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.
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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
