Previewed: July 27, 2003
Previewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
DreamCatcher Interactive
Developer
Monte Cristo Games
Release Date: November, 2003
Genre: Strategy
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen
View Screenshots (17 Images)
It seems that just about every game that gets released is a rehash or a slightly modified remake of an existing title. With limited genres it's admittedly hard to come up with new concepts for original games, but thankfully the geniuses as Monte Cristo Games have taken the squad-based genre in a new and totally original direction with the release of Emergency Fire Response.
In Emergency Fire Response, experience what life is really like for firefighters. Control an entire team of firefighters and their various support vehicles! As captain of your station, train up your team, teach them the basics of the profession and how to manage in emergencies, develop their resistance to stress… and most importantly, get your team through their missions successfully!
The spread of the fire, poisonous fumes, the number of people in danger, their location... all this has to be taken into account upon arrival at the scene. If you think your guys can’t handle it, call for backup from the specialists who will be able to handle the most difficult and deadly situations.
My preview of this game included one very dangerous mission where an escaping bank robber had smashed into a gas station/convenience store. Arriving at the scene the first order of business was to extinguish the burning tanker truck. Using a combination of firefighting vehicles and individual men you have to put out various sections of flame, each with their own “life meter”. Once a path is clear you can send in your EMT to rescue injured civilians and have your technical guy move the tanker into the designated area on the back street to put out the flames with chemical foam.
As the fire continues to expand to new areas your mission objectives are updated in real-time. You will need to rescue trapped victims from inside the store. This is a team effort of using the truck to put out the exterior flames around the building and having your men chop their way through doors or windows to get inside and rescue the men and women inside.
Moments later the flames spread to the adjoining building and I had to immediately shift gears and get into that building to rescue some trapped workers. As I was chopping at the door I suddenly had a flashback to the movie Backdraft and just about that time my axe smashed through the wood and the hall exploded with flames from the room behind it. The hall turned into an inferno igniting my men just as the call came in saying two police officers had gotten too close to the scene and their cars were now on fire.
Such is the pacing and excitement of Emergency Fire Response. This game never lets up and you are constantly at battle with a living breathing entity that is more devious than any boss battle. You have to use real-life firefighting tactics to get these infernos under control and eventually extinguished while rescuing survivors all at the same time. It can become quite overwhelming but it’s great fun, very exciting, and even a bit educational.
The interface and controls are standard strategy issue with icons along the bottom of the screen showing character status and allowing you to select units via their portrait or by clicking or dragging a selection box around them on the game screen. You can zoom in and out with the mousewheel and rotate the view using the arrow buttons in the corner of the screen. Your cursor is context sensitive so clicking on a firemen then clicking on fire will start hosing down the flames. If you get near a person you can talk or administer first aid and if something can be broken like a door or window the axe icon will appear indicating the default action.
You'll need to monitor unit health and water supply and use the tanker vehicle to support the other firefighting vehicles and the ambulance to regain health. As the missions get more complex additional support and rescue units may show up to assist on specific objectives.
Your summer will heat up when Emergency Fire Response releases this July, and for only $20 you won’t find a more engaging or original title to occupy your time.
Features:
- 34 amazing missions set in 10 different environments during which you will face all kind of events e.g. forest fire, railway accident and gas station explosion.
- A team of firefighters and fire specialists, trained to face all kinds of emergencies: paramedic, specialist in approach suit and high-risk environment specialist.
- High-performance vehicles such as pumper, rescue ladder and tanker.
- Game designed in collaboration with an international fire consultant.
- A tense and captivating atmosphere in which pressure is built up continuously.
- Unexpected obstacles and events will slow down the player's progression.