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.: ER Previewed
By Jim Drewes - June 6, 2005
10 CCs of entertainment, STAT!
Have you ever watched the popular television show ER and
wished you could be a part of all of the medical action and relationship
drama? Thanks to Legacy Interactive
that wish will soon become a reality for gamers who are fans of the hit show. ER plays much like The Sims with a
few RPG elements thrown in to help you advance through the ranks to become a
prestigious emergency room physician.
Although ER concentrates a great deal of game play to relationship and
character development, there is still a good amount of medical lingo to keep
fans of the medical drama genre satisfied.
When we first heard that Legacy Interactive was going to
bring ER to the PC, hopes were high that it would emulate many of the features
of the old Life and Death games.
If you also find yourself hoping for a surgery simulator, that is
unfortunately not what ER is all about.
You won’t actually be examining patient symptoms. You won’t be cracking any rib cages or
operating any defibrillators. Most of
the examination process is simply clicking on a patient and looking to see what
symptom level they have in one of six areas of medicine (toxicology, oncology,
pediatrics, etc.) Again, if The Sims
had gone medical, ER would pretty much be the result.
Much like the interns in the television show, you start off
as a medical peon, receiving orders from senior and notable characters of the
show, like Dr. Carter. In fact, much of
the cast has provided the vocals for the in-game characters. The game is played out in twelve “episodes,”
each being similar to an episode in the show.
Each episode will have you performing various edicts, some that you are
required to perform successfully, and others that only serve to enhance your
character’s abilities. In the interim,
you can take on a patient load to hone your medical skills. Much like typical RPGs, each patient you
take on will have an effect on your experience and skills. Also, some patients will drop or provide
extra items to carry in your inventory, such as moist towelettes or other
specialty items. Controlling your
inventory and your character skills will help you to build a better doctor out
of your character.
