Firefighter FD18 (PS2)

The general objective of the game is to put out fires and rescue any survivers that are trapped. This involves ramming doors down and even breaking through crumbling walls with your fireman's axe. Basically do whatever you have to do to recue people and save lives.

In total there are twenty eight missions and while they are all in different places, it tends to feel like your going through the same building, as there is not that much variation and after long periods this game can get quite repetative. However saying that, it is certainly a game that you can get hooked on and drawn into and a whole morning can soon fly.

So, as i have already said, the idea of the game is to save lives by putting out fires and freeing the people. There are a number of tools that you can use to help you on your quest. There is of course a hose which as two different types of spray; a direct spray which is much more powerful and can be used for putting out fires from a distance; and a lighter spray which is good if you find yourself engulfed in flames. If you want a short, fast, powerful burst of spray then a fire extinguisher is a good idea, and you can pick these up on your travels.

Then theres the firemans axe, which you can use to break through jammed door, smash through unstamble sections of wall, and destory obsticals that lie in your path. Of course you are going to lose some of your life at some time being around all that fire and if you feel that you need replenishing of energy you can use either small or a large medikit, or a drink, all of which you can find littered around the game.

Every so often you will come across a 'fire boss' which is basically a boss level but the boss is a big fire. To defeat them you have to use certain skills and tactics as each boss has to be 'put out' in a different way. These are quite fun o beat and add a little bit extra to the game so that you are not just wandering through burning buildings putting out the same old fires.

Overall, 'Firefighter FD18' is a brilliant game all round especially if you are looking for somthing thats a little bit different from other types of game. If you are thinking of becoming a firefighter as a career, then what better than to have a go from the comfort of your own home. Recommended to all.

Due to that, you tend to think that it might not be a good game.
That there might be a lot of mistakes and that the graphics will be poor.
That is not the case.

The graphics are first rate and very realistic.
You do get drawn into the game as you play, which is always a good thing because you want to go back for more.

However, there is not a lot of variation in gameplay, so if you play it for long periods of time, you will find things become repeatative.

The stroy lines and good and the cut-away scenes look great.
You get sense of intensity and emergency from those scenes, but then you you return to the game screen some of that intensitiy is lost.
You start to get the feeling that you have done the same missions over and overbecause things don't vary a great deal.

Apart from that, this is a very good game.
It's well worth a go because it's a great idea for a game, and it as turned out far better than the majority would expect.

If you're a fan of films like 'Backdraft' or even of the TV series 'Londons Burning', check this out.