Minecraft
SCORE: 78
There are few of us here at Family
Friendly Gaming that play PC (Personal Computer) games. We spend so many
hours on computers publishing the magazine, and website that the last
thing we want to do is spend every more time in front of a computer
monitor. So none of us have played Minecraft before. In fact until
recently I did not even know what it was.
I know some PC gamers, and asked them about Minecraft. The main reason
is they were obsessively talking about it. To the point that I thought
they might have an addiction problem. They explained that in Minecraft
you mine things and then use them to craft them into other things.
Sounds boring right? Well Animal Crossing sounds boring too.
When I found out Minecraft was coming out on the Xbox 360, I decided it
would be a golden opportunity for Family Friendly Gaming to get an
education, and play it. I am very glad we were provided a code to play
Minecraft. It is one of the most unique video games I have played in
some time. Some will agree with this review, and some won't.
The graphics are usually one of the first things that stick out about
any video game. I thought for hours trying to find a nice way of saying
it, and I could not. I will be blunt. Minecraft is ugly looking. It
looks like an 8-bit game. I know retro gamers will love the look. Those
that get into Minecraft will forgive the blocking graphics. Big
pixelated blocks are a major part of Minecraft.
Once I could get past the graphics, I focused on the sounds. This is an
area that Minecraft is adequate. I enjoyed listening to the music, and
going through the tutorial. Learning how to play Minecraft is extremely
important. Get enough blocks to build some sort of structure to protect
yourself before night. Why? Night time is when the monsters come out. A
moat can't hurt either.
The whole concept of Minecraft is to remake this fantasy blocky world in
whatever image you want it in. You can build a castle, mountain,
whatever you see fit. This can lead to hours upon hours of replay. The
main constraint in Minecraft is the day to night cycle. Until the player
can craft weapons they are generally stuck hiding during the night time.
This got old pretty fast.
I have never played anything like Minecraft before. I can see where this
game can allow players to express their creativity. I can also see where
Minecraft could cause real world problems. I am pleased to see it on the
Xbox 360, because we would never have touched it otherwise. The biggest
limitation on Minecraft is your creativity.
- Paul
Graphics: 63%
Sound: 80%
Replay/Extras: 90%
Gameplay: 78%
Family Friendly Factor: 81%
System: Xbox 360
Publisher: Mojang AB
Rating: ‘E10+’ - Everyone 10+
{Fantasy Violence, Mild Violence}
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