Briefly: Remember The Flame in the Flood, that neat Kickstarter project by some ex-BioShock developers that looks like an arty version of Oregon Trail? Well, it met its $US150,000 fundraising goal in a week. Now, as always, we just have to play the waiting game...
We've all heard the story many times now: talented game developers leave their corporate jobs to strike out on their own, turning to Kickstarter in the process. So what makes The Flame in the Flood stand out? Something about BioShock's art director making a modern fancified version of The Oregon Trail, if you ask me.
The Oregon Trail is a game with a blunt message: you will all die. Repeatedly. Educational, perhaps, but also bleak. It could do with a little lightening up.
You have died of dysentery.
These are five words familiar to anyone who has attempted to caulk a wagon and ford rivers en route to the Willamette Valley. Oregon Trail not only taught generations of kids about Western migration in 19th-century America, it also familiarised them with various strange-sounding diseases. Let's catch up with some of those diseases and find out if they're just as nasty today.
The May 30 launch of an "Oregon Trail" expansion pack in the popular Facebook game Frontierville has caught notice of the company holding the copyright to the edutainment classic, and it has sued to put a stop to the plans of Frontierville maker Zynga.
Emily Weiss has a list of surname possibilities next time you're playing the American educational classic. 'Somebody has cholera' does indeed add a new element to the intrigue.
An unwise choice, but something tells me all the numbers end with dysentery. Humorous sign posted on a Los Angeles street corner. As seen on Pleated Jeans.
Going away present for a family member moving to Oregon. Presumably no rivers need fording. Seen via Reddit.
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This trailer, allegedly for a movie based on everyone's favourite edutainment game Oregon Trail, is so well done I honestly triple-checked to make sure the movie wasn't really being filmed.
Masters of the Ville Zynga are making a move into Oregon Trail territory with FrontierVille, the latest social game to devour the time and productivity of people the world over.
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I would have played Oregon Trail WAY more if it featured this sort of hunting massacre.
To salute the NFL's opening night, Slate cooked up this video: The NFL Hits the Oregon Trail. Mike Vick goes hunting, Donté Stallworth crashes the wagon, and of course, everyone gets dysentery, the end.
Gameloft is preparing to bring the classic edutainment game The Oregon Trail to the iPhone and iPod Touch.
I usually try to wrap up Saturdays with some laughs so, here's this and two other funny pics I found through the week. On their own, maybe not worth a post but together, hey, it's the weekend, so here's a funnies page for you to spread on the living room floor.
Remember, if you're a Madden gamer and want in on the KFC (Kotaku Football Conference), that announcement will be at 1 pm MDT (3 pm Eastern, noon Pacific)
This one apparently came off of Facebook. I friended the guy who created/posted it, I'll let you know if anything comes of that. Also, someone run out and register www.muahahahahahahahahaha.com.
The Oregon Trail is both entertaining and educational. Sadly it's also quite old, and in need of an update. An update like Thule Trail, which takes the basic premise of the Oregon Trail but has you and your mates on a cross-country road trip to a festival, and includes truck-stop hookers, dice games, hybrid sedans and whiny hitch-hikers. Thule Trail's broswer-based, so you can try it out at the link below. Thule Trail
