"Doctor, his
arm is bleeding!"
"Doctor, his
tumor is growing!"
"Doctor,
he’s crashing!"
"Doctor!
Doctor!!"
The first
Trauma Center brought innovation and creativity to a handheld that’s known for
having both. When the Nintendo Wii – the quintessential home version of the DS
– was officially unveiled in May, it was announced that Trauma Center would be
operating its way to that console as well.
If you’ve
yet to perform your first surgery, let me bring you up to speed. Trauma Center
is a story-driven action/strategy game where your only goal is to save lives.
That sounds simple enough, and if you were stretched out on the couch watching
ER or Grey’s Anatomy, the task wouldn’t be that difficult. In Trauma Center,
you aren’t watching anything – you are the doctor. You’re the one they come to
when a patient is covered in broken glass. Its tiny, piercing shards must be
removed one at a time with crucial steadiness.
When a
patient starts having intense stomach pains, you’re the one who has to cut her
open, explore her insides, remove the source, and stitch her up with care for
minimal scarring.
The game is
brilliant in concept, and positively stunning in execution. Trauma Center:
Second Opinion comes to the Wii with more than rehashed elements from the DS
original.
Remotely
Under Control
There are
games like Madden and Excite Truck that can use the Wii remote to change the
control and gameplay style. Trauma Center, however, is a game that could not
have existed with the last generation of game controllers.
The game
assigns many motion-specific functions to your remote: scalpel, syringe,
forceps, ultrasound, laser, antibiotic gel, stitches, and drain (a vacuum that
reduces blood interference). Each of these are heavily dependant on the
player’s movement.
At the start
of each operation, your first task is usually the most difficult to get
exactly right: you have to cut open a patient. Try to envision how hard it
must be to do this on a real person, then apply that thought to the game but
not with a real scalpel, but with the Wii remote. Your arm, suspended in air,
must gradually draw a line – indicated by a few points on the screen – across
the body. There’s a time limit, so you can’t take too long. But if you go too
fast you’re likely to veer off course. The patient will feel additional pain,
his or her vitality will drop, and you’ll have to start over.
These lacerations need to be
stitched at once!
Aside from
drawing a perfectly straight line, players must also keep this motion steady.
Think of it as playing an instrument. If your tempo isn’t consistent, the
outcome won’t be music to your ears – or anyone else’s, least of all the
patient.
The process
of removing glass and tumors is a simplified version of the real thing. You
clamp onto the glass or tumor using the forceps. Both the A and B buttons must
be held down, reinforcing the sense that you’re clamping something. Tumors may
be picked up quickly and tossed aside, but glass needs to be lifted out with
care. Slow and steady movements will prevent the glass from striking the
patient as it’s removed, which results in less pain and a higher vitality
rating.
Tumors are
easier to lift out, but their removal is much more involved. You first have to
locate them with ultrasound (point to different parts of the body and press
the A button). Tumors will only stay visible for a short time after being
located. Make a small incision to reveal its true location. Drain the blood,
then cut around the dotted points to separate it from the patient. Small
growths may form next to the tumor — zap those with your laser. Finally,
clamp down on the tumor and remove it, clean the wound, and patch it up.
All of the
described actions are done by pointing and waving the Wii remote. Many of
these were found in the DS version, in which you would push down on the screen
using the stylus and drag as necessary.
Give ‘em a shock, and keep
your fingers crossed…
Second
Opinion introduces a lot of cool things that are only possible on Wii. When a
patient is crashing, the player must push both controller pieces (the remote
and nunchuck) toward the screen for the defibrillator to make contact.
Broken bones
can’t simply be removed – they must be put back together. The pieces of the
broken bone come in different shapes and sizes. Your goal is to grab those
pieces and position them in the proper location. To do that you’ll have to
clamp down on the pieces and twist your wrist until each piece is lined up.
Release both buttons and, if done correctly, the piece will snap into place.
That part is nothing like a real operation – doctors don’t have that luxury.
But this is a game, and as realistic as the developers wanted to make it, they
also wanted it to be fun and accessible to those of us that haven’t gone to
medical school.
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Gameplay: 8.7
An incredible and
original game of operation. You’re the doctor – the one in charge of saving
lives. Remove glass and tumors, stitch open wounds, sustain the vitality of a
person’s heart, and perform several other procedures that are timed,
challenging, and highly entertaining.
Graphics: 6.0
The DS’s visuals
have been carried over to Wii without much of an upgrade.
Sound: 8.5
What’s
significant about ER’s sound? Whether you watch the show or not, you know its
theme song the second it plays. Trauma Center’s music isn’t as unmistakable,
but you will get to know – and love – the deep and heartfelt themes composed
for this game.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Trauma Center’s
intense missions need fast reflexes and a quick-thinking mind.
Concept: 9.0
One of the most
brilliant DS releases has gotten more clever and creative on Wii.
Overall: 8.5
Zelda is
everyone’s first pick, Wii Sports is a pack-in, and Tony Hawk is a great
all-around racer – but Trauma Center: Second Opinion is one of the first Wii
games you should own. The operations were very cleverly produced, and are
really fun to perform. Their complexities are of deep strategic value, but the
super-quick pace of each mission leaves no room for boredom. Win or lose, high
grade or just barely passing, you’ll want to go through these operations over
and over. Trauma Center was great on the DS, but the stylus has movement
limitations that are not found in the Wii remote. Whether you have the DS
version or not, Second Opinion is a must-own.
