In fairness, Elite: Dangerous was much, much less ambitious than Star Citizen. No out-of-ship experiences, no planet landings or exploration out of the box (that has been added now), not even any character customization in the initial release. Even now, with much more than the initial launch featureset added, E:D doesn't have anything close to SC's scope.

What E:D does have is an amazing flight model, great visuals and a genuinely well-made physics engine that offers a surprising amount of realism. It's the most "you are a real pilot in a real spaceship" feeling game I've ever played. It just needs more depth to the actual game beyond that.