This was one of the most anticipated sequels in gaming history. This was officially the sequel to Elite. Elite was one of the most revolutionary games of its time. The original Elite was created in 1984 by David Braben and Ian Bell. The concept was a space trading game. In was published in 1993 by GameTek.
Incidentally the original Elite were rejected by a number of publishing houses because it did not have score (this was the days of Pacman and Donkey Kong. The concept is the same, a space trading game.
This was one of the most anticipated sequels in gaming history. This was officially the sequel to Elite. Elite was one of the most revolutionary games of its time. The original Elite was created in 1984 by David Braben and Ian Bell. The concept was a space trading game. In was published in 1993 by GameTek.
Incidentally the original Elite were rejected by a number of publishing houses because it did not have score (this was the days of Pacman and Donkey Kong. The concept is the same, a space trading game. The original used wire frame graphics and you could only pilot one ship, The cobra mkIII. Frontier: Elite 2 expands the universe. The graphics are greatly improved, the universe is bigger and the concept was fundamentally
the same.
You play one of Commander Jameson decedents. You inherit 100 credits and an Eagle fighter. In addition to the original concept of trading and mission based contracts you can align yourself to the “Empire” or the “Federation”. (Not related to Star Wars or Star Trek respectively). There were some changes that were not for the better. The original had an arcade feel to the flight that made the space battles entertaining. David Braben spent a lot of time developing the model of space flight. The result was Frontiers is not as entertaining in the flying department. You do have the opportunity to revert back to the arcade
On the plus side the trading is greatly improved. The original Elite had every kid in the eighties trading narcotics and arms to make a quick buck. The option to be a criminal is still available and the game gives you the freedom to choose whatever career you like. One of the biggest draws is the ability to upgrade your ship and even choose a different ship to fit your purpose. There are some nice details, like the design of the craft, rotating radars etc. The option to take on missions for the military etc also makes for an entertaining game.
On the whole this game was a disappointment. There were better games in the genre like Origins Privateer. It is still worth a look if you fancy a bit of nostalgia. When you think that this part of the pedigree that lead to games such as World of Warcraft. It’s worth a look and rewarding if you want to persevere. Give it a go, you never know.
