Trauma Center: Second Opinion

Overview

Trauma Center: Second Opinion was released on November 19th, 2006 as a Wii launch title. A remake of Atlus's DS title Trauma Center: Under the Knife, the game adapts the original game's stylus-based gameplay to work with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The existing characters were all given a facelift using a new art style. New "Z-Missions" were added as well, along with a side narrative featuring Nozomi Weaver, a new character that like original protagonist Derek Stiles has the powers of the Healing Touch.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Trauma Center: Second Opinion is very similar to it's predecessor Trauma Center: Under the Knife. The game uses the features of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in place of the stylus-based gameplay of the DS game. The Wii Remote is used to carry out actions on screen such as making incisions, draining blood pools and suturing, while the analogue stick on the Nunchuck is used to easily switch between the available medical tools. The only major variation in tools is that instead of Derek using his hand to massage a flatlining heart, there is a defibrillator that makes use of the wii's motion controls.

As in the original game, it is the player's job as Derek Stiles to save the lives of patients by performing operations. Standard operations seen early in the game include the removal of tumors and mending severe lacerations. As the plot progresses, the player is faced with several strains of Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin, or GUILT, a terrorist made viral infection.

Changes and Alterations

In remaking Under the Knife for the Wii, numerous changes were made to the game's presentation and gameplay. Some of these changes include:

• Multiple difficulty levels, replacing Under the Knife's single difficulty level.
• The inclusion of a defibrillator, used by holding the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in a way that simulates the device's shock paddles.
• Applying membranes to tumor extraction points no longer requires massaging the membrane after applying antibiotic gel.
• The game's art style was given a new direction, replacing the manga style of Under the Knife with more realistic character designs. This new art direction has become the norm for the Trauma Center series.
• The inclusion of a new side story that focuses on a new doctor, Nozomi Weaver. Dr. Weaver's missions, referred to as Z-Missions, are all-new and feature new twists on the gameplay not present in the DS game. One such new twist requires turning the Wii Remote in hand to rotate shattered bone fragments while piecing them back together.
• The presence of an extra sixth chapter that takes place after the point the original DS game ended.

Plot

The plot of Trauma Center: Second Opinion, is very similar to it's predecessor Trauma Center: Under The Knife. The only changes made to the story involve Nozomi Weaver and the storyline following her Z-Missions.