Earlier today, we paid a visit to Legacy Interactive's E3 booth to check out its recently announced ER game. Inspired by the popular TV show of the same name, the game will see you assuming the role of a newly hired intern at Chicago's County General Hospital. Ahead of our demonstration, we were told that the development team is looking to combine RPG-style character advancement with a Sims-style relationship simulation, and, based on what we saw today, we're pleased to report that the game is coming along nicely.

When you create an ER character for yourself, it will be similar to a role-playing game, so you'll customize your appearance and then spend a set number of points improving your stats for four different attributes. You'll then assume control of your character as he or she turns up to work for the first of twelve 48-hour shifts (each offering 96 minutes of gameplay right now) that will make up the game. Each shift is essentially a level that you'll have to complete successfully in order to progress to the next, and not all of them will be set within the confines of the hospital. Other levels we were told about, but didn't actually get to see, will include a bowling alley, an accident scene, and the aftermath of a riot.

The level of the game that we actually got to see was one that was set inside the hospital, and it saw our intern character trying to impress the doctors on the floor by assisting with diagnoses and--when patient ailments were only minor--using his somewhat limited abilities in the six different fields of medicine to treat them personally. All of the characters in ER have been quite beautifully modeled using approximately 2,500 polygons, and the fact that all of the patients in the game have a colored outline around them makes them easy to distinguish from the staff.

The Legacy Interactive representative who showed us the game explained that the patients with gray outlines hadn't been diagnosed yet, and the other colors (we saw yellow and red) were used to reflect the seriousness of their conditions. When examined, each of the patients was also assigned a number between one (minor ailment) and nine (dying) that--when used in a probability formula along with your own rating of between one and 10 in the relevant medical field--would determine whether or not you were able to help. Each time you attempt to heal a patient you run the risk of actually worsening his or her condition. Should you allow a patient's condition to deteriorate to level 10, he or she is dead--along with your reputation (if it becomes a regular occurrence).

Most of the patients we saw treated during our demonstration--which included a clown, a superheroine, and an Elvis impersonator--had only minor ailments, so they didn't pose much in the way of challenge. We're told, however, that some of the more serious cases will become real battles, because the patients' conditions will fluctuate. In addition to taking care of patients, you'll be required to look after yourself during your 48-hour shift, so you'll have to take rest periods, showers, and other such to keep The Sims-style status bars for hygiene, energy, and composure in check. Fail to keep yourself in good shape and your abilities will suffer. As a result, should you start to smell bad (for instance), other characters will treat you accordingly.

Your performance at the hospital will also suffer as a result of your having less-than-amicable relationships with any of your colleagues, and that includes any ex-lovers you might have notched up. We really didn't get to see any of the game's intercharacter relationships in effect, but we're told that you'll be able to establish and maintain good relationships with people through conversations on a number of topics. And, should you meet a special someone, there'll be a broom closet on standby.

Unsurprisingly, ER is primarily being designed for fans of the show, but based on what we saw today, there seems to be no reason why any of you who might never have even heard of the show couldn't enjoy it. We'll bring you more information on ER as soon as it becomes available.