JamorasGaming
Well-Known Member
Honestly, on a forum this big I thought there would have been someone who reviewed this game. Ah well I'll give it a shot.
So I've never done a review on here but when I first play a game I look at four keys areas:
Graphics, Gameplay, Story, Tech
I'll first define each before launching into the review.
Graphics
When I say graphics I don't mean "Is it realistic?" because that's stupid Borderlands 2 has amazing graphics but they are in no way realistc. What I mean Do the graphics fit the game?
Gameplay
I think this one is obvious but for those who don't get it here goes. What I look for is:
Does the gameplay feel natural?
This covers a lot from controls, to the options menu to the gameplay itself.
Story
Another obvious one but again I'll give a little description.
Is the story interesting?
Tech
This one may not be too obvious so I'll go over it.
When I say the "Tech" of the game I mean:
How well does it perform on my PC? (please note I am running a mid-level pc)
Are there a ton of issues while playing the game?
Final Thoughts
Just a wrap up of the review.
So let's get on with this review! Also please note I am reviewing the currently latest version of 1.7.5 on the PC
(I am doing this because I have no experiance with the console versions)
Graphics
To a naive eye the graphics in Minecraft are terrible and you are right, they are pixelated, nowhere even close to games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, or even games like 21st Century Mario. However you have to not look at the pixels and more at the sharpness of the graphics. While orginally it looks strange if you look deeper you can see that it's more of an art style than anything else. The graphics are well done because they don't strain on the eyes and are very crisp. While it may need some getting used to at first it's not hard. However I would highly advise anyone to get a higher resolution texture pack (now called resource packs) if you truly can't stand the default. If you don't know how to fine/install a resource pack Youtube is a great way to find tutorials.
Final Score: 7/10
Gameplay
The gameplay in Minecraft is simple, with very little depth to it, at it's core Minecraft is a hack and slash game, there are no combos, no advanced moves you can learn other than a jumping crit strike which you can learn in the first 10 minutes of your play time. But that doesn't mean it's boring, with a variety of enemies you do you have to use a good deal of strategy. This was mostly done in the 1.4 update when skeletons were seriously buffed. If you haven't played Minecraft in the last 8 months give it another go, enemies are smart avoiding traps and pitfalls. Skeletons (whom wield bows) shoot faster as you get closer, Zombies have a far higher detection and come in hordes, Creeper (who explode when close) are also very dangerous because they make very little noise until they are close and then they hiss. I would have to say the enemies that is the easiest is the spider which has a basic leaping attack which will throw you off the first time but after a little experiance you can defeat them easily.
Controls
The controls of Minecraft are extremely simple, all of them can be remapped at any time, if you are playing on a PC they are learned in a matter of minutes. However with no offical tutorial you will have to look up some tutorials on Youtube or look at the wiki but this can take maybe 10-15 minutes out of your time. This can be a problem for some, however it isn't hard to find great tutorials on the Internet. On top of that with a randomly generated world every time you first start replay value is very very high.
Final Score: 8/10
Story
Once again, to the naive this game has no story, and you are right, Minecraft has no story to it, no cutscenes, no other characters, nothing at all. But that is the reason why it's so great. If you are an old school gamer think back to games like the Atari games, did we get a story back then? Not really. It just threw you into the game and you played. That's how Minecrat is. You don't follow a story, you make the story. As a writer, and extremely critical reader I found this mind-blowing at first. Playing games like Mario, Zelda, Mortal Kombat, and Resisdent Evil I was so used to a story to follow that when I was told Minecraft was about making your own story and experiance I couldn't wait to get started. While this may not appeal to everyone, if you are in the slightest bit creative and want a truly organic adventure the I believe Minecraft is right for you.
Final Score: 8/10
Tech
Minecraft is a game full of bugs, without actually being a buggy game. While playing Minecraft you won't actually see or feel any of the bugs. There are no glitchy floors or invisible walls. (unless you have a low end PC) That being said though, you still need a decent PC to run this game, despite not looking like it. If you stay in one area the whole time you are playing any PC can handle it. This game rarely becomes laggy unless you make a large contraption out of the game's "technology" known as redstone. If you explore new areas (which you will want to do often) you game may become laggy with a low end PC, because Minecraft randomly creates the areas (known as "chunks") that you are in as you travel. There is no pre-created map, this of course is a double edged sword. I previously stated it adds very high replay value it also causes your PC to be strained a little bit depended on how much you want rendered while traveling in the world.(it can range from 2 chunks to 16 chucks) The options menu in the game were drastically improved in the 1.6 update. The game used to have very little control over sounds, graphics but recently the developers have fixed all of that. While I would like to see more it's a very good amount of control.
Score: 8/10
Final Thought
Minecraft is a game that defines the sandbox genre, a game that is truly unique to each person that plays no matter if you play 1 hour a week or 10 hours a day. It is a game that at first seems stupid and pointless but if you play for a few hours you can find yourself addicted to getting your house finished, or building a huge castle. This game can easily satisfy you no matter what style of play you prefer.
Final Score: 8/10
So I've never done a review on here but when I first play a game I look at four keys areas:
Graphics, Gameplay, Story, Tech
I'll first define each before launching into the review.
Graphics
When I say graphics I don't mean "Is it realistic?" because that's stupid Borderlands 2 has amazing graphics but they are in no way realistc. What I mean Do the graphics fit the game?
Gameplay
I think this one is obvious but for those who don't get it here goes. What I look for is:
Does the gameplay feel natural?
This covers a lot from controls, to the options menu to the gameplay itself.
Story
Another obvious one but again I'll give a little description.
Is the story interesting?
Tech
This one may not be too obvious so I'll go over it.
When I say the "Tech" of the game I mean:
How well does it perform on my PC? (please note I am running a mid-level pc)
Are there a ton of issues while playing the game?
Final Thoughts
Just a wrap up of the review.
So let's get on with this review! Also please note I am reviewing the currently latest version of 1.7.5 on the PC
(I am doing this because I have no experiance with the console versions)
Graphics
To a naive eye the graphics in Minecraft are terrible and you are right, they are pixelated, nowhere even close to games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, or even games like 21st Century Mario. However you have to not look at the pixels and more at the sharpness of the graphics. While orginally it looks strange if you look deeper you can see that it's more of an art style than anything else. The graphics are well done because they don't strain on the eyes and are very crisp. While it may need some getting used to at first it's not hard. However I would highly advise anyone to get a higher resolution texture pack (now called resource packs) if you truly can't stand the default. If you don't know how to fine/install a resource pack Youtube is a great way to find tutorials.
Final Score: 7/10
Gameplay
The gameplay in Minecraft is simple, with very little depth to it, at it's core Minecraft is a hack and slash game, there are no combos, no advanced moves you can learn other than a jumping crit strike which you can learn in the first 10 minutes of your play time. But that doesn't mean it's boring, with a variety of enemies you do you have to use a good deal of strategy. This was mostly done in the 1.4 update when skeletons were seriously buffed. If you haven't played Minecraft in the last 8 months give it another go, enemies are smart avoiding traps and pitfalls. Skeletons (whom wield bows) shoot faster as you get closer, Zombies have a far higher detection and come in hordes, Creeper (who explode when close) are also very dangerous because they make very little noise until they are close and then they hiss. I would have to say the enemies that is the easiest is the spider which has a basic leaping attack which will throw you off the first time but after a little experiance you can defeat them easily.
Controls
The controls of Minecraft are extremely simple, all of them can be remapped at any time, if you are playing on a PC they are learned in a matter of minutes. However with no offical tutorial you will have to look up some tutorials on Youtube or look at the wiki but this can take maybe 10-15 minutes out of your time. This can be a problem for some, however it isn't hard to find great tutorials on the Internet. On top of that with a randomly generated world every time you first start replay value is very very high.
Final Score: 8/10
Story
Once again, to the naive this game has no story, and you are right, Minecraft has no story to it, no cutscenes, no other characters, nothing at all. But that is the reason why it's so great. If you are an old school gamer think back to games like the Atari games, did we get a story back then? Not really. It just threw you into the game and you played. That's how Minecrat is. You don't follow a story, you make the story. As a writer, and extremely critical reader I found this mind-blowing at first. Playing games like Mario, Zelda, Mortal Kombat, and Resisdent Evil I was so used to a story to follow that when I was told Minecraft was about making your own story and experiance I couldn't wait to get started. While this may not appeal to everyone, if you are in the slightest bit creative and want a truly organic adventure the I believe Minecraft is right for you.
Final Score: 8/10
Tech
Minecraft is a game full of bugs, without actually being a buggy game. While playing Minecraft you won't actually see or feel any of the bugs. There are no glitchy floors or invisible walls. (unless you have a low end PC) That being said though, you still need a decent PC to run this game, despite not looking like it. If you stay in one area the whole time you are playing any PC can handle it. This game rarely becomes laggy unless you make a large contraption out of the game's "technology" known as redstone. If you explore new areas (which you will want to do often) you game may become laggy with a low end PC, because Minecraft randomly creates the areas (known as "chunks") that you are in as you travel. There is no pre-created map, this of course is a double edged sword. I previously stated it adds very high replay value it also causes your PC to be strained a little bit depended on how much you want rendered while traveling in the world.(it can range from 2 chunks to 16 chucks) The options menu in the game were drastically improved in the 1.6 update. The game used to have very little control over sounds, graphics but recently the developers have fixed all of that. While I would like to see more it's a very good amount of control.
Score: 8/10
Final Thought
Minecraft is a game that defines the sandbox genre, a game that is truly unique to each person that plays no matter if you play 1 hour a week or 10 hours a day. It is a game that at first seems stupid and pointless but if you play for a few hours you can find yourself addicted to getting your house finished, or building a huge castle. This game can easily satisfy you no matter what style of play you prefer.
Final Score: 8/10
