A game that features dressed-up Wii mini-games at frustrating difficulty levels.
GAMEPLAY - As I said in the title, this game features dressed-up Wii mini-games. That's basically what the gameplay is. You have 9 or 10 different surgical items at your disposal that you use to operate on patients. Most of these involve being very careful as you make incisions with a scalpel or bandage something up so that it can heal. Basically they all involve run-of-the-mill motions that you would normally use in other Wii games that are mostly made up of mini-games and the like. The difference here is that it's just you. You're racing against the clock and also trying not to kill the patient as you do each operation. The difficulty racks up very quickly, and before long you'll find yourself replaying older levels or doing operations over and over again with trial-and-error ideas. Even on easy this game can be very unforgiving. If I had to describe this game, it would be a series of mini-games you find on other Wii games, but these are meant for the hardcore gamer. Kind of an interesting niche this game plays to, but unfortunately this isn't a game that you can just sit back and enjoy as you play. It definitely takes a lot of patience and dedication to do well at, as you'll see if you play this. - 7/10
STORY - You play as an up-and-coming surgeon named Derek Stiles. There is also another, more experiences surgeon you play as on other missions. All in all, however, the story here isn't all that important. There is a pretty good story going on, but it didn't really matter to me as the punishing difficulty made me want to overcome the operations rather than appreciate the story. To be fair though, the story is decent. - 7.5/10
GRAPHICS - These graphics make this game look like it belongs on the DS. If I'm not mistaken, this game actually was released on the DS first, and if that's true, they didn't take any steps to improve the graphics at all. - 6.5/10
SOUND - The music does its job, and the sound effects are kinda meh. The voice-acting is almost non-existent though, and that's kind of a bummer. Not much care was given here, but it gets the job done. - 6/10
LENGTH/REPLAY VALUE - Luckily some of the operations are worth replaying. Either to sharpen up your skills, improve your rank, or just because they were fun. Most of these operations as you go through the game, however, are very punishing and almost annoying at times. I don't see this game as being one worth replaying from the beginning, however. The game is decently long, but it doesn't really need to be all that lengthy to be enjoyable considering what you do throughout the game. - 7/10
BOTTOM LINE - Trauma Center: Second Opinion is a game that caters to a certain niche of gamer that enjoys mini-game activities as punishingly difficult levels. Most people don't fall into this category, so this will definitely be a game that should be rented before buying. It certainly takes a lot of patience and concentration to play this, so it isn't something you can just sit back and relax as you play. While this game achieves realistic levels as a simulator, it definitely isn't for someone who wants a casual game. - 6.5/10