Review No. 33 Minecraft - PC (7+)

Strong Points:
Endless possibilities
Nice gameplay mechanics
Good graphics which can be changed
Lots of different game modes
Multiplayer is fun
Mods are great
Sound effects are good
The Nether and End are amazing
Addictive
The game is very customizable
Updates are frequent adding more to the game
The mobs and fun and creative
Value for money

Weak Points:
Adding mods is difficult and requires you to download lots of other things
LAN is difficult to use
Not enough animals or mobs
Lots of the blocks are the same
Some bugs
Music is all right
Not enough achievements
Not enough tools
Not enough everyday furniture
Not enough sky or underground space for big projects

In-depth Review:

Release Dates:

World Wide: November 18, 2011

Controls:
Many configurable controls which can be seen in game

This game is a bargain for £20 and is one of the most addictive games out there. The game is updated frequently with new mobs and items which all add a new flavour to a game which tasks you to create and survive. From the humble beginnings of digging hole in the ground to survive you will slowly build up to a sprawling metropolis or a massive castle. The game has three modes (Creative, Survival and Hardcore which all add something different to the game.

Survival: This mode is the simplest of all the modes and just tasks you to survive. You start out in the middle of nowhere ad you task yourself with surviving the creatures which turn up at night. The first day you find yourself digging a hole in a mountain side and listening for the sound of approaching footsteps but as your days here increase you start to make a proper house and make weapons to fight against the creatures of dark. There are many mobs including Creepers, Spiders, Zombies and Skeletons who all do things slightly different. The ultimate task is to defeat the End Dragon in The End but you don't have to as this does reset the game. Instead you can make anything you like but you have to mine the blocks and make the tools in this mode which adds a touch of realism. Also, the blocky style of Minecraft means the game is never to complicated and with a little bit of thought you can make anything you want.

Hardcore: Hardcore mode is the same as Survival but is harder. Unlike with survival when you die you can't respawn and the difficulty is stuck on hard. Otherwise it is exactly the same and you can still trade with villagers and make structures.

Creative: Creative gives you the ability to fly and instantly break blocks. You also have unlimited blocks you can search for and you can't die. This mode allows you to make anything you want for the pure sake of it and is a lot easier but your'e not limited to a biome or the amount of blocks.

The game also has multiplayer which means you can play on a server you or someone else has made and can use the adventure mode which means you can't break blocks. Servers include the Survival games, Paint balling etc. and is a great way to just have fun with lots of people on Minecraft.

Finally, there are mods which people make which add blocks, make the graphics better or make you invincible. These are quite difficult to download though but means you will never run out of things to do. There are also resource packs which change the graphic style of Minecraft.

Conclusion: this game is amazing and is only limited by your creativity.

Rating: 98%

Thanks for reading, Satamer.

Note: as this game is constantly changing I will be updating this review and if you spot anything I miss then please don't hesitate to comment.

Update:
The Bountiful Update:
Full Patch Notes: Minecraft Launcher
Minecraft 1.8 - The Bountiful Update
+ Added Granite, Andesite, and Diorite stone blocks, with smooth versions
+ Added Slime Block
+ Added Iron Trapdoor
+ Added Prismarine and Sea Lantern blocks
+ Added the Ocean Monument
+ Added Red Sandstone
+ Added Banners
+ Added Armor Stands
+ Added Coarse Dirt (dirt where grass won’t grow)
+ Added Guardian mobs, with item drops
+ Added Endermite mob
+ Added Rabbits, with item drops
+ Added Mutton and Cooked Mutton
+ Villagers will harvest crops and plant new ones
+ Mossy Cobblestone and Mossy Stone Bricks are now craftable
+ Chiseled Stone Bricks are now craftable
+ Doors and fences now come in all wood type variants
+ Sponge block has regained its water-absorbing ability and becomes wet
+ Added a spectator game mode (game mode 3)
+ Added one new achievement
+ Added “Customized” world type
+ Added hidden “Debug Mode” world type
+ Worlds can now have a world barrier
+ Added @e target selector for Command Blocks
+ Added /blockdata command
+ Added /clone command
+ Added /execute command
+ Added /fill command
+ Added /particle command
+ Added /testforblocks command
+ Added /title command
+ Added /trigger command
+ Added /worldborder command
+ Added /stats command
+ Containers can be locked in custom maps by using the “Lock” data tag
+ Added logAdminCommands, showDeathMessages, reducedDebugInfo, sendCommandFeedback, and randomTickSpeed game rules
+ Added three new statistics
+ Player skins can now have double layers across the whole model, and left/right arms/legs can be edited independently
+ Added a new player model with smaller arms, and a new player skin called Alex?
+ Added options for configuring what pieces of the skin that are visible
+ Blocks can now have custom visual variations in the resource packs
+ Minecraft Realms now has an activity chart, so you can see who has been online
+ Minecraft Realms now lets you upload your maps
* Difficulty setting is saved per world, and can be locked if wanted
* Enchanting has been redone, now costs lapis lazuli in addition to enchantment levels
* Villager trading has been rebalanced
* Anvil repairing has been rebalanced
* Considerable faster client-side performance
* Max render distance has been increased to 32 chunks (512 blocks)
* Adventure mode now prevents you from destroying blocks, unless your items have the CanDestroy data tag
* Resource packs can now also define the shape of blocks and items, and not just their textures
* Scoreboards have been given a lot of new features
* Tweaked the F3 debug screen
* Block ID numbers (such as 1 for stone), are being replaced by ID names (such as minecraft:stone)
* Server list has been improved
* A few minor changes to village and temple generation
* Mob heads for players now show both skin layers
* Buttons can now be placed on the ceiling
* Lots and lots of other changes
* LOTS AND LOTS of other changes
- Removed Herobrine

The Update that Changed the World:
Full Patch Notes: Minecraft Launcher
+ Added lots of new biomes!
+ Added “AMPLIFIED” world type
+ Added Acacia and Old Oak wood types
+ Added Stained Glass
+ Added Packed Ice, Red Sand, Podzol
+ Added a bunch of new flowers, including double-height flowers and grass
+ Added more types of fish
+ Fishing rods can be enchanted
+ Achievements are now world specific
+ Gaining achievements now announced to other players
+ Added a few new achievements
+ Servers can now have a “server-icon.png” that is displayed in the multiplayer list
+ You can see who’s online before joining, just hover the player count number in the server list
+ New /summon command
+ Added Command Block minecart
+ Links in chat are now clickable
+ Click on somebody’s name to send a private message
+ Added a bunch of new graphics options
+ Added some shader tests (click on the “Super Secret Settings” a couple of times…)
* Biome placement has been improved, and oceans are smaller
* Portals to the Nether can now have different shapes
* Fishing is now more interesting
* Maps in item frames are now extra big
* The achievement screen is zoomable
* Preparations have been made to offer name change in the future
* You can now have multiple resource packs loaded at the same time
* Resource packs can now hold sound effects
* Servers can recommend resource packs
* Network code has been rewritten
* Sound manager has been rewritten
* Many many bug fixes…
- Removed the Rose flower
- Removed Herobrine