Opinion: We’ll never need a Minecraft 2
Earlier this year Microsoft acquired indie developer Mojang for $2.5 billion. It was a big move, and it left many fans wondering how it might effect Mojang’s hit game Minecraft. In a recent interview with IGN, Xbox head Phil Spencer talked about the desire to meet the needs of the game’s community. He said that Minecraft 2 may not make the most sense, and his words were followed by every fan of the game breathing a sigh of relief. Minecraft already does what it was created to do perfectly, why would it ever need a sequel?
Why it works so well
From the beginning, Minecraft was a game all about building. Not only was the gameplay about letting you create whatever you wanted, but the game itself was designed to be built up into something better. If you look at its original release and look at it now, it’s a very different game. Thanks to Mojang’s constant support with free updates, the game was able to constantly grow into something more grand. Content is constantly being added, and bugs are always being squashed. A sequel could never improve on the Minecraft formula, because its formula is all about improvement. A sequel would be a radical shift away from the pre-established normal of the game, changing it from a single evolving entity to a standard game series with annual static sequels.
Now that Microsoft owns the game, the company’s best course of action to keep customers happy would just be to keep the updates rolling. Minecraft is now on more platforms than ever, catering to millions of players. Everyone who has purchased the game bought it knowing it would receive updates, that the developers would be adding more fun content. It’s essentially an Everlasting Gobbstopper: for a one-time price you get something you can never finish and that will remain good for years to come. If a sequel comes along it will make the original go stale, forever stopping progress in your old worlds. It’d be like a new Skylanders game that wasn’t compatible with last year’s figures, or a new box of Legos that didn’t fit your old pieces. New content shouldn’t intend to be a rigid standalone package; it should be an addition to the big Minecraft toy box.
No Man’s Sky debuted at 2013 Spike VGX
Hello Games, the developers of XBLA hits Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie, debuted its next title, No Man’s Sky, at the 2013 Spike VGX over the weekend. No Man’s Sky is a space exploration game that will feature procedurally generated planets, ensuring that each player’s experience with the game is unique. The game will allow players to explore deep oceans, experience space battles and discover new, ever-evolving worlds. As of now, Hello Games has not announced platforms for No Man’s Sky.
Developer blog: The four playable characters of Sanctum 2
Occasionally, XBLA Fans likes to take a backseat and allow members of the development community to speak openly and directly to our readers. After all, you came here to read about games, and who better to talk about them than the professionals who create them? With that in mind, please enjoy the following article written by Coffee Stain Studios Game Designer and PR Manager Armin Ibrisagic.
One thing that many of our players from Sanctum 1 requested on the Coffee Stain forums was more playable characters. Everyone loves Skye, of course, but many players felt that they wanted to be introduced to new and cool personalities from the Sanctum universe. That’s why Sanctum 2 now has four different playable character classes. Now these aren’t just different character models with different skins, they’re all actual character classes with their own unique strengths and specializations. Read More
Pick up Kinect Party for free as the Countdown to 2013 sale commences
Microsoft’s annual Countdown Sale kicks off today (FYI – it’s Modern Warfare 3 today) and in addition to the 24-hour daily deals on offer, a whole host of XBLA …
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XBLA Fans Monthly Calendar Update: September 2012
It’s hard to keep track of all those XBLA release dates, they often seem to spring upon you, seemingly out of nowhere, at the last minute not to mention those promised games you were looking forward to that just seem to disappear into the ether without explanation. Now with XBLA Fans new monthly update keeping track, you can start organising your MSP more effectively and schedule in some serious controller time and sick days well in advance.
*UPDATE* Joe Danger: The Movie goes gold, releasing this September 14
Joe Danger: The Movie, the sequel to last year’s Joe Danger: Special Edition (which itself was an update/port of Joe Danger from the PlayStation 3) has gone gold. Developer Hello Games tweeted the good news yesterday, and the studio’s Sean Murray further spoke of the game’s progress and development with TheSixthAxis. He confirmed this would be the last we would see of Joe. “I’m not going to work on a new Joe Danger game again,” stated Murray, “which is really sad and amazing at the same time.”
The game takes daredevil Joe Danger’s antics to the next level. In Joe Danger: The Movie the lovable stuntman takes on Hollywood. He’ll ski down a dangerous slope, chase bad guys on his police motorcycle, and even ride a mine cart a la Indiana Jones. We adored the first game, so we’re really looking forward to seeing what else Joe gets himself into. Hit the jump for a refresher trailer.
Sources: Hello Games Twitter, TheSixthAxis
UPDATE: We’ve received confirmation that Joe Danger: The Movie will launch September 14 for 1200 MSP.
Weekly Roundup: August 12
Weekly Roundup compiles all the biggest news stories, reviews, and releases from the week into one handy post on the weekends.
Weekly Roundup: July 22
The Summer of Arcade isn’t the only news this week.
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Best of XBLA at E3 2012
Every year, E3 seems more hectic than the last. We spent five hectic days getting our eyes and hands on every XBLA game possible and we’ve picked out eighteen games that stood out from the crowd. Here is the run-down on the very best XBLA titles from E3 2012. Read More
PAX East: Lights, camera, danger with Joe Danger: The Movie
Hello Games told us the inspiration behind Joe Danger: The Movie was a bunch of VHS movies. One of the members of the team didn’t want them and were going to throw them out but they were some awesome movies like Robocop, Die Hard and other awesome action movies. So what if they applied all those ethics to our dear stuntman Joe Danger? You get balls to the wall action with so much variety than their previous game.