Their latest venture is taking on the role of Dean McGregor, a life saving, well mannered Firefighter. In Firefighter F.D. 18 you are bound to save each and every life that is engulfed in the flaming wreckages you are assigned to. Your ego demands a no casualty rate, and you are determined to live up to that expectation. Unfortunately you have an arsonist to deal with that wants to make your life a living hell (literally). Along the way you become entangled with an overeager news reporter, who sometimes does more harm than good. Is Fire Fighter F.D. 18 the start of a new genre and approach to the way we play games? Nah, but it does serve for a refreshingly good time while you wait for the next game to bludgeon someone in.

Visually, Firefighter does a wonderful job in creating a hopeless and frantic atmosphere. Each level you visit is filled with fire, victims, and numerous obstacles you must overcome. The detail is breathtaking, or is that just smoke inhalation? Anyhoo, the graphics are quite good and the developers have done a great job replicating fire effects that are ominous and dangerous. While each level may tend to become repetitive, the challenges you must get by to proceed keep the action flowing steadily. Some smoke filled halls that make visibility near impossible completes the atmosphere of a burning building. You must, like in real life, crouch low to see the paths in front of you. It's little details like this that make the action seem realistic. There are big boss fire battles you must deal with at the end of each mission. These can seem a bit hokey as the game tries to make them out like monsters. The only real downside to the visuals is the environments aren’t readily destructible, they either collapse on their own, or you can only break through certain objects. Your victims will also look very much alike, which gives little personality to the folks you are supposed to care so dearly about. All in all though, Konami has captured the experience quite well with some great visuals.

Firefighter’s charm is also in its audio. Crackling flames, screaming victims, collapsing structures, all brought to you courtesy of Dolby Surround sound. The game also has a terrific heart-pumping soundtrack created by Klaus Badelt (of Pirates of the Caribbean fame). Voice acting is not as pleasant though, with plenty of poor dialog and miscues, you’ll think you’re playing a bad survivor horror film. Thankfully the cut scenes are at the end of each mission, and they move the story along well enough to provide a decent movie feel (even if it is a made for TV movie feel).

Game play is where Firefighter takes the biggest hit. While the game plays actually quite well, especially when fighting the fires, moving Dean about and managing your items, the game still will feel too linear. There are times in the game where a victim is lying on the ground behind a cubicle. The sensible thing to do would be smash down the tables and cubicles and make your way to them as quickly as possible. The problem is that those items aren’t destructible. Why give me an axe if only to open up pointless item boxes, or appropriate placed obstacles? Instead you must make your way through a maze of indestructible barriers and finally save your victim before the smoke fills their lungs. A laughable note, is no matter how far you go into a building or area, you have an unlimited amount of hose, and you don’t have to worry about it getting caught on anything either. I’m sure it would’ve have been a daunting task to make the game a sim, but it just seems odd most of the time. The game has very solid A.I. and this is the first time, if I’m correct, that fire actually has reasoning. Some of battles can be quite trying, and you will see the game over screen a few times during your adventure. The game takes the approach of "try and try again", with an unlimited amount of continues and generous save points. Fires aren’t the only things you’ll contend with either. Sometimes you’ll need to look for loose electric wiring that when mixed with water ends up with “shocking” results. One thing is for certain, the game does play very well, if only a little more freedom were allowed, it could’ve been so much better.

Firefighter F.D.18 is a fun romp for the short time you’ll have with it. The game is quite short in length, but not short on fun and excitement. You should do yourself a favor and at least rent this one, as there is nothing else like it. I applaud the uniqueness of the game, and if there is a sequel in the works, I hope it would allow a little more freedom.