Frogger's always been a bit of an enigma to me.
I mean, yeah, it's one of the most iconic video games ever made, but it's based on a
filthy stinking lie.
I mean, I'm sorry, but...frogs can swim.
See, I'm just trying to be honest, and real.
Something Frogger knows nothing about.
Frogger does know a little something about remakes, though.
'Cause he's only been in six million of 'em.
In this case, we have Frogger as it appears on the Game Boy Color.
And it's one of those black cartridges, so it's also compatible with the original Game
Boy.
'Cause Frogger's old-school like that.
And you can tell he is, because the game hasn't changed a bit from its original version...released
16 years before this one.
It's got as many lies as ever.
So for those of us who aren't math guys...if Frogger was released in 1981, that means this
version came out in 1997.
Math is stupid, it requires too much patience.
And frankly, so does Frogger, which is why I've never been particularly good at either
of them.
I mean, all you're supposed to do is get the frog to the top of the screen, but...
I don't know, there's so much waiting involved.
And I hate waiting.
You should see me in a doctor's office.
I'm doing, literally, this exact same thing.
I'm...leaping, from chair to chair.
So obviously, I'm pretty awful at Frogger.
But I do respect it.
I mean, this is really one of the most perfect and timeless examples of arcade game design,
ever.
'Cause it seems so simple, you think, "Man, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do
that."
That's why Frogger bled so many wallets dry back in the eighties.
You had to give it another go.
See, that's Frogger.
A liar and a thief.
Eddie Guerrero stole his gimmick from Frogger.
Anyway, so this is a pretty faithful version of Frogger.
It plays like you remember, it looks like you remember...get five frogs to the top of
the screen, move on to the next level.
For me, there was also "kill a bunch of frogs" in there somewhere.
That's fine, too.
But thing about Frogger is, it's aged so well.
It's one of those games that's as playable now as it was during the Reagan administration.
Its simple design and strong mechanics make for timeless gameplay.
And having it on the go, with this version...that was pretty awesome.
But what's a little less awesome...is the package itself.
I mean, even back in 1997, this was pretty sparse.
All you have is the original Frogger and a very short high scores table.
There's no extras, no new modes, no...anything.
Just the same old Frogger, faithfully brought to the Game Boy.
So even back then, but especially now...this feels like a pretty empty cartridge.
And the same goes for the graphics, and the presentation.
I mean, it's good to be faithful, but...
I think we can do better than this guy.
Freaking criminal.
Frogger's sort of a conundrum on the Game Boy.
On the one hand, it's a solid version of an arcade classic that still plays great, and
is a timeless piece of game design...but on the other hand, it's just that.
No extra stuff, weak presentation, hardly any music...it's like, if this game were a
pond, and you tried to jump in...you'd break your freaking ankles.
It's that shallow.
If you're looking for a great version of Frogger to take on the go, this is certainly that.
But don't expect much more from Frogger, for the Game Boy Color.
And a huge thanks to our dear, close and personal friend Luke from Concord, New Hampshire, for
sending it in.
I'm terrible at this, Luke.