Frogger: The Rescue & Ancient Shadow - Nitro Rad

[@acebee46]

My favourite thing about nitro rad is that he tries to take every game seriously and give it a chance, like it doesn’t have to be the golden standard of high art for him to see the good qualities, but he also knows when something is just trash

[@Rexdrinksredbull]

Nitro leading with what he liked about a game makes his videos flow more organically, if that makes sense.

[@zack-ronald259]

@@Rexdrinksredbull definitly

[@bobafett4265]

@@andreworders7305 indeed, he learned and got way better as a result.

[@WhitetailMusic]

Jesus christ after seeing all those action heroes cutscenes I was not prepared for the transition into actual gameplay being just yup it's more frogger

[@bobafett4265]

Yeah it was like Konami looked at Sonic Adventure 2 and was like I want some of that. XD

[@TheSuperSmashBros01]

@@bobafett4265 I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case

[@Scarfulhu]

"Her design here is *leaps and bounds* better than before though." Hehe.

[@milkymoo3999]

Ohey! Funny seeing you here

[@PresidentFunnyValentine]

big funni

[@AntiR2525]

Hi Scarfulhu. How are you?

[@unfortunatewitnessX]

Drum roll, please!

[@SlyHikari03]

Probably was an unintentional script moment.

[@TheFailnaut]

I swear, every Frogger game has the potential to be an extremely good game, but has its own unique little quirk that ruins the entire experience. Except for the Great Quest. That game just blows.

[@wags696]

Petition for Scott the Woz to start throwing The Great Quest in the toilet.

[@pashedmotatoes877]

frogger should get the crash bandicoot treatment with a new game and better controls

[@rodrigomorales563]

The gba games apparently reach those expectations.

[@retro_nintendom8493]

@@wags696 That's the first thing that came to my mind too XD

[@catchris99]

The great quest’s quirk was that it exists

[@biscuitboi3561]

Gotta say I love this little series seeing the evolution and their thought process on transitioning a lackluster retro ip into the 2000’s

[@ketchup5949]

I’m kind of enjoying the Frogger content, despite not even knowing there were more Frogger games outside of the arcade.

[@Klonoahedgehog]

It's so weird to see that there was an actual series going on at the same time I would play the classic arcade game as a kid lol

[@MrRizeAG]

Helmet Chaos is not the last Frogger game. There are actually several more. "My Frogger: Toy Trials" on DS, "Frogger 2" on 360 (Yes, the third time a game has been called Frogger 2), "Frogger Returns" on PSN/WiiWare, "Frogger 3D" on 3DS, and a shitton of mobile games.

[@TheMoopify]

I think he metnioned that he is review the adventure style games, not the ones that try to be classic arcade.

[@NTRSKT]

@@TheMoopify My Frogger Toy Trials and Frogger 2 still fit into that formula.

[@warbossgegguz679]

@@NTRSKT Yep. I was gonna say we're still technically not done.

[@cursedkevin]

He meant the last game with this design. Every game afterwards ditched it

[@warbossgegguz679]

@@cursedkevin If you mean making it like a mascot platformer, yeah. If you mean making it an adventure game with tile-hopping gameplay and more long-form than an arcade game, then no.

[@mammon8683]

I truly remember watching Rescue Heroes as a kid all the way back when I was still 10-12. Almost to those who are curious who voicing Frogger that's actually Kathleen Barr herself.

[@feetpics3785]

qubo?

[@deniseslade5840]

@@feetpics3785 what do you mean

[@Cure_Hana]

I thought that voice sounded familiar.

[@thewolfgabe3656]

what characters did Kathleen Barr voice again?

[@Cure_Hana]

TheWolfgabe I think the roles most people would be familiar with are Trixie and Queen Chrysalis from MLP: FiM. Other than that, I know she’s done multiple voices for DiC animation and some of the older Barbie films.

[@stormoftara]

Hehe, Wani means crocodile in Japanese. He's literally Dr Crocodile

[@game84cube]

...and we didn't localize him to Dr. Croc?!

[@bcrossfire1219]

@@game84cube Coulda been calling him Doc Croc this whole time.

[@dianaberlin4767]

Literally

[@patdav56]

Is this why that crocenaw from pokemon the legend of thunder is called waniwani? Lol

[@logicaloverdrive8197]

@@patdav56 probably

[@Sammytheflaaffyfan]

Wow. The Frogger franchise just can't seem to decide what it wants to be. It's just a huge hodge podge of ideas thrown together. Definitely one of the most experimental franchises I've seen.

[@craftygamerones9494]

You haven’t seen the sonic series lol

[@Sammytheflaaffyfan]

@@craftygamerones9494 As a Sonic fan myself, I feel ashamed that I didn't mention that.

[@jimmymackinnon8474]

Zapper is a very good “Frogger” game.

[@MrMarinus18]

Though I think that's better than having a whole bunch of samey games.

[@rafaelhines1178]

How bout kirby

[@UltimateGamingDude]

Frogger's Design in most games: Charming and admirable Frogger's Design from The Great Quest: A disgusting Shrek looking-ass

[@BeyondSurvivor]

Feet

[@game84cube]

Great Quest Frogger looks like he stinks like the swamp and would probably disgust Shrek

[@luigionsoap9592]

*Desireable

[@mr.boombox5021]

And so it's done. My Frogger: Toy Trials will never be brought to light. Heckin Dang.

[@sirraven_]

No!! That is my favorite one!

[@mr.boombox5021]

@@sirraven_ It's the only one I've ever played. Guess it doesn't count tho........

[@NanaKyoto]

Just imagine a Frogger game going full on Rescue Heroes, that'd be ridiculous, especially with the idea of multiple characters with their own unique abilities on the table.

[@philatio1744]

and just absolutely cheesy writing.

[@rookie5552]

Metal Heroes Rescue Police are way better

[@michaelrhett4958]

@@rookie5552 A possible Tokusatsu Metal Heroes fan?

[@jameslawrenson1208]

That'd be awesome!

[@NoahDaArk]

4:14 *brings up Rescue Heroes* Me: Oh what’s that? I can’t hear you over SHEER NOSTALGIA!!!

[@DetectiveDorian]

Yup, my own childhood just bass boosted its way into my frontal cortex there.

[@demontorch]

MY BLOODY CHILDHOOD

[@connorgainey8178]

I see you are a man of culture as well.

[@NoahDaArk]

Connor Gainey indeed I am

[@samuraiturtle.2637]

I sadly never saw it

[@Magitek1112]

Man, I just realized..the penguin character is probably a reference to Konami's Penta character, since they're both Konami.

[@TheChefBoo]

oh, from penguin adventure?

[@mr.boombox5021]

16:16 Frogger in an afro? My Frogger: Toy Trials has all you'd ever want.

[@Dizzula]

As an old man, hearing a young man defending the cannon of frogger... my life is either ruined or complete.

[@springball6269]

"They really like to open up their games with Frogger waking up, huh?" The Legend of Zelda has entered the chat.

[@badwrongfun5541]

Fun fact, theres a lost PC port of Ancient Shadow. It was marketed as a Plug and Play in the "Konami Live" line where you got a controller themed after the game that let you download from Konami's online service, but the servers are long since dead.

[@warbossgegguz679]

To UTorrent!

[@battleonfan1]

It was found. Join the highway frogs discord server.

[@XenoRob]

Seeing some love for the Rescue Heroes made my day. I actually went back and revisited some old episodes after watching this and I'm surprised how well the episodes I've seen hold up. The pacing is a little too fast for my taste, but everything else is as good as i remember. It's rare to see an action cartoon built entirely around a real-world conflict, and it does a really solid job of centering the show around it, while still having cool planes and gadgets to make the show more entertaining. I especially love how the series is able to educate it's audience without talking down to them, which isn't always easy to do, especially with stuff as serious as natural disasters. that definitely made the messages stick with me as a kid, and looking back, the entire show stuck with me more than I realized. thanks for bringing back some memories and getting me to revisit such an awesome show! This is why I love your channel and your content. You're always shining light on the cool things that time forgot, while also being a fair and constructive critic. If memory serves, I believe there were some Rescue Heroes PC games back in the day, so that might be something worth looking into at some point. I love watching your videos! Keep up the great work!

[@Gamingwithahandicap]

You got to do the Tak trilogy dude! Those games are top tier platformers! Tak and the Power of Juju, Tak 2 the Staff of Dreams and Tak the Great Juju Challenge! Please those games need recognition! You can do them justice! Please and thank you!

[@deniseslade5840]

You must be really excited.

[@retrokonami9042]

Knack??

[@retro_nintendom8493]

@@retrokonami9042 Come on man Knack is a joke. Knack II on the other hand...

[@retro_nintendom8493]

@@jurtheorc8117 im sorry im just memeing XD In all seriousness, it would be interesting to see a serious review of Knack by Nitro Rad

[@moomoocupcakes]

@@jurtheorc8117 both Knack games are entertaining enough. Neither of them do anything ground breaking but they're fun. The best parts are when you play as big Knack because the movement and actions are more responsive than when you're little. You can get both really cheap and because of that I'd say they're worth it. My biggest gripe with both games is the story. The orcs are just chilling trying to live their lives and the humans try to wreck them with Knack. When the orcs retaliate they're portrayed as the bad guys but I always felt like the villain in the games. If you're trophy hunter though be warned on the first one. It is a grind. The gems you get to unlock new skins are random and you will have to play through the game multiple times to get 100% which is hugely unfortunate because diamond Knack is really fun to play as.

[@kiwilotusss]

I could have sworn this game was a fever dream

[@palokyu9891]

Kiwi Mc Fenian which one?

[@respecttheyoshi]

I would include My Frogger Toy Trials as another game in this line. It's still the classic tile-hoping gameplay, and it's something I only vaguely remember playing on a friend's DSi on the way home from school. I'm curious how it'd stack up.

[@TheFailnaut]

Dang, now I'm curious about this one too. Guess I'll have to see if I can... "buy it for my computer"

[@nottoday9182]

Remember when Konami actually tried? Those were the days

[@gameshock2916]

Remember when Konami wasn't evil? Good times.

[@SeleenShadowpaw]

ayyyyy, Rescue Heroes Hype! The toys were amazing! All those super chads with the awesome action gear. I especially enjoyed that it was all like, large and chonky and overdesigned as hell, but opposed to all the other cool hyper overdesigned toys, none of it was for violence. Pretty rad. The show never released here. Got the first episode on VHS with one of the special editions though and it slapped :D

[@JokerJQKA]

Helmet Chaos isn't the last one, you gotta play Frogger 3D on the 3DS. That one's great, it's a really imaginative take on the classic style of Frogger, more similar to the PS1 games, though some levels take some getting used to. There's also My Frogger Toy Trials, which I unfortunately haven't had a chance to play yet, but is more like the Adventures series.

[@GioNation1]

Before it gets lost in the shuffle of all the comments you should review Darkwood! For the upcoming Spooky season!

[@MrTreespace]

Grimbeard has a good review on it, I suggest checking him out, the content is solid

[@mahirhasan2032]

Always wanted to try the game.

[@GioNation1]

MrTreespace Okay I’ll have to check him out, thanks a lot!

[@Cure_Hana]

I’m still praying for a Gregory Horror Show playthrough.

[@GioNation1]

MrTreespace you had no right putting me on to Grimbeard. I’ve been binging his game reviews now. Thanks a lot!

[@LeadHerring]

This Frogger retrospective is actually turning out to be a pretty good look at game design and iteration across a series. The lessons learnt in each game could definitely be brought together to make a 10 out of 10 frogger experience, it makes me wonder what’s holding them back? I do appreciate how each game does something new with the story too. Obviously the lore of Frogger isn’t a huge deal but it does give each game that new unique feel and gives more elements for the next game to pick and chose from. Most modern series prefer to reboot a series, but I find that constantly wiping the slate with a series can mean that they discard a lot of the interesting stuff that older games introduced.

[@wastelander9977]

Holy shit, someone brought up Rescue Heroes. I thought I was the only one who remembered that show.

[@rookie5552]

You ever seen metal Heroes Rescue Police at has guns

[@itslogan4778]

Rescue Heros BRUH must have been like 7 years thanks for the nostalgia

[@bladearmorginga6582]

Not sure if you’re not covering it cause of how different it is, but there is also Frogger Toy Trials on the DS

[@md-1988]

Oh I remember Rescue Heroes. The toys had massive feet that were able to stand okay and connect onto vehicles and things like that.

[@lrgogo1517]

I like the gag of Frogger licking up objects that noticeably impact his head

[@squeethemog213]

I've been loving this dive into the frogger series James. It's been really interesting to see it's ups and downs. Looking forward to the conclusion and then whatever comes next. Great work man :D

[@grandedad7392]

“Is the series going to go out with a bang or a whimper? Probably a whimper!” Not if GW has anything to say about that! Nice mgs2 refrence

[@julianx2rl]

"There's only one left" Aww, so no Frogger 3D.

[@johnnysaurus04]

Really liked this! Respect the lack of cussing in this one. Also love you give every game a fair chance.

[@BostonianJake]

That Rescue Heroes bit unleashed a serious wave of nostalgia. Thanks, James

[@zaciroth]

I love it how you do an indepth break down of each game and different (sometimes obscure) series. I can't wait to see what you will do after frogger!

[@demonarcher1661]

11:21 Oh I remember that alot in this game. Where it holds your hand about every major mechanic in the game without me learning it on my own. If i can compare it something its like Bomberman Jetters where they tell you what to do in every puzzle or they tell you when a new familiar is around. It slowed the pacing so much

[@AnAverageGoblin]

Frogger: Ancient Shadow starts the same way the post-tutorial scene does in Kingdom Hearts.

[@TheCasualTheorist]

The puzzle solving sounds like a really cool idea for Frogger. Awesome videos as always dude!

[@alnerique]

Wowza. Thanks for existing, Nitro.

[@misuvittupaa8068]

Yeah you really are the only one who's reviews I am excited to see in my notifications

[@MrEightThreeOne]

Dang man, I thought I was the only one obsessed with Rescue Heroes when I was a kid. Couldn't be happier to see someone else who watched the heck out of it.

[@Glitch_Man42]

This is the first Rescue Heroes reference I have ever seen anywhere. I feel validated, thank you.

[@BugsyFoga]

The frogger games literally no one talks about.

[@Rolli_Zolli]

...that's all Frogger games

[@BugsyFoga]

@@Rolli_Zolli I at least hear people talk about the other games , never hear anybody talk about these ones.

[@queb3021]

Is this your first time on his channel?

[@wisejabroni5605]

I cant wait for his next video I never knew how much frogger games there were.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

@@queb3021 He wasn't talking about this channel not talking about frogger. He was CLEARLY talking about gamers over all not giving much of a shit about this franchise... Which is true lol. Fart nite... Cock of duty... Pokemanz... Smash broz etc etc... All get wayyy more attention than frogger lol.

[@TheBlueFerretProject]

Nitro rad is my favorite Frogger youtuber

[@CharemTheShadox]

Fun fact! The musician for this game was Ichiro Shimakura, who is largely a Nintendo composer and made the soundtracks to a lot of the Mario Party series, Bomberman 64, and some other notable stuff. So that's why this game's soundtrack is kickin'~

[@Takimeko]

Which one? The Rescue or Ancient Shadow?

[@SociallDrinkerr]

When you started the frogger series I was waiting for this video haha I played these two so much as a kid and this brought so much nostalgia!

[@game84cube]

Dude, I friggin LOVED Rescue Heroes as a kid! The shows, the toys, the computer games, it was all amazing!

[@TheTrueKnight01]

BRO!! That rush of nostalgia when you mentioned Rescue Heroes was massive!!

[@rocket_hops]

This game has haunted my childhood, I'm glad someone else talked about it

[@lrgogo1517]

Just wanted to point out that Dr. Wani is Japanese for 'Dr. Crocodile'

[@KrymsonScale]

That's cool. I love names like that.

[@lrgogo1517]

Not quite the reaction I was expecting

[@SlamBolts]

I've been binge watching more of your stuff, and I strongly believe you deserve more than your current sub count. Your production value is insane dude! Keep it up!

[@craniumcase]

Never in my life would I think someone remembered Rescue Heroes! That theme song brought me back

[@7Zealot]

I was really curious about these two in particular. I almost bought Ancient Shadow once, but remembering my experience with the first PS1 entry, I passed on it. Great vid as always.

[@Slenderquil]

That rescue heroes music game out of nowhere and i love it. Thanks for the nostalgia trip

[@NCTStudio]

“I’LL GET YOU DORK After I find some ointment. Ouch”

[@hayden7525]

I grew up with Frogger adventures the rescue, and I absolutely love it to this day, great soundtrack too

[@lellepolis7043]

Damn this frogger series has been fun but I´m kinda glad it´s almost over. Can´t wait to see what you review next!

[@insederec]

I had to double take because that was a perfect rebeltaxi impression when you brought up rescue heroes

[@maikol4128]

Been waiting the whole marathon for this one, The Rescue was my jam as a kid

[@geeboysgamesandmore49]

This guy mentioned Rescue Heroes! I’m so glad that I wasn’t the only one who grew up with them. That alone struck me so hard that I can’t bother caring about the rest of the video.

[@bio-weaponn5576]

Ancient Shadow was straight up the first Frogger console game I ever played. I like to say that The Rescue, Ancient Shadow and other connected games feel like the definitive Frogger Universe.

[@DenSporetrix]

Goddammit those crocodiles in Frogger: Ancient Shadow are so dang CUTE, I'll take twelve!

[@BlankPapers]

Fun fact: the number 808 is the area code for Hawaii phone numbers. People actually use it a lot through gamer tags and emails probably cuz it’s catchy and people in Hawaii love to show pride in where they live. That’s probably why it’s called Area 808, ya know, area code 808?

[@JRCT3E]

Holy shit, someone has finally made a video about Frogger: Ancient Shadow! For some reason, that video game has been part of my childhood. Too bad, like many pieces of childhood media, it doesn't seem to hold up. Hell, even as a kid, I knew so many of the challenges were just maddingly difficult. But still, the setting of ancient civilizations was so captivating to me. Maybe I'll need to pick it up again, although this time with save states in hand.

[@windowcreeperbird9669]

Wasn't expecting to see someone bring up rescue heroes today.

[@DolusVulpes]

The Rescue was actually the first Frogger game I played that wasn't just the original arcade game, so I've been looking forward to your review of it. It gave me some serious nostalgia, and also a bit of closure, since I never actually finished it due to me renting it and being bad at these kind of games at the time.

[@coyraig8332]

"There's only on left" *Leap frog would like to know your location*

[@shinyneko8136]

Leap Frog isn't a video game franchise, its a company that makes educational cartoons aimed at preschoolers. 🤣

[@HypeVoiceActing]

From what I'm seeing it feels like for all that we've seen on Frogger so far, Lost Wand and Swampy's Revenge are still the best Froggers we've gotten. I don't think I can really get into Beyond due to the frustrating difficulty spikes and you already mentioned the issues with these two games

[@OkRoomer123-]

Really hope that Nitro Rad starts reviewing Rayman Origins and Legends real soon..I'm getting really impatient lol

[@sorendipitous]

PLEASE.

[@raziyatheseeker]

Waitasec he hasn't?! :o

[@RandomBoo256]

Origins is my favorite game. Legends is pretty good too. I'm hoping he'll review them to celebrate if Rayman gets in smash.

[@Rib_]

Frogger Ancient Shadow also came out on PC, but it's lost media. It was only available as an online download bundled with a unique USB controller, but the download has gone and no one mirrored it.

[@sinnohen]

Canadian TV references just drive my heart nuts. My hat's off to you, James.

[@yousellouts]

Nice to see a new vid from you nitro

[@Cazra-VaporwaveWitch]

Dude, I love it whenever you use Glover BGM in your videos. Props to the shout-outs to Super Meat Boy and Celeste for good checkpoint placement. They're difficult games for sure, but the designers recognized this and made it very forgiving.

[@brynachhart2432]

Literally just bought this game yesterday and was like “why is this the only frogged game he hasn’t covered”

[@Lithobraker]

5:38 "Leaps and bounds" Eeeeyyyyy! (snaps fingers and points)

[@goast_cuard]

Rescue Heroes is one of those shows I saw a few episodes as a kid right before it disappeared from TV and it haunted my childhood dreams since

[@ScarsMclovin]

Great double feature of frogger, also hell yeah, great rescue heroes reference!

[@MightyMurloc]

Always a pleasure to see a new video from you, I hope you can return to some horror series in time for Halloween.

[@corporatecanine6030]

That penguin from Ancient Shadow is just Whitey from Eight Crazy Nights. "BUY EVERYTHING!!" "Thaaats a technical foul!!"

[@SalvadorAnglada]

OMG YOU HAVE SAID A RESCUE HEROES REFERENCE I LOVE THIS CHANNEL

[@sapphireaurora9634]

The one thing I've learned from analysis sonic is, cycles are important. If playing optimized the player should never stop. If they do stop the cycle should take no more than 20 seconds to give the player opportunity to continue. There are many other games that cycles are important for, like he mentioned celest and super meat boy, cycles to keep momentum. Frogger as a series lives and dies on good cycles and if the cycles are bad or worse, non existent, that is probably the worst thing the series can do.

[@markkoetsier6475]

When we find that meteoh, we'll find doctah Wani!

[@wigglebot765]

I rewatched Rescue Heroes episodes so many freaking times as a kid

[@Imsanthisismychannnelhi]

The frogger man attacks again. The content I didn't know I needed but thanks god it exists.

[@lrgogo1517]

23:57 "What IS this, Frogger Dragoon?"

[@jostincolon-velez551]

Ahh Frogger Adventures The Rescue, it was one of the first games I ever played. I was like 2-3 years old and remembered my dad and brother teaching me how to play it. Oh the nostalgia, it was this game, Turok Evolution, Rampage World Tour and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle we’re the first games I owned on that lunchbox

[@Bladebrent]

Funny thing: After Nitro started the Frogger retrospective, (Swampy's revenge I believe), I decided I'd try out a couple of the Frogger games on an emulator before he got to them. One was Great Quest, which I got through one stage and then stopped, for fairly obvious reasons, and the other was Ancient Shadow (cause I thought that was after Great Quest....yeah I was slightly off). I didnt beat it, but I did get past stuff like the music puzzle and the mansion (forget which one came first). I remember having alot of fun with it, so now im kinda more curious about the other Frogger games if Nitro's opinion was it wasnt as good as those games

[@Bladebrent]

@Rugar 22 Thank ya's. Been awhile so I couldnt remember the order or what the last stage I played exactly was

[@Saxdude26]

18:35 OHHOHOHOHOH WHAT A MOOD! I understand this completely. Such a... strange mixed bag. Graphically and presentation wise, these are such a step up. It's such a pity both games were compromised by misdirection. They both ticked a lot of boxes, Ancient Shadow's early stages have such a beautiful shading and lighting style, the lily pad hopping in that first clip just SCREAMED "I am a modern Frogger game".

[@tessbolick6605]

YOOOOOO RESCUE HEROES! That show was _incredible!_

[@misswonnykins9841]

Dr. Wani I legit nearly had a heart attack. I've also never been so thrilled to see how something was spelled in my life.

[@damiantrudeau2332]

Rescue heroes is so nostalgic for me in my child Hood, also the theme song is so amazing 😉

[@oyam3865]

This game came out when I was born but it was the first game that ever 100% as a kid. Or even beat. The Rescue is nostalgia overload. Title screen music is a banger idc what anyone says

[@daughter-of-loki1062]

You really just went and slapped me in the face with Rescue Heroes

[@GladysRose]

Yessss i was waiting for you to review this one!!

[@JunnyJai]

Every time I see an upload about Frogger. I'm reminded of this old school pixel game called Frogatto & Friends. Wonder if that game is still in development. Not many people have heard of this game either

[@landonbrown3400]

Yes! thank you for checking these games