It's like Minecraft, but in HD and available on Xbox Live. Or at least, that's what FortressCraft is attempting to sell itself as. News about the Minecraft clone on the Xbox 360 hit less than two months ago, and while some hardcore Minecraft loyalists cry foul, others realize that Minecraft heavily copies from another game as well.
With Minecraft finally having an official release date and news that mobile versions of the game are in the works, many would love to jump into the game on their consoles. FortressCraft lets Xbox 360 players and up to 31 others play the game together, building and destroying blocks to craft whatever their hearts desire. Better yet, they get to use their Xbox Live Avatars!
We saw the very first footage of FortressCraft in February and it played as a slicker and faster version of Minecraft where it's much easier to construct and destroy blocks. While everything looks better from a visual standpoint, the water effects especially stood out.
Coded from scratch and seemingly almost identical to the concepts behind Minecraft, FortressCraft is out now and the latest trailer explains the game and doesn't shy away from the obvious comparison:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs12b25MhX0
I'm interested in the series however, I'm not a fan of how the pickaxe doesn't actually work as a tool (yet). It looks like the player simply holds it while blocks disappear/reappear and to me, that's really disappointing. But that's the beauty of it, as each standalone chapter released will be an upgraded version of its predecessor with addition and improvements - think of it like Notch's Minecraft updates, but you have to pay for each one.
The one thing this game has that Minecraft is lacking in, is the ability to find usable relics, that augment your player's physical abilities. These include things like speed boots, jetpacks and nightvision.
As mentioned in the trailer, FortressCraft is releasing in chapters for about $3 per installment (240 Microsoft Points) and the first chapter is available now on Xbox Live Indie Games.
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