Let’s face it, you have probably already played or tried Minecraft before reading this. One of the best selling video games of all time with 54 million copies sold, nearly everyone has tried their hand at mining and crafting in Mojang’s cult hit. Today marks the game’s debut on the current generation of consoles and as you may have guessed, it is better than ever.
Minecraft‘s transfer to the current-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles have been handled by Scottish developer 4J Studios. Just like the ports to the 360 and the PS3, Minecraft on the Xbox One and the PS4 isn’t an exact replica of the original PC game but is a faithful translation. Except for some minor differences, the current-gen editions play nearly identically to the their old-gen counterparts.
In conjunction with 4J’s generous upgrade plan ($4.99 for those who owned it on 360 and PS3, $19.99 for everyone else), the newest editions of the game are perfect for continuing the fun from before and for years to come. You can even port over your previous saved worlds and purchased DLC from the previous gen into the newest editions, meaning all the work you did on your previous worlds won’t be for naught.
For those who have yet to experience Minecraft, the devilishly simple secret to the game’s success and allure is just that: simplicity. Minecraft drops you into a open-world and gives you no other objectives, the way you spend your days is completely up to you. You have the means and resources to craft an adventure that ranges anywhere from erecting a massive fortress, to living as a nomad exploring the land, to travelling to the Netherworld and facing the Ender dragon. Minecraft is this generation’s LEGO, it provides the means for people to set their imagination free and create an experience that fulfills their creativity.
While Minecraft may be simple on a conceptual level, it is very far from being simple on a gameplay level. If you’re curious enough, just take a look at the forums online to see how people use the game to create complex working machines and intimately detailed works of art. You may have impressed yourself when you made a trap door out of red stone circuitry because you haven’t seen those who make inventions. Minecraft‘s rabid fans have taken the game to a place where Mojang could have never even imagined. Any famous landmark, real or fictitious, has been painstakingly recreated with the upmost accuracy by players online. There is a multitude of way to express your creativity, and the deep crafting and gameplay systems to bring your imagination to virtual life.
Yet building and toiling away on your creative works don’t mean much if you don’t have other people to admire it. Minecraft on Xbox One and PS4 implement both online and local co-operative multiplayer to great effect. It’s easy to have friends pop into your saved world and help you mine and craft (hehe) and work together to bring your creations to life. Plus, it is a lot easier to divvy up the work and accomplish what would have taken you a long time to complete.
And perhaps the greatest part about the console editions local split-screen multiplayer is that it provides the opportunity for families to gather around and play together. Parents who are interested in seeing the “silly game” their kids are obsessed with can actually sit down with them in the living room instead of being locked out of their kids’ bedrooms. Minecraft can be quite enjoyable to play on your own, but it feels best when enjoyed with friends and family.
Minecraft is probably one of the greatest games of this generation, possibly ever. It taps into the limitless human imagination to fuel the game beyond what most other games could only wish to accomplish. Minecraft: Xbox One Edition and Minecraft: PS4 Edition offer the game in great form, ever-faithful to their PC origins. If you’ve never played Minecraft, you owe it to yourself to try it out and inevitably fall in love. If you have played Minecraft, you owe it to yourself to fall in love all over again.
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