PlayStation 3 Review: Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension

Disney Interactive has been on something of a roll with games for HD consoles, with last year’s Toy Story 3 and the more recent Cars 2 game both being excellent.  The games were actually good enough that it left you wondering if Disney Interactive should grab the Marvel license away from Sega too.  The newest game from Disney, developed by Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank PSP game veterans, High Impact, is Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension and it’s pretty good too.  Unfortunately there are a few issues that severely limit its appeal and audience.

Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension is also available on the Nintendo Wii and as such, doesn’t really push the PlayStation 3 hardware.  This isn’t really a problem because of the animation style of the cartoon series it’s based off.  The game also features PlayStation Move support with the Motion and Navigation controllers, again just like the Wii.  The Move controls don’t offer any benefits over the standard controller scheme though, in this isometric third person shooter.  It makes you wonder why anyone would even bother implementing an inferior control scheme.

Across the Second Dimension, which is based on the Disney Channel movie, is very much a game for younger kids.  Adults or older kids will find no challenge in this game at all although, the drop in/drop out co-op allows helping in more challenging areas.  The controls are really simple with a jump button, an attack/use button, and the ability to cycle weapons with the D-pad.  The standard top down shooting is broken up with some flying levels, a couple of mini games and a chance to spend collected coins in a claw machine or on skee ball to win tickets.

The six weapons are doled out to Phineas and Ferb throughout the game.  In addition to accumulating weapons, players will also take control of a couple of other characters, with more including the saccharin sweet Isabella available for purchase with game tickets won between levels.  The previously mentioned claw machine can offer instant sound and color mods for weapons or they can be purchased with alternate costumes for tickets as well.  The unlockables along with the included Phineas and Ferb episodes are a somewhat compelling reason to keep Across the Second Dimension around for the kids.

Article Author: RPGameX

Lance Roth has over 10 years experience in the video game industry. He has worked with developers along with retail outlets to develop training programs and sales strategies. He participated in all of the major console launches since the Dreamcast. …

Visit RPGameX's author page — RPGameX's Blog