Trauma Centre: Second Opinion review: Wii puts you under the knife
Wii puts you under the knife
Add your review
Wii puts you under the knife
14/07/07
Reviewer: Agentcel The story has you put in as Dr. Derek Stiles, a new doctor at Hope Hospital. You have to learn the ropes of becoming a new surgeon, and learn how to perform simple operations such as sewing cuts and treating tumors. Early on, you’ll meet up with Nurse Angie, who will be your assistant for the remainder of the game. Nurse Angie is new to the trade as well, so you both continue to learn from each other.
by thelocaluk
Eventually, you learn that there is a virus known as the GUILT virus affecting many patients. The disease is deadly, and highly contagious. You’ll come to learn that there are different strands of the virus that need to be treated in different ways, and also, you learn that Dr. Stiles can perform the “Healing Touch”, which allows you to slow down time with superhuman concentration. You learn the ups and downs of your new ability, and fight the GUILT virus, which is injected into victims by terrorists. Meanwhile, a Japanese doctor is discovering this same ability….
First, you'll be learing the ropes!
The story is very well thought-out, when separated. Yet I feel inclined to give it a low score because it is exactly the same story as Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the DS, with only a different ending. The characters, scenes, and happenings are the same with the exception of the end, and the new doctor. I personally haven’t played Under the Knife for the DS, but if I had, I would have been outraged that they reused the same story. So if you’re looking for something new, but you’ve already played the DS version, I wouldn’t recommend this game unless you really, really want it.
The writing takes up a good 50% chunk of this game. There are entire Episodes of just listening to conversations, every other Episode. It’s like half game, half book. While the writing may be boring for those with a short attention span, I never got that “shut up already so I can play” feeling. If this is a big bother, not to worry: you can skip every conversation with a tap of the – button. The writing isn’t often humorous, but it does tell the story well. If a girl were to play, she’d end up crying. The characters are brought to life well, and it’s like you know them like a friend. The developers really went all out with the storytelling. 
The story is well written.
The graphics are much prettier than the DS counter part Under the Knife, and it’s logical. The art is amazing, and the expressions are done well. The characters come to life even more with a combination of the excellent writing and great artwork. The expressions may seem overused, but there are many characters as well. The backgrounds are well drawn/created, they look pretty real. In the operating room, the organs don’t look that realistic, but that may be a good thing, because who wants to ACTUALLY see inside someone in a game? You do? Go get Resident Evil 4 (laughs). Anyways, the graphics could be better, but are good for the most part.
The music in Trauma Center: Second Opinion is very nice. I’m not sure if they recorded a real piano playing some of the more sadistic songs, but it sure sounded like it. The music compliments the events, sad event = sad music, etc. The songs are catchy, and may be a little repetitive as well, but not too bad.
The control scheme for the game is good; you use the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck attachment to play. The Wii Remote is used to point where you want to use a tool, and the Nunchuck is used to select your tool. There is one Episode in which you actually pull the Remote out away from the T.V., and the game detects it, which I thought was pretty neat.
Overall? Great game, but not perfect. It’s better if you haven’t played Under the Knife beforehand. At least a 9/10.