digitalpress
04-02-2003, 08:40 AM
Day 8.
Yeah yeah. A few setbacks kept days 7 and 8 quite a few days apart but back into the rhythm we go.
Frogger. You know it. You've played it. So tell us what you think? What was your favorite version and which home console do you think did the best job at capturing the arcade feel? What do you think of the updated Frogger for PlayStation? Are you good at the game? Are you a non-believer? Write your mini-review here!
DP GUIDE sez (several random entries here):
Frogger (Atari 2600, by Parker Bros) $3/R1
Designed by Ed English. Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. EASTER EGGS: Set the difficulty so that your frog may travel off the screen (on the back of a turtle or log), jump on a right moving log and go off the edge of the screen. The instant you see your frog reappear on the left side, jump left and you'll be warped to the middle of the screen. (and perhaps die if nothing is there). PERIODICALS: Named "Best Arcade to Home Translation of 1982" by Electronic Games Magazine. Voted one of the "Top Ten Games of '83" by Radio-Electronics Magazine. Listed as one of the "99 Favorite Classics" by Digital Press in 1997. c1982 Sega, Parker Bros.. #PB5300.
Frogger, The Official (Atari 2600, by Starpath) $40/R6 +
Designed by Stephen Landrum. Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. In case you're wondering how Starpath could release Frogger when it was licensed to Parker Bros., here's the story: Although Sega licensed the rights for Frogger to Parker Bros., these rights only pertained to cartridges. Sega had licensed disk and cassette versions to Sierra On-line, who then sub-licensed Frogger to Starpath for release on cassette. The games were numbered sequentially (this one is number 9) as well as with a catalog number. Arcadia/Starpath games for the Atari 2600 are on cassette tape and require the Supercharger unit in order to play. The game is on cassette and requires the Supercharger. SANTULLI SLANT: See Parker Bros version. [Gr: 7, So: 7, Ga: 8, Ov: 7] #AR4105.
Frogger (Atari 5200, by Parker Bros) $4/R2
Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. Game could be played with the joystick or keypad. Includes overlay(s). #9530.
Frogger (ColecoVision, by Parker Bros) $5/R1
Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. PERIODICALS: Listed as one of the "99 Favorite Classics" by Digital Press in 1997. SANTULLI SLANT: A game is automatically dubbed "classic" when it's re-released in an "updated" version ten or more years later. Yep, I just made that rule up. Deal with it. Frogger is one of those, and for good reason. It has charming graphics and music, a solid control system, and it actually lets you jump on a member of the opposite sex and ride her home to your pad! Er, lily pad, that is. The ColecoVision version is the best conversion from the arcade game, and there are two versions for the Atari 2600 with the Starpath release being the superior of the two. [Gr: 8, So: 8, Ga: 8, Ov: 8] c1982, 1983, Sega, Parker Bros. #9530.
Frogger (Game.com, by Tiger) $2/R2
Based on the 1981 Konami coin-op. Supports multiple-system linking. BOX DESCRIPTION: ''How does the Frog cross the road? CAREFULLY! With obstacles everywhere, this frog doesn't know where to hop! You'll need to guide its every leap across hazardous highways, its every bound over wild waterways. Watch out for trucks and disappearing lily pads. One wrong jump and your frogger is road kill...or fish food. BE READY, OR BE DEAD. Includes: -Classic gameplay mode -Updated 90's version.'' Released 1999. c1999 Hasbro, Konami. #71-756.
Frogger (Intellivision, by INTV) $0/R0
Based on the Sega coin-op. Chalk-up another casing variation. It seems INTV picked-up a few licenses from third-party developers and re-released them in their own packaging. While the Parker Brothers version of this title isn't too hard to come by, the INTV version of Frogger's whereabouts are unconfirmed. INTV picked up a few third party titles which they re-issued late in the Intellivision's reign. If you can confirm the existence of the INTV version, please let us know. No overlay.
Frogger (VIC-20, by Parker Bros) $2/R2 -
Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. Released in 1983. 8k cart. There is no gentle way to say this. this game gives you the distinct impression that they rushed it out the door, half-finished. Looking at the ROM code shows they wasted 3k out of the 8k that they had available. Why would anyone do that if they intended for the end result to be a high-quality game? Early ads from Parker Bros. show they were making and selling both C64 and VIC-20 games at the same time. Did PB consider it a conflict of interest to support an aging game system well, when its obvious replacement was already on the market? Maybe. The original Frogger arcade game was put out by Sega in 1981, who licensed it from Gremlin. According to info in the "2600 Connection" newsletter, Frogger itself was based on a relatively obscure arcade game from Atari called "Space Race". PERIODICALS: "Either you love it or you hate it. Maneuver your frog up the screen without getting hit by cars, eaten by snakes, smashing into walls or drowning. Bouncy music and colorful, cartoony graphics make this the ultimate cute game of all time. The only question is, with so many interesting new games coming out, do you still care about getting this old frog to the other side of the road?" Seen in Jan 1985 Computer Games, page 16. #PB1410.
Yeah yeah. A few setbacks kept days 7 and 8 quite a few days apart but back into the rhythm we go.
Frogger. You know it. You've played it. So tell us what you think? What was your favorite version and which home console do you think did the best job at capturing the arcade feel? What do you think of the updated Frogger for PlayStation? Are you good at the game? Are you a non-believer? Write your mini-review here!
DP GUIDE sez (several random entries here):
Frogger (Atari 2600, by Parker Bros) $3/R1
Designed by Ed English. Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. EASTER EGGS: Set the difficulty so that your frog may travel off the screen (on the back of a turtle or log), jump on a right moving log and go off the edge of the screen. The instant you see your frog reappear on the left side, jump left and you'll be warped to the middle of the screen. (and perhaps die if nothing is there). PERIODICALS: Named "Best Arcade to Home Translation of 1982" by Electronic Games Magazine. Voted one of the "Top Ten Games of '83" by Radio-Electronics Magazine. Listed as one of the "99 Favorite Classics" by Digital Press in 1997. c1982 Sega, Parker Bros.. #PB5300.
Frogger, The Official (Atari 2600, by Starpath) $40/R6 +
Designed by Stephen Landrum. Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. In case you're wondering how Starpath could release Frogger when it was licensed to Parker Bros., here's the story: Although Sega licensed the rights for Frogger to Parker Bros., these rights only pertained to cartridges. Sega had licensed disk and cassette versions to Sierra On-line, who then sub-licensed Frogger to Starpath for release on cassette. The games were numbered sequentially (this one is number 9) as well as with a catalog number. Arcadia/Starpath games for the Atari 2600 are on cassette tape and require the Supercharger unit in order to play. The game is on cassette and requires the Supercharger. SANTULLI SLANT: See Parker Bros version. [Gr: 7, So: 7, Ga: 8, Ov: 7] #AR4105.
Frogger (Atari 5200, by Parker Bros) $4/R2
Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. Game could be played with the joystick or keypad. Includes overlay(s). #9530.
Frogger (ColecoVision, by Parker Bros) $5/R1
Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. PERIODICALS: Listed as one of the "99 Favorite Classics" by Digital Press in 1997. SANTULLI SLANT: A game is automatically dubbed "classic" when it's re-released in an "updated" version ten or more years later. Yep, I just made that rule up. Deal with it. Frogger is one of those, and for good reason. It has charming graphics and music, a solid control system, and it actually lets you jump on a member of the opposite sex and ride her home to your pad! Er, lily pad, that is. The ColecoVision version is the best conversion from the arcade game, and there are two versions for the Atari 2600 with the Starpath release being the superior of the two. [Gr: 8, So: 8, Ga: 8, Ov: 8] c1982, 1983, Sega, Parker Bros. #9530.
Frogger (Game.com, by Tiger) $2/R2
Based on the 1981 Konami coin-op. Supports multiple-system linking. BOX DESCRIPTION: ''How does the Frog cross the road? CAREFULLY! With obstacles everywhere, this frog doesn't know where to hop! You'll need to guide its every leap across hazardous highways, its every bound over wild waterways. Watch out for trucks and disappearing lily pads. One wrong jump and your frogger is road kill...or fish food. BE READY, OR BE DEAD. Includes: -Classic gameplay mode -Updated 90's version.'' Released 1999. c1999 Hasbro, Konami. #71-756.
Frogger (Intellivision, by INTV) $0/R0
Based on the Sega coin-op. Chalk-up another casing variation. It seems INTV picked-up a few licenses from third-party developers and re-released them in their own packaging. While the Parker Brothers version of this title isn't too hard to come by, the INTV version of Frogger's whereabouts are unconfirmed. INTV picked up a few third party titles which they re-issued late in the Intellivision's reign. If you can confirm the existence of the INTV version, please let us know. No overlay.
Frogger (VIC-20, by Parker Bros) $2/R2 -
Based on the 1981 Sega coin-op. Released in 1983. 8k cart. There is no gentle way to say this. this game gives you the distinct impression that they rushed it out the door, half-finished. Looking at the ROM code shows they wasted 3k out of the 8k that they had available. Why would anyone do that if they intended for the end result to be a high-quality game? Early ads from Parker Bros. show they were making and selling both C64 and VIC-20 games at the same time. Did PB consider it a conflict of interest to support an aging game system well, when its obvious replacement was already on the market? Maybe. The original Frogger arcade game was put out by Sega in 1981, who licensed it from Gremlin. According to info in the "2600 Connection" newsletter, Frogger itself was based on a relatively obscure arcade game from Atari called "Space Race". PERIODICALS: "Either you love it or you hate it. Maneuver your frog up the screen without getting hit by cars, eaten by snakes, smashing into walls or drowning. Bouncy music and colorful, cartoony graphics make this the ultimate cute game of all time. The only question is, with so many interesting new games coming out, do you still care about getting this old frog to the other side of the road?" Seen in Jan 1985 Computer Games, page 16. #PB1410.