2006
2019
Look, this update in some aspects is meh - BUT, they added Pandas. I fucking love Pandas to an unhealthy extent, and the 1.14 Panda mob is so goddamn good that I have genuinely made entire mod setups on this version JUST to have them. PANDA! The foxes are also cool, and some of the new blocks and items are great too. I am not a fan of the new textures though, I always use the original ones when I play a version past this update.
1.9 is one of the most controversial updates in history, and it’s easy to see why - they changed the classic, simplistic combat system of Minecraft into a silly, convoluted system that destroyed PVP for a lot of servers without options to disable the features, and forced people to completely retune their experiences. It did add some great features, as most updates usually manage to do, like the Elytra and being able to restart the Dragon fight, but ultimately it meddles too much with the core Minecraft formula that still feels odd to me now when I play versions after this update.
For speed-runners this update was immense, and it certainly changed some things in a big way for everyone. I really like the Nether getting more content, it’s just the same as a lot of the newer Minecraft updates in that it often feels strangely lacking and falls far behind what mods are capable of.
2011