casual
Outrunning Doom in Dino Run
Posted by Owen Good at 9:00 AM on June 2, 2008
Reader Rob H. pointed out this nice little mid-Sunday diversion: Dino Run. After you get the hang of it you realise nothing in the environment will kill you, just slow you down on your panicked quest to outrun extinction. But most importantly, it's a flash game with multiplayer across three servers, although I waited forever for a game to start up.
Still, to the designers, hat-tip for rendering it like an old 4-bit PC game. I dunno, the tone just seems to deserve that kind of treatment. And also note how your dino farts after you chow down on less fortunate sauropods. Hat-tip for that, too.
Dino Run [Pixeljam, thanks Rob]

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Reilaos~
Posted 3:48 PM 1/6/08
I need to work on my late-night reading skills. At first I thought the news post meant that nothing'd kill you. Then the big wave of extinctiony doom wiped over me, and I stood corrected whilst my dino lied dead.
Reilaos~
MasterYong
Posted 3:41 PM 1/6/08
hooooooookaaaayyyyy.....
/still- I love me some pixely goodness!
MasterYong
Fwiffo
Posted 2:47 AM 2/6/08
Escape extinction? You can't do that! The future will be changed! You'll create a time paradox!
Fwiffo
Drake Lake
Posted 9:02 AM 2/6/08
I emailed about this two weeks ago. I really am the most ignored person, aren't I? :(
Drake Lake
JTHomeslice
Posted 9:25 AM 2/6/08
Enter the code "totinos" on the option screen. You'll thank me :).
JTHomeslice
Candlejack
Posted 9:20 AM 2/6/08
I like this one. Very fresh and different. Thanks for the link.
Candlejack
Ruglia
Posted 9:19 AM 2/6/08
I love both the game and the music.
Ruglia
Drake Lake
Posted 9:13 AM 2/6/08
@dadeisvenm: :3
I do like the little store system it has.
Drake Lake
dadeisvenm
Posted 9:11 AM 2/6/08
@Drake Lake: *ignoring D. Lake* NICE! don't think anyone other then Rob was on top of rhis game. Good looking out Rob.
j/k D.L.
dadeisvenm
Majorasblaze
Posted 9:39 AM 2/6/08
Yeah, been playing this for a while, absolutely fantastic.
Majorasblaze
Krondonian
Posted 9:38 AM 2/6/08
Wait, wait wait! I know! It was Mr Drake Lake! On the Saturday Timewaster: Putty Puzzle article.
Muchas Gracias to you Mr Lake.
Krondonian
Aethyr
Posted 9:36 AM 2/6/08
This is enormously cute. Anyone else wanna share some codes for hats? I saw people with a ton of different ones ingame.
Aethyr
Krondonian
Posted 9:34 AM 2/6/08
Ah yes, I remember someone linked to this in a previous Hot Flash article...and I've been playing it ever since. Awesome game with great music and the fact that you can save your stats and play multiplayer is just outstanding.
So thanks to the poster in the other article!
Krondonian
bobtheduck
Posted 9:33 AM 2/6/08
@Fwiffo: Sounds like you're in Gear for the new PS3 release coming up... Whatever it's called, I forget...
bobtheduck
Treecubed
Posted 9:30 AM 2/6/08
This is probably the funniest Hot Flash I have played in a while.
Treecubed
Legba33
Posted 9:27 AM 2/6/08
awesome little game, reminds me of sonic
Legba33
Yuki
Posted 9:56 AM 2/6/08
This game needs more E.V.O., though it seems easy to waste time on anyway.
Yuki
Bernard McGraw
Posted 9:56 AM 2/6/08
Wow, this is really excellent. Scary as hell in places.
Bernard McGraw
Dorgort
Posted 9:55 AM 2/6/08
This brought back some memories of this game I played WAY back when. I don't know if it was DOS or what, but it involved dinosaurs and I think you could mix and match bones and stuff, it was very, very old-school.
Dorgort
Xeneizes
Posted 9:46 AM 2/6/08
That's really awesome.
Wait, your dino can get hats? That's ridiculous. This might be my new time waster.
Xeneizes
MartinSWE
Posted 10:25 AM 2/6/08
@RRRansom:
Yeah it reminds me of Sonic. Great flash game, completed it.
MartinSWE
RRRansom
Posted 10:16 AM 2/6/08
This brings back Sonic memories in the same way Gamma Bros. brought back Robotron memories.
RRRansom
cloudcavalier
Posted 10:11 AM 2/6/08
Guys don't share the hat codes... you get the code for donating to Pixeljam and it's a good cause.
I am so close to beating insane challenge... so close... just need that last egg!
cloudcavalier
VakeroRokero
Posted 10:39 AM 2/6/08
Great game. Wish Ubisoft would learn from this AAA title that graphics don't make the game any less fun...
VakeroRokero
EnragedTemplar
Posted 10:39 AM 2/6/08
can any body help me? it loads and i created a dino, but now none of the controls work, and it wont register any of the clicks
EnragedTemplar
Beyene
Posted 10:35 AM 2/6/08
@MartinSWE:
How many Levels?
I got to Level 6! It was Great! I love this game!
Beyene
Mav
Posted 11:02 AM 2/6/08
Jump doesn't work for me...
Mav
Inhert
Posted 11:00 AM 2/6/08
I love these types of games with old school graphics, but with more advanced aspects such as physics, leveling, etc.
We need more of this type of thing on XBLA, PSN, WW. I've had enough shooters :P
Inhert
Darknight630
Posted 10:53 AM 2/6/08
Make sure to set the game to Insane Mode and Speedrun to really experience the FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Darknight630
Tietsu21
Posted 11:45 AM 2/6/08
The 'farts' are actually the dinosaur crapping. It does it when you get really close to the wall too. Still funnier than hell. Excellent game.
Top Speed -
dinoracer
Mega Jump -
leapinliz
Super Strength -
calcium
Goodbye Doom -
explore
Low Gravity -
astrosaur
Boulders = Balloons -
goofballs
Lights Out -
goodbyesun
Meteor Storm -
smokey
Tietsu21
CatPope
Posted 11:43 AM 2/6/08
Fun game, I like the online bit too.
CatPope
crapsh00t
Posted 11:52 AM 2/6/08
Once I found out you could Doom Surf, I quit skydiving and skateboarding.
crapsh00t
Ruglia
Posted 12:14 PM 2/6/08
I kick ass at this game.
Ruglia
nflsonic
Posted 12:33 PM 2/6/08
Wow, this game is just awesome! Bookmarked!
Now this would be fun if they could bring it to the consoles via PSN and XBLA. Then more people would be enjoying this gem!
nflsonic
hrabbit
Posted 12:29 PM 2/6/08
I suck at this game!!! D: but it is very fun/cool :D
hrabbit
Drake Lake
Posted 1:54 PM 2/6/08
@Atheist Jew:
"Guess I should have sent this in as a tip a while ago. Oh well!"
I did and look what happened! (No disrespect towards you, Mr. Rob H. You got good taste.)
Drake Lake
Atheist Jew
Posted 1:49 PM 2/6/08
Oh yeah, forgot about this. It's a really great game of simplistic aesthetics but surprising depth.
PRO TIP - wait for Doom to catch up with you, and see how long you can surf the conflagration. It's basically a score multiplier depending on how long you can hold out. Of course, one screw up and your game is over.
Guess I should have sent this in as a tip a while ago. Oh well! At least now there should be more people playing the multiplayer side of it.
Atheist Jew
Channing
Posted 2:24 PM 2/6/08
@Drake Lake:
It happens. I've sent stuff in only to have someone else send the same thing in later and it gets put up. Maybe there's a queue that's actually months long with tips and Rob found it like a year ago. (I'm totally making this up)
Channing
EnragedTemplar
Posted 2:45 PM 2/6/08
still doesn't work for me, i just keep clicking and nothing happens
EnragedTemplar
Drake Lake
Posted 2:36 PM 2/6/08
@Channing: Yeah I figured. Not a big deal at all. I just wanted to take that chance and make a lame joke.
Drake Lake
Drake Lake
Posted 3:18 PM 2/6/08
@EnragedTemplar: Try this link: [www.xgenstudios.com]
If that doesn't work, update Flash.
Drake Lake
HappyWulf
Posted 4:19 PM 2/6/08
I sent this tip in like.... almost a month ago, it feels like, right when it was officially launched.
HappyWulf
Buddy_DoQ
Posted 12:45 AM 3/6/08
@EnragedTemplar: I had this problem too, while using Firefox 3 on my Mac. If this is you, I find it works great in Safari. Not sure what the deal is, Flash usually works great in FF.
Buddy_DoQ
Krondonian
Posted 2:26 AM 3/6/08
@Buddy_DoQ: It's Java.
Krondonian
D-Sovereignty
Posted 9:48 AM 2/6/08
Haha this game is awesome.
D-Sovereignty