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Elite

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NES

The player, initially controlling the character "Commander Jameson", starts at Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed trading ship, a Cobra Mark III. Most of the ships that the player encounters are similarly named after snakes, or other reptiles. Credits can be accumulated through a n...

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Developer
David Braben

Released on
1991

Size
1 Player

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Construction and Management Simulation

Publisher
Imagineer

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

The player, initially controlling the character “Commander Jameson”, starts at Lave Station with 100 credits and a lightly armed trading ship, a Cobra Mark III. Most of the ships that the player encounters are similarly named after snakes, or other reptiles. Credits can be accumulated through a number of means. These include piracy, trade, military missions, bounty hunting and asteroid mining. The money generated by these enterprises allows players to upgrade their ships with such enhancements as better weapons, shields, increased cargo capacity, an automated docking system, and more.

Elite

Overview & History

Released in Europe for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, this legendary port was brilliantly engineered by David Braben and Ian Bell, with code optimization handled by Torus Games. Long before modern sandbox titles populated the industry, this NES adaptation managed to cram a massive, procedurally generated galaxy containing eight distinct star systems into an 8-bit cartridge. Players assume the role of Commander Jameson, launching from the dusty dock of Lave station with a meager 100 credits and a poorly equipped Cobra Mark III ship. The narrative is entirely emergent; you forge your path as a fearless bounty hunter, a ruthless space pirate, an intergalactic merchant trading luxury goods and narcotics, or an intrepid asteroid miner striving to reach the coveted "Elite" combat rating.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard NES side-scrollers, Elite is a pioneering first-person space flight simulator rendered via wireframe 3D graphics. Navigation requires mastering hyperspace jumps between star systems while constantly monitoring your fuel reserves and Galactic Hyperspace Range. Commerce forms the economic heartbeat of the game: you dock with Coriolis space stations by carefully aligning your ship's rotation with the docking bay entrance—a notoriously unforgiving maneuver without an automated docking computer. Combat takes place in real-time dogfights where you must manage your ship’s energy banks, balancing shields, lasers, and ECM systems. Upgrades are bought incrementally, ranging from energy bomb deterrents and pulse lasers to advanced fuel scoops that harvest matter from destroyed vessels.

Keyboard Controls

Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Pitch (Up/Down) and Roll (Left/Right)
Action Keys: A (Fire Lasers), B (Speed Up / Slow Down), Select (Hyperspace / Launch Missile)
Enter: Start / Pause