Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension is a textbook case of how to make a game for fans the Disney Channel TV show: Make a game similar to one of the best current 3D platforming series (Rachet & Clank) and promptly neuter it to the point that even lobotomized chimp can complete the game in a single setting.
On the surface, Phineas and Ferb seems to have a lot to offer. The graphics are good in the sense that it manages to recreate the look of the show. While they clearly won’t win any awards in their own right, the characters and backgrounds look exactly the same as in the Disney Channel cartoon. You are pretty-much playing the cartoon. Another impressive aspect is that the game has a nice particle engine where there can be dozens of shots and explosive pieces flying around with no noticeable slowdown.
While the game can be played in single-player, the game was really meant to be played with a friend co-op style as there are two characters on-screen at all times. In addition, there are many minor puzzles that will need the cooperation of both on-screen characters, though none of these are complicated as they’re pretty-much your typical ‘one person stands on a switch while the other person walks in a door to grab an item’ type of puzzles.
Weapon selection is also diverse. You start off with a baseball gun that’s self-explanatory; soon you’re gain a orange soda gun; a particle gun that also acts as a lifter; an electron gun whose secondary function is to hack terminals; a glove that fires globs of acid and a device that calls on sentries for help. All these weapons can be leveled-up to increase their damage. Also, you can find different upgrade parts throughout the levels that will give your weapon additional properties (Read: add explosive balls to your baseball gun for wider damage.
You can also earn other visual upgrades to your weapons and other bonuses such as extra characters, trophies and sound effects by earning tickets playing a version of skeeball after every level. Unfortunately, the minigame itself gets boring quickly as you’ll quickly be able to figure out the pattern to get the most tickets. The other game — an arcade ticket crane machine — will be quickly passed over once you find out that you have to wait nearly 30 seconds for the crane to reset after every playthrough…ugh!
The games biggest weakness however is the sheer lack of difficulty. Yes the game is designed for children and I expected the game to be fairly easy. What I didn’t expect to not die once during the entire game! In fact, I was not even threatened with death until the final boss, and even then, I was able to shake the controller to regain my health after losing my life bar. There are health packs littered throughout the levels, which is odd since most were unnecessary. I’ll go as far as say that the game borders on insulting during certain levels — in particular, the flying levels where all you have to do is tap the fire button and just wait for the level to end.
Overall, Phineas & Ferb is a competent game for children if you’re a parent who wants to keep them occupied for a rainy afternoon. That being said, I still wouldn’t pay more than 25 bucks for this game; even though there is some fun to be had (not to mention some extra value in the PS3 — there are four free episodes included on the blu-ray disc), the games unbelievable push-over difficulty will ensure that even the youngest players will lose interest in this game in a few days.
Gameplay: The game itself controls fine. Many of the levels will remind you of Ratchet & Clank, which is a good thing. What isn’t good is that the games push-over difficulty will quickly cause even the younger players to lose interest very quickly.
Gameplay
Graphics
Sound
Overall
Click here to buy Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension online from EBgames.com for the PlayStation 3.
Buy Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension New or Used for a Great Price from EBGames.com
