CSM writes: "The Princess and the Frog game for the Nintendo Wii game is a series of mini-games loosely connected with a story line. The game starts at the end of the The Princess and the Frog movie in Tiana's new restaurant. Tiana needs the players' help in earning improvements for the restaurant before its Grand Opening. Those improvements are earned by playing the mini-games. Kids access the mini-games by exploring different hubs, represented by different characters found inside the restaurant. As each character reminisces, players are introduced to a set of mini-games, which, once played, unlock for unlimited play. By reliving their memories, the characters show the player to the movie's story. There are 25 mini-games which run the gamut from dancing games to memory games to games about timing leaps in the air. There are also cooking games, dress-up games, decorating games, and target games. These mini-games all feature 4 player capabilities; and if there are less playing, the other players are controlled by the game's artificial intelligence."
WorthPlaying writes: "In December 2009, Disney returned to traditional 2-D animated films with "The Princess and The Frog," a take on the classic tale of a prince-turned-frog who must find his princess to turn him back into a human. While the movie wasn't quite a traditional retelling of the original tale, the infusion of a New Orleans setting provided a pretty quirky adventure with tons of original music, beautiful animation and solid voice acting that brought to mind classic Disney films of yore."
GamerLive writes: "Disney Interactive Studio's new The Princess and the Frog games for Wii and Nintendo DS feature authentic New Orleans cuisine like jambalaya, chicken creole, gumbo and bread pudding. Anyone who's been to the Big Easy has likely tasted one or more of these delicious meals, which have also been incorporated into the big screen Walt Disney Studios animated film, The Princess and the Frog. In the movie, Tiana, Disney's newest princess, dreams of one day becoming a chef and opening her own restaurant in the French Quarter. In the games, which serve as a sequel to the movie, she's actually running her own restaurant, Tiana's. Today, New Orleans is home to over 1,000 restaurants, which feature Cajun and creole cuisine that have been classics for close to 300 years."
There's no way around it. If you have a child who's already in love with the movie, that child will want to have The Princess and the Frog on her Nintendo Wii. You can take comfort in knowing that the overall game isn't bad at all. A good portion of the 20+ mini-games are rather fun when played with four human players.
Additionally, the overall production value, from the graphics to the sound, matches the movie perfectly. This is one of the few times when a game with a young target audience does the job. If you purchase The Princess and the Frog for the Wii, you won't suffer from buyer's remorse.
