Epicenter Studios announced today its development of Real Heroes: Firefighter (working title) exclusively for the Nintendo Wii . Real Heroes puts players in the soon-to-be soot-stained boots of a rookie firefighter who has just been assigned to a busy metropolitan fire station. Players will undergo a “baptism of fire” in an escalating array of emergency situations.

Featuring Epicenter’s proprietary “Thinking Fire” technology, Real Heroes’ blazes will seem almost alive as they not only attack structures, potential victims and firefighters, but also cause unexpected changes to the environments that will suddenly alter the player’s options and strategies – no two scenarios will play out the same way. Success will depend equally on the player’s mastery of realistic firefighting tools and techniques and on the player’s ability to think and react quickly under pressure.

“Combining our unique fire tech with the specific strengths of the Wii was a natural choice for us as we designed Real Heroes,” says Epicenter CCO Bryan Jury. “The Wii-mote makes spraying down fires with your hose, hacking down doors with your axe and prying victims loose from wrecked cars with the Jaws of Life an absolutely visceral game experience.“

“The Wii is a family-friendly console and we’ve designed Real Heroes with that in mind,” notes Epicenter CEO Nathaniel McClure. “Because firefighting requires a lot more than dousing flames, Real Heroes emphasizes non-violent, game-integral puzzles that mirror the challenges and on-the-fly choices firefighters actually face.“

“We are making every effort to create a game that is intense and engaging, but always respectful to firefighters who, we believe, are real heroes,” states McClure.

Epicenter has secured initial funding for Real Heroes, is developing the game for a holiday 2008 release, and will soon choose a publishing partner. Epicenter is represented by Union Entertainment.

[tags]real heroes firefighter, nintendo wii, epicenter[/tags]