Parents' Guide to Disney Heroes: Battle Mode

This action role-playing game tries to mash up characters from many different franchises, but its heavy reliance on paying for progress keeps it from being the happiest game on Earth. Disney Heroes: Battle Mode brings together characters from modern Disney and Pixar flicks and gives players the chance to create their own epic crossover dream teams for some beat-'em-up action. The game has that signature Disney personality all over it. The art style keeps characters faithful to their source while tweaking things just enough to look like they all belong in the same universe. And the campaign, while a little cheesy and predictable, features a story that seamlessly brings together all of these personalities in a believable, fun way.

The problem with Disney Heroes: Battle Mode is that, as entertaining as the concept may seem, it falls flat. For starters, players don't really have much to do when it comes to battles. After choosing your team and starting the fight, the characters are on their own. The only thing players do is tap on a portrait to activate a special move when it's charged up, and even that can be bypassed with the autoplay option. Your only responsibility is to level up the characters you've got. Worse still, despite being free to play, the game isn't subtle about pressuring you to spend a lot of money. In fact, some features of the game are exclusive to VIP members of specific levels. And the only way to raise your VIP level is to spend even more money. It's not quite a "pay to win" situation, but if you're not willing to shell out some cash, you're left with an incomplete, hobbled experience.