➤ The timeless 🎮

Minecraft is one of the heralds of modern indie, a title that has taken up and enhanced the sandbox formula almost without paying attention to the aesthetic question. Many are those who have stoically avoided every incarnation of the Mojang title calling it too bad to be played but there are also millions who have let themselves be captivated by the magic of a truly open game, a title that allows you to shape the terrain of ever-changing worlds and that sports a crafting system that has been able to influence the entire evolution of the sandbox. With modding it has trapped millions of PC gamers. With its potentially infinite formula it has conquered console users.

With the magic of having a world in a palm, it has even attracted mobile gamers, even those who usually spend their time between puzzles and social gaming. AND with almost 54 million copies sold and a film in the works, it is not surprising that Minecraft has also arrived on the next generation consoles with an edition designed to take advantage of the most powerful hardware. Of course, it cannot be said that in the case of Minecraft the 1080p resolution changes the experience radically. But the cleaner image is undoubtedly pleasant to see, the visual distance is finally adequate to the width of the maps and the 60 frames per second can be clearly perceived. Finally, in essence, the console version of the title can no longer be said to be inferior to the PC version from a technical point of view. Unfortunately we cannot say the same when talking about the features of the title considering the limitations in relation to modding and multiplayer with the maximum number of players remaining at 8. But the next-gen version of the very successful Mojang sandbox refines the multiplayer support that in the future it should be further enhanced with the introduction of PC-style servers and, more importantly, it allows the creation of worlds 36 times larger than those seen on the so-called old-gen. A significant improvement with the next-gen version of Minecraft that gives us plenty of space to give vent to our imagination online, alone or all sitting together on the sofa thanks to the four-player split-screen.

The infinite worlds of Minecraft come to next-gen with an almost no-compromise edition

Xbox One achievements

The transition to Microsoft's next-gen also involves an increase in achievements that overall bestow the now canonical thousand points. Many goals are predictably cumulative and take a fair amount of time to achieve. Numerous others can be reached simply by taking an action but it could take a long time given the large number of actions possible in the Mojang title.

A mine of creativity

The experience is the classic one of the Mojang title with tons of materials to be found or extracted from the ground by digging with your hands, shovel, ice ax or a whole other series of more or less effective tools depending on the material, the context and the conformation of the land. The console interface is well structured and the agile tutorial allows you to get to the heart of the game in a matter of minutes, immediately ready to face the classic survival mode. Initially, things may seem too difficult yet a small shelter and a few pieces of equipment are enough to turn the night hours, when the world is filled with hungry creatures, into a health walk. At that point everything becomes a continuous discovery that even reaches the cultivation and animal breeding, but passing from the inevitable need to dig deeper and deeper. And in the search for ever more precious minerals it is easy to end up like the dwarves of Moria, too busy drilling the rock in search of treasure to be able to realize the danger. In the depths of the earth, when all around there is only darkness, it happens that even a Creeper, a creature easily manageable in optimal conditions, can be a thorn in the side. It therefore becomes essential to plan your mining adventure by widening the tunnels, preventing dangers, providing our mine with adequate lighting. And here it takes shape a real underground journey through which Minecraft succeeds in the difficult task of making exciting what was one of the most inauspicious professions of humanity. And it is a pretty good result for an indie that started from nothing but it is not in the survival mode alone that the enormous success of the title created by the now more than famous Markus Persson is hidden.

The creative dimension dominates the Mojang sandbox with huge projects that have led, on PC, to the creation of entire worlds, often inspired by the settings of films or famous series. On consoles, unfortunately, these creative possibilities are limited and to overcome the problem 4J Studios, the software house that deals with the console versions of Minecraft, has created several texture packs, three of which are already available on Xbox One. We are talking about the thematic worlds of Halo, Mass Effect and Skyrim which bring with them a large number of assets and, more importantly, a very important soundtrack.

However, these are contents that, to be fully enjoyed, must be purchased and in any case do not bridge the gap compared to the PC version of Minecraft enriched by a practically infinite database of free creations. But it would not be wise to underestimate the creative potential of the smooth version of Minecraft that allows you to build underground networks, castles, bridges, buildings of all kinds, villages and cities. The possibilities are innumerable even without the need for DLC, modifications or particular assets and creating something complex with a group of friends gives incredible satisfaction regardless of the textures used. And the creative mode further frees the imagination by eliminating enemies, allowing them to fly and providing the player with an endless supply of materials with which to build anything they want. Also a good Samaritan, which is not uncommon in the world of modding, managed to create a converter to bring the PC version saves to the Xbox 360 and the Minecraft: Xbox One Edition allows you to import the saves from the Xbox 360 version. Basically, by chaining conversions, it should be possible to use the PC data also on Xbox One except for compatibility problems that can probably be solved with an update of the PC to Xbox Converter. Unfortunately, the same does not seem to be possible on PlayStation 4 given the lack of both a PC converter and the ability to bring files from PlayStation 3 to the new Sony console. The latter function, however, should be implemented soon allowing all PlayStation users to take their creations with them in the transition to the next-gen. Pass that for those who already have the old-gen version should cost only 4,99 euros and should include the free transfer of some of the DLC already purchased.

Comment

Tested version Xbox One Digital Delivery PlayStation Store, Xbox Store Price 18,99 € Resources4Gaming.com

9.0

Readers (110)

7.3

Your vote

The next-gen version of Minecraft does not bring with it changes or new mechanics but fills some gaps compared to the PC version and significantly expands the experience compared to the edition for the old generation consoles. From a technical point of view it is the increase in visual distance that represents the most important novelty but the improvements are also noticeable in relation to resolution and frame rate even if the aesthetic sector of the Mojang title is not the most suitable for enhancing subtleties of this type. . In any case, graphics are the least relevant element of a title that thanks to its mechanics continues to entertain millions of gamers on an ever-growing number of platforms.

PRO

Bigger maps mean more exploration and more creative possibilities
Discounted price for those who have already purchased it on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Great multiplayer support ...

AGAINST