Minecraft: Xbox 360 Version

Alright, before I go into the game, I would like to say I've never played the PC version, nor do I plan to do so. I've been playing the X360 version quite often since its release. But since I have far less knowledge than those who play it on the PC, I apologize in advance for mislabeling or simply being wrong.

Story

There isn't one, you're 'The Player', simple as that, you explore the world of Minecraft, build and destroy, destroy and build. That's honestly all there is to Minecraft, it may seem limited, but that's only true if you have a very small imagination (so yes, I'm saying if you get bored of this easily, you're about as fun as a wet mouse).

Minecraft is all about designing and building whatever you can think of, don't believe me?

Images from the PC version

While I'm sure there are some Mod Tools that make these tasks easier, it still proves the point.


Graphics

Well, this game is basically Lego's, therefore the graphics aren't impressive, but they aren't trying to be. Everything looks great (considering the pixels are the size of those on the original Game Boy), if you are very picky about graphics, and playing anything before 2005 makes your eyes bleed, then you won't like this game.


Controls

The controls are very simple and straight forward, one button allows you to jump, the other cycles through your inventory, attack enemies, place item, etc. There really isn't much to say about them, the controls are like the graphics, old as hell.


Voice/Sound/Music

There is little in the area of voice, maybe grunts, but that's it. Sounds sound, well, old school, but that's good, considering the game. The music is annoying sometimes, as it constantly plays, but luckily, it can be turned down/off if the player desires.


Other

I read this would feature online play, but my experience makes me believe you can only play with friends, as I have not seen a single game in the 'Online' section (except for one, and if the 'Friends Only' thing is true, this guy must've been hacking or something....)

The game offers splitscreen (if you have an HDTV) which I haven't been able to utilize yet, but the thought of playing this with my friends is pretty entertaining.... oh the things we could build.

As many know, the game is VERY limited compared to the PC version, the designers have said they'll EVENTUALLY release an update that'll bring it up to version.

“We’re aiming to update to the major PC releases – first one will be the equivalent of the PC Beta 1.7.3 version”,


Overall

Minecraft is a fun way to blow $20, with hours of fun and with major updates coming, at some point, it's well worth the price.

9/10

Pros

- Plain simple fun
- Exercises your creative muscles
- Hours of entertainment

Cons

- Rather simple
- Splitscreen requires an HDTV
- Will get repetitive

Resident Evil: A Look Back

It's indisputable that Resident Evil has become a very well-known series. Games, books and even Hollywood movies, the series seems to be growing and growing like no one thought possible. But has the series strayed from its roots too much? I'm going to take you back through the years, and at the end, you be the judge.

Top: Resident Evil 1 remake
Bottom: Resident Evil 4

Now, I love the series, been playing it since it originally released on the PSone back in 1997, while the graphics are terrible compared to today's standards, I enjoyed it (although I didn't get far, as I was only 7 at the time ;p). When Resident Evil 2 came out, I was 8 and able to focus on it a bit more than I could with Resident Evil 1 (plus the game looked much nicer). This game set the standards for the series, characters were thought out (as thought out as they could be back then), the story was excellent and the game was just all around enjoyable. I spent hours playing RE2, first Leon, then Claire, then Claire and Leon, I played the hell out of this game.

When Resident Evil 3: Nemesis came out in 1999, the series got even better. The already well thought out characters received an overhaul and looked and acted much better than their previous counterparts. I got attached to Jill, Carlos and even lesser character such as Mikhail and Nicholai. The threat of the Nemesis, a giant BOW (Bio-Organic Weapon) that pursued you throughout the game, always making you check your corners and look over your shoulder (as if we needed more of it in this game). Even better was the fact that after beating the game, you unlocked Operation: Mad Jackal, where you were able to play as Mikhail, Carlos or Nicholai and earn awesome items for the main game.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica was much more challenging for me, I had a helluva time beating it, whether that was due to actual difficulty or a poorly made game is up for debate, none the less, this was a good game.

"Wait, you just said it was poorly made.... da fuck?"

Don't get me wrong, it was, but it also did things that made up for that, the story was something from M.Shyamalan, full of twists, there were quite a few enemies that made you go, "Holy shit!" Some being Hulk Steve and the giant Dragonfly Alexia and other bizarre shit.

Now, this is where the series started taking a dive for me, a hardcore fan. Resident Evil 4. Don't get me wrong, the game itself was good, but I believe it was no where near deserving the title of "Resident Evil". Resident Evil is about zombies and surviving a zombie outbreak, not playing as a Government Agent and saving the world. The game itself is good, as I said before, the mechanics work well and the overall gameplay is fun. But throwing on the Resident Evil name was a crappy move.

Resident Evil 5 suffered the same issues as its predecessor, using the Resident Evil name, but having no zombies at all. Again, the game works well, but not as a Resident Evil entry.

Now, trailers of Resident Evil 6 show zombies, which I applaud, give the fans what they like, after all, we made the series what it is. What I don't like is that in the same trailer, Chris is shown as doing these superhero moves, taking out what look like parasite infested people from Resident Evil 4 and 5, killing people with guns leaping over shit and so much more.... I don't like "One man can save the world" type games, if this happened, we'd all be dead. Keep the series as it was, the struggle for survival.