![]() In Frogger 2, if you didn’t carefully observe every detail surrounding you, you would absolutely die. Frogger 2, on the other hand, was a different kind of beast. Other popular platforming games of the time like Sonic Adventure, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, or Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko were laced with mindless scenes where gamers could sort of power their way through a level without much hesitation. One of the things that draws me to a game like Frogger 2 is that it perfectly blends early 3D platforming with quasi-puzzle / pattern-learning in a way that requires the gamer to stop and actually observe their surroundings. But a simple objective does not mean that Frogger 2 is a simple game. Frogger’s objective is simple, he must go from start to finish and collect all five colored frogs in order to advance. ![]() But Frogger 2 is anything but a replica, replacing the mundane archaic gameplay of Frogger (1981) and Frogger: He’s Back! (1997) with thought-provoking pattern-driven platforming the likes of which I have not seen in a long time. There’s all sorts of rodents and insects and traps and shit. So based on the story alone, it would appear that Frogger 2 is nothing more than a replica of the previous game except with a story to justify why Frogger must traverse this godforsaken fucked up land to rescue these helpless little frogs. As the story unfolds, Frogger thwarts Swampy again and again and, well, I don’t want to spoil the story, but I bet you can guess where this is going. Swampy aims to get revenge on Frogger for jumping on his head. But unlike in previous adventures, these colored frogs are scattered throughout the world by Swampy, a vengeful and vindictive crocodile. That’s why it came as no surprise to see Frogger make a leap into the 3D world in 1997 with a remake of the original, titled Frogger: He’s Back! Although He’s Back! was a middling game in just about every category, the same cannot be said for its direct sequel Frogger 2 which just so happens to be the game we are reviewing today!įrogger 2: Swampy’s Revenge stars our titular amphibian hero as he yet again must rescue the lost colored frogs. Frogger‘s concept is so simple, and the colors and music are so cute, how could anyone not love this little fella? Regardless of your experience with classic golden-age Frogger, Frogger 2: Swampy’s Revenge ushered in the new millennium in style in all its frustratingly joyous glory.Įven if people aren’t playing games in the Frogger series today, there’s no denying the franchise’s legacy in the history of gaming. By today’s standards, Frogger is an outdated and quaint video game, but it still has so much charm. Cross the river without falling into the water. The lovable green frog who set arcade cabinets ablaze in the year of our lord nineteen and eighty-one. Given the frustrating degree of play precision required along with the lack of reward, it's not great for casual play.Frogger. If you're a die-hard Frogger fan or morbidly curious about this rebooted franchise that you may have missed out on, Frogger 2 may be worth checking out. And with how tough Frogger 2 is, you may be needing to continue a lot. Annoyingly, Story Mode may only be continued after being dropped back to the main menu and reloading the mode with the last level selected. Most folks picking this up will likely be going for Story Mode. With Frogger 2 available on X-Box Live, you're probably more likely to find multiplayer there than for PC these days. A lot of times, you'll be left wondering “How did that thing hit me? It should have been still in front of me/already past me!”įrogger 2 offers several play modes, including challenges (time-attacks), multiplayer, and story mode. While environments and enemies are all 3D rendered with fluid animations, Frogger's gameplay is entirely tile-based-this makes it difficult to judge timing on moves and jumps because Frogger and his enemies have hit-boxes that take up the entire tile. The biggest problem I have with Frogger is that even though it looks shiny and new (by the standards of 2000, anyway), the mechanics feel frustratingly old and clunky. ![]() The world of Frogger is bright and colorful and filled with all sorts of weird pastel things that will kill you. Unlike Frogger 2's predecessor, levels are more streamlined and linear, resulting in a more traditional arcade platforming experience. The player has to clear deadly trap- and enemy-filled obstacle courses while collecting little frogs. Frogger was rebooted in the mid/late 90s to rather mixed reviews with “Frogger: He's Back!” Frogger 2 offered more Frogger goodness (or badness, depending on how you felt about 90s Frogger) with a few tweaks and improvements and wrapped into a new “story” (though, I use the term loosely).
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