Frogger (ATTRACT MODE)
0MAME ID: frogger
THIS INFO KINDLY PROVIDED BY https://www.arcade-history.com. PLEASE VISIT THEIR SITE
Frogger (c) 1981 Konami Industry Company, Limited.
Frogger is a 1- or 2-player game in which players move their frog from the bottom to the top of the screen. This is achieved by overcoming a number of hazards without getting run over or drowned.
The first half of the screen is a bi-directional flow of traffic including busses, cars and racecars. Players must avoid these vehicles. Frogs can move safely with the flow of traffic to make their way to the second half of the screen, which consists of a river with fast moving logs and sinkable turtles. Frogs must hop on the backs of the logs and the turtles to get to the home base at the top of the screen. At random times throughout the game play, a lady frog will appear on a log. Bonus points are scored if the frog successfully hops on the back of the lady frog and escorts her safely home. A fly will also appear randomly in a home base. Bonus points can be scored if the frog hops in the home base when the fly is present. Sinking turtles also swiftly move across the river with the logs. If a frog is unsuccessful in hopping on a turtle's back, the frog will sink and drown. Crocodiles, snakes, and otters also roam the moving river waiting to eat frogs on their way up to the home base. Players can hop on their back (except the snake, whose touch is deadly), but they must avoid their open mouths. The frog must be lined up perfectly to enter one of the 5 home bases. Players must maneuver the frogs to their home base within the allotted time (60 beats on the timer).
The frog can move vertically or horizontally by maneuvering the joystick. Players must maneuver the frog swiftly and precisely without getting run over, drowned, or eaten by the creatures that roam the flowing river. Avoiding traffic, deadly snakes, otters, crocodiles, and the treacherous diving turtles make game action stimulating in Frogger.
- TECHNICAL -
Game ID : GX392
Main CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Zilog Z80 (@ 1.78975 Mhz)
Sound Chips : General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.78975 Mhz)
Players : 2
Control : 4-Way Joystick
- TRIVIA -
Frogger was released by Konami in June 1981 in Japan; it became a runaway hit.
1981 was a big year in video games. A lot of companies were putting some pretty popular games on the market and it created a very competitive atmosphere as to what company was putting out the most popular ones. In addition, 1981 continued on the trend of the 'cute' type games such as "Ms. Pac-Man", "Qix", and a host of Pac-Man clones. Konami was already becoming a force to be reckoned with in the video gaming world. With such hits as "Space War", "Scramble", and "Super Cobra", Konami was making its mark.
The sound that can be heard when a coin is inserted into the machine was sampled by producer Richard X for the Sugababes' song, 'Freak Like Me' (and is the very first sound on the track).
Frogger has numerous bugs, although many of these are not immediately apparent to the average player :
1. Sections of the music will occasionally cut out, although the main melody will continue to play.
2. On occasion, Frogger displays a somewhat haphazard approach to collision detection. One side effect of this is that the player can sometimes make a perfectly legal and safe jump and still lose a life. Another side effect of this is that the player can jump up onto the first row of turtles, and then immediately jump back. This will place the player 'off the grid', and it is now possible to jump right off the side of the screen, leading to a loss of life.
3. There are several other odd jumps that can be made as well. Firstly, the player can 'hang off' the left side of a turtle, but attempting to do the same on the right side results in death. If the player jumps onto a home base with an alligator (and the 'gator vanishes after you jump, but before the player lands), Frogger will be killed, but he will ALSO make it home. Finally, left and right jumps on the top row of logs are sometimes much slower than usual - this is more likely to occur after previously eating a fly.
4. Another in-game bug is that the lady frog will sometimes be invisible, but will flash red when the player jumps onto the spot where she is.
Mark Robichek holds the official record for this game with 442330 points.
A Frogger unit appears in the 1999 movie 'Magnolia' and the sitcom 'Two and a Half Men'; Season 5, Episode 2 (People Who Love Peepholes).
Frogger inspired a catchy hit song by Buckner and Garcia called 'Froggy's Lament' released on the 'Pac-Man Fever' album.
The TV show, Seinfeld, has an episode named 'The Frogger'. George and Jerry are in Mario's Pizza which is closing down, and they find a Frogger game still there. They realize that the high score of 86(...)
- CONTRIBUTE -
Edit this entry: https://www.arcade-history.com/?&page=detail&id=879&o=2