Being a space pirate is officially cool. Elite taught us this.

Many gamers started out in front of a BBC or Commodore 64 with intentions of becoming an honest respectable space trader. A week later, they found themselves red-eyed, with a cargo-hold full of slaves and narcotics, firing on space stations and hunting down trader ships.

This is why Falcone: Into the Maelstrom for Xbox is so cool.

The game involves sneaking up on passing space cargo cruisers and attaching your ship to their underbellies. You then cut a hole in hull and pile in, kill everyone and steal whatever you like.

Written by 2000 AD man Robbie Morrison, the Falcone universe sees two bands of pirates battling for intergalactic territory and control of the spaceways. A unique game engine sees the player engaged in dogfights one moment and large-scale FPS battles the next.

Expect to see Falcone: Into the Maelstrom on the shelves before Christmas.