
	Platform Wii Genre Action Publisher Conspiracy Entertainment Developer Epicenter Studios ESRB E (Everyone) Released August 4, 2009

- Serious stuff for the younger set that can be played by themselves - Death is around every corner if you’re not paying attention - Fire is awesome

- Graphics snobs will only have bad things to say about this - Not able to see the fire hose

Review: Active Life: Extreme Challenge (Wii) Review: Emergency 3 (PC) Review: Emergency Fire Response (PC)
Newsletter
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: Subscribe \| Unsubscribe

Real Heroes: Firefighter

Score: 8.0 / 10

I decided that it was the character models that did it. Real Heroes: Firefighter actually makes me think of 1997’s GoldenEye, which appeared on the N64, but you have a fire axe, high-pressure water hose with the occasional use of the truck-mounted water cannon and you’re far less concerned with no name enemies and

Advertisement

- Wii Game Reviews
- Action Game Reviews

much more concerned with escaping a raging inferno or rescuing people from said raging inferno.

My 10-year old doesn’t have the GoldenEye reference to call upon but he did have a great time with Real Heroes: Firefighter, which he labeled with the official seal of “Cool!” I did have to help him with the training mission and first level – which has

Advertisement

some really great moments of tension – but after that he was on his own and having a fine time with it.

And he got really good at it; to the point that on the later levels when I was playing it he was giving me pointers. “No, dad you want to switch to spray then save that guy then pry open that door! No like that,” grabbing the controls out of my hands. “Like this!” Basically it was complete reversal of the usual father/son gaming session.

What he liked:

The fire: “It’s like I was right there. Sometimes it was actually scary.”

The smoke: “Crouching actually works to get a better look at things when there’s a lot of smoke. And calling out to survivors is cool.”

The direction: “It’s pretty easy to know where to go next.”

The controls: “Smashing stuff with the axe and prying doors open is really neat, but I liked using the Wiimote to use the hose or fire extinguisher to put out the fires or push them back enough to escape.”

What he didn’t like:

The hose: “I wish you could see the fire hose. You take it from the hose stand but then you don’t see the trail of where you’ve been.”

Puzzles: “Sometimes it took me a long time to find the gas shutoffs.”

Death: “I guess it’s just like being a firefighter but I died a lot. Maybe not as much as my dad, but still a lot.”

When asked for his numerical score, he had no hesitation in recommending it with an 8. As the intended audience for Real Heroes: Firefighter, the fact he speaks of it so highly tells me Epicenter knows what they’re doing when it comes to the subject matter and the audience. There are legions of kids out there that want to be firefighters and this game offers a little look into that career.

- Aaron Simmer (and his 10-year old)

(September 28, 2009)