Explore, discover, build, create… When I first heard about Minecraft I was convinced it was not the kind of game I would play. The graphics were…well, pretty bad compared to today’s standards. The storyline? What storyline?

I knew it was a sandbox game and although I love sandbox game I couldn’t picture myself playing it. Ever.

And then my good friend @dedtweet convinced me to play it. And I couldn’t stop.

Surviving the first day

Thanks to Minecraft I discovered how much fun building is. You can build whatever you want, do whatever you want. In Minecraft, the possibilities are endless.

You start out with nothing. No tools, no resources, nothing. Your first task is to make yourself some torches (so you need to head out and find coal and wood) and find cover, as soon as possible, before it gets dark. Because at night, the monsters come out to play tag with you. And you don’t want to be out in the open when that happens—not without a weapon.

This is the only task you have in this game. Well, you could, of course, choose not to find any cover and fight the skeletons and creepers with your bare fists. But the chances of you surviving that first night are slim. So most people end up building a mud hut, or a tree house, and some people are lucky enough to find a cave nearby.

Once you’ve built your first house, use your torches to light up your little home, because you don’t want a giant spider to start munching on your leg while you’re sleeping.

So here’s where the adventure starts. There are villagers, all kinds of monsters you can slay, hundreds of blocks you can find and use to build whatever you want. Minecraft worlds are randomly generated and grow bigger with every step you take.

Explore your creativity

There are three game modes in Minecraft: Survival, Creative and Hardcore mode. In Survival mode, your character needs food to survive, has a limited amount of health and monsters spawn in dark places. Hardcore is the same as Survival mode, but…hardcore.

Creative mode is for the casual gamers out there. If you want to build without any limitations, without the risk of dying or having a limited supply of building blocks to your disposal, creative mode is the way to go. And if you want to play Superman, you can do that, too, because Creative mode allows you to move around without the limitations of gravity.

It’s good that you get to choose from several game modes, because it means the game is fun for those who want a challenge and those who want to use their creative skills to build something a-ma-zing. Minecraft is fun for everyone.

Don’t play this game for its looks

The graphics of this game are pretty unique. You can compare the graphics in this game with that of pixel art. It’s pretty in its own way, but some people won’t like it. If you’re looking for a game with stunning graphics, you might not like this game.

The graphic quality might not compare to that of games like Skyrim, but does it really matter? Large worlds use up a lot of RAM and space. If you add better visuals to that, the game would become unplayable.

Play Minecraft with friends

Tired of exploring a massive world by yourself? Minecraft is more fun when you’re playing with friends!

You can host your world on your own server (provided your computer and internet connection can handle it) or you can join one of the many servers out there. Yes, Minecraft’s community is big. At the moment of this writing the Minecraft forums have nearly 1.3 million members.

Thanks to user-made plugins and server mods such as the popular Bukkit, playing Minecraft online has never been more fun. There are servers with MMORPG-like elements, economies, regions and much more. Did you know there are servers out there that, strangely enough, resemble the arenas from ‘The Hunger Games‘?

As you can see, the possibilities are endless and you can make Minecraft the game you want it to be.

Sound and music

Music for this game is provided by the freelance musician C418, whose real name is Daniel Rosenfeld. The music really fits the style of Minecraft. Though music in this game is used sparingly, you can craft music discs to expand your music collection. These discs can be played in jukeboxes that you can craft as well.

Who should play this game?

Minecraft may not be for the hardcore gamers who enjoy games with a storyline, amazing graphics or a ton of missions to keep them occupied.

If you want a unique gaming experience with plenty of room to express yourself creatively, this is the perfect game for you. Minecraft allows you to play the game you’ve always wanted to play. You are in control of how you want to play the game. Do you want it to be an RPG? You can. Would you rather build a metropolis? You can.

If you’re like me, you might not like the concept at first, but I’d suggest you try out the free version. Just keep in mind that the free version gives you a sneak peek of what is possible in Minecraft. It may not give you a good indication of what is possible in Minecraft. If you can miss the $19.95, I’d say: go for it!

What do you think of Minecraft? Would you recommend it to fellow gamers?

Minecraft, reviewed by Nanda on 2012-05-03T15:27:26+00:00 rating 3.7 out of 5