GENRE
	Simulation
	DEVELOPER
	Atlus
	PUBLISHER
	Atlus
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	No
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Games will always be limited by a controller. Keyboards, directional pads and shoulder buttons all do their best to recreate reality, but some games cannot operate under those limitations. Trauma Center: Second Opinion is one such game. I'd wonder when the idea for Under the Knife, Second Opinion's older DS brother, came about. Was it before DS, waiting for the proper platform, or was it after, with the platform providing the inspiration? Either way, a Trauma Center sequel was an obvious addition to Wii.

The story will be familiar to series veterans, as Second Opinion is mainly a remake. A young doctor discovers he has special abilities and helps save the world from a terrorist virus one patient at a time. Added to Second Opinion is a second doctor, bringing an inside viewpoint to the story and a new healing touch.

visuals

There's something to be said for a game that retains a Teen rating, yet begins each level by slicing into a human body. Second Opinion takes the DS game's stylized presentation and ups the richness and detail to a console level -- and everything in Second Opinion is about presentation.

Games can be pretty for the sake of being pretty, but Second Opinion gives every bit of pretty a purpose. The pre-op setups, the slow zoom into the patient, even the menu animations add to the experience. The inner bodies seem vast, as if players are looking through a surgeon's magnifier at all times. The colors are vibrant, and while everything looks animated, everything still looks real; and when the level allows, it can be truly breathtaking -- they are some of the more attractive gaming backdrops I've seen.

audio

Those backdrops blend with a soundtrack that suits the situations, with themes such as the soothing sounds of Caduceus and the intensity of a GUILT infected patient. Voice work has been added to increase the drama, but it does better to aid the player during operations by providing audible indications of new situations.

gameplay

With the exception of one bomb diffusion, each level consists of one or more operations. Each begins by slicing somewhere into the patient's body and ends by sewing them back up. In between, players need to remove tumors, drain fluids, repair wounds and whatever else is necessary to save the patient. The game eases players in with easy operations and plenty of instruction from the nurse, and progressively toughens as the GUILT procedures enter the story. Many of the GUILT levels teeter more in fantasy than the rest of the game, but they are fun nonetheless.

The real skill and joy comes as the healing touch is introduced, which slows down time allowing Dr. Stiles to perform miracle work. The joy is that the healing touch is rarely required, meaning players can ignore it and test their speed as problems begin to stack upon one another. It's an adrenaline rush when suturing a wound, then quickly incinerating a polyp, disinfecting it with an antibiotic, switching to the syringe to inject vital boosting medicine, switching back to the scalpel to excise a tumor, using forceps to cover the area with a membrane bandage and stitching a newly formed cut, all in the matter of seconds.

While the DS touch controls may be slightly easier to use, the Wii's motion controls are more engrossing. Second Opinion uses the most accurately sensitive pointer of any Wii game to date, including the Wii channel screen itself. The greatest addition, however, may be the Nunchuck's work as a tool selector, each of its eight directions assigned to a different tool. It's far superior to the DS method, as it allows faster action as it keeps a player's eyes on the operation. Any mistakes are player mistakes, not control limitations.

Second Opinion features roughly 10 entirely new levels, while the remainder are remakes of the DS game. The new operation procedures are not heavily featured, and the organ transplant in particular was a cool addition that deserved more attention. The new levels are headed by Nozomi Weaver, the game's new doctor who has a different healing touch and offers a different perspective on the storyline. With nearly 50 levels, a good 20 hours of play will keep players busy the first time through; and the multiple difficulty levels will encourage repeat trips.

multiplayer

There is no standard multiplayer, but if you want to get creative a second person can hold the Nunchuck and play as Nurse Angie. "Here's your scalpel, Dr. Stiles."

overall

Much like Under the Knife for DS, Trauma Center: Second Opinion is a perfect demonstration of a game that simply cannot exist on any other console platform. It is both gorgeous and stylish, and even for Under the Knife owners, the game stands on its own as a must-have title. Interestingly, much of its greatness comes from your own pounding heart -- performing pressure-packed operations on your television is tense. Yes, a new storyline and more new operations would have been preferred, but the move to this console gives it a newness that makes it feel original. Besides, it's just fun to play doctor.

9.5/10