'The Oregon Trail' Arrives: Make Dysentery Fun Again
posted by arn on March 11th, 2009 5:27 AM EDT in $5.99, Retro, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Gameloft's take on The Oregon Trail [App Store] has finally arrived in the App Store this morning. We previewed this classic game back in February and found that despite the modern touches, it remains loyal to its original gameplay:
Some readers fond of the original expressed concern that Gameloft’s iPhone offering might be simply an Oregon Trail-themed string of mini games. This is not the case. The Oregon Trail for the iPhone is, at its core, the original game given a makeover as well as a series of tweaks and enhancements that help bring the title forward 30 years for today’s mobile gamer.
Gameloft streamlined the initial setup for the expedition and added more events along the trail to keep the game interesting.
The official release description offers the following features:
- All of the decision-making and problem-solving fun of the original game, plus additional parameters to take the Oregon Trail experience even further than you've played before.
- 8 skill-based mini-games, including 2 accelerometer-based challenges: hunting, fishing, river crossing, rafting, wagon repairing, telegraph, berry picking, and gold panning.
- Random events (disease, bandits, hitchhikers, etc.) faced by real pioneers increases the challenge.
- Side-missions add more excitement to your journey, affecting your westward trek.
- Prepare for your departure: Select the members of your party, choose your departure date and purchase supplies.
Gameloft provides an official trailer which shows the variety of events in the game:
Our own HD video of the game shows the early gameplay:
[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]
Based on our brief time with the game, we do feel that fans of the original will enjoy this modern take.
App Store Link: Oregon Trail, $5.99
Just purchased. Downloading now, 50 megs
Exciting news to wake up to!!!! Yay!
My mom's is a school teacher and she remembers taking her students to the lab to play this way back when. I just showed her the new version and she loves it!
When did dysintery STOP being fun? No chores, no school, just you and a pleasantly cool tin bucket.
Boy, I think I just dated myself big time.
Not available in Norway
So technically it has only arrived in the US AppStore.
Just checked the UK store as my other half is American and remembers the original. Sadly it's not out over here either, yet.
Wow, not a single review yet. No one is buying this?
Okay, I'll buy it…
I used to play this in grade school indeed.
I wish they had an option to start up with the classic more complex set of options instead of only the new quick start option (that used to be half the fun).
No sign of the Game in Germany…..sucks!
I will play this game because i loved the original.
Not in Japan either. I just don't get it. Apple has no regulations for their games requiring them to be in a certain foreign language so why not just release it in all countries around the world in English and get more profit that way?
I guess I'll be the one to say that $5.99 is a bit steep. Especially considering it isn't an original title and simply a port of a 20+ year old game.
A 20+ year old game that (for whatever reason) still sells for $20-$30!
The game is more of a re-imaging than a port. The gameplay is heavily simplified. A status bar for food and one for supplies. No more budgeting for what parts to buy, just keep your supplies. Mediocre minigames for gathering food, crossing rivers and repairing.
The game is pretty to look at and is light and funny in tone. There are a bunch of interface problems and the game regularly crashes for me.
Gizmodo published a mini-review on Oregon… I'm kinda surprised at the lack-of myself!
http://i.gizmodo.com/5168258/oregon-trail-iphone-game-hands-on?skyline=true&s=i
Played it 4 hours yesterday. Love it. its my favorite iPhone game. As a big fan of the original, this is a very simple version of that game. However i think its more fun.
I went to buy this today only to find it's (still?) not available in the Australian store. What gives??
After over a week still not out in the Australian store. What's going on?
And it´s still not out in Germany either…
anybody an Idea? Will it ever be availeable in Germany?