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February 19, 2009 4:00 AM PST

iPhone gets on the 'Oregon Trail'

by Eric Franklin

(Credit: Gameloft)

I remember playing Oregon Trail in grammar school on what I believe was an Apple II, but honestly, I have only a vague recollection of the game. I recall having fun with it, but can't really remember concrete details.

Thing is, I could relay pretty much every detail of the game Black Belt (a game I was addicted to at the time), but my mind's eye is coming up short on Oregon Trail images.

I think this has less to do with the quality of the game or my brain's memory capacity and more to do with the setting. I've forgotten pretty much everything I ever learned in grammar school (mostly on purpose). As such, I wouldn't be surprised if my Oregon Trail memories were a part of the cognitive wipe I experienced since it involved learning new things and stuffs.

Still, I'm looking forward to trying the iPhone version of Oregon Trail coming from Gameloft. Judging by the newly released screenshots, the game looks to be a conversion of the Mobile version of the game, with a larger color palette and tweaked graphical style (looks more Anime-ish). In addition, expect eight minigames, some using the accelerometer, including hunting, fishing, wagon repairing, river crossing, rafting, telegraphing, gold panning, and berry picking. This is exciting stuff.

No release date has been announced as of yet.

Eric Franklin refused to write a bio, saying, "Why are you bothering me about this bio business again? If I wanted people to know more about me, I'd send them to the Inside CNET Labs Podcast" (shameless plug). E-mail Eric.
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by U. Tripps February 19, 2009 9:01 AM PST
Wow. Oregon Trail on steroids, with the color, graphics and accelerometer-based controls. Unfortunately, it looks like it has ZERO sentimental value. If somebody ports the original Oregon Trail, designed for a monocolor screen, into the iPhone, I'll bet they could sell quite a lot more.
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by stepreplayrsv2 February 19, 2009 11:21 AM PST
more info at http://www.yougroup.in/manish/site_3
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by Dauplat February 19, 2009 11:46 AM PST
There's a memory... I played Oregon Trail on a TELETYPE (yellow paper in a roll) connected to a PDP 11/70 via a 300 BAUD modem (actually an acoustic coupler.) That was pretty high-tech for 1977. Moving up to a terminal with a CRT and a 1200 baud modem was nirvana.

You had to hunt to get food. It would tell you to type some word like "blam", and if you didn't type it correctly and fast enough, you'd miss, and might starve.
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by davinci21 February 19, 2009 3:09 PM PST
I love Oregon Trail. I have a few versions that I still play on occasion on my PC, just for the sake of nostalgia. You better believe I'm getting this app when it comes out.
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by Nataku4ca February 19, 2009 6:10 PM PST
ooo, i miss that game, played it in elementry and me and some old friends of still talks about it occasionally
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by myles taylor February 19, 2009 7:39 PM PST
I remember playing that game on our Mac Plus while growing up and then later on playing later versions on later computers. I'll be sure and get it when it comes out.
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by Marco881 February 20, 2009 7:52 AM PST
Banker from Boston. I played Oregon trail religiously during my 4th and 5th grade class. In fact, I remember trying to finish my work the fastest just so I could have a chance to play before the class was over.

I would always choose "Banker from Boston" just because it awarded you with the most money to start with (even if I couldn't carry much meat when I killed a Buffalo).

Funny enough, I now am a Banker from Boston. Who knew that the Oregon Trail would dictate my career path.
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by alexpoho February 20, 2009 9:36 AM PST
I remember playing that stupid game. The only part I liked was the hunting.
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by jamesreb February 20, 2009 9:37 AM PST
I live in Independence, Missouri (or Missourah, Missery, etc.) and I still love this game. Too bad the Square doesn't look anything like Oregon Trail anymore.
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by brangsta February 20, 2009 1:34 PM PST
le old times, makin me vert nostalgic. What game agency made this originally, sierra?
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