Funnily enough, that game really isn't as bad as it looks and has a surprising amount of things to do. I agree though- that title was a big mistake. Even "Frogger Trials" would have been tonnes better
Fun fact: Portable consoles often go with cartridges instead of discs because constantly spinning discs do not like being tilted around a lot, so Sony had to make a lot of changes for it to work on a PSP, hence the UMD's weird disc inside a cartridge hybrid design.
Even with the changes, the PSP still had awful issues related to using a disc like reading errors and freezes if the laser misaligned (for example, if you play on the car and the device shakes, the disc misaligns). It was awful in the 1000 model, subsequent models had more RAM that was used for caching so skip errors were not as bad as the first model. I was the only one at the time pumped when Sony released the PSP GO because it didnt had to deal with the issues of the original models, the screen being more dense, the image quality is better and I loved how you could pair a DS3 and turn into a "pseudo Switch" on the dock
This all why Sony had to go with cartridges with the Vita. They originally stored less memory and the size could be a hazard around children, but they were less delicate to bumps and scratches and at least looked more pleasing.
Fun UMD story: I ordered the PSP remake of Lunar Silver Star Story and when it showed up everything looked correct. Correct box art, correct manual, correct label on the UMD inside the plastic shell... I turn it on and... The game was whatever the current year of MLB game was. I reset a couple times but it was still showing MLB 20XX or whatever. I started it out of curiosity and sure enough. Baseball game. Needless to say I traded it back in to get the correct game but after a while playing Lunar, I kind of regretted it. Not because the game was bad or anything but just because of how unique a situation it was. Had I had more disposable income at the time I might've just bought a new copy but... I'm assuming that UMD is now lost to the void.
@Kunoros Hound of Athreos yeah but most companies at least _attempt_ to make games. Konami just said screw it and went all-in with pachinko. And every so often they'll throw out trash like Contra Rogue Corps to make us feel grateful that they're not making video games. I'm sad that Silent Hills was canceled, but it's probably for the best, because I'm sure Konami would have found some way to screw it up.
@@rodrigomorales563 Yes actually. Smaller roles to be sure, with only lumpy being playable, but Frogger can use their abilities with the game's costume mechanic.
On a platform filled with AVGNs, Yahtzees, and TBs (RIP), it's great to find guys like Nitro Rad who like to find the *good* in things and aren't convinced they've already played the 5 best games ever. I love this channel, and I would LOVE to see your take on the Maximo games (I suspect you'll like the 2nd one better).
@UnbearableWitness There is a youtuber called Calcom who did videos on the Maximo games. He has a similar style like Nitro Rad (not a complete rip-off) and he reviews games Nitro Rad didn’t review (yet), like Earthworm Jim 3D.
@@jurtheorc8117 The second is pretty hard, but the first, with its limited lives, its limited saves, and its watch-where-you-step level design, takes the cake. I love them both, but I prefer the 2nd for being just a bit friendlier.
Honestly with UA-camrs like Nitrorad and Scott the Woz becoming popular I like that we’re seeing more light hearted channels to do with video games rather than everyone having tear games to shreds
"We're here today with Konami." "Hello, I like money!" "What inspired you to reboot Frogger right after the developers finally figured out a good formula for the series?" "Money!"
@@qweb7148 Fair enough. He's called himself the platformer guy and I believe the silent hill guy before so I mean, maybe he wants to be called something else?
Like he said Konami is a completely that loves NOTHING but money. The people in charge have ZERO passion for what they create so they look at nothing but raw numbers and blame everyone but themselves when those numbers miss the mark.
"Controlling the pace of a bossfight" This. This so much. I wish more platformers got this right. Even something like Mario Odyssey couldn't get this 100% correctly. Kind of too bad you're stopping here, for now. I was looking forward to seeing more of that cute Frogger redesign. x) Not gonna lie, I wasn't too big on the more humanoid design these last few games had.
Sonic games usually do these kinds of bosses well. I think the retro studios dk games also do a great job at this. 2d mario barely even tries unless it's with bowser, and 3d mario can sometimes do it right. Odyessey has a few bosses that let you carry out the fight yourself without having to wait. But yeah, making good bosses for platformers seems pretty hard sometimes.
@@rodrigomorales563 Odyssey's pretty frustrating for me in that regard. They got it right on some bosses (like the green Broodal that has you use your dedicated means of attack), but next thing you know, you're casually waiting for that dumb bird to barf while it attacks where you were standing five hours ago. I think it's fairly simple, you said it yourself : DO NOT have the player wait, it's up to them to know when to go all in and when to reel it back. DO NOT have the boss perform a bunch of attacks while you can't do anything, doubly so if they're ridiculously easy to avoid. I remember nearly falling asleep against a boss in one of the Zelda games because of that! x) And if the developers really can't think of anything, why even bother with a boss? Let the ultimate platforming challenge speak for itself. Or just have the boss be a glorified hazard, like the original Super Mario Bros did : a bit anti-climactic, sure, but still a danger while not ruthlessly murdering the pace. ;)
Man...It hurts seeing this direction for Frogger get abandoned. Watching all the Frogger games review, seeing all it's flaw and finally getting it right only to never be seen again break my heart a little.
For the health system. Implement a ranking system for health only. Like minimal damage and you get silver but no damage and you get gold ranks. Those ranks can be used for bonus content but not for world progression, that'd be stupid.
I agree that advertising would've helped, because when you hear a "Frogger game" then look at the back of the box to see everything aligned to a grid, you're probably just gonna have an idea of what the general gameplay is and might not be that interested in it overall. You kinda hint to this in the Zapper review even way back when. "Who the hell makes a Frogger clone?". Because A game where you're platforming but locked to a grid just doesnt seem as interesting as something like Mario or Jak and Daxter where you can run around in any direction and do stuff. Maybe if they advertised the games better, it would've helped alleviate that. "Yeah, sure, you're locked to a grid, but look at all this fun stuff you can do!"
I mean... Crypt of the Necrodancer locks you to a grid and it's a pretty damn successful indie game, even getting the chance to make an official crossover with Zelda, so what you're proposing is very much doable.
@@Cosmic-Bear. Yes, but im not saying the style of gameplay was the problem. I played Ancient Shadow and I did find it fun. The big different with necrodancer was that it was a decade later (I checked). By then, the scope of the gaming scene changed. Back in the 2000's, when you see all these crazy platformers with 3D movement and all these cool gimmicks, Frogger is a 2D platformer (technically. 2.5D if you will) with less big selling gimmicks. Do you wanna play Ratchet and Clank, hoping between rails while shooting guns that turn people into sheep, or do you wanna play that arcade game with simplistic controls thats just hopping from one space to the other? Im not saying Frogger's style of gameplay is bad, but to the casual audience at the time, Frogger probably didnt seem particularly exciting. Its also worth noting Necrodancer had a *huge* unique selling point to it outside of the grid based movement: The idea your movement was also locked to the music. Its a restriction, but the idea of being locked to a beat is such a unique and creative one that it would draw people in. Frogger's unique selling point was that it played like the arcade frogger which was just hop to the adjacent panel. Thats not terribly unique or enticing. It just feels limitting. again, especially when you compare it to Sly Cooper sneaking around, hooking onto walls, climbing around etc. Once more, I dont think grid based movement is bad, Necrodancer and Cadence of Hyrule are a ton of fun, as is Frogger Ancient Shadow, but the idea is Konami should've advertised the game better instead of just assuming the name "Frogger" is all you need to sell it
Dude, you’re becoming one of my favorite critics/reviewers ever. You’re so good at bringing hidden gems out of obscurity, which is something I respect, admire, and appreciate. It’s always so satisfying to see a gamer who is willing to take a chance and talk about the little guys, especially independent games. It’s so refreshing to see a critic/reviewer who isn’t afraid to share his unpopular opinions, too, as well as avoid being nostalgia blind to games you grew up with, allowing you to acknowledge they have flaws. That’s a really good thing, man. 👍🏻
@@rodrigomorales563 well, i didn't expect a caddickidick refference in this comment section ( and no...i didn't call him "caddickidick" because i don't like him or anything, i actually like his videos quite a lot)
@@Theclown22 I remember when he called himself that. I really like his content. 😂 Unfortunate that his wife is missing now, when we needed her the most. 😢
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed playing it. Helmet Chaos was one of the few games I owned when I had a PSP as a kid. I still have very fond memories from playing it and always had a blast replaying the game due to the multiple pathways. Honestly it is the only modern Frogger game I have ever played. After watching your series about it I think that is for the best. Great job!
That still of the cutscene of lumpy having his allergic reaction and his dialogue simply being “oops” is pretty much the perfect summation of how Konami has handled things since the 2000s-onward
I will always look at Frogger as the arcade game I broke! I literally got the high score but instead of giving the proper amount of tickets, it just fired out all of them! Literally we had to get an employee at the Dave and Busters to fix it and I ended up with over 100 tickets! It was awesome!
It's genuinely a bummer Konami put this part of the Frogger franchise away , these games showed so much great potential , too bad they just didn't give a shit.
Helmet Chaos was the only frogger game i ever played and i knew you would like it the most. Sad that the series ends here. I loved every frogger video you made.
I like how at 12:26 when you said "Up and down and all around", I could hear Speed Highway from Sonic Adventure in the background. I love little touches like these. Great video, as always!
I never thought a youtuber could make me care so much about the state of frogger games. I was genuinely dismayed at the end of the video when I found out they rebooted frogger into a different style.
There’s no greater feeling on this site than nitro rad finding a game he genuinely loves man. Unfortunate that the road ends here when it could have went even further :(
I've loved this series on frogger, I've never played any of them but it's been a blast watching you go through them. Also the Hotel Dusk music is always appreciated.
Shouldn't be surprising that the portables were the best. The original Frogger was an arcade game, something you play for at most a few minutes at a time and move on. I wouldn't be surprised if they came out so good because during the making of them they'd periodically play like a level or two at a time and see how appealing they were in isolation. I mean hey if almost all of it is really good and they mixed up mechanics then it means they had all the attention laser focused on each individual level.
Man, I feel your pain. It's so sad to see they finally got it with this game, and then they just give up and reboot... I might actually play this, it looks great
@@jarne7447 I actually have a very interesting history with the games myself. Aka I have talked with Kotaro Uchikoshi on Facebook and even am friends with the guy
Something that a speedrunner said that is so true. The game has a really fast pace when hopping. But it slows down when doing literally everything else
Wow this one looks interesting! I love the humor and characters, if this wasn’t the end I bet they would’ve tried a Frogger cartoon, that would’ve been awesome!
I find it kind of funny how consistantly the better frogger games were on handheld consoles. You'd think with the better processing power of the mainlines that they could develop a more refined product, but apparently frogger really clicked with handheld consoles.
I got this game after the review. I'm not used to frogger games, so still getting used to the controls. But it's charming enough, and actually solving the puzzles is kinda fun. I like this game.
I actually picked this game up as soon as you talked about it at the end of your last frogger video. It was only $4 on ebay, so I didn't have high expectations for it. I got it in the mail on Friday, and I will say that I realize these games have a high learning curve for first-timers. Getting used to the muscle memory and pressing L and R to change directions and remembers which button does what takes a bit of time to get used to, so I wanted to see your review first to see if I should continue going. Well, I'm going to pick it up again and finish it. Thanks, dude!
Man, I loved Helmet Chaos back in the day. It also had the original arcade game included and I would play both for hours. I even think I had both the DS and PSP version of this game.
When NR showed you could play as Lumpy, my first thought was "his animations do sell this guy as an absolute unit, but I'm not sure what this character will bring to the gameplay table." And then he inflated to double size and turned completely spherical, and I must have gasped audibly. You can "DeviantArt lmfao" all you want, but that's exactly the kind of cartoon gag I like. As an original Frogger character invented in the Great Quest, Lumpy should have had no future. But here he is in a *playable debut,* and with his own cool special move! I'm sold on this game, EASY
Looking at this tile-based gameplay makes me wish that Ms Pacman: Maze Madness 2 would have been released. Also, that blue frog and her wall-climbing ability reminds me of Gex
I actually do remember seeing commercials for The Great Quest as a kid but I don't recall seeing any for the other games, I do remember seeing ads in game magazines for Helmet Chaos and Ancient Shadow though.
"Frogger Decades"(Has that look like Frogger Adventure series) and "Frogger in Toy Town"(Creepy Red Eyed frog) both are mobile. Unless it doesn't count?
The catchy music for Helmet Chaos was composed by Mutato Muzika, who is Mark Mothersbaugh, who is a founding member of Devo! The gameplay is super tight because this was produced by Masashiro Ueno, who is known for Super Castlevania IV and many Konami Classics.
5:34 I know that voice, It's Kathleen Barr, Dot Matrix from ReBoot, Trixie from MLP 'Back off Brony haters' And Mama Robotnik from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Tell me I'm not the only one who notice that's her voice.
Seeing that listing for one voice actress is making me imagine Trixie as Robotnik's mom, and that makes just a little too much sense. Now my day is ruined, God is dead and we're all screwed I guess.
@@ichabodlorax7585 Trust me I made jokes about actors/actresses who played characters and I simply say in this case 'Now I'm thinking about Dot Matrix in a recording studio' so I think it's a safe bet.
This was one of my first psp games! Thanks for brining back the memories I remember my mom playing the classic mode of this and nailing it since she used to play frogger I was so amazed.
This was an awesome series, really good work, James. About the Konami ditching this style tho... I totally get it. Money speaks first to them, I totally agree. But I think the developers might feel some lack of motivation there too. You see, if you publish a series of videos and no one watches, would you have the willpower to go on? I know the marketing was bad, but maybe a lot of people just underestimated the game based on past entries or was just not liking the style. But that's just speculation and it doesn't really matter. I'm pretty sure you're right and the money was at least 70% of the reasons.
Definitley. I feel like most people dont understand how business works, they just see them as the evil overlord with no room for passion. If they keep making games that are unprofitable then the company wastes tiime resources and money. Why put out so much content when not many people see it. Its a shame these frogger games sold poorly cause i like them, but sometimes companies have to put their foot down.
@@beiwubsnsod7378 Yes, absolutely. People lives are on the line. They don't have to endure failure after failure, they have to try something new to stand out again. It's pretty easy to blame the marketing and the evil overlord company, but little to no one actually bought the games, so the blame should fall on the audience and even luck too.
First off, solid review! Second, I also loved having the DS's dual slots for GBA and DS games giving you something. My favorite was with the Final Fantasy Tactics games, where having the GBA game in the system when you started the DS game would give you Libra as a Clan Privilege so you could see hidden traps and invisible enemies on the battle map.
The only good thing about this being the last Frogger review for a while is that we won't see again the Frogger design from The Great Quest. I'll most certainly check most of the GBA titles and this one on the DS in the future, they seemed to be the best ones overall and luckily it will be easier for me to actually find and play them!
This series was amazing!! I had the PS1 game and remember seeing ads for Frogger games in magazines and stuff and really wanting to play the Great Quest (lmao) but I never actually picked any up. I'm definitely gonna try all the highlights of this series now. Can't wait to see what's next from your channel!!
I'm looking forward to the continuation of your Frogger retrospective! In the meantime, yeh, I find it weird how people would often treat handheld games as "lesser" experiences than the home console games - even when the handheld games sold better and had more worth - which unfortunately happened a lot in the 2000s...
![SUPERVIVE | The FREE STUFF Holiday Fireside Chat [Dec '24]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/41aln1xT3H0/mqdefault.jpg)
The name "My Frogger" just reeks of DS shovelware.
What's with 2000s and possessive pronouns
He looks so naked now after seeing him anthro so much.
@@bobygreen8429 Very spooky.
Funnily enough, that game really isn't as bad as it looks and has a surprising amount of things to do. I agree though- that title was a big mistake. Even "Frogger Trials" would have been tonnes better
My Little Frogger: Frogship is Magic
Before NitroRad I genuinely had no idea there were this many Frogger games.
It's like the Airbud connected universe rabbit hole, or the land before time rabbit hole.
@@redundantfridge9764 wasn't the land before time the movie where one of the kids who did the voice acting got murdered by her dad or something?
Same tbh
Same...
How comfy is that chair you’re in
Why did they reset the franchise, you ask?
Because it's *KONAMI*
inb4 frogger slot machines
@@JTSquirrel inb4 pachinko
@@JTSquirrel I'm surprised they didn't make a frogger Pachinko machine
@@JTSquirrel HIT THE LEVER!
Money makes the world go round.
Money keeps you alive!
Fun fact: Portable consoles often go with cartridges instead of discs because constantly spinning discs do not like being tilted around a lot, so Sony had to make a lot of changes for it to work on a PSP, hence the UMD's weird disc inside a cartridge hybrid design.
Even with the changes, the PSP still had awful issues related to using a disc like reading errors and freezes if the laser misaligned (for example, if you play on the car and the device shakes, the disc misaligns). It was awful in the 1000 model, subsequent models had more RAM that was used for caching so skip errors were not as bad as the first model. I was the only one at the time pumped when Sony released the PSP GO because it didnt had to deal with the issues of the original models, the screen being more dense, the image quality is better and I loved how you could pair a DS3 and turn into a "pseudo Switch" on the dock
This all why Sony had to go with cartridges with the Vita. They originally stored less memory and the size could be a hazard around children, but they were less delicate to bumps and scratches and at least looked more pleasing.
Fun UMD story: I ordered the PSP remake of Lunar Silver Star Story and when it showed up everything looked correct. Correct box art, correct manual, correct label on the UMD inside the plastic shell... I turn it on and...
The game was whatever the current year of MLB game was. I reset a couple times but it was still showing MLB 20XX or whatever. I started it out of curiosity and sure enough. Baseball game.
Needless to say I traded it back in to get the correct game but after a while playing Lunar, I kind of regretted it. Not because the game was bad or anything but just because of how unique a situation it was. Had I had more disposable income at the time I might've just bought a new copy but... I'm assuming that UMD is now lost to the void.
Also explains the Switch as well I guess
Huh, that's pretty neat to know tbh. I *was* wondering why the Switch went for cartridges but this makes so much sense.
Never heard a better opening for anything
“If a video game could have a mid life crisis it would be Frogger.”
that is the constant to joke to hear when you are a fan of a sonic sub series or playstyle.
It sounds like a Scott the Woz line
@@lrgogo1517 I couldn’t agree more
@@lrgogo1517 Scott to therapist: "If a game could have a mid life crisis is would *chibi-robo ziplash*"
@@Tommyfiish sure
"I also have a--"
Dang. Big Frogger got to him.
10:14 they summoned the big rabbits to stop him.
Ye what happend it felt weird. Was that on purpose? Or is it an edit mistake?
L i said the same comment and got more likes
@@pickleboi934 He used to do that a lot, actually. Cut himself off on the closing
@@pickleboi934 I think it was a joke about him mentioning his Patreon again since he mentions it so much at the end lmao
"Tons of great content"
Show Frogger with an afro.
I mean, this is 100% accurate.
The NitroRad Frogger arc seems as though it's never going to end
I swear it was never this dragged out in the manga.
ShibuNub 犬 hey at least it’s getting a better ending then the Lisa ark
Good.
yeah. I don’t mind though, it means we get more nitro rad. Even if it means the videos cut out the last 10 seconds
@@ShibuNub3305 I'm kinda tired of waiting but I'm too lazy to read the manga. Does Frogger dies in the end?
"Uh I also have A" Nitro rad-2020
Its like perfectly cut too XD
He got good grades in something
I adore the character designs in this game, they're adorable
Especially Berry, I think she looks cool.
@@calebproductions1264 Berry is very kyoot
"Konami doesn't love videogames
Konami loves money"
I say this should be their slogan. It should be proudly displayed on their HQ building.
@Kunoros Hound of Athreos except konami doesn't care at all about what the players want.
@Kunoros Hound of Athreos yeah but most companies at least _attempt_ to make games. Konami just said screw it and went all-in with pachinko. And every so often they'll throw out trash like Contra Rogue Corps to make us feel grateful that they're not making video games. I'm sad that Silent Hills was canceled, but it's probably for the best, because I'm sure Konami would have found some way to screw it up.
@@rodrigomorales563 again,that applies to all the companies
@@abdullahahmad4239 that's not true!
I think that's the slogan of a LOT of corrupt industries, nowadays.
Berri and Lumpys mechanics of rolling and climbing are reused in toy trials.
But they're not in the game, are they?
@@rodrigomorales563 Yes actually. Smaller roles to be sure, with only lumpy being playable, but Frogger can use their abilities with the game's costume mechanic.
@@mr.boombox5021 Oh. Cool!
Is the game good?
the outro was cut out because konami’s ninjas executed Nitro for finishing the series
Well... I guess you're right
Nitrorad is nitrodead xD oh god Konami would totally send ninjas after he reviewed the Silent hill games
@@RodaMoonknight he is in that Halloween rpg game(i forgot the name :/) so i guess his death is canon
"I also have a-" A what Nitro, A WHAT?!?!
A BRAND NEW CAR! YEAH!
[applause]
The world may never know
Patron page
A really cool beard / moustache combo going on?
Another marathon of a series(?)
On a platform filled with AVGNs, Yahtzees, and TBs (RIP), it's great to find guys like Nitro Rad who like to find the *good* in things and aren't convinced they've already played the 5 best games ever. I love this channel, and I would LOVE to see your take on the Maximo games (I suspect you'll like the 2nd one better).
@UnbearableWitness
There is a youtuber called Calcom who did videos on the Maximo games. He has a similar style like Nitro Rad (not a complete rip-off) and he reviews games Nitro Rad didn’t review (yet), like Earthworm Jim 3D.
To be fair, TB didn't do it for the sake of an angry character, he did it because he wanted PC ports to be perfected.
@@jurtheorc8117 The second is pretty hard, but the first, with its limited lives, its limited saves, and its watch-where-you-step level design, takes the cake.
I love them both, but I prefer the 2nd for being just a bit friendlier.
@@ChristianCTaken Agreed, and in that, he was genuinely impossible to please. (Again, all respects.)
Honestly with UA-camrs like Nitrorad and Scott the Woz becoming popular I like that we’re seeing more light hearted channels to do with video games rather than everyone having tear games to shreds
17:27 that was clean.
👌😎
!!-- Nani?
"We're here today with Konami."
"Hello, I like money!"
"What inspired you to reboot Frogger right after the developers finally figured out a good formula for the series?"
"Money!"
so um. did My Frogger make them money?
They should've stuck with Adventurer Frogger...
11:22 INFLATES HIMSELF
JUST LIKE A BALLOON
THIS LAZY FROG
JUST DIGS THIS TUNE
If AntDude's the Kirby guy, we should dub Nitro Rad the Frogger guy.
Was he not already the Rayman Guy?
Nah, he's definitely the rayman guy. He even dressed up as him.
To everyone here, he was also the Silent Hill guy.
Can we just call him “Nitro Rad.” Ya know, his name
@@qweb7148 Fair enough. He's called himself the platformer guy and I believe the silent hill guy before so I mean, maybe he wants to be called something else?
Man Konami really has trouble keeping their franchises alive.....saids a lot about them.
Silent Hill, Castlevania, it makes me feel really sad but with enough time you get to acept their deaths
Like he said Konami is a completely that loves NOTHING but money. The people in charge have ZERO passion for what they create so they look at nothing but raw numbers and blame everyone but themselves when those numbers miss the mark.
@@SirBlackReeds Yeah sure bet a reboot or change of plans if things dont go according to their wishes
More interested in pachinko machines.
The last good contra game was contra 4 from 2007. They don't understand that people like the 2d contra games
"Controlling the pace of a bossfight"
This. This so much. I wish more platformers got this right. Even something like Mario Odyssey couldn't get this 100% correctly.
Kind of too bad you're stopping here, for now. I was looking forward to seeing more of that cute Frogger redesign. x)
Not gonna lie, I wasn't too big on the more humanoid design these last few games had.
Agreed, most animals are cute as they are, no need for creepy human eyes or hands
Sonic games usually do these kinds of bosses well. I think the retro studios dk games also do a great job at this. 2d mario barely even tries unless it's with bowser, and 3d mario can sometimes do it right. Odyessey has a few bosses that let you carry out the fight yourself without having to wait. But yeah, making good bosses for platformers seems pretty hard sometimes.
@@rodrigomorales563
Odyssey's pretty frustrating for me in that regard. They got it right on some bosses (like the green Broodal that has you use your dedicated means of attack), but next thing you know, you're casually waiting for that dumb bird to barf while it attacks where you were standing five hours ago.
I think it's fairly simple, you said it yourself : DO NOT have the player wait, it's up to them to know when to go all in and when to reel it back. DO NOT have the boss perform a bunch of attacks while you can't do anything, doubly so if they're ridiculously easy to avoid. I remember nearly falling asleep against a boss in one of the Zelda games because of that! x)
And if the developers really can't think of anything, why even bother with a boss? Let the ultimate platforming challenge speak for itself. Or just have the boss be a glorified hazard, like the original Super Mario Bros did : a bit anti-climactic, sure, but still a danger while not ruthlessly murdering the pace. ;)
Man...It hurts seeing this direction for Frogger get abandoned. Watching all the Frogger games review, seeing all it's flaw and finally getting it right only to never be seen again break my heart a little.
12:26 “up and down all around
*faint SA1 sound clip plays in background *
10:12 Idk why but his reaction to the rabbit is just adorable. Thanks for always putting a smile on my face XD
UMD's WERE weird! Thank you! I almost broke the first one I got becuase I thought THAT was a second case.
When I was in middle school I knew a couple of other kids that split their first one open trying to get the disc into to system lmao
@@NitroRad You've probably seen comments on this already but you cut yourself off at the end of the video. 23:50 What were you going to say?
This version of Frogger needs a TV series. I’m sure I would have loved it as a kid.
And it needs to have weasels in it! We can't leave Dr. Wani hanging!
I love the art on Helmet Chaos. Really cute!
For the health system. Implement a ranking system for health only. Like minimal damage and you get silver but no damage and you get gold ranks. Those ranks can be used for bonus content but not for world progression, that'd be stupid.
Megaman *Zed* X
Suddenly remembers James is actually Canadian.
It's always funny when they happens. I'll be watching a Canadian and suddenly they'll say Zed or Aboot and I remember they're not American
I agree that advertising would've helped, because when you hear a "Frogger game" then look at the back of the box to see everything aligned to a grid, you're probably just gonna have an idea of what the general gameplay is and might not be that interested in it overall. You kinda hint to this in the Zapper review even way back when. "Who the hell makes a Frogger clone?". Because A game where you're platforming but locked to a grid just doesnt seem as interesting as something like Mario or Jak and Daxter where you can run around in any direction and do stuff.
Maybe if they advertised the games better, it would've helped alleviate that. "Yeah, sure, you're locked to a grid, but look at all this fun stuff you can do!"
I mean... Crypt of the Necrodancer locks you to a grid and it's a pretty damn successful indie game, even getting the chance to make an official crossover with Zelda, so what you're proposing is very much doable.
@@Cosmic-Bear. Yes, but im not saying the style of gameplay was the problem. I played Ancient Shadow and I did find it fun. The big different with necrodancer was that it was a decade later (I checked). By then, the scope of the gaming scene changed. Back in the 2000's, when you see all these crazy platformers with 3D movement and all these cool gimmicks, Frogger is a 2D platformer (technically. 2.5D if you will) with less big selling gimmicks. Do you wanna play Ratchet and Clank, hoping between rails while shooting guns that turn people into sheep, or do you wanna play that arcade game with simplistic controls thats just hopping from one space to the other? Im not saying Frogger's style of gameplay is bad, but to the casual audience at the time, Frogger probably didnt seem particularly exciting. Its also worth noting Necrodancer had a *huge* unique selling point to it outside of the grid based movement: The idea your movement was also locked to the music. Its a restriction, but the idea of being locked to a beat is such a unique and creative one that it would draw people in. Frogger's unique selling point was that it played like the arcade frogger which was just hop to the adjacent panel. Thats not terribly unique or enticing. It just feels limitting. again, especially when you compare it to Sly Cooper sneaking around, hooking onto walls, climbing around etc. Once more, I dont think grid based movement is bad, Necrodancer and Cadence of Hyrule are a ton of fun, as is Frogger Ancient Shadow, but the idea is Konami should've advertised the game better instead of just assuming the name "Frogger" is all you need to sell it
I agree with this, I was a little kid when these games were on store shelves they never appealed to me because of the grid lock.
Dude, you’re becoming one of my favorite critics/reviewers ever.
You’re so good at bringing hidden gems out of obscurity, which is something I respect, admire, and appreciate.
It’s always so satisfying to see a gamer who is willing to take a chance and talk about the little guys, especially independent games.
It’s so refreshing to see a critic/reviewer who isn’t afraid to share his unpopular opinions, too, as well as avoid being nostalgia blind to games you grew up with, allowing you to acknowledge they have flaws.
That’s a really good thing, man. 👍🏻
You should review Looney Tunes games on PS1! They're hidden gems!
Bugs Bunny Lost In Time is great
Bugs bunny lost in tiiiiiiiiiiiiiime
@@rodrigomorales563 well, i didn't expect a caddickidick refference in this comment section ( and no...i didn't call him "caddickidick" because i don't like him or anything, i actually like his videos quite a lot)
Lost in Time, Bugs and Taz, and Sheep raider. That wouldnt be a bad trilogy of reviews. Bugs and Taz even had co-op in it
@@Theclown22 I remember when he called himself that. I really like his content. 😂
Unfortunate that his wife is missing now, when we needed her the most. 😢
At least Frogger got a good "last" Game. There are other Series that died with getting worse with each Game.
Oh i forgot, it was Konami again.
“Never judge a book by its cover.” Well of course Rayman is playing frogger you can never expect the expected
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed playing it. Helmet Chaos was one of the few games I owned when I had a PSP as a kid. I still have very fond memories from playing it and always had a blast replaying the game due to the multiple pathways. Honestly it is the only modern Frogger game I have ever played. After watching your series about it I think that is for the best. Great job!
That cut off at the end lmao
3:23 they used this music in Toy Trials as well.
That still of the cutscene of lumpy having his allergic reaction and his dialogue simply being “oops” is pretty much the perfect summation of how Konami has handled things since the 2000s-onward
I will always look at Frogger as the arcade game I broke! I literally got the high score but instead of giving the proper amount of tickets, it just fired out all of them! Literally we had to get an employee at the Dave and Busters to fix it and I ended up with over 100 tickets! It was awesome!
I have helmet chaos on PSP, and have been waiting for you to get to it.
Really glad it was as fun as I remember
It's genuinely a bummer Konami put this part of the Frogger franchise away , these games showed so much great potential , too bad they just didn't give a shit.
They did the same thing with Elebits. That series was dead after just 2 games.
I love how you talk about games like idk i can tell you really love games as an art form
Helmet Chaos was the only frogger game i ever played and i knew you would like it the most. Sad that the series ends here.
I loved every frogger video you made.
I like how at 12:26 when you said "Up and down and all around", I could hear Speed Highway from Sonic Adventure in the background. I love little touches like these. Great video, as always!
I never thought a youtuber could make me care so much about the state of frogger games. I was genuinely dismayed at the end of the video when I found out they rebooted frogger into a different style.
Loved that quick bit of the speed highway theme when you said up and down and all around, very nice.
There’s no greater feeling on this site than nitro rad finding a game he genuinely loves man. Unfortunate that the road ends here when it could have went even further :(
I've loved this series on frogger, I've never played any of them but it's been a blast watching you go through them. Also the Hotel Dusk music is always appreciated.
Shouldn't be surprising that the portables were the best. The original Frogger was an arcade game, something you play for at most a few minutes at a time and move on. I wouldn't be surprised if they came out so good because during the making of them they'd periodically play like a level or two at a time and see how appealing they were in isolation. I mean hey if almost all of it is really good and they mixed up mechanics then it means they had all the attention laser focused on each individual level.
OMG that looks sick!
I got to get the PSP version now,
Thank you so much for this amazing series NitroRad!
Man, I feel your pain. It's so sad to see they finally got it with this game, and then they just give up and reboot... I might actually play this, it looks great
Thank you again for talking about these Frogger games, James. I tried a few of them out and had some good fun!
I feel that this version of Frogger would have worked as a cartoon, I can't believe Konami did this to him!
New video! Always excited for a Nitro Rad video. Just curious, have you ever thought of covering the Zero Escape Trilogy?
Yooo good taste!
I just finished ztd yesterday, I’d love to see nitrorad’s take on them
I'd love to see that!
@@jarne7447
I actually have a very interesting history with the games myself. Aka I have talked with Kotaro Uchikoshi on Facebook and even am friends with the guy
@@DaCaptainDerpy Darn that's really cool :0
I can already imagine Big the Cat confusing Froggy and Frogger
This game was literally my childhood, I probably played it hundreds of hours as a kid, crazy to think that nobody played it!
the title makes it sound like it's a vr game and vr frogger sounds cool and/or terrifying
Imagine getting run over by a truck in frogger vr
The death screen would just be you seeing your frog body become a bloody mees
Something that a speedrunner said that is so true. The game has a really fast pace when hopping. But it slows down when doing literally everything else
Wow this one looks interesting! I love the humor and characters, if this wasn’t the end I bet they would’ve tried a Frogger cartoon, that would’ve been awesome!
"Up and down and all around"
Love the reference to Sonic Adventure dude
"Zed X" Alright, folks, we've got a Canadian.
you've already used up the C sound for C, why be lazy and reuse it for Z as well? c'mon
That, or a Brit.
@@dirtfriend see and zee aren't that close. See?
fred C and Z don’t make the same sound fred
Well that, and everything else he says in his pretty conspicuous Canadian accent
Okay and the mystery dungeon transition was SO clean
Frogger finally won with a game with good level design and mechanics.... but at what cost
*gestures at Konami*
23:45 "Now I wanna talk about something different, I wanna talk about NOT Frogger for once"
"Well I also have a-"
Best outro I've seen in a while lmao
I find it kind of funny how consistantly the better frogger games were on handheld consoles. You'd think with the better processing power of the mainlines that they could develop a more refined product, but apparently frogger really clicked with handheld consoles.
I got this game after the review. I'm not used to frogger games, so still getting used to the controls. But it's charming enough, and actually solving the puzzles is kinda fun. I like this game.
23:48 "I also have a--" He has a what? HE HAS A WHAT!? What does he have!? ...The world may never know...
5:00 Actually laughed at this part, lol. "STOOOOP! IT'S GROOOOOSS! PLEEEEEEASE!" lol!
Alright, a Nitro Rad video on my birthday! Just the perfect gift!
I actually picked this game up as soon as you talked about it at the end of your last frogger video. It was only $4 on ebay, so I didn't have high expectations for it. I got it in the mail on Friday, and I will say that I realize these games have a high learning curve for first-timers. Getting used to the muscle memory and pressing L and R to change directions and remembers which button does what takes a bit of time to get used to, so I wanted to see your review first to see if I should continue going. Well, I'm going to pick it up again and finish it. Thanks, dude!
Man, I loved Helmet Chaos back in the day. It also had the original arcade game included and I would play both for hours. I even think I had both the DS and PSP version of this game.
Okay you’ve sold me on this game, I need it now lol
When NR showed you could play as Lumpy, my first thought was "his animations do sell this guy as an absolute unit, but I'm not sure what this character will bring to the gameplay table." And then he inflated to double size and turned completely spherical, and I must have gasped audibly. You can "DeviantArt lmfao" all you want, but that's exactly the kind of cartoon gag I like. As an original Frogger character invented in the Great Quest, Lumpy should have had no future. But here he is in a *playable debut,* and with his own cool special move! I'm sold on this game, EASY
thank you nitrorad because of you i want to play through these frogger games now
So because of this video I decided to buy the ds version. And yeah, it’s pretty fun
Thank you for going through this series! You showed me a lot of cool games in a series that I didn't really even know existed.
Looking at this tile-based gameplay makes me wish that Ms Pacman: Maze Madness 2 would have been released.
Also, that blue frog and her wall-climbing ability reminds me of Gex
I actually do remember seeing commercials for The Great Quest as a kid but I don't recall seeing any for the other games, I do remember seeing ads in game magazines for Helmet Chaos and Ancient Shadow though.
Thank you so much for covering this hidden gem! :D
Surpisingly, despite being a reboot, My Frogger: Toy Trials does still include Lily, Lumpy, and the like, just in redesigned forms.
"Frogger Decades"(Has that look like Frogger Adventure series) and "Frogger in Toy Town"(Creepy Red Eyed frog) both are mobile.
Unless it doesn't count?
19:08 This is why I love Nitro Rad (and why Antdude comes second place)
I love the video cutting before Nitro’s finished talking
I love that *this* is the channel's running gag x)
"Why do they keeps showing feet!?!"
You know exactly why.
The catchy music for Helmet Chaos was composed by Mutato Muzika, who is Mark Mothersbaugh, who is a founding member of Devo! The gameplay is super tight because this was produced by Masashiro Ueno, who is known for Super Castlevania IV and many Konami Classics.
5:34 I know that voice, It's Kathleen Barr, Dot Matrix from ReBoot, Trixie from MLP 'Back off Brony haters' And Mama Robotnik from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,
Tell me I'm not the only one who notice that's her voice.
That’s why it sounded familiar! Thanks!
@Overbite Believe me I've seen people like that before.
Seeing that listing for one voice actress is making me imagine Trixie as Robotnik's mom, and that makes just a little too much sense. Now my day is ruined, God is dead and we're all screwed I guess.
@@ichabodlorax7585 Trust me I made jokes about actors/actresses who played characters and I simply say in this case 'Now I'm thinking about Dot Matrix in a recording studio' so I think it's a safe bet.
@Overbite What else was I suppose to say? I am after all the only one who notice that's her voice.
This series was so wild. Loved every video. You're the best, James!
So basically... Lost Wand and Helmet Chaos. Got it !
This was one of my first psp games! Thanks for brining back the memories I remember my mom playing the classic mode of this and nailing it since she used to play frogger I was so amazed.
Jesus, I need to get a PSP. And then get Frogger: Helmet Chaos.
Thanks for existing, Rad.
Another obscure series that Konami treated badly was Elebits. I'd highly recommend trying that game out as well as its sequel on the DS.
I can not wait for the September to October horror vids. Forgers been fun but this is what I wait for.
This was an awesome series, really good work, James.
About the Konami ditching this style tho...
I totally get it. Money speaks first to them, I totally agree. But I think the developers might feel some lack of motivation there too. You see, if you publish a series of videos and no one watches, would you have the willpower to go on? I know the marketing was bad, but maybe a lot of people just underestimated the game based on past entries or was just not liking the style. But that's just speculation and it doesn't really matter.
I'm pretty sure you're right and the money was at least 70% of the reasons.
Definitley. I feel like most people dont understand how business works, they just see them as the evil overlord with no room for passion. If they keep making games that are unprofitable then the company wastes tiime resources and money. Why put out so much content when not many people see it. Its a shame these frogger games sold poorly cause i like them, but sometimes companies have to put their foot down.
@@beiwubsnsod7378 Yes, absolutely. People lives are on the line. They don't have to endure failure after failure, they have to try something new to stand out again.
It's pretty easy to blame the marketing and the evil overlord company, but little to no one actually bought the games, so the blame should fall on the audience and even luck too.
First off, solid review! Second, I also loved having the DS's dual slots for GBA and DS games giving you something. My favorite was with the Final Fantasy Tactics games, where having the GBA game in the system when you started the DS game would give you Libra as a Clan Privilege so you could see hidden traps and invisible enemies on the battle map.
The only good thing about this being the last Frogger review for a while is that we won't see again the Frogger design from The Great Quest.
I'll most certainly check most of the GBA titles and this one on the DS in the future, they seemed to be the best ones overall and luckily it will be easier for me to actually find and play them!
This series was amazing!! I had the PS1 game and remember seeing ads for Frogger games in magazines and stuff and really wanting to play the Great Quest (lmao) but I never actually picked any up. I'm definitely gonna try all the highlights of this series now. Can't wait to see what's next from your channel!!
11:24 Why is this image so funny?
I'm looking forward to the continuation of your Frogger retrospective! In the meantime, yeh, I find it weird how people would often treat handheld games as "lesser" experiences than the home console games - even when the handheld games sold better and had more worth - which unfortunately happened a lot in the 2000s...
23:50 Uhh, Nitro, you cut yourself off at the end of the vid.
we'll never know what he had
14:41 "You gotta make him destroy all the computers in the room"
WAS THAT AN INTENTIONAL REFERENCE??! XDD