Whenever I think back to the days of arcade gaming back in the 80’s, there were multiple titles that sucked untold amounts of quarters out of my pocket. Anyone as old as me can remember hours on end of Tempest, Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and the list can go on and on. One game that I always found particularly fun and pretty addicting was Frogger, the game where you had to move your frogs across traffic, over logs and turtles, and rescue a girlfriend or two along the way. Throughout the years, Frogger has been reincarnated a few times and in a few different ways, the most recent being Frogger Adventures: The Rescue for PS2.

The story to Frogger Adventures has the webbed hero (who is a frog but oddly enough still hasn’t learned to swim) and his buddies from Firefly Swamp fighting against a group known as T.R.I.P – or Tyrannical Reptiles In Power. T.R.I.P has threatened to take over the swamp and to make matters worse … they have kidnapped Frogger’s girlfriend Lily. Frogger teams up with an assortment of commando, ninja, and scientific type amphibious pals in a group known as F.I.R.S.T – Frog International Rescue Support Team … and off he goes to save his girlfriend and Firefly Swamp as well.

The last Frogger title to hit shelves was more of a 3-D platformer style of gameplay. Frogger Adventures actually makes a return to the more simple and more Frogger original style of a top down viewpoint and a simple hopping style of game, where it’s up to you to navigate him through seven levels hopping along pathways while avoiding obstacles, hazards, and solving puzzles. There are also a couple of different ways to play aside from the standard story mode, and you can play a “Mario Party” style of multiplayer games or take timed level challenges and post your scores on the internet.

I have to say that I was pleased to see Frogger return to more of an original “as I remember it” kind of gameplay versus the 3-D platformer, but I was also a little disappointed in the game as well. For starters, I thought that the level challenges as you progressed were decent, and consisted of a variety of things like finding objects to open doors or avoiding things like giant wrecking balls as you hopped your way towards a save point or the end of the level. The biggest issue overall to me was that no matter what the stage or challenge was, it seemed to grow repetitive after a while. I enjoy the standard Frogger gameplay, but it just didn’t seem to get more exciting as I moved on.

Secondly, the camera caused some issues as well. While it wasn’t terrible overall, there is also no way to zoom in or out to get a better look at the screen or what is around you. There were a few times that I got confused on where to go next or mistimed a jump due to the fact that I had some issues gauging the distance … and while this was not a major problem that happened all of the time, it was in there and did get annoying when it would happen.

Lastly, I was happy to see that a multiplayer mode was added in, and was looking forward to playing the original game (or at least the original with a 3-D upgrade), but that was not the case. As I stated earlier, the multiplayer games are more of a Mario Party style, and are really too quick and shallow to be much fun for a long period of time. There are some interesting and enjoyable ones, like race or conveyor belts, but some like (push the button at the right time) which just didn’t feel like a good unlockable reward after a tough level.

Graphically, Frogger Adventures looks outdated for the PS2 system. The graphics weren’t bad by any means, and were colorful and easy on the eyes, but they just looked like an older title that would have been released at the launch of the PS2 system. There are some cutscenes in between missions that were done in fully animated CG, but the storyline was sort of goofy and the scenes didn’t really do a whole lot to help move the story along.

In the sound department, Frogger Adventures hits around the average mark as well. The music is a canned electronic style that adds in some background noise, but nothing that you will walk away from the console humming to yourself. The voiceovers were done OK, but again didn’t do much more than just provide some chatter now and then or explain a potential hazard that may be lurking ahead.

Overall, Frogger Adventures retains the gameplay of the original that makes it enjoyable, but it just seems to be getting a little past it’s time for not only the gameplay, but the graphics as well. Kids will probably have the most fun with it, as will adults who really couldn’t get enough of Frogger back in the day, but nonetheless I would advise checking it out for the weekend before making the final commitment to purchasing it. 

Gameplay: 7.0
The top down view and the old school gameplay style will make it easy for anyone to hop right in (no pun intended) and start playing, and the challenge mode where you can try and get through a level as fast as possible and post your scores on the internet was a neat idea. Unfortunately, the game tended to get repetitive after a few levels regardless of the challenges or stage creation, and the camera caused issues at times where the next step may be confusing.

Graphics: 6.8
The graphics are colorful, but are starting to look really outdated and more reminiscent of something released in the days when the PS2 was introduced. While the stages looked OK, some of the area platforms or obstacles could kind of blend together making it a little tough to figure out where you were going, and while the cutscenes looked nice … they really didn’t do a lot to move the story along.

Sound: 6.9
The voiceovers weren’t bad, but did little more than provide hints, warnings, or chatter. The music was a standard electronic makeup of tunes, and while it provided background noise it didn’t do much to add to the stages or environments.

Difficulty: Medium
The first couple of levels aren’t too bad, and there is an auto save feature at the end of each level and continue points along the way. Levels as you progress tend to get more difficult and challenging though.

Concept: 6.5
While it was nice to see Frogger come back in the way that he was originally done, there were some opportunities here to make it a little more revolutionary in the video game world, including gameplay, graphics, and sound.

Multiplayer: 6.0

The multiplayer mode is more of a Mario Party kind of feel to it now, and while there are a couple of enjoyable stages to do, many of them seem a little too simple and basic to really be enjoyable or something that will be played repeatedly after the first time or two.

Overall: 6.8

Frogger was one of the coolest arcade games back in the 80’s, and the overall hopping gameplay style in Frogger Adventures is a fun trip back in time to the way it was. Unfortunately, it also seems to be getting a little old though, and a new direction for the series would be great in the future. This game will ultimately probably appeal to the younger gamers and die hard Frogger fans, but I would still check it out prior to committing to it.