With all the hullabaloo whip-lashing around the recent release of GTA IV, it's a ripe opportunity to step back from the moral challenges of modern gaming and into to a time when gaming was primal. A time when pastures of velociraptors flourished, pixels twittered, and survival was the one and only option. And so ends my clever segue to the announcement of Dino Run, the newest neo-retro flash game from our friends Miles and Rich over at Pixeljam Games.

Situated in a lush prehistoric pixel art environment, the premiss of Dino Run is evolutionarily simple: run away from extinction to survive. As a dino you must quickly get across the terrain and ahead of the stegosauruses to escape terrifying and impending doom. Fortunately for your species you can consume eggs, lizards, and small birds along your way to gain speed, but if you don't maintain your momentum you can kiss your species goodbye.

Dino Run is an absolutely beautiful game with great gameplay, supported in tandem with an online multi-player option and a crunchy soundtrack by chiptunes musician Mark Denardo. Play it now on Pixeljam's website, and if you pocket up a few dollars for a donation you'll unlock a secret code that gives your dino a set of 40 gaming themed hats to wear while escaping extinction. I did it, so you should do it too!