There is a handful of software that can truly be considered iconic originators in gaming. You've got titles like Asteroids, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pac-Man, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Donkey Kong that became arcade hits and helped establish the foundation of gaming. Among these classics is Konami's Frogger.
Dating all the way back to 1981, the game featured a minimalistic experience that emphasized evasion rather than attack. Despite the more passive gameplay and simple visuals, Frogger remains one of the most iconic arcade games with its enjoyable gameplay a♌nd broad appeal.
As is the case with many older video games, Frogger comes with a lot of interesting facts and history that many gamers today likely haven't heard of. With that said, let's hop right into our list as we delve into 10 things you didn't know about Frogger.
10 The Star Of Over 🀅30 Games (And Multiple Frogger 2's)
Considering this arcade title stretches all the way back to the prehistoric gaming era of 1981, it's perhaps not surprising that there are several games with the Frogger name. But what you may not know is that there now exists over 30 titles in this expansive, ever-changing series. That's quite a lot of content 📖for a game whose core concept involves♊ dodging traffic and hopping on platforms.
On top of this, there actually exist 3 versions of "Frogger 2," which all take very different forms. One was released as an Atari 5200 title in 1984, while another, Swampy's Revenge, was a 3D game for PlayStation and Dreamcast. The third was a mor🅰e traditional retreading for Xbox 360 in 2008.
9 Was Almost Rejected As A "Women And🌠 Kids Game" 🍸
They say that "hindsight is 20/20." From our perspective, it may be amusing now to look back at this popular arcade game as a potential liability, or a product doomed for failure. But in fact, at least some of the heads of publishers Sega/Grem🍸lin wer🍌e more than a little hesitant to invest in this project.
Market Researcher, Elizabeth Falconer, had undergone the difficult task of convincing the publisher to sell the game, which led to a rather heated discussion regarding why Frogger wouldn't fly. It was initially claimed to be a "women and kids game," for one. Falconer retorted by claiming that some of these executives had also wrongly turned down Pac-Man, of all games. After pitching the various appeals of the game, she was given the go-ahead to play-test the software. This was established by an executive angrily proclaiming "let her have her damn kids game." You could say Falconer had the last laugh on that one...
8 ✤ Genesis And SNES Ports That Hold Significan🐼ce
As you'd expect from a popular title with decades of history, Frogger received its share of ports over the years, l𓂃eaping beyond the arcade to home consoles and PC.
Yet, the Sega Genesis and SNES ports managed to be particularly signific🦩ant. As it happens, both of these ports, which were released by Hasbro in 1998, turned out to be the very last official releases for both consoles in North America. The Genesis version adhered to the original graphics, while the SNES was given a spruced-up 16-bit makeover.
7 🐽 There's A Rare Skill-Based Frogger Slot Machine 💙
It would seem that Frogger's reach extends beyond traditional video games as well. The iconic frog actually has his own slot machine game that's🌳 used at casinos in Las Vegas, also made by Konami.
The game mostly plays like a traditional slot machine, but the real fun starts once you trigger the "Frogger Bonus," which pits you into a scene you may recognize from the game. Yes, you'll actually get to play a rehash of the classic Frogger, where you'll be dodging traffi𒐪c and scrambling o🍬nto logs in order to reach a cash bonus. This is a rare case of a slot machine actually having a gameplay element.
You could say the stakes are a bit higher than simply going for high scores in this version.
6 ✱ A San Diego Bar Was Frogger's "Patient Zero" Test Market ജ
Once Konami and Falconer were given the green light to play-test their game with a limited 60-day licensing window, Gremlin's engineering department assembled a prototype for Frogger. This was taken to a single bar in San Diego, named "Spanky's Saloon," where it was playtested (ironically) by mostly a male audience.
The conditions were that Gremlin would go ahead with the game if it tested well at the bar. Luckily for Konami, the high attention the machine was garnering impressed the Gremlin sales team, and the 🅺rest is history.
5 🌠 A Real-Life Roomba Frogger
Given the simplicity of the gameplay, Frogger makes for an experience that's certainly possible - although dangerous - to emulate in real life. But hey, that's what robots are for, or in this case, a Roomba cosplaying as Frogger...
As it happens, a group in Austin, Texas arranged to play a real-life version of the game that wouldn't cause casualties or accidents on the road. They dressed up a modified Roomba and set to work in getting the bot across the road safely. The group watched from a balcony as the little-Roomba-that-could made it to the other side and back seven times, before eventually being crushed by 𓄧a Toyota 4Runner.
4 An Odd♌ Frogger Reference In Another🦂 Konami Game
It's a fairly common trait for cross-referencing in games to occur, especially from those of the same studio. It turns out a fighter jet game for Xbox known as AirForce Delta Storm may have a subtle reference to Frogger. One of the aircraft in this flight game, called the "Flogger J," was tagged as "Frogger J."
This could be chalked up as a typing error, and it may well be. Yet, the fact that this also happens to be a Konami game gives credence to a deliberaꦯte nod to ꦿtheir classic.
3 Pro Gamer B🐈illy Mitch🀅ell Held A Million-Point Frogger Competition
He may be known for his Donkey Kong exploits, but pro gamer and hot sauce aficionado Billy Mitchell also has some ties to Frogger. His company😼, Rickey's World Famous Sauce, held a competition in 1999 in which they offered $10,000 to be the first person to score a million points on the classic game. They would also offer $1,000 for a new w🔯orld record of any kind before the year 2000.
This perhaps isn't too ൲strange, if you know of Mitchell's history in gunning for gaming records.
2 Current 🐽Publisher Sega Released Its Own Frogger Clone
It turns out that Sega's connection to Frogger goes beyond just taking the helm as the current publisher of the iconic franchise. Back in 1991, they crafted a knock-off game fittingly titled Ribbit! for the arcades. This little-known clone ran with many of the same gameplay mechanics and concepts of Frogger, while tossing in some new🅺 modes and sprucing up the visuals.
Other similar software was made by various developers over the years too, including Activision's Freeway which swapped a frog out for a chicken.
1 𓃲 A Cash Prize Offered To Beat George Costanza's Fictitꩵious Frogger Record
Frogger has been featured quite a bit in popular culture, though the biggest example of this has to come in the form of a memorable episode of Seinfeld. The episode is mostly centered around the game, and even has an amusing real-life Frogger hom🍌age as George tries to get the machine♑ across the street.
Adding to this - a man named John Cunningham made an offer in 2006 of $250 for someone to pass George Costanza's fictitious world record of 860,630 points by February of 2007. While this score was eventually surpassed, no one managed to pull it off in time.