App Review No. 17 Minecraft Pocket Edition

Strong Points:
Great Minecraft formula
Exclusive items
Lots of updates
Good controls (except flying)
More of a pick up and play attitude due to it being on a phone
A lot cheaper than the computer version

Weak Points:
Small world compared to computer version (not since version 0.9 where the world is now infinite)
No superflat, hardcore or large biomes modes (superflat has been added in version 0.9)
Not as much content as the computer one (it's getting close though)
You can actually empty the world of resources (not since version 0.9 where the world is now infinite)
No modding
Flying is fiddlier than it needs to be
Infinite worlds can lag a lot

In-depth Review:

Release Dates:

World Wide: November 17, 2011

Controls:

On screen, tap to go forward, fly, break blocks etc.

This game is basically same as the computer version except smaller and for phones. While this can be good due to the fact that you can just pick it up and play for five minutes you do have to sacrifice a lot of content.

The game follows the same formula and play style as the original: you arrive somewhere, deserted for some reason and have to survive or create huge and more or less useless creations just for the heck of it. Either way you do it by placing and mining blocks of landscape. Of course.

So far so computer version. But then we reach the sacrifices. If you wanted to make a sprawling metropolis on a survival game, forget it, you won't have enough space/ resources to do so. Even if you wanted to make it on creative you would find yourself struggling as you would have to clear all of the land to begin with. Oh, and the flying controls are incredibly fiddly so yeah. For a game about limitless potential you certainly have a lot of limits. This is not to say that you can't dream/ build big, you can, but it does have to be smaller than normal.

On a good note, this game is a lot cheaper than the original (about £4. 30) and is getting a lot of updates which are getting it closer and closer to the holy grail of the PC.

Rating: 92%

Goodbye for now, Harry

Update: minecarts, rails, powered rails, carpets, more wood types, hay bales, iron bars, beetroot, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, clocks, compasses, jungle wood (creative), ice (creative), bedrock (creative), shears (creative), dyes (creative), tall grass (creative), breed-able animals and better AI and distance rendering all bring pocket edition closer to the lofty heights of the PC version.

Update: it's THE BIGGEST UPDATE EVER!!! Infinite worlds have been added, as well as caves and new biomes from the PC version (including mesas, jungles, swamps and extreme hills), new feature generation (including lakes, vines and monster rooms), abandoned mineshafts, villages and other exiting places to explore! Also, new blocks and items including: monster eggs and huge mushroom blocks and lots of new flowers. And, let's not forget the mobs! Wolves, Endermen and Mooshrooms now roam the infinite realms of Minecraft Pocket Edition and are sure to bring fun (and nightmares) everywhere they go! Finally, a brand-new interaction button has been implemented which means you will never accidentally punch a sheep again! Many bugs have also been squashed and a few have, possibly, been added. And it's not even version 1 yet!

Update: prettier, faster, less buggier. Lots of bug fixes, graphics and performance have been updated and, most importantly, there are more fences! (Oh, and baby animals no longer sink, instantly, in water). As well as this, there are also gold mines in Mesa biomes and you can play creative mode in both night and daytime!

Update:
Custom Skins - either upload your own skin (such as from Minecraft: Skin Studio) or download them (for free and money) from the downloadable packs.
Multi language support
Boats with space for a pet! And you can throw stuff, such as snowballs and eggs, from boats too if you're feeling a bit more evil.
Fishing has also arrived and Clownfishes are now edible!
As well as many mods, such as: Squids, Spider Jockeys, Cave Spiders, Bats, Baby Zombies and Chicken Jockeys!
You can now rename worlds, change their game mode and do other things in the new World Edit screen
Drinking milk now removes mob effects (obviously!)
Many bug fixes such as stopping chickens from walking on water, preventing animals breeding without touching each other.

Update: welcome to the doors of hell. Is that what the Nether's meant to be? I'm not sure. Anyway, you can now run from Ghasts and fight Pigmen for bacon (may or may not actually produce bacon)! Another dimension has opened as well and allows for cross platform play for up to five players between Pocket Edition and Windows 10. Furthermore, the touch controls have been revamped and, if that's still not good enough for you, there is controller support and a controller mapping screen! Enhanced weather effects such as snow are sure to make the new (and tameable) ocelots cold and the new Iron Golems rusty (although the new Snow Golems will probably love it!). And if animals/sentient inanimate objects aren't your thing (or even if they are) then you'll probably like the new Anvils, Brewer, Enchantments and Experience as well as sneaking and sprinting controls! Or you could go full designer with the new Flower Pots! Finally, there are loads of bug fixes and lots, lots more!

Update: bug fixes and a Halloween Costume skin pack

Update: introducing the Redstone update (part 1) for Pocket Edition! It includes: Redstone Producers such as Redstone Wire, Daylight Sensors, Pressure Plates, Tripwire Hooks and more; Redstone Consumers such as Activator Rails, Note Blocks, TNT, Trapdoors and more. Desert Temples and, Spruce, Birch, Jungle, Acacia and Dark Oak doors. Bunnies!!! And, finally, the Biome Setters Pack with new skins form the Desert, Tundra and Forest! It's time to get programming (especially as the rest of Redstone functionality is just around the corner)! Update: new Holiday Skins and various bug fixes!