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Emergency Mayhem

(2008, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated T, Play it on: Nintendo Wii)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    2.0
  • Common Sense says

    Rescue-worker game, with flawed controls.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    You'll will learn something about cops, firemen, and EMTs
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    You are suppose to be the good guy, but you do things that counteract that role model.
  • Violence:

    You can run over pedestrians and criminals, shoot monkeys, and blow things up.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    You'll hear things like "You suck" when you don't complete a task in time.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Emergency Mayhem was written by Harold Goldberg

Parents need to know that in this game you can become a cop, fireman, or EMT. In those positions, you will witness or cause some violence, including running over pedestrians and criminals, shooting monkeys, and blowing things up. The game can be frustrating because both the controls and onscreen directions thwart you much of the time.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about what the police, fire department, and EMT crews do to help cities and towns stay safe and healthy. Did playing this game make you want to join the police force, the fire department, or become an EMT?
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More on Emergency Mayhem

What’s the Story?

When you read the packaging of EMERGENCY MAYHEM, you'll think, "What a fine idea!" It appears to be a mission-based game full of driving and saving lives where you get to play as a cop, a fireman, or an EMT in eight different environments. You work to save lives or even fix a signal light as a cop. Unfortunately the controls and onscreen directions make this Wii game a disaster that's just not ready for prime time. And that's strange because this game, in which you try to stop mayhem on the mean streets of Crisis City, has been in development for about four years.

Close

Is It Any Good?

Here's why it isn't very good. You'll use the nunchuk to steer through various city precincts, but moving any vehicle in reverse is a real problem. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Even more upsetting is an arrow that's supposed to help you to get to your next mission. It doesn't work. If GPS devices were like this directional system, you'd be driving into houses and buildings constantly. These poor controls makes you want to stop playing before you're an hour into the game.

If you're up to dealing with frustrating control system, you'll have four kinds of driving missions to deal with: delivery of goods to a certain place; timed, where you must achieve something (like getting a fly out of someone's stomach) in a specific period of time; delicate, in which crashing into other cars is a big no-no; and special, which asks you to crash into a criminal's car to damage the vehicle. Along the way, you'll also meet cute, but crazed monkeys and penguins you'll have to round up. The sad thing is that with a little more fine tuning, the game could have been a little gem. As it stands now, though, the only mayhem you'll encounter here is the one permeating your mind as you try to make sense of a game full of flaws. Close

Publisher’s Details

Released on 04/15/2008, price $39.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: T (for Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief)

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