Exactly one, two, and three years ago I did "Battle of Space Games" and it's time for this year's entry.
Elite is currently doing great.
It had an awesome 2018 with lots of free updates that really made the game feel more alive. This however is a 2019 thread and no one knows what the future of Elite looks like. Nevertheless, a new expansion has been confirmed and I'll do my best at predicting what it will be.
Option 1: Space Legs
Since day 1, Elite has had the long term goal of letting players leave the cockpit and walk around. The above pictures are official concept art for the game. Gameplay would involve EVAs, exploring your ships, walking around in space stations, and foot combat on planets. With both Star Citizen and Beyond Good and Evil 2 offering this sort of gameplay, there has been growing pressure to prioritize it over other features. For a long time it felt like space legs were right around the corner but somewhat recent dev comments have made it sound like they aren't in active development. I hope they are happening soon but there are other options for the next expansion.
Option 2: Atmospheric Landings
Just like space legs, atmospheric landings have been part of the plan since day 1. Elite currently only allows players to land on planets without atmospheres so this would add a huge amount of variety to the game. They have been teased a lot and the game is already working towards adding them. I could definitely see this being the main feature of the expansion but I personally think they offer little gameplay. What is the difference between landing on a rocky planet with an atmosphere and a rocky planet without an atmosphere besides visuals? If this update comes with an overhaul of surface activities, then it could be really cool.
Option 3: More Aliens
Elite Dangerous has added tons of aliens over the past year. The above screenshots are all currently in the game. I could see the next update really going crazy with this and adding friendly alien NPCs that function like a new faction. Essentially it could be a new bubble on the other side of the galaxy with lots of aliens living in the same general area. Alien animals could also be added to planet surfaces in more places. This has never been officially part of the game's roadmap, but it seems like a cool direction to continue following.
Of course it's also possible the update has a mix of all three things. We'll just have to wait and see. (and hopefully the update is actually a thing)
Star Citizen meanwhile is still in such a weird position. It is so cool looking but development is so poorly managed from an external point of view. Essentially as far as I'm concerned, the game is released and just getting expansions and improvements like most online games nowadays. It's funded like a released game and you can see the roadmap here.
Squadron 42 however has been delayed yet again. It is officially now targeting a late 2020 release. On one hand it is awesome that the devs are now more realistic with their schedule, but at the same time this game has had such a troubled history. It's eerily similar to how VizionEck slipped schedule in the early days and I know from first hand experience how messed up its development was. Squadron 42 will amaze me if it releases as a great game and not a Duke Nukem Forever spiritual successor.
I'm fairly critical on it at the moment but it is still a cool thing. I love how dense the world is.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 comes in as the third game for this battle, and man am I excited for it. While the other two games are using their engine tech for realism, beyond good and evil 2 is using it for fun. Just watching this video makes it obvious that this is a game first and foremost instead of a tech demo:
The video does a good job speaking for itself but you should also watch the full video linked in the description. It is crazy how awesome this game is looking. Any NPC out in the world can be recruited for your team for example. Here is the cinematic trailer from E3 incase you missed it.
I am incredibly excited for this game and I really hope it lives up to expectations. It feels like a Mass Effect style game with a seamless open world and all the cool things you'd want from a space sim. It's an adventure game, not an FPS. I may have talked the most about Elite, but this is my current pick for the 2019 winner.
So what are your thoughts? Are you feeling the hype for any of these three? Is there another game you wish I included?
Elite is currently doing great.
It had an awesome 2018 with lots of free updates that really made the game feel more alive. This however is a 2019 thread and no one knows what the future of Elite looks like. Nevertheless, a new expansion has been confirmed and I'll do my best at predicting what it will be.
Option 1: Space Legs
Since day 1, Elite has had the long term goal of letting players leave the cockpit and walk around. The above pictures are official concept art for the game. Gameplay would involve EVAs, exploring your ships, walking around in space stations, and foot combat on planets. With both Star Citizen and Beyond Good and Evil 2 offering this sort of gameplay, there has been growing pressure to prioritize it over other features. For a long time it felt like space legs were right around the corner but somewhat recent dev comments have made it sound like they aren't in active development. I hope they are happening soon but there are other options for the next expansion.
Option 2: Atmospheric Landings
Just like space legs, atmospheric landings have been part of the plan since day 1. Elite currently only allows players to land on planets without atmospheres so this would add a huge amount of variety to the game. They have been teased a lot and the game is already working towards adding them. I could definitely see this being the main feature of the expansion but I personally think they offer little gameplay. What is the difference between landing on a rocky planet with an atmosphere and a rocky planet without an atmosphere besides visuals? If this update comes with an overhaul of surface activities, then it could be really cool.
Option 3: More Aliens
Elite Dangerous has added tons of aliens over the past year. The above screenshots are all currently in the game. I could see the next update really going crazy with this and adding friendly alien NPCs that function like a new faction. Essentially it could be a new bubble on the other side of the galaxy with lots of aliens living in the same general area. Alien animals could also be added to planet surfaces in more places. This has never been officially part of the game's roadmap, but it seems like a cool direction to continue following.
Of course it's also possible the update has a mix of all three things. We'll just have to wait and see. (and hopefully the update is actually a thing)
Star Citizen meanwhile is still in such a weird position. It is so cool looking but development is so poorly managed from an external point of view. Essentially as far as I'm concerned, the game is released and just getting expansions and improvements like most online games nowadays. It's funded like a released game and you can see the roadmap here.
Squadron 42 however has been delayed yet again. It is officially now targeting a late 2020 release. On one hand it is awesome that the devs are now more realistic with their schedule, but at the same time this game has had such a troubled history. It's eerily similar to how VizionEck slipped schedule in the early days and I know from first hand experience how messed up its development was. Squadron 42 will amaze me if it releases as a great game and not a Duke Nukem Forever spiritual successor.
I'm fairly critical on it at the moment but it is still a cool thing. I love how dense the world is.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 comes in as the third game for this battle, and man am I excited for it. While the other two games are using their engine tech for realism, beyond good and evil 2 is using it for fun. Just watching this video makes it obvious that this is a game first and foremost instead of a tech demo:
The video does a good job speaking for itself but you should also watch the full video linked in the description. It is crazy how awesome this game is looking. Any NPC out in the world can be recruited for your team for example. Here is the cinematic trailer from E3 incase you missed it.
I am incredibly excited for this game and I really hope it lives up to expectations. It feels like a Mass Effect style game with a seamless open world and all the cool things you'd want from a space sim. It's an adventure game, not an FPS. I may have talked the most about Elite, but this is my current pick for the 2019 winner.
So what are your thoughts? Are you feeling the hype for any of these three? Is there another game you wish I included?
