Publisher: Disney Interactive
Developer: High Impact Games
Genre: Action-platformer
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release Date: Available now

Ever since I became a father, I’ve looked forward to my monthly Guy’s Night Out with my buddies with particular relish. With the majority of my friends staking their claim on my side of the fatherhood fence, we love to down a few brews and then hold court by telling stories peppered with references to anything airing on Disney, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, or the myriad of cable off-shoots that those networks have sprung. The other guys hear iCarly or Yo Gabba Gabba and we might as well be speaking in Parseltongue. And while the source material is usually inane programming you can’t believe your kids could mine any entertainment from; every once in awhile you spy a diamond in the rough. For me – that treasure is Disney’s Phineas & Ferb; which means the arrival of their summer platformer – Phineas & Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension actually brightened my late Summer doldrums when it showed up on my door-step.

Phineus & Ferb’s first foray into the next gen hardware (after a handful of handheld releases) is timed to hit stores alongside the release of their Disney Channel exclusive movie of the same name. The game, like the flick, takes the titular brothers, who have an affinity for inventing anything their wild imaginations can come up with, and blasts them into an alternate dimension. Taking a page from Ratchet & Clank’s action-platforming blueprints, the brothers must journey through a series of parallel dimensions to escape the clutches of the evil alternate-universe Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his army of Norm-bots. Of course, their faithful pet Perry the Platypus, continues his secret agent crime-fighting ways and pitches in to help save the day. Fans of the show will feel right at home with this synopsis while the rest of you are no doubt staring at your screens with the same slack-jawed horror as my mates.

As you adventure through the eight worlds (dimensions), you can play solo or via drop-in/out local co-op using Phineus, Ferb or any of the supporting unlockable characters ripped from the TV show. The levels are all set against colorful, imaginative backdrops taken from this summer’s movie. While some light puzzle solving is introduced as players are hunting down components to complete the brothers’ latest invention, the bulk of the game is devoted to combat-focused platforming. Each of the six core weapons can be leveled up and morphed into more powerful and stranger armament through continued use. In addition, players can customize their weapons by locating hidden graphics and sound chips that enable you to change the weapon output; if you ever wanted a rapid-fire baseball launcher that “Moos” when you unleash Hell, here’s the game for you.

While Phineus & Ferb’s game play reminded me of the Ratchet & Clank series – the entire visual aesthetic feels closely aligned with EA’s Simpsons game from a couple years ago. While not as open-ended as that title; both games feature a vibrant, colorful cartoon world that does the source material proud. In addition, Phineus & Ferb may follow the movie’s plot but High Impact Games has made sure to pepper the scenery with a number of references to the overall series, giving fanboys a reason to scour each level.

While the title looks nice, I have a hard time recommending a purchase. For starters – the game is just too short and easy. The difficulty is dialed way down and each enemy encounter, including the massive end bosses, are easily surmounted by simply treating your weapon as a fire hose. The enemy attacks take very little damage off you so there’s never much danger of dying. The only time I did manage to lose a life or two was when I mistimed some of the floaty jumping mechanics, but the game simply resurrects you at the edge of your last drop so there’s not much peril there either. While it was a nice touch to grab the majority of the show’s cast to voice their characters, the game’s presentation is lacking – with minimal lip-synching on the characters in cut-scenes and the majority of the narrative being told through static images of a character and text at the bottom of the screen accompanied by the voice over. This gives the game a budget-title feeling and while it may be priced at $40 for the PS3 version, I’ve seen higher production values on recent downloadable PSN and XBLA games that go for a fraction of that cost.

As a huge Phineas & Ferb fan, it pains me to pan this title. In the end, however, it’s just not worth a purchase. I think fans could find some enjoyment in a rental playthrough but the price is just too steep for the minimal, easy game play. Even younger players are likely to finish this title in record time. Looking at the competition, the Lego series has set a perfect foundation for games that can be fun for all ages and offer enough challenge and game play to warrant an immediate purchase. While the PS3 version does offer four episodes on the Blu-Ray disc as bonus, there’s just not enough game here. I think the Phineas & Ferb universe provides fertile ground for some engaging game play, so here’s hoping the brothers dream up something better their next time out.

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Our Recommendation: