Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Kids get thrills and fire safety lessons at the same time.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
My Hero: Firefighter
What's It About?
MY HERO: FIREFIGHTER puts players in the role of a rookie firefighter, first training in proper use of hoses, axes, and oxygen masks, and then going out on real emergency calls. Players will douse flames, locate people trapped in smoky buildings, and even rescue a cat from a tree. An overarching story about misused fireworks connects the thirteen missions into one larger through-line.
Is It Any Good?
Kids who fantasize about someday donning a red helmet and big rubber boots will find much to enjoy in the simulated firefighting of My Hero: Firefighter. All the essential elements are here -- using the ladder truck to rescue people from windows, breaking down doors to get to smoke-plagued people trapped inside buildings, and of course, using the fire hose. That last element appears most often in missions and is done quite well -- if you don't follow the instructions you received during training about the proper ways in which to attack a blaze, flames you douse will keep re-igniting before the entire fire is put out. The fire safety lessons that follow each mission are worked rather clumsily into the dialogue, but considering this is a game for young kids, the more obvious the moral, the better.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the game's many important fire safety tips, any one of which would be a worthy topic of discussion for parents and children. Use the game as a jumping off point for safety lessons.
Parents can also choose to discuss gender roles in relation to the game. This particular game is obviously marketed toward boys. Can a girl be a hero firefighter as well? Could a girl play this game?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Majesco
- Release date : November 17, 2009
- Genre : Simulation
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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