Preview: Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward (Wii)

You take the role of a nurse, seeking to become the best head nurse in America. This is achieved by organising your ward, as you progress from the quiet halls of Maryville to the constant buzz of New York. Regardless of which one of the seven locations you find yourself working in, expect a stream of patients that will test your organisational and medical skills. With sixty levels of challenge plus the ever-increasing ‘Endless’ mode, the game certainly looks like a demanding hospital shift.

“We’ve spent a lot of time researching what audiences want in a good casual game and we’ve incorporated these into Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward,” said Oxygen Games CEO Jim Scott. “Hysteria Hospital is very funny, very frantic and is sure to entertain gamers of all ages.”

Set in today’s medical climate, Emergency Ward looks set to follow modern trends in health care by demanding you make full use of the resources at your disposal. This is all about efficient diagnosis and treatment, then freeing up your limited number of beds so you can treat the next influx promptly. Finance plays an important role in the States, as the more patients you can treat, then revenues and profits will increase. Yet it’s not just exclusively about patient numbers, you must also consider the needs of your staff and equipment costs. Effective management of these resources can result in worthwhile returns, as you strive to keep costs down.

Visually its hard not to reminisce about Theme Hospital, as the adopted viewpoint and strategy theme brings back fond memories for Gamestyle. If Emergency Ward manages to balance the humour element with addictive strategy, then a whole new generation will grow to love the fun you can have as a health care professional.

Words by Jason Julier