Minecraft Message Board older than one year ago

Conan O'Brien is a beloved TV personality, former Simpsons writer and an abnormally tall redhead, but most importantly, he's a beloved TV personality with a large audience, and therefore frequently receives compensation to feature certain consumer goods on his show. Goods like video games. It's a common marketing gimmick that nonetheless has caught the attention of a Recode report, which claims that "about a quarter" of the games highlighted on O'Brien's "Clueless Gamer" skit appear there due to monetary compensation.

An episode from last October prominently features Red Barrels' indie horror release Outlast. Stephanie Palermo, a senior account executive at Outlast representatives TriplePoint PR, has revealed that O'Brien's production team received $35,000 for the game's appearance, but adds that positive commentary wasn't a requirement of the deal. In fact, says Palermo, O'Brien is under no obligation to praise any of the games that pay to appear on his show.

Though this practice seems to be common, it's not a hard, fast rule. Representatives from Mojang claim to have paid nothing for Minecraft's appearance on Clueless Gamer. As Recode notes though, O'Brien's "review" of Minecraft was largely negative, particularly when compared to his praise for Outlast.

This news immediately follows the controversy over Microsoft paying YouTube users to include the Xbox One in their videos. As in that case, the reality of paid endorsements is being conflated with the more salacious concept of "pay for play." O'Brien's show accepting cash to feature games is no more shady than your favorite sitcom earning extra money every time a can of Coke is displayed on screen. That said, O'Brien's show does not mention these endorsement deals in its credits or elsewhere, claiming instead that it's understood that a comedian riffing on a game is not a proper critical review.

Another player comes into Greg and Brian's world, and all hell breaks loose.

The quest to become Minecraft experts takes the boys up against some dangerous foes.

The Tate gallery in London is a vast space where art lives and breathes. It’s big enough to hold the sun, as well as thousands of works of modern and classic art. It is one of the best things about London, and it’s worth a visit. If you can’t make it, there’s a chance you could wander the halls virtually: the Tate is currently running a competition “to realise a digitally innovative project that will enhance people’s enjoyment of art,” and one of the shortlisted entrants hopes to build the gallery and its artwork within Minecraft.(more…)

Did the Ghast from Minecraft just reach its final form? It sure did. Things couldn't get creepier in digital artist Burmak's fan art, made for a video game artbook. This makes the original, in-game Ghast (and everything else) look like a puppy.Read more...

We killed some cows. Let's try them on.

The boys go on a pig-killin' rampage.

Everything's going fine for Brian and Greg, until a creeper infiltrates home base.

It's a rough would out there for Brian and Greg, but pork chops make the world go 'round, so everything's going to be OK.

The boys finally have a home. To make sure they never lose it, they decide to build... a thing.

It's official: Minecraft is awesome. Watch two IGN editors fall head over heels for the PS3 version.

You won't see anime locations being remade in Minecraft often, especially not the vivid, colorful ones from Hayao Miyazaki's works. Maybe because it's not an easy task to remake something that's perfect. Yet here's Alan Becker with his Spirited Away project, ready to show us that it can be done.Read more...

Two noobs set off on to become Minecraft PS3 experts. Can they hack it?

Here's video of that Marvel (really, just the Avengers) skin pack for Minecraft, Hawkeye looks just as dynamic and interesting in low-res as he does in the movies. The pack will include 35 skins and is exclusive to the Xbox 360 version.Read more...

It's probably hard to imagine how busy a guy like 50 Cent is. So, it's understandable that he might've missed out on the way that Minecraft has become a phenomenon. But Mr. Jackson thinks that Mojang's super-successful game "looks like they didn't finish it." No, 50, it's finished. That is a completed game that you see before you. They don't all look like Blood on the Sand.Read more...

Apparently there's some entrepreneur out there who is also a big fan of Minecraft, so to communicate with him, Avery and Eliot built a Minecraft version of their dad's offices. The offices come complete with a meeting room, kitchen, and custom textures! Read more...

It's been a long, arduous wait, but one of the most popular games in recent years can finally be played on PS3.

It's been a long, arduous wait, but one of the most popular games in recent years can finally be played on PS3.

At MineCon last month, LEGO announced the Minecraft LEGO Co-build Project, in which toy designers and fans of the game work together to build the best video game-themed LEGO sets ever. Looks like all the pieces are falling into place in this holiday update. Read more...

Here's another way to look at the world of Minecraft—through the eyes of its protagonist, "Steve," if he were a real person. The video is by Ben Combes, who delivered an earlier two-part series on the creepers.Read more...

Hi again guys, Owen from Mojang, here. Minecraft: Playstation 3 Edition launched a few days ago. We thought it would be nice to get some tips from the developers to help you learn the basics.

I asked around the office and gathered these for you. Hope they help!

Never dig straight down! It’s a lot harder to get back to the surface, and you might end up dropping into lava. Lava is uncomfortably hot. Never dig straight up! You might end up with a head full of sand, gravel, or the melty hot stuff we mentioned earlier. If you come to a junction while mining, and one of the routes leads upwards, take that one. Explore the safe options first, and then go adventuring deep underground. Always watch your back in dark places! There might be something scary behind you… waaah! Make sure you bring torches. Place them first, then collect the resources later. Tools are great! Use them and upgrade when you get the chance. Mean things come out at night. It’s probably wise to build yourself a shelter before it gets dark. Don’t forget to bring food with you when exploring. There’s nothing worse than going hungry. Iron armour gives great protection and isn’t too tricky to craft. Don’t look directly at the bugs. (That one’s from 4J Studios.)

Share your tips below, and have a great festive season! Don’t forget to see your family/friends between Minecraft sessions.

Every day it seems someone makes something remarkable in Minecraft. But this… well, this is one of the most remarkable Minecraft things I've seen in a while.Read more...

Marvel, Mojang and Microsoft are teaming up to deliver an official Avengers Skin Pack to the Xbox 360 version of the popular block builder. The pack, coming soon, will feature 35 character skins, including Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Loki, Wasp, Falcon, Vision, Maria Hill, Agent Coulson and more. Read more...

Hello fans of video games! Christmas has come early!

Minecraft: Playstation 3 Edition is out today on PlayStation Store! It costs $19.99 and weighs in at a 103 MB (including a handy patch that’ll download when you first launch the game).

Minecraft: Playstation 3 Edition comes packed with cool stuff: split-screen support for up to four players, online multiplayer for up to eight, Creative mode, Survival mode, and a bundle of Trophies. It’s super fun. If you don’t believe me, get the trial and decide for yourself.

Watch the trailer above to see some pretty footage of Minecraft: Playstation 3 Edition, or stop reading this and start the download!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Every December the editors of Apple's iTunes face the monumental task of selecting two games out of the thousands released during the year to receive top honors as the Best of 2013. This year they chose ridiculously well. Read more...

No, actually, I changed my mind. I'd get stuck in the basement, the power would go out, and zombies and skeletons would be everywhere. Maybe I'll just look. From afar.Read more...

If you've been getting your Minecraft fix on the go via the mobile-exclusive Minecraft: Pocket Edition, consider this your lucky day: A new, free update has added minecarts, rails and a host of other additions to this portable member of the Minecraft family.

The biggest additions are obviously the minecarts, rails and powered rails that should make setting up your own blocky mining business a relatively simple affair. New blocks have also been added to the game, lending your creations iron bars, new versions of wood, haybales and other items. Likewise, the virtual pantry has expanded and now players will find foods such as carrots, potatoes and pumpkins - some or all of which can be used in new cooking recipes.

Amazon's listing for the game has a full run-down on all the new additions, though if you'd prefer your game to come from a slightly different multinational corporation, you could always try Google Play or the iOS App Store to feed your blocky addiction.

According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, Mojang's block-building sensation will be available for PlayStation 3 starting tomorrow, December 17. Read more...

Minecraft will launch on PS3 on December 17 in North America, a PlayStation Blog post revealed. The developer in charge of the port, 4J Studios, announced in November that the PS3 version of the game would arrive ahead of next-gen consoles.

The PS3 version will be "pretty much identical" to other console versions of the game.

These two whales are just a (relatively) tiny part of LetsLente's huge, utterly beautiful "Oriental Minecraft Dreamscape." Lente posted the finished project to Reddit's r/minecraft a bit over a year after sharing a WIP screenshot depicting a single, unfinished whale.Read more...