Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.

What the Game's About
Real Heroes: Firefighters is an ambitious game. The development studio set out to create a non-violent action game just as compelling as a game full of blood and gore. Their inspiration comes from the real work of people that display uncanny amounts of courage at the risk of their health or life. The Wii is a natural fit for the physical nature of the line of work by spraying the fires and performing other duties that firefighters have to do on a regular basis.

What's Hot
Let's cut to the chase, Real Heroes: Firefighters is a brilliant Wii title. It is easy to spot the good design philosophies from the very beginning. There is a delicate balance between larger than life personalities and drop dead seriousness when it comes to honoring the real men and women that risk life and limb. The Wii-mote is used in active ways that don't create a waggle fest but is more reminiscent of Metroid Prime 3. Lastly, with a lack of enemies, the fire is a viable threat that is often more fearsome than a horde of zombies with bullet proof helmets.

Real Heroes secured some impressive talent to do the voice work for the game. Jaime Kennedy, John DiMaggio, Michael Jace and other celebrities do the heavy lifting in terms of bringing you into the action. Each player serves a different role and gives the team a diverse range of personalities that are easily understood. Throughout the fire calls you get, you can expect that the radio chatter across the Wii-mote speaker will be lively as it draws you into the experience.



The gesturing that accompanies the controls of Real Heroes is something that is sets this apart from the legions of other Wii games claiming to have immersive controls. You get the sense that your actions are making a difference as you chopping boxes, prying open doors, extinguishing fires and using the Jaws of Life to tear open cars. It won't feel like a chore to get the work done as you venture deeper into the maw of a burning building.

The only enemy in Real Heroes is the fire. There was considerable time and energy put into making the fire a scary foe to face. From all accounts, mission accomplished. Infernos will threaten you at every moment and if you do not properly extinguish fires, they will creep back to be a much larger problem when you are trying to make progress. Unlike most video games where you generally run in the opposite direction of a exploding or burning building, the goal here is to deeper into the flames and rescue more people. There will be moments where you'll think that you are crazy and then be smacked with the realization that this is actually what firefighters must do as part of their job description.

What's Not
The visuals aren't going to be a Wii showcase by any stretch of the imagination. The textures look rather dull and the characters are particularly blocky. Even though Real Heroes isn't going to win a beauty pageant, there is still a sensation of danger and realism contained within the game.

What is perhaps the biggest let down is the victim AI in Real Heroes. You'll encounter many victims in different states of peril and you need to save them. When you eventually have to escort them to places, they follow predetermined paths that can be blocked by the slightest tinder on the ground. It is up to you to clear wide swaths of area even when your fully geared fellow firefighters are trapped.

Final Word
Real Heroes hits a sweet spot that not many games can even come close to achieving by making a game with a broad spectrum of appeal. Yes, Real Heroes is a little rough around the edges but when you are in the thick of gameplay that won't matter as you get pulled into the world of firefighting. Most importantly there is a huge reverence towards honoring the real firefighters by conveying what kind of dangerous work they do without outright preaching because Real Heroes is more about showing. All in all, Real Heroes is about giving you an unforgettable experience.