Elite Dangerous: The Dadliest of Dad Games

After a successful Kickstarter campaign that started in 2012, Frontier Developments released Elite: Dangerous on December 16th, 2014 for PCs everywhere. The newest iteration of the Elite game series promised greatly improved systems and graphics for the player to enjoy a fully fleshed-out universe. The game was to have procedurally generated content that would give players a sense of wonder and awe as they traveled the many galaxies in the in-game universe. (Looking back, Elite: Dangerous shared similar promises that Hello Game’s: No Man’s Sky had. But that will be a different review, I assure you.) Granted, procedural generation did help create the galaxy that Elite: Dangerous is set in, whilst also allowing real locations to be implemented.

It is now 2021 and most of the Xbox community is eagerly awaiting the release of Elite: Dangerous’s newest expansion known as Odyssey. Since its release, Elite has only seen one other major expansion called Horizons and a series of bigger updates that later introduced fleet carriers. It would be an understatement to say that the introduction of a first-person shooter mode wasn’t being looked forward to. Dubbed “space-legs” by the fanbase, it was promised way back during the initial Kickstarter campaign. Along with fauna and wildlife. So we will see whats comes later on in Odyssey and later expansions. So far all we have is planetary landings on empty planets. And don’t get me started about how well I think the SRV performs. (I would rather be driving the Mako from Mass Effect. The pre-Legendary edition!)

Whilst wildly different from the game it started as Elite: Dangerous is still making steps towards improving itself. This review will only reflect its pre-Odyssey state since I only play it on the Xbox. I did play it originally on the PC when it was released but jumped ship to play it on the Xbox when it released for the console in October of 2015. Partly because playing on a 75-inch screen is appealing. Most of you PC elites will cry out that I can do that with a computer, and you would be right. I just prefer the ease of the controller and not having to worry about graphical fidelity settings and whether my PC will run newer versions later down the road. Considering I have the new Xbox Series X, Elite has never run better!

Elite: Dangerous appeals greatly to me, but like most games, I used to only play so much of it before getting tired of it. Recently, it turns out that I am beginning to see it in a new light. I started playing Elite again this last February right before my firstborn came into this world. At the time it was a way of playing something less stressful than the many RPGs or Strategy games I am also completely enamored with. I didn’t have to focus so hard to play it, and that’s what began to appeal to me. I barely had to scratch the surface.

Before, when I played, I only dabbled in small bits of engineering and only focused on acquiring the Anaconda. (A large ship that in my mind was the best ship in the galaxy.) And I almost always restarted my file and started fresh each time I picked up the game again after several months or more. In this last session that I started in February, I have no intentions of deleting and restarting. That is because I have finally begun to dive into the deeper mechanics of the game.

Elite: Dangerous is a game that allows various avenues of success. Commanders have the opportunity of creating millions of trading commodities between stations, hunt pirates and collecting bounties, becoming pirates themselves, or even exploring the far reaches of the galaxy and selling data. Elite allows Commanders to play it their way, and that is a glorious thing. I, myself, am a space trucker. Trucking goods and passengers from one system to the other is how I consider an evening well spent. It is also part of the reason why I started the Galactic Transportation Union, an in-game Squadron that’s primary focus is trading or running passenger missions.

My style of playing is very lax considering everything there is to do in the game. As a father, I try to do as much as I can when there is downtime in my schedule. Since my daughter was born in March, I have spent every night staying up late waiting to feed her and put her back to sleep. And being a night owl, nothing seemed better than catching up on some video games in the meantime. One might look at the scenario as boring or stressful waiting up at night for the baby to wake up, but I relished the fact that now I had all this free time. During the day I work as a passenger train conductor, and I’m usually out of the house between ten and twelve hours a day dealing with nearly nine hundred or so people a day. So spending quiet time alone with my daughter and my dog is very welcome.

I usually have my Surface Pro set up with the games many external clients such as EDDB (the Elite Dangerous Database, INARA (a one-stop-shop Elite Dangerous toolbox and profile site where you can keep track of your statistics), or even the CMDRs Toolbox (a website with many helpful tutorials) while I play Elite on the TV. It is even a great way to watch Hulu or Netflix while I’m in a very lucrative trade loop. When my little girl wakes up, I usually dock at a station so I can go get her changed and prepare a bottle so I can feed her. With my Xbox Elite v.2 Controller, I can effectively keep playing Elite with one hand while I feed my baby with the other. A skill I am very grateful for. However, this does bring up some difficulties while playing.

Being interdicted and getting pulled from witch-space is a complete pain in one's ass when they can only use one hand. For the longest time, I used to play in open until very recently. After spending the first month of my daughter being born building and engineering the best trading Type-9 (a bulky space truck that flies like a house), I got pulled out of supercruise by another Commander. Normally, I am like, “Ok. You got me.” But this time was different. I had 40 million credits in cargo, a 10 million credit rebuy cost, a screaming baby in my arm, and a dog that needed to be let out. The last thing I needed was a wannabe Space-Pirate getting their jollies by blowing up a busy and stressed father. I don’t feel it would’ve bothered me as much if I knew that they wanted my cargo, but actual player pirates I feel are mostly griefing other players just because they can. Don’t get me wrong, that’s the price for playing in Open. However, at the time it isn’t what I needed to have happened to me that night.

I will play in Open again sometime once my little girl is sleeping longer through the night. Partly because that’s where I feel that Elite: Dangerous shines as a game. I love seeing other Commanders out in the black, at stations, or interacting with each other. This is what the game was designed around. A huge expansive galaxy in which thousands of players practically make their living in Elite as the most professional freelancers the game has to offer and interacting with or against each other. I breathe Open play and that’s where I feel I belong. But as a new father with a quickly changing lifestyle, I am currently playing Solo for the time being while I work on raising my family and engineering my Federal Corvette, The Bismarck.

I can practically continue on and on about Elite: Dangerous for almost forever. That would greatly impede the reason for this blog though. The rest is going to be a review of the current state of Elite: Dangerous for the Xbox version before Odyssey releases sometime in the Fall. I am hoping that Odyssey has most of the kinks worked out before it makes its way to consoles, but that would be unrealistic to believe that it will be completely perfect. This review will look at the typical aspects of the game, and top it off with the things that make the game appealing to dads everywhere. The scores will be out of 10, and the final score will be out of 100 for the big Giga Gamer Dad review. So let’s begin, shall we?

Story/Lore Review: 10/10

Elite: Dangerous takes place 1286 years after the present day. As one would guess, a lot has happened in that time. Most importantly, mankind has left Earth and started expanding into the farthest reaches of space. With that, the rise of political powers and factions. Each faction and power has its history that provides a backstory to the game. To the typical player, this rich and depth universal history doesn’t matter. However, it is there if anyone dives in to take a look. Examples include Aisling Duval being an ousted Princess that could have a claim to the Imperial Throne, or the Federations President Zachary Hudson who was almost entangled in a conspiracy against the Federation's former president. The lore and stories are there if one goes to look for it. And it spans hundreds of years to include mankind's first flight from Earth.

Gameplay Mechanics Review: 10/10

Elite: Dangerous wouldn’t be Elite without having something to strive for. In the game are ranks that you continue to work on advancing until you reach the rank of Elite. You can get Elite for trading, which is leveled up by a certain amount of profit made, combat for military prowess, or exploration for discovering things and selling data. There’s also a category for CQC, which is the game's strictly multiplayer combat mode. One in which see very little action, so I don’t know very many people that have achieved Elite for it. To be Elite in one, if not all of the categories is the goal of the game. However, what is considered endgame is different from person to person.

The engineering portion of the game is this game's RPG-like crafting system. The grind it takes to gather materials fits very well in the theme of the game. A difficult grind for a difficult game. Improving your ship and its modules provide its rewards though. It could allow your ship to jump further into space, or take on a lot more punishment in combat. Overall, the systems in place I feel are decently balanced. And the beauty of it all is that you don’t even have to do any of it. You can fly around in even the shittiest of ships and still enjoy the game.

Difficulty Review: 8/10

So here’s the thing. Elite: Dangerous isn’t a difficult game. What is difficult, however, is the learning curve in which it takes to learn how to play it. The tutorial is basic and only shows you enough to get going. The rest is up to the player to figure out on their own. Without the many external sources to help lookup the various questions I had, I may never have progressed deeper into engineering my ship. Partly because I would never have figured out how to do half the things I’ve managed to accomplish. As far as the A.I. go, they’re decently dangerous past the combat rank of competent if you’re not prepared. If you’re looking for a game with a challenge, this ones for you.

Graphics and Sound Review: 7/10

The graphics of Elite are superb for what they are. When I played Elite: Dangerous on my Xbox One X, I noticed some dips in framerate once in a blue moon, but not very often. The game always looked decent to me. Now that I am playing on my Series X though, I notice how much smoother it runs on my newer console. My TV has an HDR that makes Elite look crisp and less grainy than it had on the last-gen console. The frame rates improved in which I am mostly getting close to 120 frames a second. The only times I have seen it drop is when multiple things start to appear on screens such as multiple ships or asteroids when I’m at a high hazard zone trying to do some material mining in my Type-10 (another flying house, only armored this time.) Other than that, I feel the game looks amazing ninety percent of the time.

As far as sound, I feel the game lacks in this area. Each ship has its sound and feel, which is nice. The way my Federal Corvette hums when I increase the throttle makes my skin crawl with eagerness as I take it out hunting. That’s where my enthusiasm ends. When auto docking, The Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II is nearly the only music you will hear in the game other than minor ominous tones when you’re out in space. And this game even has a soundtrack that would be better suited for use as a lullaby album. Nothing even iconic as the Imperial March by John Williams or the soft notes of the Main Theme from Alien by Jerry Goldsmith. The least Frontier could have done is added tracks that changed from station to station.

Now I understand that I’m playing a game in space and it is quiet out there in the black. However, I’m sure someone would be able to hear me scream. I remember when Galnet was introduced and allowed you to listen to the news and happenings for the in-game universe. I was thrilled that it was something that added an immersive touch. However, now it is the droning of a woman I wouldn’t care to listen to. If it wasn’t for my external sources such as podcasts or TV, it would make this game dull and boring at times.

Controls Review: 8/10

Elite: Dangerous has the most customizable set of controls I have ever seen on a game. And I’ve played Mechwarrior and Iron Brigade in the past! Of course, though that is a downfall in the eyes of a newcomer. The control learning curve is steep and can be very intimidating for new players that may have wanted a casual flight sim. This also in turn is one of its strengths as well. For veteran players like myself, being able to map out my controls allows me to tailor the experience for my playstyle. I’m sure that those that have played Elite on the Xbox for any amount of time have gone into the controller menu and have mapped out something to work for them.

The Xbox also is compatible with the Hotas Flight-Stick from Thrustmaster for those diehards that were a truly immersive flight simulation experience. Sadly, I don’t happen to own one at this current time to truly sing its praises. Hopefully, once I have a more dedicated setup I might make the effort to acquire one. I do wonder how it will work when Odyssey releases though. This just proves that Elite: Dangerous can be tailored to the specific player's playstyle.

My only wish is that Frontier would add an app that would allow us to have a screen on our phone or tablet that would allow us to interact with our ships. The PC version has mods and apps that allow players to view ship systems, change coordinates, and manage their subsystem pips. That would be a dream come true for me, playing on the console. And before you, PC guys say, “play on a PC then,” I will inform you that you should just stay over there in your rolly chair and should leave me alone while I play from the couch. We’re all playing Elite so what does it matter what console it’s on? Graphics may change and controls may be different, but the games still the same.

Replayability Review: 10/10

Being a father and a hardworking man, I want a game that grabs my attention and sucks me into the world. It doesn’t always have to be replayable, but when it has that ability, it makes the game even more appealing. Elite: Dangerous is one of the most replayable games I have ever played. Considering I have personally restarted my account multiple times and continue to play should speak volumes on this topic. Each time I have learned something new, do something different, or accomplished new goals. I don’t think any of the previous times I played was a waste because I’ve taken what I’ve learned and brought it into my current save. Thus allowing me to progress quicker than previously before.

Starting from scratch has its reward. Once you reach Elite in all of your categories, all that’s left is to tinker and engineer your ships or keep amassing your fortune among the stars. Starting from scratch allows you to wipe the slate clean and become a new Commander. Something I appreciate in a game. And Elite delivers on that. I don’t think I will delete my current playthrough and start over again anytime soon, but I wouldn’t rule it out sometime in the future.

Pausability Review: 1/10

As a parent and a spouse, being able to pause in the middle of whatever you are doing is an important feature. For lack of better words, Elite: Dangerous does not have a proper “Pause System”. If you were to press the “Start Button” or whatever Microsoft decides that it’s called, the game will bring up the standard game menu with the standard options from resuming the game, to changing the settings, and exiting the game to the main menu. But that’s where the standardness of it all ends. The game continues to run in the background.

Elite: Dangerous is a live service game. This means that the game runs on a server and allows every player to persist in real-time with everyone else who happens to also be playing Elite at the time. So pausing isn’t a doable game mechanic. Very similar to MMO’s. Elite: Dangerous by definition is exactly that, an elaborate MMO. That still doesn’t help a busy man like myself when the wife needs dishes done or the trash is taken out. Landing at a dock or exiting out to the main menu are the only pseudo ways of pausing the game. I don’t know about you, but exiting to the main menu can become mighty exhausting sometimes and creates a hostile play experience.

Spousal Approval: 3/10

As much as I love playing Elite: Dangerous, I know it can be mighty frustrating for my wife. Before my daughter was born and for the month afterward, I know she didn’t mind the game because I could get up during supercruising out to Hutton Orbital and do some work around the house. Auto-dock was also a time where I could get up and change my little girl's diaper, so it had its upsides for a time. That only lasted so long. As time went on, her feelings shifted.

I know she might think I play too much or only have the drive to play Elite at this current time, but she once told me recently that the sounds of Elite: Dangerous are audible in her nightmares. I don’t have the heart to tell her that they’re in mine too, only mine is blissful dreams and not terrible. She does have a point though. I usually get distracted and don’t do the necessary things I need to. Such as doing the dishes or taking the laundry downstairs as I promised. For that, I respect her despise for the game. But despite the way she feels, I can’t bring myself to just give up one of the things I look forward to during my day. This brings me to my next category.

Dad Enjoyment: 10/10

More and more I am realizing that dads tend to enjoy things a little differently than the single man or others might. Like mowing the lawn for instance, or pressure washing the fence and patio. For many fathers, fun comes in the vague appearance to an outsider as “work.” And that is very true of Elite: Dangerous. Much of the game's grind can be considered in its rite as a job. No one in their right mind would sit for hours transporting goods from one station and back and find it remotely enjoyable. But a dad? A dad knows the value of hard work and knows what has to be done to succeed. That is why Elite: Dangerous is the Dadliest of Dad games.

Elite: Dangerous has the appearance of a game with the workings of a second job. I work a job in which I transport ungrateful heathens from one end of the state to the other end of another, only to come home and sit to do the same thing with my Imperial Clipper. Now the G.T.U.N. Amspace might be significantly more luxurious with its 60 first-class passenger seats than the 700 plus seats on my train, but the concept is the same. It’s my job to get these people from one station to the next. And like my real job, I also skip on grabbing anyone's extra baggage or making any unnecessary stops along the way. It’s straight to their stop and then onto the next. For that, I give Elite the Giga Gamer Dad seal of approval and the reason why I am positively obsessed with this game.

The Community: 10/10

Elite: Dangerous has a huge and active community. I am a member of the general and Xbox Elite: Dangerous Facebook groups and a member of the official Elite: Dangerous subreddit. While I am on my downtime at work or waiting for my wife to finish in Target while I sit in the car, I’m interacting and responding to thousands of other Commanders that are as devoted to this game as I am. The community is outstanding. From real people creating factions such as the Fuel Rats who run fuel out to stranded pilots in deep space to the Hull Seals that provide a service Triple-A would be envious of, many people make this community a pleasure to be a part of.

Granted, as with every community online, there are trolls. I don’t pay them much mind though. I continue to try and spread my knowledge to those that need help and pay compliments to my fellow pilots. It’s always nice to hear when someone is proud of their newly purchased ship or finally achieving Elite in one of the three main categories. So if you’re looking for a game in which you will find people actively involved, look no further than Elite: Dangerous. As far as the Squadron known as The Fatherhood, I salute you glorious bastards and I wish you all the best!

Giga Gamer Dad Final Review Score: 77/100

All in all, Elite: Dangerous is one heck of a game. If we were to grade it, it would be a C+ of a game. Elite is a great game, but there are things it can greatly improve on. Such as increased scope and more immersive gameplay. I’ve been avoiding all news of Odyssey until I have a chance to play it myself and will review it after it finally releases for the Xbox. As for now, I will continue with what I currently have. Elite: Dangerous is a niche game for a niche market. I am in that niche along with countless others. And if you are on the fence about whether or not you should play it, ask yourself if you like the grind that comes with trying to make ends meet in the real world. If the answers yes, then I would recommend that you give Elite: Dangerous a shot. It might be what you’re looking for.

Feel free to leave me a comment below. Let me know if this review was at all any helpful. You can even suggest other games for me to review in the future! That would be very motivating. As for all you Commander’s out there, I’ll see you in the black. I look forward to seeing you all out in space. Capt Revenge (Xbox), signing off. o7