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Google Play holiday deals include three months of music for $1
Most big digital retailers do holiday deals, and Google Play is no exception. Google surely wants the recipients of new Android phones and tablets to get used to buying things through its storefront as quickly as possible. While that obviously benefits Google, that doesn't mean these deals aren't pretty solid this year. Perhaps the best deal is three months of Google Play Music for $1 -- a deal that'll also include commercial-free videos on YouTube Red and full access to the new YouTube Music app. That deal is comparable with promos Spotify has been running for some time (not to mention the free three months of Apple Music still up for grabs), but sadly you'll need to be a new subscriber to take advantage.
'Minecraft' is coming to the Wii U on December 17th
While it might feel like Minecraft is available everywhere, gamers have had to look on as the popular franchise launched on every other company's platforms bar Nintendo's. Today, however, we have some good news: after months, nay years, of waiting, the Japanese game maker confirmed the sandbox game is finally coming to the Wii U on December 17th. As expected, Minecraft will come with a multitude of add-on packs, giving budding builders the chance to get festive ahead of Christmas or play with characters from popular movies and TV shows like Star Wars, The Simpsons and Dr Who.
ICYMI: Reading a fly's mind, real Minecraft phone and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44671{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44671, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44671{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-44671").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Neuroscientists figured out what fruit flies are thinking with fluorescent molecules. Minecraft now has an internal smartphone that can be used to text and call people within the game. And this new smart flossing product that gives a strip of floss once the button is pushed also serves to shame your partner for not flossing with lights that come on if a daily cleaning is missed.
Microsoft uses 'Minecraft' to teach your kid how to code
You can get kids to do a lot if you promise them Minecraft... just ask parents who've watched their children race through chores to get some building time. And Microsoft knows this, too. It just released a tutorial for Code.org that uses Minecraft to teach the basics of computer programming. Instead of pointing and clicking to smash your way through the landscape, you construct a string of commands using code-like snippets such as "turn left" and "destroy block." This hopefully shows your young ones how programming can be both fun and relevant -- it's not just some boring thing you do to make money. Many students will try this when the next Hour of Code kicks off on December 7th, but you can visit the website today if your kids can't wait to give it a shot.
'Minecraft' with a story isn't as weird as you'd think
A story-driven game about Minecraft, the block-building phenomenon adored by children and adults alike, might sound a tad contradictory. By design, Minecraft has little in the way of plot or characters -- the world is randomly generated and the best "stories" occur naturally based on what you decide to build and explore. The game's open nature is what makes it special, and it's also the reason why Minecraft: Story Mode, a spin-off title with a carefully crafted plot, has been met with so much skepticism. Minecraft works because it doesn't have a story -- is it possible, or right, for another developer to give it one?
Minecraft's story mode means more action, less dirt farming
Back in December, Telltale Games hinted that there was a narrative-driven installment of the Minecraft franchise on the way. Now in the newly released trailer, we get to see the story behind the first episode dubbed "The Order of the Stone." Players will assume control of Jesse (who can be either a man or woman, kudos for the gender-neutral name Mojang) who takes a group of friends to a fan convention that celebrates a group of lauded warriors called -- obviously enough -- 'The Order of the Stone.' Obvious trouble brews and it is up to Jesse and his square-pals to track down the Order, consisting of Warrior, Redstone Engineer, Griefer, and Architect, to restore peace and justice to the Minecraft universe.
Minecraft Windows 10 Edition headed to Oculus Rift VR headset
Palmer Luckey, the boy wonder co-founder of Oculus VR, surprised attendees at the company's Connect 2 developer conference today with news that Minecraft is headed to the Rift. Though Oculus has yet to announce a release date for its virtual reality headset, it is expected to hit retail sometime next spring, at which point Minecraft will be made available on both the Windows Store and Oculus Store. It's no surprise that Microsoft would extend the massively popular crafting game to the Rift platform as it's recently demoed several augmented reality versions for its HoloLens headset, and pledged to support both Oculus and Vive's brand of VR.
'Dragon Quest Builders' is a shallower, more polished 'Minecraft'
It's like a very, very well-done mod. In Dragon Quest Builders, Square Enix has taken the thrill and almost tangible joy of building your own world, and coated it in a deep, glossy layer of Dragon Quest paint. If you don't know Dragon Quest, it was the sworn rival of Final Fantasy in the Japanese RPG golden age. Then Squaresoft (FF) and Enix (DQ) became the same company. Oh, and if you don't know Minecraft, where have you been, you monster?
Telltale's 'Minecraft' adventure game arrives on October 13
Minecraft, but as a point-and-click adventure game? When Telltale's Story Mode title was first announced, it left many of us scratching our heads. Minecraft is hardly known for its rich narrative, and its open-ended gameplay couldn't be further from the tightly woven, decision-driven moments found in most Telltale games. However, since then we've had a steady clip of trailers and screenshots that give us an idea of how it'll all shake out -- and now we've got a release date too. Minecraft: Story Mode launches on October 13th with the first episode, "The Order of the Stone." It'll be available on PC, Mac, PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 -- iOS and Android will join them on October 15th, followed by Wii U and PS Vita sometime in the future. Retail versions will be dropping on October 27th -- Telltale is calling it a "Season Pass Disc," which means you'll get instant access to the first episode and download codes/patches for the latter four episodes that wrap up the series.
'Minecraft' players on Windows 10 and mobile can now build together
Minecraft offers wondrous worlds for solo adventurers, but it also gives groups the perfect canvas to build on and break together. With this in mind, developer Mojang is making it easier to host your friends with cross-platform play between Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition and Minecraft: Pocket Edition. Up to five players can now join the same session on a local network with their PC, iOS, Android or Windows Phone devices. And, if you need another reason to try Microsoft's new OS, the Windows 10 version has also been updated with five-person online multiplayer over Xbox Live. Microsoft has put a ton of work into its new Xbox app for Windows 10 -- it's desperate to prove the OS is a worthy upgrade for PC gamers -- and this could make it easier for beginners to set up collaborative builds.
Custom 'Minecraft' PC is more than a skin-deep tribute
You may see yourself as a big Minecraft fan, but Spencer Kern just took that devotion to another level. The Microsoft game artist marked the launches of both Windows 10 and its special version of Minecraft by building Redstone, a custom PC that's a tribute to Mojang's construction game in more ways than one. Kern didn't just slap some pixel art on a case and call it a day -- he custom-built the cube to pay homage to its namesake game resource through and through, including eerie red lighting, custom storage labels and a miniature version of Steve lurking inside. He even personalized his gamepad, headphones, keyboard and mouse to match the theme. You sadly can't buy Redstone, but Kern has documented enough of its assembly that you could theoretically create a reasonable facsimile with enough time and elbow grease.
This is Minecon: the biggest 'Minecraft' fan convention
Inside the main convention hall, children scurry left and right with foam diamond swords raised high above their heads. Eyes wide and mouths agape, some of them rush toward a blocky reimagining of Big Ben, where Minecraft's formidable Ender Dragon can be found wrapped around the clock face. Below, parents wander between life-size character statues and trees with cube-cut canopies, a mixture of fascination and bemusement etched onto their faces. For one weekend in July, 10,000 of the most dedicated Minecraft players have descended upon London's Excel Exhibition Centre for Minecon, a fan convention celebrating the blockbuster sandbox building game. With panels, signings, tournaments and merchandise, it's the Minecraft equivalent of Disney World and Comic-Con.
These 'Minecraft' worlds will teach you about UK geology
One of the reasons Minecraft is so popular is that it gives players a blank slate on which to build whatever creations their imaginations can conceive. This level of freedom has led to entire cities and even countries taking on a virtual form, though sometimes our destructive nature can be just as strong as our passion to create. The British Geological Survey (BGS) is one of many organisations using Minecraft to build worlds that are both fun and educational, having already made a scale model of Great Britain based on Ordinance Survey data. Now, though, the BGS has gone beyond the surface to recreate the underlying geology of Ingleborough, West Thurrock and York in pixelated blocks.
I played 'Minecraft' with Microsoft's HoloLens
"Try to look straight," a Microsoft employee tells me in a bright, cheery tone. I'm staring through an unusual pair of binoculars -- the kind that's normally used to test your eyesight in an optometrist's office. My gaze is locked on the piercing white light inside, but I can feel my sleep-deprived eyes beginning to tire. "Oh, you've moved again," my guide mutters with a hint of disappointment. I'm sitting in a small meeting room deep inside London's Excel Exhibition Centre, waiting for the distance between my eyes to be measured. It's not even 9AM, but already the first Minecraft fans are spilling through for the second day of Minecon -- a fan convention that celebrates the blocky building game invented by Markus "Notch" Persson. Once an indie darling, the imaginative sandbox title is now a global phenomenon played by millions of children and adults around the world. But today, instead of queuing for pictures with creepers and famous YouTubers, I'm waiting to play Minecraft on HoloLens.
'Dragon Quest' spin-off borrows a few blocks from 'Minecraft'
Square Enix has just revealed Dragon Quest Builders, a version of its fantasy RPG set in a Minecraft-style world. The company didn't provide many details other than the screengrab above, which bears a strong resemblance to Minecraft's Lego-like world. However, it did say that it'll be a "block-building RPG" set in Alfegard, the (blocky) 8-bit playground from the original 1986 Dragon Quest NES title. That, plus the 'Builders' title, definitely makes it sound like the spinoff will marry sandbox-type gameplay with Dragon Quest role-playing. If so, we're not sure if that's a brilliant idea or a cynical money grab, but it'll be coming to PS4, PS3 and PS Vita at an as-yet unknown date.
'Minecraft' beta for Windows 10 will pit you against mobile friends
Microsoft and Mojang don't just have a story-based Minecraft game to show at Minecon 2015 -- they're also revealing a beta version of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition. This release will ditch the less than ideal Java code of desktop versions in favor of native Windows code, and shares some roots with the Pocket Edition you typically find on phones. You'll even get to build worlds with those mobile players through an update that should hit "soon" after the beta arrives. And to no one's surprise, the construction title will do a lot to take advantage of Windows 10's many Xbox tie-ins, such as 8-way multiplayer (both locally and on Xbox Live) and game video recording. The beta will be ready on July 29th, and it'll be free if you already have the existing PC version. If you're new to all this, it'll cost $10 to get in during the test phase.
Here's your first look at Telltale's 'Minecraft: Story Mode' game
The people behind Minecraft just kicked off Minecon 2015 with a bang. At the fan convention's opening ceremony, Mojang's Lydia Winters debuted the first trailer for Minecraft: Story Mode, an upcoming title from Telltale Games. Yep, the same developer that created video game tie-ins for Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. As you might expect, Minecraft: Story Mode combines the game's blocky aesthetic with a branching, narrative-based adventure. Players will take control of Jesse, who has to find the fabled "Order of the Stone" with his friends to save the world from destruction. There's a panel later today with the Mojang and Telltale folks, so we're expecting to hear a lot more then.
Disney Infinity might make its way to Microsoft's HoloLens
It's only natural for an entertainment corporation as massive as The Walt Disney Company, with IP holdings that span the likes of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, to be exploring the potential of virtual reality. It's something John Vignocchi, VP of production at Disney Interactive, the division behind toys-to-life platform Disney Infinity, confirmed when we chatted a few weeks back. But when it comes to Infinity, the future focus seems to be weighted more toward augmented reality. "We've had multiple meetings and discussions with Oculus, multiple meetings and discussions with Sony about Morpheus, multiple meetings and discussions with Microsoft about HoloLens. We're very interested in that space," Vignocchi said. "There's the socialization problem right now with VR, but augmented reality is very exciting."
Microsoft is launching a site to help teachers master 'Minecraft'
Minecraft has proven to be an invaluable tool for educators and students. Not only is the game popular with children and adults, but its open, customisable nature means it can be used for all sorts of different purposes. Like learning to code, understanding Britain's geography and reimagining modern art. Microsoft clearly knows this, so it's launching a new portal where teachers can discuss the game and share classroom resources. The full site isn't live just yet, but the trailer below gives you an idea of what Microsoft and Mojang are aiming for. After this and its Hololens demonstration, it's clear the company sees its $2.5 billion acquisition as more than just a game with a guaranteed smash-hit sequel.
Mojang retires its card battle game, offers one more year of playtime
Mojang means Minecraft. But that's not the only thing the Microsoft-owned developer tinkers away at. Scrolls was another project: an online card-based battle game that's available across PC, Mac and tablets. Unfortunately, the title has reached the end of its life, with the developer announcing that it will discontinue work on the game. It doesn't offer up a particular reason for the quiet ending, but we've reached out to see if there was any particular reason -- the developer claimed a legal victory against Bethesda in being able to name the game "Scrolls" in the first place, but was bound from naming any sequels similarly. Mojang promises that it'll keep the servers running for another year, so that's twelve more months to tackle the latest update and levels, which were released only last month. Update: A Mojang spokesperson told us: "The launch of the 'Scrolls' beta was a great success. Tens of thousands of players battled daily, and many of them remain active today. Unfortunately, the game has reached a point where it can no longer sustain continuous development."
