The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Tipton Trouble does a nice job with a style of team-based gameplay that has been popular now for years. In many cases, this "buddy" game or squad-combat concept works well to make a standard platformer or action game more interesting. Certain puzzles in
Tipton Trouble can only be solved by one member of the team and the game gives clues as to when a switch is needed. Playing the two boys is extra fun for fans of the show and the game is true to the style that Zack and Cody have in the show.
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody always involves some madcap hijinx in the hotel where the two boys live. Tipton Trouble probably goes further than the TV show toward some extreme scenarios like alien invasions and haunting. This may be too intense for small children, but they aren't going to get into the game in the first place because of all the required reading. Since aliens, robots and ghosts make for better action in a game, you'll find them here. You'll also have a chance to play "search and/or destroy" missions that involve characters from the show like Mr. Moseby, London, Esteban, Arwin and Maddie. All these missions involve the team dynamic and make use of special skills that Zack and Cody possess. Zack is the more athletic of the two and takes a hands-on approach to solving puzzles. Cody prefers to use gadgets and solve puzzles with the modified vacuum cleaner Arwin rigged for him.
There are multiplayer mini-games that provide token multiplayer action. Why multiplayer wasn't the focus of the game is a complete mystery. Seeing the collaborative gameplay, it is impossible not to imagine playing through the main adventure with a friend. Being able to control the two boys in single-player is certainly fun, but there should have been more focus on multiplayer for the main game. Having mini-games with wireless multiplayer is such a tease... The object of the mini-games is racing skateboards or toy sailboats and they are both lots of fun. The sailboat game even includes the microphone breath control, something that was really neglected in the main game where it could have been more widely used.