Elite: Dangerous Charts Course For December Release

After being given new life as a Kickstarter in January of 2013, the fabled space combat series Elite is on course for its much-hyped return.

Today developer Frontier announced Elite: Dangerous is ready to graduate from its third beta phase to a full-fledged release on December 16. Interested space jockeys can pre-order the Mercenary Edition right now for $50, which includes the game and some extras like an Eagle fighter ship, some new paint jobs, and a "day one" ship decal. 

Elite: Dangerous teases the thrill of space exploration with more than 400 billion star systems that are modeled after the Milky Way galaxy. Players can chart their own course in this game, alternating on the fly between discovering new space systems, serving as a fighter pilots, patrolling known shipping routes as pirates, or banking serious dough as traders. You can fly solo or with friends, spending your hard-earned currency on ship upgrades or new spacecraft.

Check out the game in action below:

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Our Take
Elite: Dangerous is firing the first salvo in what we hope is a glorious return of space combat simulators. With Star Citizen and Eve: Valkyrie also coming down the pipleline next year, X-Wing and Wing Commander fans should have plenty to look forward to.