A Fake ‘Minecraft’ App Rocketed To #4 On Apple’s Paid Charts

Earlier today, Apple App Store users noticed that the long-awaited, unannounced, probably not even in development sequel to Minecraft is now available. Yes, we were surprised, too. So was Mojang.

Minecraft-ing with Friends

Last time we checked out Minecraft on XBLA, the most amazing feature was the in-game crafting system and guide. For a game so dependent on wikis and online recipe discovery, this addition was a fantastic way to keep players in-game and not meandering the internet looking for ways to grow a garden.

Here is the coolest Minecraft art you will see all day.

But a new demo revealed that not only does Minecraft have a self-contained crafting system, it also supports four-player splitscreen, letting teams of friends chill out on the couch building entire worlds together. With four people chipping away in the mines, the frame rate stays super-smooth, making it a great way to spend time with the people next to you on the couch without even having to look at them.

This jump-in-jump-out co-op also breaks into additional combinations once taken online. Up to eight people can maneuver around in any given world, meaning that eight people, playing splitscreen in two locations can all team up, or four teams of two, or any combination in between. The connectivity is seamless, and it's hilarious to see your teammates dressed in one of several curious outfits including tuxedoes, Boris Becker's short tennis shorts, or the classic Minecraft guy.

Make a home with friends.

This local connectivity brings Minecraft players together in a way that the PC version never could. If you've still never heard of Minecraft, make sure you check out our PC Minecraft review to see what it's all about.

[source ign.com ]

Minecraft 1.2 Released

While pre-releases have been available for players who wanted to preview the upcoming content, the rest of us can finally check it out with today's final 1.2 release. Today's update adds the adorable ocelot, iron golems and a new jungle biome.

The build height of Minecraft has also been altered, letting players now build 256 blocks into the sky, as opposed to the previous 128. Villagers will now also have children if there is space, tamed wolves will breed, and mobs now have rare drops. Additional blocks and items have also been added, though the post on Mojang's site doesn't include which.

To get an entertaining overview of the update, check out the trailer below.

[source ign.com]

Minecraft creator unleashes Cobalt

Mojang would love for its second title, Oxeye Game Studio's Cobalt, to follow in the successful footsteps of its first. That title, Minecraft, employed a pre-release sales model that saw the game spawn a dedicated fan convention before it even officially launched, and Mojang's next title will see if that approach can work again.