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Legacy Interactive was kind enough to provide us 3 of their newest products with the pitch that their real-life simulations would appeal to the calculating mind of an adventure gamer. And I have to say, I agree with them wholeheartedly. I though it might be fun to have 3 different staff members with an interest in the appropriate subject matter review the games. Harriet Gurganus, our resident 'New Release' guru, at one time worked in an emergency room so who better to review Emergency Room: Code Red. Matthew Desmond is studying towards a future in law enforcement, so to his able hands went Pursuit of Justice. As for Vet Emergency, well what can I say? I have a dog named Charlie and a cat named Chaplin - how much more qualified could I be?
You can't slip anything by our Randy for very long. That's why he is "the boss" and why he makes the big bucks. Well, maybe they are little bucks, but whatever. Recently, he shook up his memory banks and downloaded the fact that I am a nurse and that my all time passion and employment has been in the field of emergency nursing. Years in the ER trenches do not make me an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I do have a grip on what works in an emergency situation, what is real, what is wrong with a patient, how something should be done and how to survive with my sanity and my patient in tact. So when my nursing background tumbled out of Randy's CPU he decided to send me Legacy Interactive's newest game, Emergency Room: Code Red. He said that I was the "best person" that he knew to review the game. Let's see if the "boss" was right. If you have ever worked in an emergency department or been a patient in one you probably recognize that there is rarely a quiet moment at any time of the day or night. People who work in an ER often pray for an extra second just to have a cup of coffee or a bathroom break. And, that much needed break is usually lost in the organized or disorganized chaos that is filled with the injured, the ill, the dying and all of their "significant others". Emergency Room: Code Red is reminiscent of that environment, however, in this virtual ER you can slow the pace to meet your decision making needs. You can play in the easy mode (beginners only); the normal mode (most players); or in expert (medical expert). Unless you have a medical background, I suggest that you begin in the easy mode. The medical challenges in this game are realistic and will call upon you to make split second diagnostic choices. If you make the wrong choice you may damage your patient forever. As your treatment regimes become more assured you can turn up the heat and advance to the normal or expert settings. When you arrive for your first tour of duty in the Legacy Hospital ER you will meet Dr. Bridge, a busy man dressed in green scrubs. He will briefly recognize your existence and then dash off to see a "crashing" patient. You will be left to your own devices with an ER nurse who will give you an overview of the Nurses' Station which is the nerve center of patient care. She will also introduce you to the brain of the ER - the white, wall mounted, grease board where all of the patients and their conditions are listed and accounted for. Without the organization offered by that grease-board, all medical care might cease and desist. Legacy has provided many levels of therapeutic intervention aids to help you with your patients. Most important, at least initially, is your PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). While treating your patient, you can use the PDA to help you be successful with your case. There is a HINTS portion located in the INFO section. Text will be displayed (on the PDA) that tells you the next step you should try in your treatment plan. The PDA also includes a RESEARCH section which will allow you to research your case and finally sign out your patient. A medical research computer is also available and contains all information necessary to successfully diagnose and treat your patient. It is filled with treatment protocols, a medical terminology glossary and an ER tutorial. After you familiarize yourself with the PDA and the medical research computer you are ready for business. It is time to select your first patient and you have 35 real corkers to chose from: a patient injured by a lightening strike; a patient with multiple stab wounds; a near drowning victim; a young woman with a partial spontaneous miscarriage; an ecstasy overdose; a patient with Kawasaki syndrome (a lymph node problem); a patient with congestive heart failure who has a DNR (do not resuscitate) order. And the patients keep piling up and your choices don't get any easier. These are sick people and it is up to you to triage them (select who needs to be seen next), stabilize the patient, ask lots of questions about their symptoms and condition, examine the patient, make a tentative diagnosis, and develop a treatment plan. And if you are slow, can't think on your feet, afraid to make tough decisions then this is not the place for you. And Dr. Bridge will concur with that if you are a dud. He will evaluate your progress after every case and try to keep you moving in the right direction. You will learn to deal with more than 50 medical tools of the trade as you work though your various cases: a blood pressure monitor; an EKG monitor; a respiratory rate monitor; a thermometer; stethoscope; penlight; magnifying glass; blood drawing equipment; X-ray machine; chest tubes; oxygen; rib spreaders; sterile dressings; suture material; a defibrillator; intravenous therapy equipment. The list goes on and on. You can refer to you glossary and treatment protocols to help you determine what to use and when. Time triggers exist in each scenario and they will increase your pressure to perform. It all sounds like a day at the "shop" to me. Created by actual ER physicians, this is not a game for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. If blood makes you feel faint I suggest you keep an ammonia capsule (once know as smelling salts) in your lab coat pocket. The tools for your success are provided by the Legacy people. The scenarios are realistic. The action is believable. The medical equipment and patient complaints are exactly what you would see in every ER in the US. And the interface between you, the patient and the patient care computer is easy to use and accurate. Legacy specializes in non-violent games that put you in control. If you ever dreamed of becoming a physician or a nurse but medical training was more than you wanted to buy into this may be your chance to be the professional in the emergency room. Now, what patient shall I see next? Grade as an adventure
game: C
The criminal justice system in the United States is rather different from other countries. Some countries have people tried before a panel of judges, other countries are like our own justice system. Unfortunately, Pursuit of Justice just doesn't give our criminal justice system any justice. The premise of the game is that you are a rising prosecutor in the District Attorney's office. You get a case and you have to establish the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the crime. You do this by going to the police station, watching videos of interviews and sorting out the accurate stories from the made up stories. You can order tests, get autopsy reports for murder cases, etc, etc, etc. This is about the only place where the game shines. Once you go to trial, that's an entirely different story and there should be a tutorial of how to proceed in court. Unfortunately, there isn't an accurate tutorial and you just have to guess on everything until you get it right, this means guessing on legal responses and objections. Which makes the game really frustrating because of the number of times you have to go back and do each trial until you get it right and proceed. It's very upsetting. It really is. The trial is cut down into three phases, the prosecution's case, the defense's case, and the rebuttal for the prosecution. During this time you can call witness and ask them legally correct questions and make any objections to what the defense attorney is saying in his line of questions to witnesses. Unfortunately though, the graphics are as normal as any other Legacy Interactive game, a bunch of videos and a few still backgrounds. There was so much potential in this game, but, Legacy Interactive failed to rise to the occasion and make this the best, darned simulation game on the market. Pursuit of Justice Final Grade: C+
If you need an in-depth description of Vet Emergency, then I strongly suggest you re-read Harriet's detailed review of Emergency Room: Code Red and substitute the words puppy or kitten every time a person is mentioned. They are really both the same game, the only thing that has changed are the outward appearances of the patients. So now, instead of attempting to save the life of a slimy street thug, you are attempting to save the life of a slimy reptile. As with the other Legacy products you have a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that contains hints, information and research. You can choose which patient you would like to see next by studying a white grease board that also offers some background info on the patient's current condition. You can then choose to diagnose or even operate if necessary. Video segments are nicely mixed with still photos and there are even some light touches of humor to prevent the proceedings from becoming too serious. There are 35 cases to examine, diagnose and treat and Legacy has provided numerous levels of therapeutic intervention aids to help you with your panting, barking, meowing and cooing patients. Besides the PDA, there is a hints portion to gently lead you towards your next step of treatment and a research section and medical research computer that you can access to obtain all of the information necessary to successfully diagnose and treat your patient. It is chock full of treatment protocols, a medical terminology glossary and an emergency room tutorial. This is not a game in which you can just gloss over a solution. If the above is not enough information to put your diagnostic skills into overload, there is also a full cast of characters with which to contend. Not only do most of the characters in the game have more personality than do your average action gamer (Me blow things up, make them go boom), but these are also people with a mission in life. For example, let's take a look at Ellie Rosen's bio… Ellie Rosen - adorable but feisty, Ellie has a wicked sense of humor and delicate vulnerability hidden under a tough exterior. She is a hip and articulate outspoken "vegan warrior," EarthFirst! and PETA animal activist. Taking care of animals is not only her job but also her first love. Admirable qualities to be sure, but personally I do not think I would want to be married to this woman as I would surely be sleeping in the doghouse and slurping my meals from a dog bowl. All kidding aside though, my point is that Vet Emergency is a product geared towards gamers sincerely interested in animals or curious as to what it would be like to be a veterinarian for a day. And on this level, it succeeds commendably. If nothing else, all three of these products prove that it is not necessary for a product to have 3D state-of-the-art graphics to be successful, as we adventure gamers know all too well. Vet Emergency Final Grade - B. System Requirements all 3 games: Windows5/98/2000 Power MAC OS 8.1 or higher |
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