Minecraft Pocket Edition 0.8.0 Beta 2 Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7SZ4t-KhYs

Today was a huge step for Minecraft Pocket Edition. Not only did Mojang open the gates for public beta testing, but they have also released the first beta of Minecraft Pocket Edition 0.8.0. Pocket Edition 0.8.0 includes minecarts, new menus, rails, carpets, jungle wood, ice in creative, and much more. The first (and now second) beta release is now available for use on Android, once you are accepted into the beta that is. We have compiled a review detailing our experience with 0.8.0 while it's been out. And I will tell you one thing - there is a very good reason why it's only in beta right now.

The Good

Minecraft Pocket Edition 0.8.0 introduces many new features ported over from the PC Edition, as well as a few exclusive features of it's own. Pocket Edition now features 3D clouds, which look pretty much exactly the same as the PC Edition. Items held in your hand are now rendered in 3D. and bob up and down as you walk. Smooth lighting is on by default, and does not appear in the game options any longer.  Overall, the game looks and feels a lot more complete.

Moving to items, Pocket Edition 0.8.0 has more than it's fair share of exciting new items. Beets, Carrots, Potatoes, and Pumpkins can now be grown and harvested. Clocks and compasses have been added to help players better navigate the pocket-sized world. New blocks include Coal Blocks, Carpets, Cobblestone Walls, Hay Bales, Iron Bars, Jack O' Lanterns, Sponges, Snow Covers, Ice (in creative menu), Mossy Cobblestone Walls, and even Dead Bushes.

Minecraft PE 0.8.0 also features Minecarts, allowing players to move across the world at faster speeds than ever before. Rails and Powered Rails are included in the game, with hopefully more rails like the Detector Rail in the future. Both players and mobs can ride in minecarts, and you can even touch a minecart with a mob egg to place that mob in the cart!

The Bad

Minecraft PE's 0.8.0 beta is not without faults. The new inventory on both creative and survival act differently fro 0.7.3, you must now tap the item slot you wish to place an item in, then tap the item in the inventory to place in the slot. It might not be bad, but it takes some getting used to. Playing Pocket Edition, I used to frequently tap two or three items at a time I know I would need, now I can't do that without selecting multiple slots before picking the item.

Another problem with the new inventory is the tabs. The icons in the tabs don't help with finding items easier, if at all. For example, if you want to find a tree where would you look? Probably the tab with the seed icon, because trees are a plant. Wrong, they are found in the brick tab. Why? That's anyone's guess. The sword tab, that would probably be used for weapons, contains weapons, mob eggs, and minecart supplies. I feel the tabs could be a little more descriptive, perhaps with different icons.

The Ugly

There is certainly a reason why this is a beta. Minecraft PE 0.8.0 Beta 2 is the buggiest Minecraft version I have ever used, it doesn't live up to the semi-stable expectation of Minecraft PE snapshots. Changing a single setting or pausing the game would often result in chunks being unloaded....and not loading back. It's very similar to playing on a server with lag, except much worse. But the graphics problems don't stop there.

At least for me, whenever I touched Minecarts they would instantly disappear into thin air. Other times Minecarts would turn and briefly show what resembles a trail from a Lightcycle in TRON, with the tail stretching to the far side of the screen. Other times I would place down a minecart and only the front and back sides would be visible, the rest invisible.

Fellow beta testers on Google Plus have found even more glitches than I did, including but not limited to player model glitches, picture frames, chests, huge lighting errors, and more. If you want to play anything close to a stable game, I would not recommend trying out the betas. They are not for the weak of heart.

Summary

Let's face it, this release is called a beta for a reason. It's unstable, has uncountable bugs, and crashes pretty often. But it shows an enormous amount of potential. Pocket Edition is finally receiving dozens of features that other editions have had for years, and many unique ones. Minecraft Pocket Edition is taking off, one bug fix at a time.

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