When Nintendo first debuted the unique control scheme of the Wii, gamers everywhere considered how it could revolutionize a specific genre of games: first-person shooters. And while we've seen a handful of great games that have intelligently integrated the Wii's controls, there haven't been as many off-beat applications to utilize the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities. Say no more with Real Heroes: Firefighter, a first-person shooter of a different kind.

Like killing Nazis? Take it elsewhere. In Real Heroes: Firefighter, your deadly nemesis is a blazing inferno of… blazing infernos. Yes, Real Heroes: Firefighter puts you in the shoes of America's bravest, arming you with the task of putting out fires and rescuing innocent civilians. But if you really do enjoy killing Nazis, perhaps this will still be your cup of tea, as the talent behind Real Heroes: Firefighter, Epicenter Studios, consists of industry veterans whose previous experience includes games in the Call of Duty series. But let's get back to the main attraction. Real Heroes: Firefighter logically uses the Wii's controls just as one would expect – moving the analog stick on the Nunchuck moves your character, the C button lets you crouch, the d-pad buttons let you switch between tools, pointing your Wii remote at the screen lets you aim your hose, and pressing the B button fires away (yes, that was wordplay).

The main weapon in your arsenal against flames is your trusty high-pressure fire hose, which has two different modes that can be switched by hitting A while firing – standard mode, which shoots water in a powerful yet narrow stream, and spray mode, which fans out water to cover more range – think the shotgun of fire hoses, with short distance but a wide spread. Of course, the water has to come from somewhere, and your hose can't magically increase in length, leaving you susceptible to situations where you need to ditch the hose until you find another source of water. It is in these moments that you appreciate your "sidearm," a rechargeable fire extinguisher that doesn't quite pack the same punch but gets the job done nonetheless. Then you've got a wide range of tools meant to fit any and every situation, from a hand axe to a crowbar sort of thing to the more high-tech equipment like the hydraulic spreader (think jaws of life).



Essentially, Real Heroes: Firefighter aims to capture how it feels to actually be a firefighter, sort of. When I spoke to them, the developers of the game recounted a story of when an actual firefighter told them that, were they to make the game as true to the experience as possible, all that the player would see is black due to the thickness of the smoke. Naturally, Epicenter took a few liberties to make the experience more enjoyable for players. The game takes you through nine different levels, each providing a different scenario, different scenery, and different objectives. These levels run the gamut from the training level's standard burning building to a blazing museum to some more outlandish and unrealistic settings like a futuristic laboratory with fully functional robots. Each of these levels serves host to three hidden medals, which when all are collected, provide an image that gives insight on how the level's fire started in the first place.

But let's get back to the actual gameplay. Basic gameplay consists of bursting into a building set ablaze and kicking some fiery ass, sending flames to a watery grave with your trusty fire hose. Naturally, like any real fire, the fire found in Real Heroes: Firefighter doesn't sit back and take the punishment; it fights back in the only way it knows how: spreading. Real Heroes: Firefighter's fire has its own artificial intelligence, ensuring that any small flame puts up just as much of a fight as any Nazi grunt, and if you don't extinguish the fire smartly and efficiently, you may end up getting surrounded. And while the game is geared toward an age range of 8 to 12, the developers assure a challenge for any seasoned gamer with the game's higher difficulty levels.

Firefighting in Real Heroes: Firefighter isn't just about spraying fires on water, though. The game includes some puzzle elements to keep things fresh, and sometimes you'll have to use your noggin to take out some of more relentless flames and continue progressing through the game. Fires being fueled by gas leaks require finding and shutting off the gas main, and when an electric fence is standing in between you and the blazing embers, you need to find the source of electricity and put an axe to it. But really, all this comes secondary to what any firefighter's true job is: to save people. In Real Heroes: Firefighter, you will encounter many people who need to be rescued, from escorting them out of a burning building to carrying them to an evacuation helicopter.



I really enjoyed both the premise and the execution and Real Heroes: Firefighter, but a couple things slightly bugged me. Graphically, the game could definitely use a coat of polish, and the sound could use a bit of work as well. Don't get me wrong – I think the voice acting in the game is great, featuring a star-studded cast including John DiMaggio of Futurama/Gears of War fame, Michael Jace of The Shield, James Marsters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jenette Goldstein from the movie Aliens, and Jamie Kennedy. Aside from that, however, the game seems to lack music for anything other than crucial parts in the game, and the sound effects could use some work as well. I remember going up a ladder thinking "wow, this sounds nothing at all like it's supposed to."

Excluding my minor gripes, Real Heroes: Firefighter seems to be a game with a lot of heart put into it. Playing the game was sort of a revitalizing experience in that it showed me that there are people still in the industry willing to try new ideas and go against the grain to materialize a vision. Not only that, but part of the game's sales will go to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, which means if you don't buy this game, you're pretty much a bad person. And at a price point of $30, you'd be a really bad person to let this game slip under the radar. Expect to see Real Heroes: Firefighter out in Q3 2009.