Minecraft - My God, what did I do??
Minecraft. A review of this world that was created with utter simplistic concepts. Here’s your world. Explore. Create. Survive. The kicker? This is probably the most singularly addicting game experiences I’ve had since my World of Warcraft stint back in the day. But… why?? I mean, really, ask yourself, why should you play this game? Maybe you could give it a shot? Ya know? Just a little test run? Nothing bad could happen right? Might even suck! … Welcome to my mentality entering this game. Review after the jump.
So… here I am. I have a friend recommend for me to try this game. He’s set it up and I take it for a spin. Maybe about 10 minutes of play is all we have time for. I’m left thinking… this could be good. But I don’t know, “Well, there is a multiplayer server I’m hosting for this.” ‘Really?’ I quickly reply, unaware of the hook sinking into my side. So I invest in the beta. I figure if worse comes to worse, I supported another independent artist and I can call it good. So I log into the server to join some friends around 8PM. Next thing I know, it’s 4AM. The hell just happened?!
In that timeframe, not only did I manage to create a decent house, but I started the tedious yet fun task of mining and exploring for better resources to create a mine cart travel system, a secondary dig site to start the mine, and start building towers to prepare for… the night. The first night in Minecraft is a very eye opening experience. As you are working your way through collecting materials, it is highly advisable to start building some shelter before you hear the noises lurking behind you.
These critters complicate your nightly ventures! It is rare that a game with such as simple approach can catch you so off guard. The Zombies, Skeletons, and Spiders spawn in the dark of night. You’re fine as long as you’ve placed a torch or 30 around the perimeter where you need shelter, but if you are outside or stumble into a cavern underground, you’ll hear a hiss or a groan right behind you as you are forced to fend for your life (and loot) to keep exploring! Should you die, and let’s face it - you will, all of your loot you had on your person will drop where you die. So you must venture back to reclaim what was lost.
Not all is lost in this battle though. As you progress you can make weapons and armor of varying degrees to help your struggle. The better the material, the better the quality of armor and tools you can make. The better materials are, of course, deep down in the depths below. But even the best armor and weapons cannot prepare you for the dread you feel as you hear the “hiss” from a Creeper.
Creepers are wonderfully chaotic little creatures with the soul purpose of rushing towards you and hissing… then exploding promptly afterwards. They not only do damage to you, but to your surroundings. Worst case scenario: Mining underground and you know that there is some lava above you. Suddenly a hiss and a boom! Suddenly you have no more ceiling and lava is quickly filling the room. A typical situation if one is not careful in this game. These guys just mean business.
So there are the dangers of this world, besides falling or digging up and getting buried under gravel or sand. It is amazingly addicting how fun this game is. That being said, realize that it is in Beta. It is not perfect. This is not the final way of the game. It shall be altered. Spiders that couldn’t do anything but chase you, suddenly crawl after a patch. Walls that were not as impervious to damage can now muster through a creeper explosion. Sudden blank “holes” appear during your travels that you can look down and see the bottomless nothing. Anything broken? Not really! That’s the impressive part. There are quirks that you may need to reload that game (which takes all of 20 seconds, if that) to do, but the presentation and addicting degrees of things to do in this game are pretty much endless! With quirks like the mine cart booster system, it just reminds you that there are many things to discover that may surpass that of the common world. Who knew friction could be the equivalency of holding two magnets with opposite polarity??
Bottom Line: This is a fun experience. It’s not too taxing on the machine (turn on Limit Frame-rate under options so your video cards aren’t trying to pump 200+ frames a second) and the multiplayer sold me on this game. If it was solely single player, I could be alright with it and I’d still give it a vote of confidence, but with upcoming game modes and the multiplayer coexistence, it feels like a fun gaming community. Looking forward to what developments will be released in the future. For about $20 (after the currency exchange) this is a great investment for anyone who remotely likes the Sims series or open world games with utmost creative freedom.
