Elite

The greatest computer game ever written. It was originally written for the BBC micro back in 1982, but is still being talked about more than 20 years later. It ran 3D graphics with only 64k of memory, an incredible technical achievement which relied on concepts of celular automata to save space. There are 8 galaxies to explore, thousands of solar systems, pirates to fight, narcrotics slaves and firearms to smuggle, asteroids to mine, space stations to dock with, edible arts graduates, and surgically enhanced aliens to avoid. Like the Vice City series years later, which shares with it a sense of humour and a love of music, you have to do all this while keeping an eye on what law-enforcement will do. The game was ported to the PC, the Spectrum (this screenshot), the Nintendo, and the Amstrad. Today you can emulate these old systems on modern hardware.

elite

The following screenshots are taken from Elite TNK, an illegal reverse-engineered port for Irix. This is the Constrictor mission. You have to track a stolen ship across 2 galaxies and $deity knows how many planets, and then you have to destroy it. Hours of fun!

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