Minecraft: Xbox One Edition
Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Mojang / 4J Studios Platform: Microsoft Xbox One Release: 2014 Genre: Sandbox / Adventure Rating: 9.3 \ 10.0: Excellent
NOTICE: There are times when I'll own multiple editions of a game, but won't have enough to say to justify making another full review. It is for this reason that I've decided to write bite-sized micro reviews that are divided into to two segments: The first is a brief summary recalling the game's past, and the second is a small review that informs anyone that owns another version of the game whether it's worth purchasing again. I hope that you enjoy my first ever micro review!
Summary: Minecraft has come a long way since its full release in late 2011. The game has went on to sell millions of units across computers, mobile devices, and consoles, setting sales records on most of its platforms; the Xbox 360 Edition apparently turned a profit within two hours! Speaking of Minecraft on consoles, the game has since been ported to all current PlayStation systems and eight-generation consoles, including the Wii U! The is a huge deal considering that the Wii U Edition was released after developer Mojang was bought out by Microsoft, which goes to Nintendo fans that the folks at the major computer manufacturer are more flexible than they may seem; they're more than just the evil company that bought out Nintendo's beloved second-party Rareware and reduced them to developing Kinect titles. If you're like me and you must own Minecraft on every system possible, you may be wondering: "Should I get the eight-gen version of Minecraft if I already have it on my 360 or PS3?" Read on to find out!
Review: There's no question that Minecraft is best enjoyed on a Mac or PC if replay value is important to you, but those seeking an accessible drop in-drop out cooperative experience have had the console editions to fall back on. Minecraft: Xbox One Edition is largely identical to its seventh-generation counterpart, but with several minor additions, the most prominent being "infinite" worlds (if you want to make a smaller world, you can disable this feature). The game now supports 1080p displays, but given the game's pixelated / voxelated visual style, this doesn't make much of a difference graphically. You will notice, however, that the load and save times have been dramatically decreased. Saving your game was once a half-minute long annoyance to those playing with you, but in the new-gen version of the game, the amount of time it takes to save your world ranges from a few seconds to the blink of an eye. If you already own Minecraft on a seventh-generation console, I recommend buying it again on the same system family. This way, you can upload your favorite worlds from your Xbox 360 or PS3 to your new system. You can also use any DLC you've purchased on both consoles. However, the PS and Xbox versions each have extra content based on the consoles' exclusive games respectively, so I'll leave the choice up to you. So...
Is it worth it?
If you love Minecraft as much as I do, you'll want it on every platform you can play it on. None of the fun or features present in the older version have been omitted, and $20 is little to ask for such a wonderful experience. If you still haven't played Minecraft, then now's a great time to start!
Also available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita
ESRB: E 10+ Content: Fantasy Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail / Download)
