Frogger

The Good
This is what happens when you combine astounding music, good graphics, and great gameplay mechanics to an already established series. I must admit, Frogger 3D is the second videogame I have ever played, everytime I see the game and hear the music, a great sadness follows. I try to grasp the fleeting emotions I affiliated with this masterpiece during my childhood. Therefore, I will always hold a special place in my heart for Frogger. The graphics are very good, especially if you have a DirectX5-7 card, they are defined and crisp. You can see the reflections on the water, as well as the landscape below (Time Flies, Boulder Valley). Every zone and level has a very distinctive feel; such as the quiet forest or being on a lonely cloud thousands of feet over the city. The music is jaw-dropping and filled with emotion. Every zone has a distinctive soundtrack that throws you into the game without relent. My favorites would be the distant sound of Airshow Antics (everytime I look at the night sky, I'm reminded of this song), the native-American style of Honey Bee Hollow, and the industrial sound of Platform Madness. No matter how varied your musical tastes are, you will fall in love. The game takes a mild amount of skill to pass; it took the combined effort of seven children to pass it in my house. Even though I'm older, it's still a little difficult. Gameplay requires good memory, reflexes, and develops patience: I highly recommend this game for growing children whose imaginations are still flourishing.

The Bad
For one, my family members came down with a vicious case of Frogger fever. Therefore, everyone in the house would try to set their own high score. I owned Airshow Antics, Uncanny Crusher, Platform Madness, Slime Sliding, and Boulder Valley. It didn't take long before an exploitation was found. By simply hopping back and forth, you can accumulate enough points to topple the highest player. In fact, in one life, you can make enough points to start the process all over again, making the player who spends the longest time on the level have the highest score. I wish that Hasbro had implemented a time-based scoring system instead of a score based one. Also, the final zone should have contained at least a second half for rescuing all of the yellow frogs.

The Bottom Line
I was shocked when I read several reviews claiming that this game was unbelievably glitchy, annoying, and difficult. Honestly, I have never had the game crash or pause once. There are a few exploits, but they usually require skill and timing to execute. I have seen the PS1 version, and it doesn't look great compared to the PC version. So maybe that's where the negative emotions are coming from. I loved this game so much that I bought it twice: once when the old disc wouldn't read, and again to bring back the memories. Now that I have lost my disc, I believe it's time for a third purchase. When this game was made, a bad title could literally push a company out of business (although Hasbro was well established). So companies actually tried to materialize an excellent title; unfortunately this is not the case for today's games. I have watched Frogger slide off into the abyss over the past few years (as well as any Sega game made after Sonic Adventure 2) with their fairy-tale antics and sword gameplay. I can honestly suggest Frogger 2 - Swampey's Revenge because the level design is so interesting (I refuse to say the same for the story), but anything after that is trash in every sense of the word. If you like Hasbro, Galaga - Destination Earth is also a very good title (music is the best I have ever heard in a videogame). My last suggestion is to Youtube Frogger: He's Back!, Frogger 2: Swampey's Revenge, and Galaga: Destination Earth just to see what they're like.