Trauma Centre:
Second Opinion
A recent addition to my collection, comes in the form of this medical drama game. This game really is revolutionary, in both its ideas, and the way in which the Wii controls are used.
Tag Line: Turn your living room into an O.R.
Title: Trauma Centre : Second Opinion
Format: Wii
Price: RRP £39.99
Wi-Fi: NO
Players: 1
When I first saw the images from this game, on the internet, and in various magazines I was not enthusiastic about it, to be perfectly honest. However there was obviously something there as eventually I was so intrigued by it to go out and buy it as a game. I believe that the overall score represents how it plays perfectly.
Graphically:
The game is laid out and played like a typical Japanese Anime Style. You are introduced, to a standard Wii opening menu as with all games, but this quickly passes once you have selected your difficulty.
As you get introduced to the game, you have static images of the various characters, with scrolling text along the bottom. Now these images are great images. They look stunning, but they don’t compare with the regular game, where you have moving characters talking to each other. It’s a bit of a shame really but it doesn’t ruin the game, as it happens you get the feel that this was required to make the game.
As you step into your mission briefing a picture of the human anatomy is shown, highlighting where you will be conducting your operation, and then your thrown in.
I don’t know how to evaluate the next stage of graphics, so thank-fully I have included some images for you to see what it is exactly I am talking about.
As you begin the operation, you are shown the human Torso, which looks great, much better quality than I would expect from a game like this.
Then you begin your operation, slicing and dicing your patient until your inside. Once inside some areas of the human body (like the heart and broken arms) look like they should, however some areas don’t look quite right.
Generally once in the game though you will be satisfied with graphics, as they are suited to the game.
Graphics: 7 / 10
Audio:
You put the game into your Wii, and once again your are taken into a different world, where the style of music you get in a lift is cool? Well obviously the music is not that great for the menu, but then lets be fair how long are you going to be on this menu?
Once you load up your story, you have the static images as mentioned above, and then your followed by scrolling text. The addition of voice over’s would have made the game a little more interactive. However the occasional sound of running footsteps to coincide with urgency.
As the operations begin you hear the voice cry “Lets begin the operation”, or something along those lines. Then once again you are dropped into just a backing track, with varies depending on the urgency of the operation, and this can add unnecessary tensions to you whilst you are operating.
Furthermore don’t forget your front room is now the Operating Room so the traditional Beep, Beep, Beep of the life support machine adds to the tension.
Audio: 7 /10 (To get a higher score the players needed to speak, but it did well)
Gameplay:
Depending on how you approach this game, will affect the way in which you get the enjoyment from this game. I personally came in open minded having read so much saying it was a great game, and my personal thoughts thinking I would hate it, my overall perception was at the time neutral.
As has been mentioned previously there is a whole story line to this game, so you play through chapter by chapter. Some chapters you have operations to complete, some you just have to listen to the story.
Thankfully, this time however the game has got it right and if you are an impatient gamer, and only interested in cutting people open then you will find this game fine as you can simply press the minus button down and fast forward. However I found the story to be quite entertaining.
What’s good about this whole system is you can go back and do an earlier operation whenever you feel like it. Each operation you complete you are assessed on, and given a grade based upon how well you performed, i.e did you kill the patient?
The controls for this game, are the nunchuck and the wiimote, using the wiimote to point at whatever it is you are cutting, stitching, injecting, whilst you use the nunchuck to select the item you require from your inventory.
Each operation is timed, which can get a bit complicated sometimes, when you are a few seconds from success, but ah well.
I think the place that this game falls down most is the lack of multi-player, or wifi use. However this issue has been addressed, and with Trauma Centre : New Blood, which is due for release in 2008.
Gameplay: 9/10 (If only it was multi-player it would have received the full 10)
Innovation:
Well its in my opinion that Nintendo have launched the boat here, with the first of these games being released on the Nintendo DS, and this highly successful version on the Wii, so I am looking forward to future titles, I just wander where this genre could go… and could it fit in with Nintendo’s educational side of things in anyway?
Innovation: 10/10 (It’s a first)
Realism:
Obviously you can not just go and operate on an innocent victim without some training, however if you are someone looking for something that would fit along those lines then this may well be a good title.
You are clearly not a real surgeon, and this game will not qualify you as one, but what it will do is entertain you, put you under pressure and make you feel bad for killing someone, or feel good when you save a person.
All in all it does what it should do, and it entertains and keeps the game within the virtual reality boundaries.
Realism: 7/10
Overall Thoughts:
As I said, I came into this game fairly sceptical and not really knowing what I was doing, but now its here I am happy. I think it is a great game, and it kept me entertained, sadly though my entertainment was short lived, with the overall game life about 6hours to completion and then replay value is limited, because once you know what your doing you don’t suffer so badly.
Graphics: 7/10
Audio: 7/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Innovation 10/10
Realism: 7/10
Total: 80% A well rounded highly recommended game. Well Done all involved in the production.
How did you find this review? Was it helpful to you? Have you got this game? What are your thoughts? Do you agree with my rating or do you think I have rated unfairly, let me know.
Alex
Trauma Centre : Second Opinion
Linear Mode
