Let's Talk About Minecraft - XBLA Release Edition

I've said it a few times before and I'll probably say it again, but I've been fairly eagerly awaiting news on the XBLA version of Minecraft, as while I still don't own a 360, I based my hopes on -a- console version meaning that there could be -more-, and I still stand by that, no matter what Mojang says.  I'll cling to my hopes, damnit, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!  Now while the game has not officially launched, it's close enough - so much so that there are already people with the game (obtained via gift codes, legally mind you) and youtube accounts to show off for we unwashed masses.  One such example of this is ChimneySwift11, a fairly well-known Minecrafter, who already has five episodes (of this writing) of a little mini-series of Minecraft for XBLA appropriately titled "Minecraft on XBox" (Linked to the first episode since the show-list doesn't seem to be up yet).  In fact at this point, it's pretty much my only exposure to the XBLA version of the game and it's....a bit worrying honestly.

First of all, the big thing which is big enough to me to be the elephant in the room, is that the game is actually not based on the Release Version of the game.  I kind of understand this, since it was really started before the Release Version came out, but....at the same time, if you base a version of a game on anything, it should be the version that is officially a real not-beta, not-alpha game.  That's just kind of basic theory here, so I would imagine that the whole point would be to hold off porting the game until said Release Version was portable but that's why I'm just writing about games, I guess, instead of making them.  Anyways, the reason why it's a big deal is just that - It's a pretty damn big deal since the game was based off the Beta 1.6.6 version of Minecraft which was far before a lot of the 'integral' game mechanic parts came into play.  Namely a hunger bar, Enchanting, and Potion-Making.  I'm....not quite sure, even, if The End realm was in 1.6.6, but I doubt it, and I highly doubt that it was added to the XBLA version as, you'll notice, I said "based off".  Minecraft XBLA, at this point, does carry some changes and some improvements (such as the quick-shift from chests to inventory and vice versa), but by-and-large, it seems like a Beta build of the game.

This pretty much further compounds the "Is Minecraft really a game" debate as, with the release version of the game that had this and that, The End Realm, a 'boss' and a credit roll ending, the answer could pretty much be swayed in favor of saying "Yes".  There was 'depth' in the form of gaining experience that was then used to Enchant Items to your whims, as well as the potion-making that could be used to add further strategy to your playstyle, and while the NPCs did absolutely nothing, they still existed.  It skirted lines, but from the 'crossed' side of them, whereas before that, before the Adventure Update and the additions in the Release Version, solid arguments could be made for the side that said "No", and as someone who sees the XBLA version in the wake of the current version, I'm inclined to agree, as it's basically like seeing into the future from what was and seeing not only what doesn't exist in Minecraft XBLA, but what -still- doesn't exist in the base version of the game for PC.

What Minecraft really needs, and what it's been getting very, very slowly, is quite simply:  More.  More what?  More everything.  More mobs, more blocks, more biomes, more NPCs, more interaction, more recipes, just more things.  I hate to draw the comparison to the game that got compared to it a lot at release, but, Terraria released with more content in the form of unique blocks and items than Minecraft has even -now-, or if not more, then close.  Regardless, it received a lot of post-release support (which has unfortunately dried up due to the two dudes splitting up) which infused even more -things- into the game, yet managed to leave stones unturned.  (which is why I say unfortunately, since there seem to be a lot of unfulfilled developer promises involved)  There are just now more than 20 mobs in Minecraft, both passive and unfriendly (Zombie, Skeleton, Spider, Creeper, Slime, Silverfish, Cave Spiders, Endermen, Ghast, Blaze, Magma Slime, Zombie Pigmen, Pigs, Sheep, Chickens, Cows, Squids, Wolves, Ocelots, Testificates, Iron Golems, Snow Golems, Ender Dragon), and the last new mineral to be added to the game was Lapis Lazuli, which was a while ago and remains fairly useless, despite Minerals being a fairly untapped resource for the game.  (Pardon the pun)

The point I'm trying to hammer in here is that the Minecraft of now on PC doesn't have a whole lot of what it really needs, and the Minecraft of now on XBLA has drastically less than the PC version.  I don't know the full extent of what it lacks, as I've stated a couple times, but I can tell right now that it is in a big way.  And while there are apparently plans in place for fast and plentiful updates for the XBLA version, it's already entirely too far behind.  Especially with the way in which Minecraft has been updating lately, however unofficial it may be.  I'm talking about the Snapshots, of course, which are basically "the update thus far, or what works of it" that get released every week as an optional download from the main site, adding a few new things with each one, which can be big or little.  It's mainly used for testing those updates on a broad scale before the next full update includes the sum of them.  Thus, as examples of Snapshot additions, the books within which you can write from the last snapshot and the cocoa plants from the next (or one of the next) will all be in the game proper when the next official update drops, provided they don't break the game entirely.  Unless the next update (or the one after, depending on the actual time between them) for the XBLA version can match parity with the official release version of Minecraft on PC currently, it'll always be a game of catch-up and, depending on when and how that content gets added could be an additional problem.

I guess a little of the green in my eyes has been taken away by seeing how this has gone down, as I honestly can't think of Minecraft in the context of how it was back in 1.6.6 anymore, in terms of things to build or experiences to be had.  I can hardly say that it's the same game and it doesn't really matter, even, since it's....quite different and in ways that are quantifiable and large.  Still Minecraft as a basis is tantalizing for me who has nothing of it.  I'm sure if my only option was to buy a computer for Minecraft or be able to play a rather old version of it on something I own (particularly my Vita), I would opt for the latter and happily so, but that option isn't before me, so it's a little easier to say I'm not too interested in the XBLA version of the game.  Regardless, I'll be taking a look at it to see just how easily it comes to parity with the PC version, or if it really ever does.  Certainly something to watch.

Couple Bits of Japanese Handheld News

Today just seems like one of those news days, since I do have two pretty-big (well, decently big, depending on your perspective) game announcements to throw out here.  I like these days, even when they're just about games I'm interested in, and don't have proper experience with, which is both of these games this time unfortunately.  The first, which is directly related to the above screen of 999:  9Hours, 9 Doors, 9 Persons, is that the sequel for the game, or at least spiritual/semi sequel to it, is getting a release outside of Japan, specifically to North America.  Both the 3DS and Vita versions (Retail and digital for the latter) are heading this way sometime this fall, but beyond that the details on the specific date are a little sketchy.

The details that -aren't- sketchy, however, is that the game will offer both the English and Japanese audio tracks for those who really just hate dubbing, or want to give it a listen in glorious Nippon stereo.  Even if you don't care for audio beyond the region it's released in, I think we can all agree that just having the -option- should be vital.  Especially when it directly impacts the capacity in which it can be released which I am still totally not bitter about at all or anything, nope.  Beyond that, I don't know what all there is about the game, as I never played the first, and haven't really kept up on the game since the Japanese name, "Extreme Escape Adventure:  Good People Die" just never caught me because I thought it was something completely different, regardless of the fact that it's on the Vita, which as you know will draw my attention right quick.  The new name, Zero Escape:  Virtue's Last Reward, lacks that punch of "Good People Die", but is also a little better sounding regardless.

I'm definitely going to be interested in this now, since I've been clarified as to just what it is.  I've always wanted to give 999 a shot, but, wouldn't you know it, a niche game for the DS is impossible to find in 'the wild' as it were.  I'll still keep my eye out for it, but short of a re-print, I'm not too hopeful on my chances.  I believe I spent all of that luck when I found The World Ends With You (which I have yet to see what the big deal about it is) and Ghost Trick:  Phantom Detective which I thought was fantastic as you might remember.  My only exposure was playing the browser demo that was available way back when and I thought it was pretty great.  With any luck, I'll be able to find it before I can get my hands on Zero Escape, but again, I'm not putting my chances up too high.

Working off the "only mostly related" theme I've got going with screenshots, the above shot of Persona 2:  Innocent Sin should give you an idea as to what the other bit of news is.  If you're not quite there, however, I'll just come out and say it:  Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is getting a PSP-release, rounding off the Persona collection by being the final one to get a PSP version.  (Minus 4 which is getting a Vita version.  Same thing.)  The japanese text in the picture is appropriate as well, since there's no specific North American release mentioned but, c'mon.  It's Atlus.  We know these guys, we trust these guys.  They'll get us the game.  Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they make a special edition out of it that includes a digital copy of the game if you buy it for UMD just to make sure everyone with a Vita will look into it as well.  I certainly will.

Once again, my only real exposure to the Persona series here is Minimal and that's probably for the best, considering the wealth of options that are theoretically available at this point.  With Persona 1, both 2s and 3 on PSP (and thus, will be on the Vita eventually if not already, via digital BC) and 4 on the Vita itself, it's possible that one could have -all of the Personas- at once.  Digital versions of all of them, or Digital of the first four with 4:  The Golden as a card in your Vita, which is likely the route I will go.  I can only hope Atlus does some sort of package deal so I can pick them all up in one fell swoop and just -have them- for whenever I feel like playing an RPG.  Which is often, of course, and certainly not an issue on the PSP.  Looking through the PSP catalog on my Vita has proven dangerous, as I've already just started thinking about grabbing PSN cards at random to just throw at games that I don't have time to play.

It's great to see that these Japanese-centric games and studios are giving us all a chance, regardless of their permanent 'niche' seat.  For all the praise 999 has received, the sequel will no doubt be fantastic as well, and I look forward to grabbing it before it becomes too rare to find.  (Even though I could just download it just as easily, since it'll be on the digital store.)  And with Persona 2:  Eternal Punishment being a Persona game, well, there's likely good times to be had there as well.  It's all a matter of just getting them and getting the time, as always, which seems to be a running theme of this year moreso than previous.  And I love it and hate it simultaneously for times just like this.  Times that make me wonder why the hell some of this stuff couldn't come out last year.  Because goddamn this year.

Woah Now, Europe

Stop getting all this shit I want, okay?  I mean, I know we Americans are kind of spoiled with releases since we get things when you generally don't but, well, these are things I want.  Earlier today, a Tecmo KOEI community manager mentioned the fact that Warriors Orochi 3 will see a European release, though it was not, y'know, confirmed quite yet.  Notice that it was, indeed, called Warriors Orochi 3 because it will be the third proper Warriors Orochi game outside of Japan where it, much like Dynasty Warriors, has been quite funky with its naming of the iterations of the series, leading our Warriors Orochi 2 to only be considered an expanded version, thus making our Warriors Orochi 3 their Warriors Orochi 2.  It's all quite confusing and brought about by quite dumb things, but oh well, that's just sort of how it flies.

My interest in Warriors Orochi 3 is very well documented and I never really -doubted- a version with English would get released, considering this would be a mainline release which we get fairly consistently.  I just never imagined that English would mean, well, English, as in from the UK.  I still don't think it'll come to that, but if it does, then I guess I'll just have to jump into this whole importing thing with both feet, because I am going to get this damn game one way or another.  It's apparently the closest I'm going to get to play Samurai Warriors 3 on PS3 in English, so I guess that's all I've gotta think about when I go for it.  (Tangentally related, Samurai Warriors 3 is getting a PSP version which means it's going to stay in Japan, obviously.  They can port the game to everything under the sun, but not localize it?  Makes total sense, of course.)  Aside from that, I love the Warriors Orochi series, as I've said before, for the simple fact that it goes crazy with mystical stuff, screwing with the timelines and relationships and doesn't even care.  I can respect that.

You would think that with me playing so much Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 that I'm actually grumbling about random things with it (Like it having -9- missions that are the same as every other mission with guaranteed aces that have to be played on hard for no reason other than to pad it out some) that I would be a little tired of Warriors news.  Or, maybe you know me and wouldn't think that at all, because I am very obviously a Warriors sponge and I soak this shit up and can't wait for more.  I'll keep an eye out for an official announcement regarding overseas release, but I would imagine at least the PAL release is concrete and a NA release would be right behind it.  With any luck, KOEI will be brilliant and release it right after/before One Piece:  Pirate Warriors and something else to flood the market with KOEI games and then wonder why only some of them get bought, instead of reasonably releasing them at something resembling a good pace.  Because why would they do that, that would be sensible!

In other "Getting a European release but no word of American release" news, Way of the Samurai 4 is finally getting released outside of Japan 'sometime this year'.  It seems a bit late and all, since WotS4 has been out for quite a while already, but, hey, any chance for us to get our hands on it is a good one because of just how different the games are.  I imagine Way of the Samurai 4 is a little....errr...more realized in this gen than 3 was by any measure as well, which should make things a bit nicer for it on the whole.  Just the picture above is miles and away better than how 3 looked at some points, possibly even its best, but that's fairly expected from something that was sort of realized as a budget title anyway.

Still, as I mentioned, the amount of choice and the way the story conforms around your choices is pretty much unmatched by any other game out there.  Sure, it's not very long if you're just looking to get a couple stories down, but if you are the type who wants to (or has to because of trophies) get into everything, these types of games will give you endless hours of content that, at times, will always seem a bit new to you, if just because something different than the norm, or what you expected to happen, happened.  Those subtle little details are taken into account always, and especially so with 4, as it seems your choices might directly impact the next time you play as well.  So not only does what you do build the story, it also shapes your next one which likely means that much more possibility.  I'm not sure how it works, but it's interesting, at least on the surface.

Bonus Post - Playstation Vita Official NA Pricing!

The image above was the lovely one greeting those who happened across the Playstation Blog today, or specifically this article which puts an end to the speculation and whatnot about what Vita things are going to cost.  As with anything and everything anywhere ever, they're bound to make some people happy and some people less so, but that's just how it is.  You will be pleased to know that the Memory sticks and indeed, some of the other accessories are priced much less than previously rumored (even after the update of lesser prices being possible), though some will still argue that they're too high-priced yet.  Regardless, it's a rather moot point on anyone's concept of why the Vita should support other memory formats and comparing prices because, well, it doesn't.  Kind of sucks for some people, but that's just how it is, so either deal with it or move on.  Sony aren't the first ones to charge more for proprietary things, nor will they be the last.

Anyways, the blog post also lists the Twenty-Five(?!) Vita games that will be available on the North American Launch on February 22nd as well as ten other launch window titles from First and Third party developers.  Here's the bad(?) news, however, in that the price range of Vita games has officially been confirmed as $9.99-49.99, which may or may not be a surprise to you depending on your position.  I was under the impression that the highest end Vita games would be $39.99, but I guess it's just ten bucks and I doubt a lot of games will be at the highest pri-.....Well, I can hope that a lot of devs with put out their games at $30 or $40, but we'll see.  Though, enough prattling, here's the lists as a direct copy/paste from the Blog post linked above.

SCEA Launch Day Titles
Escape Plan (PSN Only)
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
Little Deviants
ModNation Racers: Road Trip
Super StarDust Delta (PSN only)
UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss
wipEout 2048


Launch Window Titles
Gravity Rush
MLB 12 The Show
Reality Fighters
Unit 13

Third Party Publisher Launch Day Titles

Army Corps of Hell	Square Enix, Inc.
Asphalt Injection	Ubisoft, Inc.
BEN10 GALACTIC RACING	D3 Publisher of America
Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND	Aksys Games Localization, Inc.
Dungeon Hunter Alliance	Ubisoft, Inc.
Dynasty Warriors Next	Tecmo Koei America Corporation
F1 2011	Codemasters
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer	Electronic Arts, Inc.
Lumines Electronic Symphony	Ubisoft, Inc.
Michael Jackson The Experience	Ubisoft, Inc.
Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only)	Sony Online Entertainment LLC
Rayman Origins	Ubisoft, Inc.
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen	Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only)	Drinkbox Studios
Touch My Katamari	Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3	Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition	Sega of America

Launch Window Titles

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7	Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Inc.
Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention	NIS America, Inc.
NINJA GAIDEN ∑ PLUS	Tecmo Koei America Corporation
Ridge Racer	Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Silent Hill Book of Memories	Konami Digital Ent. America, Inc.
Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted	505 Games

Worth mentioning are...quite a few things, really.  Dynasty Warriors NEXT, Disgaea 3:  Absence of Detention among a couple others can be considered officially announced for the West with this, I imagine, as I hadn't heard of any previous announcements saying as much.  Also with this, Escape Plan has officially been outed as a PSN only title which shouldn't surprise me in the least, but it does a bit.  I hope this has a positive effect on its length and overall quality, as it's generally the retail puzzle games that fall into the normal pitfalls I described the other day when I featured Escape Plan as one of the trailers that interested me and was on the official Playstation Youtube channel and was easy to get to.  Not that PSN-Exclusive is an indicator of anything, but it could suggest a smaller, more focused experience is what I was getting at.

Something else that's a bit surprising is the fact that Reality Fighters isn't actually making the launch but rather the launch window, meaning a month or two post-launch, meaning March or April.  This is only surprising because, well.....seeing Reality Fighters doesn't instill me with the feeling that it is a quality game that requires extra months of polish.  Not only that, but with AR and the Cameras being a thing for the Vita, you'd think they'd want that out right off as an example for people.  Regardless, that's a thing, I suppose, and perhaps it's not as bad as I anticipate, but we won't know til it's out.  Still, I'm sure there's other somewhat surprising things there, of which the fact that 35 games are going to be available for the system likely by the end of March if not more is one of them.

Anyways, I promised Accessory Prices, so here they are.

4 GB Memory Card	February 15, 2012	$19.99
8 GB Memory Card	February 15, 2012	$29.99
16 GB Memory Card	February 15, 2012	$59.99
32 GB Memory Card	February 15, 2012	$99.99
Starter Kit with Memory Card	February 15, 2012	$39.99
In-Ear Headset	February 15, 2012	$19.99
Carrying Case	February 15, 2012	$19.99
Travel Pouch	February 15, 2012	$19.99
Protective Film (2 pack)	February 15, 2012	$9.99
Card Case	February 15, 2012	$5.99
Cradle	February 15, 2012	$19.99
Portable Charger	Spring 2012	$49.99
AC Adaptor	February 15, 2012	$14.99
Car Adaptor	Spring 2012	$14.99
USB Cable	February 15, 2012	$14.99

I don't know why/how that transfered as a table but screw it, I'll take it.  Like I said, some of the accessories (at least the ones that are on both lists) have been priced less (unfortunately the Portable Charger is the same price; I wouldn't have minded a Ten-spot less on that) with the most notable examples being the Memory sticks, with all of them a good $10-20 less than we have been previously led to believe.  As such, the 8 Gig stick or even the 16 Gig stick are much more palatable price-wise which means you're in luck if you're worrying about having a lot of space for your games (and don't want to re-download things a lot).  All in all, I don't see anything too bad outside of maybe the USB Cable, but that's an extra one anyway, and what -doesn't- come with a USB cable anymore?  Lots of things, but you know what I was getting at.

February can't come fast enough still.

Let's Talk About Minecraft Again - Release Edition

Minecraft, the indie darling that has been on many many minds this year, has finally been released officially, during Minecon; the convention specifically about all things Minecraft hence the name.  This is both a good thing and a bad thing, of course and neither is really an objective thing as it all depends on where you are and what side of the fence you're on here.  The main bad thing would be that, for those of us who didn't jump on buying it earlier (for various reasons), the price has now been raised to a hefty $26.95 which by all means still isn't bad but considering that anyone could've gotten the Alpha build oh so long ago for much less than that and been able to update it as it came out, it's just the bargain person in me screaming that I blew it for not magically having a computer that could play it and a way to buy a code.

Still, it's one of the few big bad things that the game has, though I imagine the other complaint several will have is, surprisingly, the content.  It's hard to say as someone who has watched the game start from those humble beginnings whether or not there's 'enough' game to Minecraft to actually be considered release-worthy, given that in essence, not a whole lot has been added.  By that, I mean a lot has been added, but it's sort of....well, it's a step above cosmetic.  The game has always been about digging, mining, exploring and building and remains so, basically, with the difference now being that there's more for you to find and a few other things to do.  Basically take a Bethesda game, your Oblivions, Skyrims, etc. and strip out the main story and quests.  What you're left with is a wide world to explore, things to find, monsters to slay, and a personal story to develop; that is Minecraft in a nutshell.

Some would argue that's enough, as I would, but I can understand if someone would suggest that there needs to be more.  And luckily enough, the fact that the game has been released means frankly little to Mojang Productions, as they're devoted to supporting the game post-release to add in whatever they please....much like they did during Alpha and Beta.  Which would also lend a little more ammo to anyone wondering whether or not Minecraft is a 'game' or at least a 'done game', given that Mojang simply sees Release as another 'phase' which questions whether or not they feel there's -enough-.  Granted, most everything essential will likely be added to the game freely, rather than as paid DLC, so finished or not, there likely won't be much issue with what comes now.

What -is- next is another point of interest as, aside from continued support of the PC version of Minecraft, there still is the XBLA version of Minecraft far off on the horizon.  As far as I know, the release window is "sometime 2012" and that's about all that's really known about it.  Content is something else to talk about for that version as they won't really be able to just drop whatever they want into it willy-nilly unless they work out a deal with Microsoft (unlikely) or they work around some sort of "teh internetz" style magic (little more likely, but not much) to work within the limits of Microsoft's "No Free DLC" constraints.

As much as I hate to let my fanboy flag fly, I -really- think going with XBLA was a bad move for Mojang since, well, as mentioned XBLA isn't that open for post-production support which they seem to really be a fan of, whereas it would likely fly on PS3/Vita.  And unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Notch has gone out and said that the XBLA version will be the only console version.  Could be a lie, could be a short-sighted statement, but either way I'm officially not getting my hopes up.  I guess if Minecraft Pocket gets Playstation Suite certified, I can play it on the Vita without getting an Xperia Play, but it just won't be the same since Minecraft Pocket looks...er...yeah.  Not as good.

Oh well.  One day, I'll have a computer that can run it well and I'll be able to jump in and experience all that's existing currently, plus whatever else they've added by that point.  Hopefully the NPC quests will be in by then (as there's (ugly as sin) NPCs, but nothing to do with them yet) as well as a few more nuances to The Nether (little castles are cool, but...) and just the world itself (higher level randomly generated cities?) as, yes, half the fun of the game is crafting whatever you wish and on the top of that list would likely be the pretense of civilization, but the other half is the exploration and Random little villages, abandoned mines, caves and strongholds (underground expanded dungeons) aren't quite enough.

Really, it's just a weird feeling to think of Minecraft as a finished product as we've been taught (by the game and the nature of it) that it is, in fact, not finished and you can always look forward to more.  Calling it released tends to make you think that you're not able to look forward to more, though you actually are able to do so and are encouraged to.  So it's just one of those strange conflicting things that you can't really put a finger on.  Regardless, it's a game, it's growing and it's going to be around for quite a while, so all there is to it now is to enjoy it (if you can) or see what happens next with it.