If there's something we've learned about Jack Thompson os that videogames are nothing but brutal killing simulators. If he played any of the Truma Center games, he'd go crazy. Trauma Center: New Blood is the latest installment in the surgery simulation franchise and by far the best. The game takes place about ten years after the events of Second Opinion. Drs. Markus Vaughn and Valerie Blaylock are your protagonists. They are located in Alaska, where they are perfecting their Healing Touch, a bullet-time type of power that helps them save lifes when the getting gets tough. Soon, their powers call the attention of Caduceus, the famous worldwide company focusing on research of deadly diseases and biological warfare (sometimes) and they are called in to use their abilities, along with their beautiful assistant Elena Salazar, to help them fight Stigma, a deadly virus which is the equivalent of GUILT from the last game. Of course, it comes in different shapes, sizes, types and effects on their victims. The gameplay is mostly unchanged, which is good. The controls work just as good as in SO. Point the remote at the screen to use your tools and select them with the nunchuck. The visuals still look a bit quirky. For instance, in order to know what you need to do, some parts of the anatomy will come in different colors to point you in the right direction. Also, seeing bone fragments puncture a spleen and watch the blood spill isn't as gorey as say Gears of War, but you'll still be grossed out and satisfied all at once. My personal favorite gruesome moment is when you massage a human heart by hand. I don't know whether that's sweet or gruesome or both. The first missions really let you get a feel of what's it like to treat patients under the table. Basically, you'll learn to eliminate tumors, repair broken bones, and retrieve rifle bullets from a heart. Later on, the game gets more complicated, which brings the same problem from the first installment: it's very unforgiving. Say that you're five minutes in an operation and one fatal mistake results in the patient dying and your eloved doctors quitting the medical business. **** This is not an easy game. Even in the easiest setting, there's still a steep learning curve to master. The biggest addition to he franchise is the multiplayer. You can bring a friend onto the operating table and help you out. You can use the first missions as a basis on learning how to work together. This is very handy when you have to fight to Stigmas at once. You can also check out online leaderboards to see how you stack up against the competition. Another big addition is voice acting, which is pretty solid, but delivered in the over-dramatic, soap opera dialogue from previous games, which kinda spolis it if you're not into drama. Personally, I did enjoy the plot from time to time but seriously, some story elements, such as picking a toy lock to escape a pit filling up with water, are ideas that could've been done better . But overall, there were a lot of moments where I felt my heart heavily pound against my chest in excitement. The game sucked me in and I was satisfied by the end of the tale, although it would have been nice if we had seen some action among the doctors. This was a big letdown I felt at the end of SO. Speaking of that, the game offers fan service with cameos of Dr. Styles and Angie Thompson, who I believe are hooked up by now even if they don't say anything. A special bonus is when they introduce Valerie and Markus a simulation where they can fight against GUILT. Other bonus missions are similar to the previous game, which are highly difficult procedures fighting deadly viruses. Before I continue rambling on, I just want to say I really had a good time with the game and I highly recommend it despite some of its flaws.
Other Helpful Reviews for Trauma Center: New Blood
Quick Plot: After fighting the life threatening GUILT in previous Trauma Center games, what else would we have to worry about? In TC: New Blood we have two main protagonists, Markus Vaun and Valerie Blaylock. Starting o... Read Full Review
Trauma Center is indeed one innovative franchise. Who would have imagined twenty years ago that we would currently be playing a game that simulates surgeries? Most people would think, and with some reason, that such a fo... Read Full Review
