Sunday, October 11, 2015

Minecraft (PS3)

How do you review a phenomenon?  A game that has no clear ending and is really only limited by your imagination.  Simply put, I can't.  I'll just speak with  my experiences with this game.

It started slowly, I built a simple house our of wood pretty close to where I spawned.  I didn't know what to expect.  I had seen the game before but never experienced it.  Little did I know that this game is addictive.  Just one more cave, one more block, one more chest.  Once I learned what to look for, I was getting my first set of diamond tools and trekking into the Nether.

That is the joy of this game.  Sure there is a last boss and it does take some work to get to but that really isn't the draw of the game.  The draw can be from building whatever you want to learning how to survive that first night easily.  Yes, the game isn't perfect and creepers are annoying but there is so much to enjoy from something so simple.  This game calls to my need to explore.  I wanted to see everything that my world had to offer and learn where everything was.

I think that is what makes this game so great.  A player can start with nothing and get everything just by looking.  They can build a house and do whatever they want.  There isn't really a set goal and there is no pressure to do anything.  It is the ultimate sandbox and I feel that it is really a good example of just how simple a good game can be.  It isn't the prettiest game in the world but it is fun.  I think so many developers miss that with the discussions about the best graphics and 60 frames.  Focus on making the game fun, if a game is fun.  I don't care how beautiful it looks.  Stop making beautiful boring games and just make something fun.