Sitting in our suite, anxiously waiting to play Disaster: Day of Crisis, it was difficult to know what to expect. As the title suggests, we were waiting to see just what kind of drastic problems this game was venomously going to throw at us. With anticipation in the air, we sat back ready to play. What would be in store? Was this going to be another typical Wii game?

Just like you, we sincerely hoped the answer to the latter question was a resounding “No!” Luckily for us, Disaster offered an exciting, exhilarating, and totally Hollywood style blockbuster straight from the start. That’s exactly what this is: a blockbuster title. Unfortunately for Nintendo’s console, there have been too many unintentional comedies (in the form of games such as Ninja Reflex and Rampage: Total Destruction) that have failed to get a laugh from its worldwide audience. The “casual” tag hasn’t worn off yet, but with titles like Disaster being developed, the boundaries are certainly being pushed further away from this ever-present and totally unwanted description.

In the opening level, players must escape an inevitably erupting volcano in South America (named Mt. Aguilas) and save their colleague Steve. As you work for a rescue squad, irony quickly takes hold as you work out a way of finding your fallen friend. Acting as a tutorial, players will learn the basics of gameplay with their new hero Ray instantly, in a heavily scripted and linear manner. Although level design is unoriginal, there are some aspects to the game that make excellent sense, many of which are outlined from the outset.

Using both the Wii remote and nunchuk, we quickly learnt the rules needed in order to stay alive. See that fire over there? You need to run through it. Once this is done, get ready to beat the flames off yourself by waving the controllers in the air. This shaking technique is also brought into play when you want to smash objects. Doing this will gain players extra health, stamina, or experience, as they indulge in a ridiculously over-sized hamburger or chicken leg. Every action we decided to use resulted in our stamina being affected in some way. Interestingly, players can see the state of their lungs at all times, meaning the affects of running through smoke can be analysed immediately. Running out of breath means that you cannot run, and at times, it is hugely vital that you do break out of a walking pace. By pressing Z, players can also take a huge breath in order to clear their passageways, and begin taking onboard that ever-vital supply of oxygen once more.

Not particularly inspiring at this point, Disaster didn’t blow us away initially. Instead, we had a very accessible, alternative and mildly entertaining opening level. As progress was made and the story began to unfold, we met Steve once more. It’s at this point that the dramatic scripting reaches new heights, as a barrage of human swallowing molten lava chases you. Players are forced to sprint in a Mario Olympics style, and can expect to feel pretty worn out afterwards. Making a last effort to beat the crimson river, Steve falls severely. It’s up to Ray to rescue him, bringing about the first major event in the storyline. We won’t spoil it for you, but it sets the game up nicely indeed.

Moving onto the second level, players will find themselves in the more familiar “Blue Ridge City”. Predominantly New York under a different name, this is the setting for the unravelling of Ray’s background and mission for the future. After a certain person is kidnapped, Ray quickly realises what he needs to do, bolting into action before he even catches his breath. Once the kidnapping victim is located, the second disaster unleashes it’s fury on New Y..ahem…Blue Ridge City. This time, a disastrous earthquake is heading for town, only one year after the world saw the worst volcanic eruption known to man. Needing to work his way to the hostage and out of a collapsing building, proceedings begin to feel hugely scripted. Influences from popular titles also raise their familiar heads, as sound codes echo those of Metal Gear Solid. Equally significant is the influence the admired Time Crisis series holds over this level, as shoot-outs begin to grasp the main bulk of the gameplay.

Almost obviously when in a shoot-out, players must aim at the screen with their Wii remote, and shoot with the B button. Hiding at the right time is vital, just like the aforementioned Time Crisis franchise, and can be the difference between living and dying. Although this set-up is fun at the beginning, we quickly grew tired of the sheer amount of enemies that needed to be killed. We much preferred exploring the city in third person, and witnessing the oncoming disaster as it took its vindictive bite out of the large portion of America it seemed to be helping itself to.

It’s these sections of the game, as you run around the city, that are definitely the most interesting we witnessed. At vital times, the player is urged to zoom in on a critical moment; seemingly always something collapsing or being destroyed. During these events, a large amount of iconography can be seen, as images on screen easily reminded us of real-life disasters.

Although gameplay throughout this level was mainly unoriginal, there were a few aspects that had us highly intrigued in the beginning. Turning the Wii remote on its side, players have to start up and fix an escape vehicle. As we inevitably escaped at the last possible second, we began steering a desperate getaway car from the hazardous scene and into the main city. Brilliantly, a disaster report began to play through our Wii remote, ramping up the tension, and making us feel involved with everything that was going on. With an ideal design, it’s great to see the remote being used so innovatively, as this section of the game left us exhilarated and totally immersed in the experience. It seems that for every original concept in Disaster, there is something undesirable or unpolished ready to pull it back down. Importantly, the inventive ideas work a treat, and will live on in the memory of the player.

After taking a short break, and considering the two levels we had completed, it was nice to find that disaster has a reward system in place. At the end of each level, a number of titles are awarded similarly to the Achievements seen on the Xbox 360. We managed to pick up awards such as “Chicken” and “Veteran Soldier”, brilliantly contrasting our skills in the gun department. These allowed us to unlock new weapons, upgrades, and overall more efficiency, meaning a deeper level of customisation can be had with this extremely linear package.

It seems that Disaster has still been developed with the casual gamer in mind, as checkpoints frequent levels incredibly often. Although this isn’t a bad thing, when combined with the difficulty of the game, there seemed to be little challenge here.

Picking the controller back up, and ready to save Blue Ridge, we were relieved to see allies in the game. Of course, these people needed saving, and we were the man to do it. Interestingly, each person we rescued needed different treatment, meaning a series of mini games were bound to take place. It was either down to timing or steadiness, but these sections involved grabbing the hand of a struggling friend, or issuing treatment to vivid wounds. Breaking up the main narrative once more, we began to find these parts a particular hindrance once more; meaning we heartlessly began to evade any calls for help in order to carry on with the story.

As our time with Disaster: Day of Crisis came to an end, we were treated to a spectacular last section of the third level. As the earthquake destroyed the city, and fires began to rage, an unexpected twist heightened tension. Firestorms began to linger around the evacuation point, meaning these red hot tornadoes were ready to cause some real destruction to any remaining human life. This was our dying image with the game, meaning we have been left hugely intrigued for the release of the full title on October 24th.

Leaving our hosts at Nintendo, we were pleased with what we saw. Although not entirely original, Disaster looks set to deliver on the “Hollywood blockbuster” tag we gave it earlier. With a handful of new ideas and unrivalled production values for a Wii game, this is definitely one to look out for in the near future. Whether or not the game caters for the hardcore crowd is another story.