Game on - Minecraft

Minecraft: The Xbox 360 Edition

(Developer: Mojang; Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios; Classification: G)

Reviewed by Siobhan Keogh

Indie game studio Mojang recently introduced the Lego of video games, Minecraft, to the Xbox 360. So how does it stack up (ha, ha) against the PC version?

Very well, actually.

Minecraft, for the uninitiated, is a simple game. There's no clear objective – you just build stuff out of blocks that you harvest from the resources in your environment. You can build a house made of wood, gathered from trees. Or from cobblestones, after you smash a stone wall to pieces. You can tinker around and make weapons, and armour, and tools. You can befriend the wolves, shear the sheep, and reap pork chops from the poor, unsuspecting pigs. Almost everything you can see can be broken down and used in some way. Then night falls, and the monsters come out. Your only defences are whatever you've built for yourself using the resources you've collected.

It's important to note here that getting the most out of your Xbox 360 Minecraft experience requires an HDTV and a buddy or three to play with. That's because the Xbox version is the first to feature splitscreen play (up to four players), but it won't work if your television isn't HD.

For the Xbox Minecraft, beginners won't have to read a wiki to understand the basics of the game as they did for the PC version. There's a relatively simple tutorial mode that will teach you the basics of moving, mining, crafting, building and fishing. It also helpfully warns you that the night is dark and full of terrors. In tutorial mode, however, night-time never comes, so it's a safe place to explore and experiment while you get your bearings on the game.

The great thing about Minecraft is that you potter around in the daytime, mining for resources without a care in the world, and then when night falls you've got a whole different game on your hands. Even if the Xbox version of the game is a slightly older build than the latest PC version – it doesn't have a food system, and you can awesomely shear sheep with your bare hands – all the features that make the game so great are there. Minecraft for Xbox 360 is a solid port, and I know I'm not the only Xbox user who has got hooked all over again.

- © Fairfax NZ News