Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Wii) (gamespy)
- gamespy -
About a year ago, GameSpy reviewed Atlus's crazy-fun DS title Trauma Center: Under the Knife. It was one of the most innovative and different games we'd seen at that point. Well, now it's time for Nintendo Wii owners to get a taste of Atlus's medicine with the release of Trauma Center: Second Opinion. For the most part, the story remains the same, but just about everything else has been fiddled with or tweaked.
In the year 2018 modern medical science has managed to overcome previously "incurable" diseases such as AIDS and cancer. This is a good thing. But as you'd imagine, there are new strains of viruses and diseases that still need to be conquered. One such ailment is a terrifying new terrorist-engineered virus known as GUILT, and before your time in the game is up, you'll be facing off against this bad boy. The game sees you assume the role of rookie doctor Derek Stiles, who has just completed his initial residency at Hope Hospital and is on the way to be becoming a fully fledged surgeon. You'll need to guide Derek through six chapters of storyline, performing progressively harder and outrageous operations in order to save the day -- and you'll have a great deal of fun doing so.
About a year ago, GameSpy reviewed Atlus's crazy-fun DS title Trauma Center: Under the Knife. It was one of the most innovative and different games we'd seen at that point. Well, now it's time for Nintendo Wii owners to get a taste of Atlus's medicine with the release of Trauma Center: Second Opinion. For the most part, the story remains the same, but just about everything else has been fiddled with or tweaked.
In the year 2018 modern medical science has managed to overcome previously "incurable" diseases such as AIDS and cancer. This is a good thing. But as you'd imagine, there are new strains of viruses and diseases that still need to be conquered. One such ailment is a terrifying new terrorist-engineered virus known as GUILT, and before your time in the game is up, you'll be facing off against this bad boy. The game sees you assume the role of rookie doctor Derek Stiles, who has just completed his initial residency at Hope Hospital and is on the way to be becoming a fully fledged surgeon. You'll need to guide Derek through six chapters of storyline, performing progressively harder and outrageous operations in order to save the day -- and you'll have a great deal of fun doing so.
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New this time around are a number of things. The Wii incarnation offers a brand new motion-sensitive set of controls using both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk. The DS title saw extensive use of the stylus, but there's something a little more satisfying about using the Wii controls. A greater sense of freedom is one, but rest assured that you'll need a steady hand in order to use your medical tools to good effect. TCSO also offers some great updated visuals for the characters and the operations as well as a side selection of chapters featuring a female doctor named Nozomi Weaver. There's a new difficulty level and also a brand new ending for the final chapter in the game -- not to mention a slew of new operations smattered throughout the entire game.
But it's the Wii's awesome implementation of the controls that really makes SO a hit, in my eyes. Each operation will require you to use up to eight different medical tools, including a scalpel (used for incisions), a laser (used for zapping nasty growths), antibiotic gel (needed to close and sterilize open wounds), an ultrasound, forceps and many more besides. Some secondary tools include a defibrillator and a magnification tool, but all said and done, there are more than enough tools to keep your heart pounding, and hopefully your patient's too.
The Nunchuk resides in your left hand and is responsible for letting you select tools from your inventory. The Wii Remote, on the other hand, delivers your abilities to perform the actual procedures on a patient. You'll need to make incisions, clean up wounds, remove tumors, replace heart valves and tackle the insane GUILT virus, all in real time, but luckily as the story unfolds, Derek gains a special ability to help out with the more stressful operations.
This segues nicely into SO's storyline. It's total and utter crazy madness, but it's also highly entertaining and often amusing. Some of the situations that arise couldn't be further from reality if they tried, but this simply adds to the wacky charm of the game and the fact that you're pretending to be a virtual surgeon in the first place. Some of the missions are extremely taxing and difficult, too. And this is independent of which difficulty level you decide to play the game at -- they are meant to be hard, so you'll just have to suck it up.
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There's a lot of reading to be done in the game. It doesn't get in the way of the action too much, as the story is decent, but some gamers might be initially put off by the texts. Second Opinion is at it's very best when you're trying to shock a patient's heart back to life with the defibrillator in the middle of trying to keep them pumped full of stabilizing drugs, along with cutting them open and sucking gunk from tumors.
It's sometimes a little edgy and raw, and gamers that don't like the thought of getting down and dirty with some pretty gross operations might do well to steer clear. Trauma Center: Second Opinion is a perfect fit for the Nintendo Wii. If you've played the DS title, then you need to play this too. If you haven't, then don't do your new Wii the disservice of ignoring TCSO. It's a refreshingly original game that'll give you a ride well worth taking. Just be sure to stock up on those caffeinated energy drinks before you scrub down and hit the OR -- things get intense real quick in there.
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