next all-night gaming obsession could be a mere week away.
