Overall 6.9 Graphics 5.7 Sound 4.3 Addictive 8 Story 8 Depth 7.3 Difficulty 7.3
7.9
Go West tornadocam
Today we are taking a trip out west. We are going to go through the Nation's Heartland, the Rocky Mountains, and to the West Coast. Nah just kidding but I'm going to review one of the early computer games. Its a blast from the past and it is the Oregon Trail Plot: 7The year is 1848 and many Americans are expanding out west. One of the popular destinations is to Oregon. In real life this was know as the Oregon trail that started in Missouri and ended in Oregon. Okay back to the video game now. The player is given the role of a Wagon Leader and must guide his or her's party to Oregon. The starting point is Independence Missouri The trail will not be easy as the player must battle obstacles, having enough food, supplies, oxen, and battle other elements. It will be a trail to get Oregon. Will you get your party to Oregon or die trying. Okay this is a basic plot but was nicely done for a game that came from the 1970's. Unlike future video games, there is no bad guy to go after or anything like that. However this is an educational game. It was supposed to highlight the hardships that people faced going on the real Oregon trail. I think the makers of that game did that well by having you the player face obstacles in your quest. To me that shows creativity. I also like it how since this is an educational game they tried to make it match the real life event. Some would say this is not a good plot but as I said this is an early game. At the end of the day I give the plot a good 7 out of 10. Graphics and Controls: 8 This is not a controller game that most of us have become costumed to since the 1980's. This used the keyboard as its control. Also keep in mind that when this game was developed the Desktop Computer had just come out and was being used for the first time in the 1970's. I think the graphics are amazing considering this was before controls and just when the first desk computers were coming out. I like the backgrounds in this game it seems to fit nicely. I also like the color of the background. The Mountains are green in the background and while its nothing fancy. You can tell they are trying to make the Mountains appear green to indicate there are trees on them. I like the clouds in the sky as well. The water is blue which was nicely done. That was a nice touch. The sprites are good considering when this game was developed. Now by modern standards they would be out of whack some. You can tell how far sprites have come since the early days of video games. The controls are nicely done too since this is the early days of video games. The controls might appear to be sluggish now but again from the era this game came from they are good. The controls are the keyboard as I have stated. You gain control in the video game w hen you hunt as you can walk around and fire bullets. That was a nice touch. Overall the graphics and controls are pretty good for this being an early game. I give them a solid 8 out of 10. Sound: 5 I played this game a lot in elementary school and I do not remember much of the sound. But other video games from the era this game was made in I don't remember them having much sound either. Now, the opening sounds makes me think of pioneer music. Which is what this game is based off of so that was a nice touch. Also when crossing rivers if your wagon crashes the game does make sound to let you know you goofed. So that keeps the sound from getting a lower rating. They could have put more sound in this game though. I would have liked their to have been more music and more sound effects. The second version of this game Oregon Trail II fixed that. But the makers of this game could have done that as well. So I give the sound a middle of the road rating 5 out of 10. Replay Value: 8 I played this game a lot in Elementary school. I'm sure kids who grew up in the 80's and 90's played this game. This game was addictive to me and my classmates. As we would play this game during free time after the teacher got done with their lessons. Another reason I got to play this game. Is my mom also worked at the Elementary school I attended. So before I could go home I had to wait till she got done. So my teachers would let me play this game till it was time to go to my Mom's work area when she would get off. I had a blast playing this game. It was fun and it made the time fly by. I found this game to be addictive as I wanted to see how far I could get, most of the time I made it to Oregon. I also liked to hunt for food in the game that added replay value. Now as I grew older I played this game less as well homework and school work got longer as I moved up in Grades. Also as new games came out I played them more than this one. Still I give the replay or addictiveness value a solid 8 out of 10. Depth: 7 The Oregon trail surprisingly had a lot of depth to it. No it is not in the same league as Mario or Mega Man games. Those games are special and came a decade after this one was made. But for an early video game there was a lot to do in this game. The hunting part and being able to hunt your own food really adds depth to this game. You could take small game, medium game or big game depending on your needs in the game. You could also get different things at the start of the game too. So it was often fun to play the game again using different tools or getting certain items. This game also took a while. It is and was not a game you could beat in less than 20 minutes. The game makes you go through the Great Plains, the Rockies, and other Mountains so it takes awhile. I give the depth rating a good 7 out of 10. I don't think it should be higher cause this is not a game like the modern video games we know today. But it does have a lot of stuff to do in this game. Difficulty: 6 I wrestled with the difficulty rating on this one. When I first played this game I think I was in like 2nd grade maybe. It was kind of hard cause it required problem solving and what to do in situations. However the more I played it at the end of the school year (2nd Grade) it became so much easier. I remember when I first played this game I sometimes died on the way to Oregon in the game. Usually what would get me is crossing the Rivers and then I would die of a disease. But once you get the hang of it this game is not so difficult. One you moved up in grades the game came easier and easier. But, their is a little bit of randomness to this game too. Even if your good at math and got all of the right things you could still die on the way to Oregon. You could still get sick, have bad luck such as oxen dying, and die due to the elements. There was a chance you would have bad luck while hunting too and end up starving. So even if you had all of the right things there was a chance you could still die. I found it as I got older to be random. Also other members getting sick or getting hurt was random too. I had a few members of my team in the game get sick at random or get tired. Some recovered and some died. That was pretty Random. In fact there is a good chance at least 1 or 2 of your team members in the game will not make it. However, the game does help you out. You have the opportunity to buy extra stuff in the game. Such as you can get extra bullets, guns, general supplies and oxen. If you buy extra things and have a surplus there is a good chance you and most of your team will make it to Oregon. In addition, you can hunt for food as I stated you could have bad luck doing that. But most of the time you will get something to feed your team. The game gives you several chances to sheet medium to large sized game. So that helps. I would give the difficulty a moderate rating of 6 out of 10. Because even if you get extra items there is still that randomness that the game has. Also you can have bad luck in this game too. I liked this game cause it would test your problem solving skills or if you were a kid help develop them. As you will be faced with situations and have to take action such as crossing the river, what to do when team members get sick, and what to do when weather elements come up. But the game is not a hard game once you get it figured out. Overall Rating 7.9 Growing up in the 80's and 90's it was fun to play this game. Me and my friends could not wait till we got free time at the end of the day to play this game. If we got done with the lesson early or we only had to go to school for half a day. We were glad when the teacher told us we could get on the computers. Now days from what I hear kids today do not get that opportunity due to Common Core and standardized testing. Back in my day we did not have any of that so we got to enjoy this game. On days we only had to go half a day we would play this game for hours. I really enjoyed this game playing it at school. While it was fun it was educational too such as I have mentioned it helped develop your problem solving skills. But it also had the suspense too due to the randomness I mentioned under the difficult section. The game had good graphics controls, depth, replay and the right difficulty level for a game like this. This game I think came out in the mid 1970's. It makes you look at this game and say my how we have come a long way since then in video and computer games. This game was very successful too as this computer game was available for home purchase later on as well. So people could purchase this game as a computer game too. The makers of this game hit a home run in making this game considering the desktop computer and games were in their early stages. Now there were some negatives in this game. First of all you can tell the graphics were pretty basic, but I do not hold that against this game cause of the era it was made in. I really though would liked the game to have a better soundtrack. It would have been nice had they had some type of music going along the journey. Music can help a game in so many ways. Sometimes as your making the journey it can create a dull feeling to the game. However the situations that come up make up for that though. Several years later they made Oregon Trail II which was a modern version of this game with better graphics. From what I remember it had a soundtrack. Even though as I stated the sprites were alright for this game and the era it came from. Sometimes it seems the sprites get out of whack while hunting. You can tell its an early game as sprites are primitive to what they are now. Still this was and still is a fun game to play. Even for adults this can be a fun game to play. Its one of those games that seems to age well. As far as recommending this game. Yes I would recommend this game it is fun for all ages. If you have a young child that is just starting school this would be a good game to introduce to them because its educational. They will learn some history, math skills and how to solve problems. If your an adult then play this game for entertainment. The negatives in this game are minor. So I give the overall rating a 7.9 Hope you enjoy this game as much as I did when I was a lot younger.
Graphics 8 Sound 5 Addictive 8 Story 7 Depth 7 Difficulty 6
Review Rating: 4.8/5
Submitted: 06-09-15
Review Replies: 8
7.5
Journeying West j0han
The year is 1848. From the largely unsettled regions of the American West come tales of mountains spilling over with gold. Dreams of a better life fuel the countless covered wagons that stream towards the Oregon Territory. Families stock up on supplies and steel themselves as they prepare to endure the perilous road ahead. Disease, bandits, wild animals, drought, hunger, high mountain passes, barren desert, disastrous weather: these lie in wait in some of the roughest country known to man. Though it will take every ounce of wit and luck for the brave American Pioneer to reach the Far West, the golden horizon that awaits him there is a dream worth suffering for.
The Oregon Trail was first released in 1971 as an educational tool and has since been updated and re-released to various systems. Apple II was the first to market the game in the early 1980s, with McIntosh following in 1991. Recent releases include the Wii in 2011 and a smartphone app. Speaking from personal experience, it was an invaluable resource as a history lesson in itself, while remaining, challenging, engaging and most importantly, fun. The Oregon Trail is a simulator that transplants you into the world of the pioneer, where you must purchase and ration supplies, choose your route and departure date to Oregon, and make some tough decisions along the way. During the difficult journey you must cross rushing rivers, climb the treacherous passes of the Rockies and sustain your party through barren land void of water and grass. You will invariably encounter danger and suffer disaster. You might run out of food and be forced to hunt to keep your family fed. You may even end up leaving someone alongside the road, under a hastily fashioned cross.
Graphics: 7
Cut-scenes within the game are given alot of detail, as well as the river crossings. The hunting mini-game could have been better, and the main screen (a covered wagon going left) is a bit static.
Sound: 7
Game-play itself contains little sound effects. I gave it a higher score because various American folk songs are played (in midi format) throughout cut-scenes, enriching the atmosphere.
Addictiveness: 7
I rated this from a school-child's perspective. Back in first grade I loved going to the computer lab and playing. I would try to reach Oregon before any of my classmates by setting my travel rate up to 'grueling' (the fastest), which always led to disaster. It was something I looked forward to then, and after all these years I'm here, playing it again. Furthermore, each play is unique. That said, it is hard to play from start to finish in one sitting.
Story: 8
The story of the pioneers is certainly dramatic, and this game makes good use of that. Though the main plot points must remain the same, each journey is unique and unpredictable, with variables occurring at random. So with each new game a different drama unfolds within the world of the pioneer.
Depth: 8
Apart from the many decisions and disasters the player encounters, a hunting mini-game adds depth. Several facets of game-play are player-determined, such as travel rate, supply rationing, certain routes and types of river crossings. In addition, upon start-up, the player chooses from three vocations: Banker, Carpenter, Farmer. These determine level of difficulty and end-game scores. Bankers receive the most money, $1600, allowing more supplies which makes the journey easiest, and do not receive a score bonus. Carpenters start with $800 and receive a doubled score. Farmers get the short end, receiving $400; but at the end their hardships are rewarded with a tripled score.
Difficulty: 8
Reaching Oregon is a difficult task. Many times my wagon leader finally succumbed after having buried the rest of the party. But with the right decisions, and a bit of luck, it is possible. Of course playing as the banker makes things easier, but it remains challenging nonetheless. Playing as the farmer is a difficult task indeed.
Overall: 7.5
You don't need to be American to learn a valuable lesson from this game about hardship and sacrifice. Through this enjoyable and nostalgic classic, you will better understand the lengths some would travel to find a better life for themselves and their descendants.
Graphics 7 Sound 7 Addictive 7 Story 8 Depth 8 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 4.4/5
Submitted: 09-18-12
Updated: 09-18-12
Review Replies: 2
7
The Oregon Trail elbuzzard
The Oregon Trail is a great game when it works. Very addicitive and really makes you realise that you dont need great sound and great graphics to have a great game. Really took me back to high school in the early 90s. Unfortunately, this version of The Oregon Trail is hit and miss (more miss than hit, to be honest) when it come to whether it works or not, as the game often crashes at the first river. On the other hand, if you are willing to repeat the first 5min a few times, then The Oregon Trail gives you a really rewarding and thought provoking story line which is educational at the same time. Just dont let your kids die of cholera!
Graphics 2 Sound 1 Addictive 9 Story 9 Depth 7 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 3/5
Submitted: 08-09-11
Review Replies: 1
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