Minecraft bigger than 107 countries, 360 version coming soon

Every kid (even those aged 40+) wants to build new, unique worlds where they can let their imaginations go wild.  Don’t you remember the days of building forts out of couch cushions, empires out of LEGO?  This free play experience has been loosely emulated in games like Age of Empires and The Sims, building up your empire and resources or controlling the lives of Sims characters – so it's no wonder that Minecraft has taken off like it has!

A game dedicated to digging up blocks of dirt, stone, etc to build forts, empires, villages… essentially whatever you want, Minecraft appeals to children, teenagers, adults; gamers and non-gamers alike.

Whether it’s something you do to procrastinate from cramming for a test or writing a paper or just for the pure enjoyment of building complex structures, there’s a little something for everyone.  So how will the current PC version of Minecraft change when it comes out exclusively to the 360 this spring?

Although the creator (Markus ‘Notch' Persson), is acting as game designer for the 360 version – another company is heading up the development of the new Minecraft game.  So what does this mean for the game we’ve come to know and love?

Minecraft will include a mode utilising 360’s Kinect (that means no controllers, nothing, except you and your movements!).  This will revolutionise the way ‘Minecrafters’ mine, to include waving your arms ‘to mine and use items'.  Sounds like an interesting feature, but what if that mode isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – and you end up looking psychologically disturbed?

The 360 controller functions seem basic enough – LB and RB to cycle through items, Y to check inventory, B to drop an item, A to jump, X to craft, etc.  The crafting, inventory and world look relatively similar to the current game, so all in all, Minecraft for the 360 appears to be an awesome extension to an already hugely successful game.

The biggest question remaining becomes ‘Just how popular will this new version of Minecraft be?'.

The beta version of Minecraft hit the 4 million sales mark just two weeks ago. To put that into context, there are 107 countries on this planet with a smaller population!

How much bigger can it get after the full launch?  At KitGuru, we're looking forward to seeing what new creations people will construct in the 360 version.  Among the lists of top Minecraft creations are Germany ’s Reichstag, India’s Taj Mahal, Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, Titanic, France’s Arc de Triomphe and Nôtre Dame and New York’s Empire State Building.  Being the nerds we is, one of our favorite replications is of Firefly’s ‘Serenity'.

KitGuru says: We’ll have to wait and see what new developments come about with the release of the new Minecraft. Will there be enough innovation and difference to (a) attract new Minecrafters and (b) encourage existing MCs to buy the product twice?  Either way, it's a ‘Happy building everyone!' message from us.

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