Gamer Blast

Minecraft has been growing in popularity a lot lately. I decided to check it out just recently, after a month or two of disinterest, and let me tell you… I don’t know why I didn’t try it out earlier. I’m hooked, and I’m loving it.

It can be a bit intimidating at first… The mining, the crafting system, the zombies. But when you get the hang of it, Minecraft is an absolute gem that nobody in their right mind should miss out on.

I recommend trying out the web-based version before buying it… But don’t take that version too seriously. It’s dumbed-down incredibly. The biggest thing is that you don’t have to put any effort into anything — destroying blocks is just one click away, and you’ve got all of the items at your disposal from the get-go. It’s fun to build a few little practice buildings, but you’re missing out on almost everything.

When you start a new game in Minecraft, you have nothing. No tools to use, no roof above your head, and no armour to defend against the creepers. You have to work your way up the tech tree, starting with your bare hands. This crafting guide on the Minecraft wiki is a huge help, especially when you’re just starting. Get yourself a pickaxe, a shovel, and an axe, and get to work.

You’re automatically started in “Normal” mode. This includes scary zombies and spiders and other such things when it’s nighttime, or in a dark, creepy cave. If you’d rather just adventure and build up your buildings without having to worry about, go into your options and turn on “Peaceful” mode. Now open this music and have fun. (Thanks for the tip, Mr. Tibsmar of Reddit.)

A lot of the fun in this game is the fact that it’s pretty much the definition of a sandbox game. Build your own world. Collect materials, make tools, use those tools to collect other materials at a faster rate, and put all you find together like a bunch of Legos. I currently have two games saved — one peaceful game, where I always have Peaceful mode on, and I just build, mine, and explore. This is a great way to explore your own ingenuity with the materials you’re given and what you’re able to put together.
And then I have another map, in which I’m always on “Normal” mode. This means that each time the sun starts to set, I have to either retreat to one of my many conveniently placed safehouses, or suit up and battle throughout the night. (I’ve yet to be successful with the latter.) This is my “Survival” map, and it’s a load of fun to play this way, as it gives you some opposition — build during the day, make sure creepers don’t blow up near your stuff at night.
Of course, there are other mobs, such as the Skeletons (which will pick you off from a distance with their bow & arrows), regular Zombies (who distinguish themselves from the naked Creepers with a t-shirt and some pants), and spiders (which are… Well, they’re just giant spiders.

You can heal yourself with food… Find some ham after killing a pig? Well, toss it into your furnace with some coal underneath it to cook it up. Of course, you can eat it raw, but that won’t heal you as much. You can also make soups and breads, as well as other foodstuffs, I’m sure.

You can build underground fortresses, and connect them with tunnels. Build a skyscraper up until you’re hanging out above the clouds. Hell, build anything that comes to mind. There are limitless possibilities to what you can do with the tools and materials given by The Provider, also known as Swedish developer Notch.

The online play opens up a whole new world of its own, exploring expanse worlds with other players, and contributing your own creations to make it that much better.
This is undoubtedly the best Indie game I have ever played, and almost surely in my top 10 favourite games ever. I feel like a child building a fort out of blankets when I make a temporary glass house before getting swarmed by zombies.
I’ve gotten more enjoyment out of Minecraft than just about anything else, ever. And having an awesome developer who actually listens to user input improves it about tenfold. During the Alpha phase, it’s only €9.95 (which, as of right now, converts to $12.63), and will be going up to $25.38 once it’s in Beta. I’d recommend you pick it up now, while it’s still 50% off.