Elite Dangerous vs Ylands
Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous is a MMO space simulation game that not only offers players a ton of customizatable spaceships of all shapes and sizes; it also provides players with a massive open world galaxy to explore and have adventures in. In this game, you'll need to do whatever it takes to improve your rank among the Elites and there are multiple ways to do so - you can literally craft your own legacy. You can take the easy-way out and become a space smuggler, a space pirate, or a bounty hunter, or you can opt to earn a honest living by being a trader or a miner. The galaxy in this game is very much alive and will change based on your actions and decisions... as well as the actions and decisions of all the other players playing in the same galaxy as you do.Unknown to many, Elite Dangerous is actually the third sequel to the popular 1984's genre-defining Elite game farnchise. This polished and drastically upgraded version will definitely be able to appeal to a whole new generation of space sim fans. If you happen to be one of them, you'll want to check this game out!
Ylands
Ylands is a sandbox adventure game that has a gameplay that's a lot like a massively expanded version of Minecraft with a lot more resources for you to gather, items to craft, and amazing things to build. Instead of being "just a game", Ylands is more like a platform, much like Roblox is, where players are given the tools to create whatever worlds or games they like, be it a fun go-kart racing game that's inspired from Lega Racers or even a watery world where epic pirate-themed naval battles can take place. The worlds are completely interactive as well and every action you do will modify, no matter how slightly, the game environment of that segment of the world you happen to be in. In fact, if you change a terrain and populate it with an entirely different diversity of flora and fauna, you can basically change the climate system there.Unlike Minecraft though, Ylands has opted for a more polygonal appearance which gave it the extra leverage it needed to overcome the painful dismissal and degratory label of being simply a "Minecraft clone" - which admittedly, Ylands is most definitely not. The game has so much going for it and players truly have all the freedom within the game's pretty wide parameters to literally create anything they like. Of course, the game also supports sharing, so you can let other players in Yland enjoy that (for example) crazy maze-running game you've just made!
Ylands is most certainly impressive to say the least. However, due to its indie origins, not many players know about the game, let alone buy it on Steam. So, if you really like Minecraft-like sandbox games, you simply must give this game a try, and if you've had a great time there, be sure to recommend it to your friends or even buy it for them as their Christmas/ birthday gift!