Reviews

*The* classic space trading-combat game: there's very little wrong with it really, especially given the limitations of the humble Speccy. Combat is wonderful, and the grind up through equipment doesn't really feel that bad. Docking can be a pain at first, but it's not actually that hard after some practice. Many hours of my youth were sunk into playing this one, and I don't think they were wasted either.

Brilliant game, trade, shoot pirates, go kamikaze, get ore from asteroids. Bit of a 'marmite' game with some people but i think its a masterpiece. Hasnt aged well but back in the day this game ruled supreme.

Elite is one of those games that has the privileged spot of being the starter of a genre. And with good reason, too. It really did feel like a universe squeezed into an 8 bit computer, and it fired the imagination. Extras that came in the box, such as "The Dark Wheel" novella, added to the Elite experience.

Unfortunately, the Spectrum version had some technical shortcomings compared to the original BBC Micro version - the controls felt sluggish, and the game didn't seem anywhere near as smooth as the BBC Micro version, which as others have observed, have caused the game to age badly - especially in comparison to the BBC version which personally I find much more playable. Other irritations that detract from the Spectrum version are the appallingly bad Lenslok protection scheme - like all protection schemes quickly hacked out by pirates, meaning pirated versions were better than the rather expensive legally bought game. In my case, the Lenslok barely worked with our ancient TV, and nearly left me with a useless game.

These flaws were not fatal to the game, and it was still good in its day. The Spectrum version did fire the imagination, and I played the game all the way to "Deadly" when it was new on the Spectrum. However, now I have the choice, I would rather play the BBC Micro disc version.

Although Elite likes to pretend that there's a whole universe out there to explore, it's mostly just an illusion, and whether you like the game is largely going to come down to whether you buy it or not. All the planets look the same and once you've seen (and shot) each kind of ship and picked up all the equipment, it's just a long slog to get to Elite status with only the three "secret" missions to relieve the tedium along the way.

Torus did a pretty good job of converting this game to the Spectrum, but the resulting game departs a fair bit from the BBC original and carries their own stamp; on the whole I'd say that it looks nicer, but doesn't play quite so well.

Overall, it's a good game but not quite the be all and end all of 3D space games for the Spectrum.

As someone has already mentioned, Elite is a marmite game and I was one of the haters.

For me, Elite is like musicals - I can understand why people love them, yet I find them tedious and dull. Back in the day the Lenslock debacle certainly didn't help matters but even once into the game I simply never enjoyed it (docking being so difficult made matters worse).

All in all as a piece of software technology it is peerless. The incredible routines that Braben and Bell came up with to create a living, breathing universe are exemplary.

All I can say is that the game hugely impressed me but bored the pants off me at the same time!

Magazine Reviews: http://zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/search.aspx?wosid=0001601

Probably the game I spent more time with in my spectrum days. I loved the trading system, but the simulation part was even better. One of the better (if not the best) spectrum games for me.

Im giving the vanilla Firebird zx Elite only a 4 I'm afraid.

Its my favorite game of all time, and by rights I should (bearing the amount of time i played it back in the day) give it a 5 easy. However these days its clear that speccy Elite doesn't stand up well to other versions.

Less ships, fewer features, and just not the same FEEL of the BBC and (I dare say it) C64 versions. It did the job back in 1985 sure, but in my book it was a wasted chance and could have been a lot better.

Elite 3 Novosibirsk is FAR more like it though..one of the best 8 bit versions out there.. but then thats another review :)

Elite.. Now, what can I say, well, it's the game that defined space-trading-combat genre.

I was so ignorant about this game at first, and so naive to play it successfully. Only years after I learned it's value. Nowadays I'm a frontier player, and now I can see elite is the part of "elite universe" storyline, and still holds very important placemark in elite trilogy. You cannot judge this game based on playability/gfx only, because it's a full experience with books, maps, stories etc.

Spectrum version is still a nice implementation despite fact that it's a cut-down version, but the game itself is very simple by "concept", and speccy version does the job very well.

So, because it's a classic I have no choice but giving this game a full, much earned, "excellent" rating. it is *the* game. And congrats, you found it.

1985 Firebird Software (UK)
by Philip Mochan, Dominic Prior, Ricardo Pinto and Mark Wighton

The story goes as follows, you pilot a Cobra spaceship, flying from planet to planet buying and selling goods. You can use the cash you earn to upgrade your Cobra, trade goods in the black market between countless planets and equip your Cobra with all kinds of weapons while avoiding the local police.
Elite is an awesome Strategy/Management game. A pity my copy was pirated and lacked instructions, so I could never get into the game properly.
A powerful piece of 8-bit programming.

Elite is more than a classic. It's simply the best game ever produced for an 8-bit computer.

Elite is not entirely 'my kind of game'. The Spectrum version of Elite was inferior to other 8 bit versions, very expensive for the time, and used the nasty lenslock protection system. Despite all this, it is still a great Speccy game.
Once you get the hang of what you are doing, you can immerse yourself by spaceship for days on end in a massive universe, helped by a little imagination and the save-game feature. This is an easy 5/5 for me.

Elite. One of the most famous and influential games of the 8bit era. It's also a game I never got to grips with and get no pleasure out of. It's hard not to be impressed by the game's sheer scope and innovation. And yet it remains a game I do not like.
So how to score Elite?
Well for it's huge scope, general epicness and historical importance I rate it 5/5.
For personal enjoyment, 1/5.
Now if I crunch the figures, add on Vat and allow for inflation we end up with a final score of 3/5.

Not a game I particularly enjoyed it has to be said but I feel describing it as “poor” is very unfair since it was a monumental technical achievement and extremely well programmed. It just wasn't my game.

Elite is the first game to create an open world to explore for the player.
Combined with great gameplay this fact alone justifies a rating of 5 - Excellent.
The players even decide what they want to be: trader, miner, bounty hunter, explorer or even criminal - or any combination of these.
The choice is yours and that is utterly great. This level of freedom even equals Skyrim which was produced in 2011!
Of course some ways to play are way more boring than others. Only trading and mining in safe planetary systems is anything but exciting.
But like I said, the choice is yours and you may change your playing style anytime you please. There is no cumbersome re-skilling necessary for you or your trusty Cobra MK III.
Grinding up is only necessary during the first hours of play until you get "an iron ass" (quote from the instructions) to fly around with.
Speaking of instructions, there is an excellent novella which puts you in the right mood for space exploration. Give my regards to Fleischer! ;-) Heck, I even considered to get a red uniform tailored for me once I got to Elite status. Didn't have the dosh to do so, though...
And there are some special missions to spice up the life of commander Jameson. I still vividly remember destroying the Isrema space station which was infested by Thargoids. This had me sweating blood.
The best setup IMHO is a rubber key Spectrum with an Elite overlay plus a programmable joystick interface + QuickShot II firmly sucked onto the table.
This way you always have full control over your ship and a finger over all important keys like "E" for the ECM system to counter any missiles launced at your ship from close distances (these sneaky bastards).
Bottom line:
While Elite isn't everybody's cup of tea (which game is anyway?), it's achievements in open world creation, freedom of choice and gameplay were groundbreaking and therefore Elite well deserves the legendary status it has.
Even today you can have tons of fun on your way from Harmless to Elite status.
I seriously consider to embark on that mission once more in the near future.

I remember this one had a very good reputation.
And the massification of its universe, a winning touch

True, Elite was astounding.
Incomparable. Misunderstood by many loved by a few
I was on the side of those who wanted it, but I could only know about it by hearsay and by looking at its references in magazines. It also had a great copy protection system!
I was able to taste it in emulated mode and was a mixed experience. You must see it with a 80's view because otherwise, it looks terrible. Such a delight trading and exploring through Space. Better emulating, so saving is easy. It was an extremely desired game.

EdiT: please refer to my Light Force review to see how I did to make it more appealing.