Wednesday 28 February 2007
Whizzing onto Wii in the summer, Emergency Mayhem is a revamped action game originally revealed by ill-fated developer Acclaim Cheltenham - and we've dialed up the first screens for this ker-razy save-'em-all title, now under the control of Supersonic, who you might remember as the creator of the rather excellent Mashed.

Emergency Mayhem's city-sprints, as you take charge of the fire, police and ambulance emergency services in a desperate dash to save anyone in need, look similar to Crazy Taxi's brightly-coloured races against time. Except, with this game, reaching your goal (e.g. a building on fire) is just the beginning. Once you arrive, the madness really starts, with 60 mini-game challenges to be beaten in your quest to rescue hapless citizens.

Choice examples include thwocking escaping convicts, catching falling people as they hurl themselves from an apartment inferno, or shooting menacing monkeys with high-velocity bananas. But you might also find yourself hunting down a poisoned kebab van through the city in the standard vehicle mode.

With motion-sensitive controls - think Excite Truck for driving, WarioWare for the mini-games - and upgradeable vehicles, not to mention the cheerfully vibrant visuals and characters, Emergency Mayhem is every inch a Wii game. Hit the images tab above for more views.

For a first look at the game, rush down to the newsagents now and grab a copy of the April issue of NGamer.