PlayStation 2 Critic Reviews

I really didn’t know what to expect going in, I mean, “How fun can spraying water at fire be?” Turns out its pretty darn fun and compelling.

A fun game for the most part, but it does seem to get a little repetitive. While rescuing the survivors is the main focus of the game, fighting the boss fires is where the real fun is. Unfortunately that is just a small part of the game.

Despite a contrived love story, limited camera control, and levels that tend to drag, Konami has provided a refreshing change of pace in this punishing man-versus-nature offering that it requires you to stem the tide of destruction and actually save lives for once. [Apr 2004, p.74]

8 / 8 / 8 / 7 - 31 silver [Vol 794; 5 Mar 2004]

This is also one of those games that outright begs for a bigger, badder and hotter (pun fully intended) sequel.

Fighting fires instead of more typical corporeal opponents is certainly a refreshing change, but the gameplay can't make entirely good on Firefighter's unique concept.

The pressure and redundancy might annoy some gamers, but it looks and feels appropriately hectic - and it's a morally upstanding, heroically-themed videogame. [Apr 2004, p.40]

If you're willing to learn its patterns and work to counteract them, it offers a challenge that's quite unlike any other game on the market these days. It's occasionally frustrating, yes, but it is, at least, frustrating in a new way.

It can be really hard at times, but this difficult really does add to the atmosphere in this game, almost to the point where you will feel the flames licking at you.

As with all pure action games, FD18 has its annoyances and limitations. It plays like an arcade game, with unfair surprises taking you down at least once, forcing you to play each area to perfection.