Tucked away in the back of the West Hall behind the behemoth booths of Sony and Nintendo, Crave was showing off a handful of titles. We were given the opportunity to get some hands-on time with Real Heroes: Firefighter, a unique first-person experience exclusive to the Nintendo Wii. Real Heroes: Firefighter puts you in the role of a rookie firefighter as you progress through a story campaign that will span nine chapters. The game is geared toward providing a budget-minded and family-friendly experience while still offering enough depth to keep experienced gamers interested.



To call this game a first person shooter is a little misleading, as it's more akin to a first-person simulation. The action closely resembles what you find in any run of the mill FPS game, but the mechanics and the objectives are very different. Rather than gunning down enemies, you're trying to douse flames that are threatening homes, offices, yards, and even an amusement park. As you move from room to room, you have to methodically extinguish the flames, and you have to be cautious in your approach. At times you'll need to break windows to vent smoke, you'll need to use your fireman's axe to clear a path, or save people trapped behind smoke and fire.

Your fire hose has two modes of spray: a standard stream for long distance shooting, and a misting nozzle for close range and a wider spray. Think of it as similar to switching between a rifle and a shotgun.

The fire itself isn't just a static "enemy" to be dealt with. Flames will propagate and spread if you don't put them down completely, so it's important that you are thorough in your efforts, just as a real firefighter would be. Obviously the fire itself is capable of doing you harm if you're not careful. The physics behind the fires are pretty impressive in Real Heroes: Firefighter.

In speaking with members of the development team, we were told that this will be first in a line of Real Heroes games. We have to admire the approach taken here. A team of developers that were recently involved in making Call of Duty games have come together to make games that don't have any violence, any harsh language, any sexual themes, or any demeaning messages. They accomplish while still providing a game that, if given the chance, can be enjoyed by even the hardcore gamer. As an added bonus, a portion of the proceeds for every game sold will be donated to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.

At $30, and with a family-friendly theme, we can see Real Heroes: Firefighter leading a new wave of games that provide something a bit more satisfying than the mini-game party package shovelware. The game releases in July, and we'll be keeping a close watch to see how it's received by the gaming audience.