Minecraft has earned its claim to fame by offering a simplistic sandbox in which you can build and play. The blocky visuals may not be particularly impressive, but Minecraft has a Lego-like charm that makes it very appealing. Telltale Games, on the other hand, is known for games featuring riveting drama and linear, point-and-click gameplay. Minecraft: Story Mode ($24.99) unites both game styles to create a grand adventure set within the Minecraft world. Unfortunately, the game lacks the intensity of Telltale's previous games, settling instead for a generic, cartoony feel, rife with bland characters and a shoddy plot. I played Minecraft: Story Mode on PC, but it's also available on current- and last-generation consoles.

A Story Where There was None
You play as Jesse, an awkward do-gooder who has hopes of meeting the four heroes of legend. You get to choose your in-game avatar, with several male and female options to select from at the start. There isn't any difference between protagonists aside from the vocal performance, so you can choose whichever block-person you like best. The story starts with you, your friends Olivia and Axel, and your pig Reuben, setting out to win the building competition at a festival called EnderCon. Things sour very quickly, and a series of events and misunderstandings kick start the end of the world.

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The plot moves at a brisk pace, but it lacks any emotional impact, which neuters the overall story. It's difficult to care about your protagonists when they have cookie-cutter personalities. Jesse is the goody two-shoes hero, Axel is the idiot best friend, Petra is the tough girl, and so on. The backstory isn't interesting either, because its details are sparse and abstract. Episode one's plot feels like a filler cartoon series on Saturday morning: the type of program you watch to kill time until your favorite show comes on.