During my trip to E3 I made it a point to stop by and see what Atlus had to say. Their fantastic DS game Trauma Center: Under the Knife is still one of my favorite titles to this day and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on the home console iteration, which will also be exclusive to Nintendo\'s Wii. While Atlus didn\'t have a whole lot to reveal at the time, what I did manage to see and hear left me begging for more.
The only thing being shown for the surgery sequel, titled Trauma Center: Second Opinion, was a short trailer showing off a tiny bit of both gameplay and story. Like the original, the story in Second Opinion will take place in simple, anime-style cutscenes in between each surgery. It is not known if there will be voice acting in addition to the on-screen text, but seeing the game looks to follow directly in the footsteps of its touch-screen predecessor, voicework looks doubtful.
Like the original, the story will be based around Dr. Stiles and his Healing Touch; a special gift that grants him the ability to slow time to a near standstill. However, I also learned that Second Opinion will feature another less lighthearted surgeon. This evil doctor also possesses a unique ability and, while the rep I spoke with wasn\'t 100% sure of what it was, it looks to be the ability to bring patients back from the dead.
Other new features in Second Opinion will be new tools at your disposal for saving lives, one of these being the defibrillator (a.k.a. the two pads that doctors use right after they yell \"clear!\"). I was also told that completing the game as both doctors will unlock special goodies, such as bonus challenges.
The game looks to control just like the original on the DS, instead with the Wii remote acting as your scalpel, syringe, hand, and whatever other tool you will need to save the day. The in-game graphics are also still very simple and stylized, though I suppose this is a good thing. Exactly how realistic do you want a surgery game to look? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Atlus revealed that Trauma Center: Second Opinion will be a launch title for the Wii late this year. Surgery fans, get ready to have your accuracy, and perhaps your patience, tested once again.