Frogger: Ancient Shadow is true to its name – this is one ancient game. Don't let the 3D graphics deceive you, a free-roaming action/adventure this is not. Frogger received a facelift on previous game consoles, and aside from the few gameplay additions that were added then and now, Ancient Shadow is the same game with a paint job and new packaging material.

The characters are generic (what defines these frogs? What makes them unique? Nothing), the animation is basic at best, and the voice-overs are as annoying as having to hear Frogger whine every time he doesn't successfully complete a jump. This is a game of a trial-and-error, you can't expect him to succeed every time. Yet the game expects us to listen to him whine when he doesn't as if we didn't know he failed.

Ancient Shadow has a lot of things against it, one of them being the long introductory sequence that can't be skipped, followed by a poorly explained tutorial that will confuse any child who doesn't already know the function of each button. Technically this game should appeal to adults since we're the group of game players who remember the original. It wasn't developed for us though, it was developed for the new generation of gamers – kids who are growing up on Smash Bros. Melee, Crash Bandicoot, Mario Kart and Halo 2. In what world would a gamer want to go from those games to this?

The control scheme is nuts. Frogger runs on what I'm going to refer to as a square system. Every time you press a directional button (the analog stick is inaccessible) Frogger moves up one square in that direction. Have him move up, left, down, and right – look, a perfect square. The X button allows him to jump forward two squares. His tongue can latch onto things and pull items and platforms toward him, or to push platforms back. It's a puzzling game that boarders on being clever. More often than not it's just frustrating.

The camera cannot be moved, and at times it feels like the frog can't either. Many platforms are just one square in size. Press up, down, left or right after landing on them and you will fall right into the water. This happened to me repeatedly even AFTER I got the hang of pressing R1 and L1 to change sides. (Pressing those buttons turns Frogger around so that he can jump in the proper direction.)

It sounds easy enough – and if we grew up with games like Ancient Shadow and no others we'd be masters of this unorthodox style. But I have no desire to learn something new that isn't fun or moderately engrossing. I felt no reward, no satisfaction for completing any task that this game threw at me. Most of them were expanded versions of the previous task, which led to repetition, which quickly led my mind to the place I hate. The place where I ask, "Why am I playing this again?"

The graphics are cartoony and are below some of the PlayStation 2's lower-class launch titles. Environments aren't lively and realistic; they're stiff and uninviting. For a Frogger game they might seem acceptable, but why should this game get a break just because it's a rehash of a 2D arcade game? Honestly, we're about to enter a breakthrough in gameplay visuals (see Metal Gear Solid 4 for proof). The least anyone could do is make sure that their final PS2 games maximize its power. A smidgeon of cel-shade effects would've covered up the ugliness and given players something different to look at.

I've already mentioned the annoying sound effects (Frogger's childish whine), but I've yet to get into the music. You're probably dreading what I'm about to say and for good reason. The compositions aren't the least bit spectacular, though it's not like I had expectations for sound improvement after discovering what the gameplay was all about (very little). They are unusual for a kiddie game – almost a big band sound with lots of instruments. The music seemed to repeat itself a lot, though that might be because I forgot to press the R1 button before jumping and died several unnecessary deaths, taking me back to the beginning of the level and back to the beginning of the song. Check points are found here and there, but they won't do you any good once your energy is depleted. 

Gameplay: 5.0
Frogger: Ancient Shadow would have earned at least a 7.0 if the control scheme had worked. It could have scored an 8.0 or higher if the gameplay was more substantial. This isn't my favorite concept but underneath the layers of disappointment it's clear that there is a tiny bit of the game that was inspired. I guess it's time to go back to the drawing board, as they say. And time to look for more inspiration.

Graphics: 4.0

Sound: 4.0
(Grabs duck tape.) Get over here Frog ... uhh ... er! I've got a surprise for ya that'll help solve that noise problem we've been having.

Difficulty: Medium
Platform hopping, enemy avoidance, item collecting – these are easy, tiresome tasks. They'd be easy in this game too if the controls didn't defy the laws of how a game should be played.

Concept: 5.0
Seriously guys, try something new. I'm not saying you should turn Frogger into a Crash Bandicoot-style adventure, though I fear that's where the series is headed next. But you need to do something. Anything! Another rehash won't cut it, but it might kill the series.

Overall: 5.0