Nintendo Okie

• Howdy:      *Original gameplay intact
• * New modes
• *Nice graphics update
• See Ya’:  *Boring Presentation
• * Only two player multi-player
• * No online leaderboards

2009 will be known as the year of the retro game.  There have been a huge number of games that have received upgraded remakes or revisits using similar art styles to the original games.  Frogger Returns is the latest of that style game.  This new entry into the franchise features a bunch of new modes, multi-player action and an upgraded 3D facelift. 

Frogger Returns opens up on a bare bones menu where you’re given a few options.  You can choose from single player action, multi-player focused events, options or high score leaderboards.  All the while you have a 3D frog staring at you and sprite based frogs floating on a white background. 

If you choose to play the single player mode you’re given a few options.  You can choose classic arcade style where you simply try to get from one end of the playfield to the other without getting run over, eaten or drowned.  The playfield is about twice as big as it was in the arcade version and there are more obstacles to avoid on your way.  In addition to cars on the road and logs over a river you also have to contend with dogs that aren’t happy there’s a frog on their lawn.  In arcade mode you try to fill the five zones on the upper end of the playfield before you die.  If you’re successful you move onto to the second world and so on through the game’s four main areas. 

In addition to the traditional arcade mode there are three other modes that can be played on any of the games worlds.  There is a time attack mode where you are not given a number of lives, but rather you play each area until you fill all five zones in the shortest amount of time possible.  Score attack gives you a one minute time limit to score as many points as possible and Free Play lets you play as you wish.  There are no lives and no time limit in Free Play you just play at your own pace until you’ve had enough. Each of these modes features a leaderboard that will store the top few times you have in each of them.  These leaderboards, though, are local only and you can’t upload them to compare to others around the world. 

Frogger Returns features a new fully 3D, cel shaded environment with hazards, characters and cars beautifully rendered.  Rather than a full top down perspective the game is presented in a ¾ overhead isometric view giving you a new perspective to play the game.  This does mean you can see all the detail of everything in the game, but you also lose some of the perspective you would like to have to see if you can make a jump.  This will lead to a few frustrating deaths until you really understand how the environments are laid out, but you will probably get acquainted with each of the worlds quickly and this little problem will go away.  There are many unique elements to each of the different places to play.  The Big City features the traditional cars, logs and turtles with the addition of dogs.  The Subway features trains that you will have to alternate avoiding and walking on top of to traverse to safety.  There is also a swamp and the sewers that feature the appropriate obstacles such as snakes, alligators, and rats. 

If you have a friend in the same room with you you can engage in some multi-player fun where the game moves to a full overhead perspective that is pulled out to allow you to see more real estate.  There are four modes that can be played with a friend as well.  Classic Race is the same as the single player experience where you are racing to claim three of the end zones before your opponent.  Territories is essentially the same mode, but the end zones can be reclaimed by another player.  There is a five minute time limit and the player with the most zones at the end wins. 

There are two modes that are based on collecting flies that are littering the roadways and swamps.  The first, Collector has you picking up these flies and taking them to the end zones.  Be careful though. If you pick up a fly and die it will be lost forever, never to return.  The other, Fly Collector, has you just trying to pick up the most flies during the five minute time limit; highest number wins. 

You do have a couple different control options to choose from. The default control mode uses the Wii Remote, held like a remote.  You use the D-pad to move around the environment.  It’s an interesting way to hold the controller and takes a few minutes to really get used to.  It would have made more sense to hold the controller sideways, but after a few minutes it does not hamper your experience at all and feels quite good.  The other uses a more traditional control method with the Classic Controller and it’s D-pad. 

It would have been very easy to just toss out a simple remake with a few graphical enhancements, but the developer decided to do that and add a little bit more value for the low, low asking price of 500 Nintendo Points.  The additional single player modes add a nice bit of variety to the game and getting a friend together for multi-player is quite a lot of fun. It would have been nice to include four players in on the fun, but it’s still very good as is.  There are power ups that can be found during single player that will change things up enough to perhaps survive a little longer.  Frogger has been revisited a number of times on a number of different platforms and many times the game play was tweaked and messed with to the point of not being fun.  This return to its roots with a new twist makes for a worthy addition to the franchise.

Final Score: 4/5 Above Average 

Review copy purchased on the Wii Shop Channel.