First Person Firefighter

At some point in the development of the hit BioShock it was decided that the element of WATER would have a primary mechanical and atmospheric role in the game. The water effects were supposed to be so astounding, and the element would be so omnipresent within the game world, that the would qualify as a character.

Bioshock's been out for a while, so it's up to you the reader to judge whether all that stuff turned out to be true. As far as I'm concerned, hackneyed philosophical themes took center stage in the game, and the oceanic setting served only as a more or less interesting backdrop.

So if someone can intend to incorporate WATER so profoundly into a game and have it sell like hotcakes, where is the game that uses FIRE as a primary mechanical and atmospheric element? (And no, Alone in the Dark and Far Cry 2 don't count. Both games have been noted for their fire effects.)

id Software helped give us the First Person Shooter. Thief gave us the First Person Sneaker. Metroid Prime gave us a First Person Adventure/Explorer. Games like Far Cry and Deus Ex have stretched these formulas into other directions. DICE's Mirror's Edge is poised to give us the First Person Acrobat, and it's one of the most exciting prospects I'm currently aware of. But where is the First Person Firefighter?

The First Person Firefighter

The gameplay wouldn't derive from shooting or killing, or sneaking around, or going out on a big adventure, but instead from fighting infernos and rescuing civilians. You seek out people in distress, you bust down doors, you apply water masterfully.

I don't care if it has a futuristic bent: your fire-suit can degrade in power or health if you don't carefully navigate the game world. I don't care if the climactic levels are completely unrealistic, for example a futuristic weapons compound or chemical factory with extremely volatile chemical fires. I don't care if the game's backstory involves a rogue's gallery of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney-like characters who commit arson. The game could have an investigative component, maybe to unravel the mystery behind a string of arsons/accidents that compose the game. I don't care if the civilians who you rescue in the game are unrealistically connected to the plot in fundemental ways. I don't care if the game borrows staple sequences from First Person Shooters, for example planting tactical explosives-- but to contain a blaze, rather than blow up a regiment of enemy soldiers.

The only thing I WOULD care about is if the game's image, acceptance, and "gameplay" was based solely on cutting edge graphics and flame simulation rather than the game itself.

I like First Person Shooters, Explorers, Sneakers, and Acrobats/Aerialists. The First Person Firefighter would probably incorporate elements from all of them, in addition pivotal non-violent gameplay elements and a socially positive mission. No I'm not just a softie who wants socially redeeming games for their own sake. It's a matter of variety.