Frogger 2

Unless you have a Billy Mitchell-sized passion for the Frogger franchise there is no need to waste $10 on the recently released Frogger 2 on XBLA.

If you own the original upright Frogger game cabinet, Frogger bed sheets, DVD's of the early 80's Saturday morning cartoon, and a t-shirt that says "I Love Frogger", this game might have something for you. But if you already bought the first XBLA version of Frogger released almost two years ago, ignore its sequel, all it does is besmirch the good name of a once proud franchise.

In the game, Frogger encounters a cute little alien named Pico who has crashed on Earth. Frogger has to help out his new buddy by collecting parts of his ship so he can go back home. The storyline, with character animation straight out of the Muppet Babies, in nonsensical but it does explain the complete change in territory Frogger has to cover. Gone is the traditional road and river crossing - in its place are lakes of lava, spikes coming out of the ground, electric fences and killer robots. In theory a change in venue could be just want this franchise needs but because the gameplay is so horrific, all Frogger 2 ends up being is an exercise in frustration.

The controls are hyper sensitive, with even the smallest misstep leading to death. Adding to the Hulk-like anger this game creates is the way each level is designed. Gamers used to be able to see the entire map in Frogger and were able to determine a route based on what they saw. In this version you can only see a small section, leaving you blind to what's ahead and often to what's on your left and right. This leads to being placed in bad situations, more trial and error than should be necessary, even more deaths and frequent cursing.

The crummy gameplay combined with Frogger 2's deceiving graphics (kids will struggle with this game) and jab-a-screwdriver-into-your-ear music make this one of the worst titles available on XBLA.

PROS: It's more Frogger...
CONS: Frustrating gameplay, touchy controls, annoying music, cutesy graphics that belie the games adult difficulty level

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