I will hold my hands up now and say that Minecraft has definitely passed me by. The new gaming sensation has completely swept passed me in a blaze of glory. I’ve heard all about it and many of my friends are addicted and this is mainly the reason why I’ve left it well alone. I’m a sucker for a good building/simulation game and I’ve known from day one that it would consume me.
I’ve jumped on the cult wagon now in an attempt to see exactly what I’m missing out on and I can tell you know I’ve missed a lot.
Trying out the XBLA version for the first time I found myself exploring a good sized open landscape with my pickaxe in hand and enjoying ever second of it. I heard the live version is slightly less advanced but that only furthered my enjoyment. The console based controls were solid and allowed me to pick up and play with relative ease. Even my friends that are already players on the PC liked some of the more streamlined features like the tool builder and found the experience just as involving.
All in all it seems like a well designed and preserved PC port that allows us all the chance to explore and expand at our own pace.
The blocky graphics were something I was a first afraid of but I can honestly say it has a simple but naïve charm that brings to life the funny and colourful monsters and wildlife that also inhabit this open spa ce.
The basic premise is that you mine, craft and build your way to success with only your imagination holding you back. Some of PC levelling and combat advancement has been removed but this does not diminish the gameplay in any way and is arguably the purer version on offer. The goal is still to survive and prosper as you build an large and personal world from scratch.
You start out with nothing and gather raw materials with your bare hands in order to craft tools and therefore speed up your experience. The more you build, craft and expand the better you become as you upgrade your tools and push the boundaries of your abilities. I found navigation to be easy during my time playing but I can imagine that the large your expand the harder it is to track where you are and what you wanted to do next.
However basic the building blocks, this game is not short on awe and spectacle - whether it's the work of man or Minecraft professionals you actually appreciate other peoples hard work and can easily jump in an out of friends game worlds too so you can play together both online or split screen.
The day and night cycle brings with it a few subtle changes as the monster regularly try to attack you and therefore make the night time more about survival than expansion. It’s a nice twist and I can honestly say that my first night in game felt like it was definitely going to be my characters last. If you die you drop everything you were holding which dents the next ‘days’ progress as you have to salvage the materials again. It’s actually exceptionally dark too so remember to put up some torches.
It's this threat that sets Minecraft's engine running. It's why you need to build a home, and make better armour and weapons for yourself, and prepare food to recover your health, and construct defences so you don't find an explosive Creeper at your door in the morning. You really do feel like a settler in a strange land.
Whether you’re a fan of the original or you want to try your hand at the Minecraft experience this live version is a great place to start and one that is sure to build it’s own empire of large and sophisticated designs. If like me you haven’t give Minecraft a chance than go on you might even find you like it….
What do you think of the new XBLA version? Are you a fan of the original? Even more importantly have you got any worlds you would like to share? If so please leave a message below.
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