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Atlus' Wii-make makes its way onto Wii, and AMN is here with its very own professional opinion.
November 27, 2006 | 1:48 PM PSTby: Jeff Rivera
Trauma Center made its first appearance on the Nintendo DS and was one of the first titles to really make excellent use of the handheld’s hardware features. Now, at the launch of the Nintendo Wii, the Trauma Center franchise is back to once again to attempt to show what sort of gameplay innovations can be possible with a little bit of imagination.
When Trauma Center: Second Opinion was originally announced, many fans of the series were a bit disappointed to learn that it was going to be a remake of the already available DS version. A lot of fans were worried that the game would be a quick cash-in effort and would tarnish the series; but instead of turning out to be a simple and sloppy remake, Second Opinion is more of a re-imagining of the original title.
For those that have already played through Trauma Center: Under the Knife on the DS, they’ll know what to expect in regards to presentation and storyline. The game takes place in the near future and you play as Dr. Stiles, a young rookie doctor that is just beginning his career as a surgeon. There is a progressive storyline that chronicles Dr. Stiles’ rise from a greenhorn doctor to a legendary surgeon known for his miraculous techniques and skills; but the overall plot is more of a tag along and excuse to introduce you to each subsequent surgery.
Each surgery is preceded by a conversation with hospital staff to advance the storyline and to give you details on your upcoming operation. Unfortunately, there isn’t much substance to these conversations and cutscenes. There’s a random voice here and there that’s paired with stills of the characters. It’s a bit odd to have to do so much slow-paced reading when the gameplay is so intense and filled with urgency. More dramatic and faster-paced cutscenes would have gone a long way to maintaining that feeling of emergency that one would expect from a game based in a hospital’s operating room.
If voice over work just isn't a good fit for the franchise, a bit more of a lively way of delivering the story might have been appreciable. A game like Elite Beat Agents, with its comic book style cutscenes, is a good example of a storyline being delivered in an exciting fashion without fancy voice overs or animated scenes.
Early on in the game there is quite a bit of hand holding until you are familiar with each surgical tool and when to use them. Once you’re starting to feel comfortable with your surroundings, Second Opinion begins to ramp up in difficulty and demand that you hone your skills in order successfully complete each operation.
Trauma Center has never looked better.
The controls work beautifully with the Wii remote and nunchuck setup and really add to the immersive pull of the title. The Wii remote is used to control the surgical tools while the nunchuck is used to quickly select them. This two-handed approach to the game is actually smoother and faster than the DS version’s touch screen controls. The Wii remote also provides for some more immersive moments than could be had with the touch screen in Under the Knife. For example, when removing shards of glass from a patient in an early operation, you’ll need to "pinch" the shards by pressing both the A and B buttons. Other tools have you moving the remote forwards, backwards, side to side, and in all sorts of motions to use them. Even those that have played through the DS version of Trauma Center will find Second Opinion exciting.
In addition to the gameplay tweaks and added handful of tools that are present in Second Opinion, there is also an entirely new chapter at the end of the game to play through. While it’s not tons of new content, it at least gives the fans something to look forward to that is completely new to experience.
Graphically, Trauma Center is pleasing to look at, but it’s not awe-inspiring or exceptional in any way. The 480p support is appreciable, but the lack of a 16:9 widescreen mode is a little disappointing for those that could take advantage of it. The varied color palette is pleasing to look at, and the artistic styling is worthy of praise. You aren’t going to find advanced graphical techniques such as bump mapping, or self shadowing; but the game can’t be faulted for it. Even though the Wii is capable of much more graphically, the art direction in Second Opinion is enough to keep many gamers from noticing the (technically) simple graphical output.
The audio package is decent, but it is pretty limited. As mentioned earlier, cutscenes and gameplay elements are lightly peppered with single line voice overs, but for the most part the characters are kept in silence. The sound effects are simple, but they are right in line with the art style that was chosen for the game. Instead of focusing on total realism, Second Opinion offers up some stylized yet simple sound effects. The music in the game is nice, but the overall number of tracks in the game is pretty small. You’ll never be irritated by the music or sound, but you will notice quite a bit of repetition from start to finish. As a result, the audio track is mostly unmemorable, but it does get the job done.
Dr. Derek Stiles - Trauma Center's main protagonist.
Final Comments
Trauma Center: Second Opinion is one of the more enjoyable titles that launched alongside the Nintendo Wii and definitely worth picking up. With 10-15 hours of gameplay, a grading system that will have you trying to improve on your old scores, and the inclusion of an optional hard mode, Trauma Center will do a good job of keeping you occupied for quite some time. Even if you have already experienced Trauma Center: Under the Knife on the DS, Trauma Center: Second Opinion is definitely worthy of your time and attention. Hopefully Second Opinion isn’t the last we see of the Trauma Center franchise.
When Trauma Center: Second Opinion was originally announced, many fans of the series were a bit disappointed to learn that it was going to be a remake of the already available DS version. A lot of fans were worried that the game would be a quick cash-in effort and would tarnish the series; but instead of turning out to be a simple and sloppy remake, Second Opinion is more of a re-imagining of the original title.
For those that have already played through Trauma Center: Under the Knife on the DS, they’ll know what to expect in regards to presentation and storyline. The game takes place in the near future and you play as Dr. Stiles, a young rookie doctor that is just beginning his career as a surgeon. There is a progressive storyline that chronicles Dr. Stiles’ rise from a greenhorn doctor to a legendary surgeon known for his miraculous techniques and skills; but the overall plot is more of a tag along and excuse to introduce you to each subsequent surgery.
Each surgery is preceded by a conversation with hospital staff to advance the storyline and to give you details on your upcoming operation. Unfortunately, there isn’t much substance to these conversations and cutscenes. There’s a random voice here and there that’s paired with stills of the characters. It’s a bit odd to have to do so much slow-paced reading when the gameplay is so intense and filled with urgency. More dramatic and faster-paced cutscenes would have gone a long way to maintaining that feeling of emergency that one would expect from a game based in a hospital’s operating room.
If voice over work just isn't a good fit for the franchise, a bit more of a lively way of delivering the story might have been appreciable. A game like Elite Beat Agents, with its comic book style cutscenes, is a good example of a storyline being delivered in an exciting fashion without fancy voice overs or animated scenes.
Early on in the game there is quite a bit of hand holding until you are familiar with each surgical tool and when to use them. Once you’re starting to feel comfortable with your surroundings, Second Opinion begins to ramp up in difficulty and demand that you hone your skills in order successfully complete each operation.
Trauma Center has never looked better.
The controls work beautifully with the Wii remote and nunchuck setup and really add to the immersive pull of the title. The Wii remote is used to control the surgical tools while the nunchuck is used to quickly select them. This two-handed approach to the game is actually smoother and faster than the DS version’s touch screen controls. The Wii remote also provides for some more immersive moments than could be had with the touch screen in Under the Knife. For example, when removing shards of glass from a patient in an early operation, you’ll need to "pinch" the shards by pressing both the A and B buttons. Other tools have you moving the remote forwards, backwards, side to side, and in all sorts of motions to use them. Even those that have played through the DS version of Trauma Center will find Second Opinion exciting.
In addition to the gameplay tweaks and added handful of tools that are present in Second Opinion, there is also an entirely new chapter at the end of the game to play through. While it’s not tons of new content, it at least gives the fans something to look forward to that is completely new to experience.
Graphically, Trauma Center is pleasing to look at, but it’s not awe-inspiring or exceptional in any way. The 480p support is appreciable, but the lack of a 16:9 widescreen mode is a little disappointing for those that could take advantage of it. The varied color palette is pleasing to look at, and the artistic styling is worthy of praise. You aren’t going to find advanced graphical techniques such as bump mapping, or self shadowing; but the game can’t be faulted for it. Even though the Wii is capable of much more graphically, the art direction in Second Opinion is enough to keep many gamers from noticing the (technically) simple graphical output.
The audio package is decent, but it is pretty limited. As mentioned earlier, cutscenes and gameplay elements are lightly peppered with single line voice overs, but for the most part the characters are kept in silence. The sound effects are simple, but they are right in line with the art style that was chosen for the game. Instead of focusing on total realism, Second Opinion offers up some stylized yet simple sound effects. The music in the game is nice, but the overall number of tracks in the game is pretty small. You’ll never be irritated by the music or sound, but you will notice quite a bit of repetition from start to finish. As a result, the audio track is mostly unmemorable, but it does get the job done.
Dr. Derek Stiles - Trauma Center's main protagonist.
Final Comments
Trauma Center: Second Opinion is one of the more enjoyable titles that launched alongside the Nintendo Wii and definitely worth picking up. With 10-15 hours of gameplay, a grading system that will have you trying to improve on your old scores, and the inclusion of an optional hard mode, Trauma Center will do a good job of keeping you occupied for quite some time. Even if you have already experienced Trauma Center: Under the Knife on the DS, Trauma Center: Second Opinion is definitely worthy of your time and attention. Hopefully Second Opinion isn’t the last we see of the Trauma Center franchise.
February 8, 2010
