Emergency Heroes Review for the Nintendo Wii

System: Wii	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Ubisoft Reflections / Barcelona	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Ubisoft	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: May 27, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

While it possesses a fairly boring gameplay mechanic, Emergency Heroes may not sound all that bad to you. Possibly the game's biggest problem is one that's hard to understand until you play the game. To put it bluntly, Emergency Heroes lacks polish, and this is a problem that pervades all aspects of the game. As I've already described, the gameplay feels stripped and over-simplified. The open-ended world that could have offered so much is instead much more boring than it should be.

Emergency Heroes screenshot

This lack of polish definitely carries over to the game's graphics, music, and even plot. Visually, the city is bland and looks washed-out. Textures can get really blurry and bad-looking, and the cartoon look of the game doesn't do much to help. Voiceovers are constantly replayed for certain generic characters, and the music and sound effects get annoying really quickly.

The plot takes a backseat to Emergency Heroes' gameplay, and it's as poorly-done as the game's visuals. Dialogue is downright bad, and when things finally come to fruition at the end of the game, you'll encounter an ending that's disappointing and anti-climactic.

Emergency Heroes is borderline shovelware -- but without that $20 price tag. I'd encourage you strongly to stay away from this game -- as a racing game, it has very little to offer. Cruising the city gets old quickly, and the multiplayer mode is about as exciting as the rest of the single-player game. And as an action title, Emergency Heroes is even worse, employing some weird mechanics and generally destroying what could have been a good game idea. Also, it's a really short game - three or four hours and it's over - and there's very little to keep you coming back for more. All told, it's basically a flop and, as such, should definitely be avoided.

By Joseph Catalanotto
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

2.3

Graphics
Bland colors and bad animation give the game a "washed-out" look.

3.0

Control
Very simple and really not all that fun -- at least the dev team didn't try anything with motion controls.

2.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Poor sound effects, voice, and music. You'll probably play through most of the title with the volume on low or even off.

1.8

Play Value
Mission types are far too similar and get boring quite quickly -- I guess it's a "good" thing the game only lasts a few hours.

2.2

Overall Rating - Poor
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Drive the next generation of rescue vehicles: Pilot and command numerous rescue vehicles designed specifically for high-risk, high-speed navigation. Choose between police, fire, and EMT vehicles.

Explore and protect the entire city: As an emergency hero, your mission is to protect the peaceful city of San Alto. Drive through free-roaming open environments and keep the city safe at every turn.

Two player co-op: Challenge your friends or combine forces to form the ultimate rescue hero team to protect your city.

Fun for the whole family: Making full use of the Wii Remote, everyone in the family can enjoy being an emergency hero.

Screen Resolution: Up to 480p (Progressive Scan, Widescreen).