Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Gamer's Review: Minecraft ~ by Rachael Black

https://minecraft.net/en-us/store/

To all you game-loving people out there:  Welcome to my nerd column! I'm going to be reviewing one of the biggest games out there. It might be a "blocky road" but please, stay with me. This edition of Game Review is Minecraft.


In the world of Minecraft you can create whatever you want with the limitations of only building with blocks -- what a way to think outside of the box, or maybe inside the box... whichever you prefer.


This game CAN be frustrating because we have monsters. These monsters are like the bullies of Minecraft. We have your typical skeletons, zombies, spiders, witches, and endermen. Then we have the devil of mobs: the Creeper. Without a care, the Creeper will crush everything you have worked your heart out for. This thing is a walking timebomb, it lurks and waits for the next victim. When it’s close enough to you, it makes a hiss sound, and BOOM -- your hopes and dreams are destroyed.


There are tons of biomes, or blocked in worlds, but everything is connected. You can explore any of these biomes freely, with the basic four being desert, jungle, grassland and finally, my favorite, the savannah. In these biomes, you can do anything from building a house and making a farm to gearing up and going to to a new dimension. Minecraft is so simple yet complicated. There are a variety of projects that you can do in one sitting.  


By now, you are probably wondering what these worlds are, so start off with talking about the The Nether. In this Hell-themed dimension, you have these huge white blobs. These blobs are called “Ghasts”, and they are actually huge block tentacle monsters that spit fire at you -- luckily, cobblestone will ALWAYS save the day!


Now, let's talk about this other world. It has an Underworld theme, but there isn't much I can say about the End, as I’ve only been there a few times. What I do know is that you need pearls called the Eye of Ender. The Eye of Ender is a navigation tool that you need to get to a final boss battle in the game. When you throw these pearls, it will lead you to an end portal that you’ll jump into. We also have this thing called the Nether Dragon. When you defeat this dragon, with about one thousand Endermen, what happens next will blow your mind… the game ends. I know you were expecting something big and extravagant, but all you get is an ending.


In my view, Minecraft can be a time consuming game, and if you have that time, go for it; consider setting a timer so you don’t get lost in the game and say, “Geesh!  It’s already midnight and I still have homework!”  If you loved Legos as a child, this game may be for you!  Benefits of this game include tapping into your creativity, and believe it or not, there is a social aspect; you can meet other Minecraft enthusiasts online and build your own worlds!