Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, I’m sure you’ve heard of the mega-hit title. Minecraft. In the past year alone there has been a marketing frenzy with all sorts of Minecraft toys, posters and t-shirts. Minecraft has now become a household name, similar to Pokemon Y skylanders, to the dismay of many confused parents. The experience has also been quite strange for the casual gamer, as Minecraft it was the first in an open beta for PC and you could actually pay for the game while it was still in development. Ultimately, developer Mojang and creator Markus Perrson, aka Notch, released the fully finished game for PC in November 2011. The game launched on Xbox Live Arcade last summer, and finally, in June 2013, it had a full commercial album
What confused people most about Minecraft is what it is exactly, but imagine a survival-based LEGO-type sandbox. You will face monsters; they use a deep and robust crafting system and most of all, they have the ability to make any structure you want… or have time for. There have been many moments in my experience with the game (since early 2011) that have left me in awe. I’ve seen a range from custom cities to famous landmarks like the St. Louis Arch or the Empire State Building. It’s embarrassing to say, but my friend and I even recreated Blizzard’s Karazhan raid dungeon. world of warcraft (nerds!).
But before you get started on any of this, you’ll want to learn the basics first. Fortunately, with the Xbox 360 version of the game, they’ve included a very helpful and intuitive tutorial level before you start your own world. It will cover the basics of digging, growing, combat, structures, and even the basics on lighting to ward off potential enemies of the night. If you have never played MinecraftI recommend you start here. Heck, I found it useful as a PC version veteran just because it takes a while to get used to the controls on the Xbox 360 controller.
When you finally get to the beginning of the game, you will find yourself stranded and very lonely. It’s literally a race against time to gather materials to build your first house and get settled before nightfall. Once the moon and stars come out, a long night awaits you. Monsters like spiders, skeletons, and even zombies come out to play and harass the player. This adds up to a very harrowing adventure as a player and more often than not it can feel very rewarding when setting up your first base of operations.
However, this does not make you defenseless. You can craft weapons of various qualities to combat the creatures. Take for example a sword, you will need to chop wood from trees to create a workbench, then collect various supplies to make either a low quality wooden sword or a basic stone sword. The beauty of the game is that there are many options available to the player. Just don’t expect the fight to be as refined as it says Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.
As the title suggests, you can dig and mine various materials. In fact, I’d say this is where most of the early game will take place. The best crafting materials are often found underground, such as the Foundational Diamond which is the Holy Grail of any Minecraft player. I will say that if you can’t stand doing the same thing over and over again, this can be a quiet part of the game. Though if you’re lucky or steadfast, you’ll eventually discover a rare crafting material or a lost cavern to explore.
That’s the good thing about Minecraft en: even the most mundane or boring parts of the game can lead to something extraordinary. With such a vast area to explore (though the Xbox 360 version of the game’s map is smaller, it’s still massive), you’re sure to find something to do. One of the best parts of the Xbox 360 version of the game is the split-screen multiplayer. You can have 4 people on one screen at the same time. Sure, it can be hard to read certain text on the TV, but it’s still fun to invite your friends over and share the experience with you, or heck, even online.
If you’ve played the game on PC, there’s no real reason to pick it over Xbox 360. The game’s various PC-exclusive things make it superior, like free character skins and faster updates, but that’s not to say the Xbox The 360 version is a black sheep. It’s very rewarding and an incredibly different game than anything you’ve played before. Again, if you have somehow avoided playing this game for so long, get off the computer and immediately buy this title watch. Also, come to Slackers and pick up a Minecraft Creeper t-shirt, poster or action figure!
