I’m no Dr. Kildare, and I’m certainly not Gregory House, M.D., but I have become an expert surgeon. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I certainly have developed a knack for Trauma Center: Second Opinion for the Nintendo Wii. Second Opinion is essentially a remake of Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the Nintendo DS, but stands as a decent game on its own.

Graphics: 50%
The graphics in this game are certainly nothing to write home about. I understand the Nintendo Wii has little more power than the GameCube did, but these graphics are lacking, even for the GC. Nintendo has demonstrated what can be done with the limited capabilities of the Wii; apparently, Atlus did not embrace these same techniques.

Honestly, the graphics are a slightly refined port of Under the Knife. The cut scenes (of which there are MANY), are nothing but simple still shots, with poorly rendered backgrounds. As for the surgery sequences…don’t get me started. It’s simply awful graphics. No, I didn’t expect photo realistic, but they probably could have pulled it off, since most everything could be a sprite.

Sound: 25%
The only thing worse than the graphics in the game, is the sparse sound and audio. There is so little dialogue, after awhile, I simply muted my television, and felt as though I was missing nothing. The music is monotonous, barely heard, and sometimes, just out of place.

There is little dialogue, and the dialogue available is repeated when "appropriate", a term I use loosely in this case. The ambient sounds are odd as well. My girlfriend insists the sound of the automatic doors more closely resembles someone vomiting than that which it was supposed to emulate. I could ramble on and on, but know this: the sound sucks.

Gameplay: 85%
Surprisingly, with all the problems with the graphics and audio, the game is a joy to play. Its just plain fun to pretend you are operating: performing lobotomies, removing tumors, and patching up MVA victims. You have a variety of tools at your disposal, and after a number of surgeries during which your support staff walks you through the procedures, you are on your own, left only with your training and your instincts to guide your steps.

Because you plan your own procedures, time limits on operation, and constantly plummeting vital signs, some of the operations can be insanely difficult. You will find yourself killing patients from time to time, and having to re-perform the operation, which wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the dialogue. Oh the dreaded, dialogue…There is so much of it in this game, its ridiculous…and none of it is voiced, so you will find yourself doing more reading more than in this game than playing. The storyline presented within is strange, yet interesting…something I might see in Anime or Manga. But sometimes the dialogue even takes away from the storyline. It may stress urgency, and then ramble on and on before beginning the surgery. The patient would be dead by the time these people shut up!

Control: 85%
Control is pretty good, and utilizes both the Wii Mote and the Nunchuck. The Nunchuck is used to select your tools throughout the operation, and works well in the capacity. Occasionally, things don’t respond exactly as they should or you’d expect, but often times you’ll discover you simply aren’t using the appropriate technique. The forceps can be maddening until you get the hang of it, but it’s a unique use of the Wii controller, and it works.

Overall: 61%
The score doesn’t quite do the title credit, but it is fairly accurate. It’s not a great game…its ugly, and sounds terrible, but it’s fun to play. If you like medical dramas, or like me, once dreamed of working in trauma, then you may want to check this out. Meanwhile, I will sit, Wiimote scalpel in hand, pretending I’m Dr Jed Hill:

”I have an M.D. from Harvard, I am board certified in cardio-thoracic medicine and trauma surgery, I have been awarded citations from seven different medical boards in New England, and I am never, ever sick at sea. So I ask you; when someone goes into that chapel and they fall on their knees and they pray to God that their wife doesn't miscarry or that their daughter doesn't bleed to death or that their mother doesn't suffer acute neural trauma from postoperative shock, who do you think they're praying to? Now, go ahead and read your Bible, Dennis, and you go to your church, and, with any luck, you might win the annual raffle, but if you're looking for God, he was in operating room number two on November 17, and he doesn't like to be second guessed. You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something: I am God.”

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