| System: PS3, Wii, DS |  |
| Dev: High Impact Games | |
| Pub: Disney Interactive Studios | |
| Release: August 2, 2011 | |
| Players: 1-2 | |
| Screen Resolution: 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p | Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief |
Visually, 2nd Dimension was neither extremely exciting nor very boring, save for the occasionally repetitive level design. For me, the Old-Timey Dimension stood out the most—I simply hadn't expected it—but for the most part the art style mimicked that of the show fairly well. There were some occasional hiccups, but it ran smoothly most of the time. The audio was neither outstanding nor offensive, though it should be noted that the voice acting was handled quite well.
There's quite a bit here to keep players coming back if they don't collect everything on the first time through. Most of the levels have 5 special coins hidden throughout, and there's also a choice of two minigame levels between each of the main levels. Players can either engage in a Perry the Platypus-themed game of skee ball or learn to master a sort of claw-machine game. Either game will reward players with tickets, which can be used to purchase various costumes and bonus characters. There's actually a hefty amount of content here, so enthusiastic players will be able to keep themselves busy for a while.
Fans of the show who pick up a PlayStation 3 version of the game will also get four episodes of the television series on the Blu-ray disc as a bonus. The episodes themselves aren't connected to the movie other than the fact that they're from the same series, but it's still a nice surprise for those who didn't know they'd be included.
All things considered, this game isn't for everyone. If you've been playing video games long enough to remember where some of the original ideas found in this game came from, chances are you'll get bored with this title fairly quickly. If you have young children, though, you may find it enjoyable to spend some time with them playing co-op or watching a few episodes of Phineas &Ferb they haven't seen yet.
There are some good ideas scattered throughout the game, but there isn't really anything groundbreaking. That may be the game's worst offense. It's not that every game need be an object of excellence, but each should at least strive to be more than unremarkable. There are certainly interesting elements within, but they're few and short lived. Perhaps given a bit more time or with a bit more effort this title could have been great instead of fair.
By
Patriel Manning
CCC Contributing Writer
Game Features:
