Wii Trauma Center a remake, not a sequel

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jul 27th 2006 at 1:00PM }

In a somewhat disappointing revelation, Famitsu reports that Atlus' announced medical drama sim Trauma Center: Second Opinion (for Wii) will be a remake of Trauma Center: Under the Knife, which was released for DS in October 2005. Indeed, this pseudo-sequel will be a 'second opinion' of the various traumas that we confronted in Under the Knife.

Second Opinion will feature enhanced visuals (when compared to Under the Knife), as well as voice acting -- and hopefully tighter controls. Additional surgeries will also be spliced in, including heart transplants and broken bone procedures. And this time around, Atlus will offer three difficulty settings, an obvious response to complaints about Under the Knife's inconsistent difficulty, which includes several near-impossible missions.

In related news, a re-print of Trauma Center: Under the Knife has begun arriving at retail outlets.

Tags: Atlus, Nintendo DS, NintendoDs

Related From Joystiq

Atlus opens up old wounds with Trauma Team for Wii
194 days ago
Atlus goes beyond Trauma Center for new Wii game 'Hospital'
196 days ago
Disabled gamer mods controller, wins at life
393 days ago

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

jimy @ Jul 27th 2006 1:05PM

So PS2 to PSP port is "bad",

But a DS to Wii port is okay?

I'll stick to 360 either way.

jabbertrack @ Jul 27th 2006 1:09PM

ugh, they should do this for the DS... but if the reprint means I can actually find the game now that might be enough

CR @ Jul 27th 2006 1:10PM

Hurray for the finger-twitch responses.

"In a somewhat disappointing revelation, Famitsu reports that Atlus' announced medical drama sim Trauma Center: Second Opinion (for Wii) will be a remake of Trauma Center: Under the Knife"

Does this look like it's saying that it's a good thing?

Rhine @ Jul 27th 2006 1:10PM

Speaking of near impossible has anyone managed to beat the challenge missions at the end of the game i cant even get past the first one I kill the guy in like 45 secs >.>

dvddesign @ Jul 27th 2006 1:10PM

I guess I'll just chunk my DS copy then?

I mean a 65" (for me at least) screen and free hand movements may enable me to actually be able to finish the game.

Night Elve @ Jul 27th 2006 1:11PM

@ 1.

That is correct my friend with Nintendo it is all good.

I really want to know what Nintendo Fanboys have to say about this.

=P

Grant @ Jul 27th 2006 1:22PM

jimy/Night Elve, who said this was okay? Seriously. Straw men.

r0Be @ Jul 27th 2006 1:25PM

NintendoFanboy commenting....

It doesn't bother me, but only because I never bought the DS version. I have been considering picking this title up for Wii though, and an improved suped up version will be completely new to me. I am sure this is dissapointing to the majority of fans of the original DS title though.

If only they added a mario minigame....and it was like the old operation game....only with the Wii-mote as your little tongs.

JimmyHACK @ Jul 27th 2006 1:25PM

glad i have by big screen tv, cause come time i buy my Wii this fall, if i had that little tv talk about the controller moving with the littlest movements and it jumping over the screen...

i'd cut my patients to shreds if i had a little tv :)

JimmyHACK @ Jul 27th 2006 1:26PM

also ill pass on this port title and get some of the other original wii titles/inspired wii control titles

HCO1922 @ Jul 27th 2006 1:26PM

@1:

Did you even read the article? It's not a DS-to-Wii port, but a total remake of the first Trauma Center + more missions. Don't comment on topics you don't know anything about. :P

Anyhow I'm excited for TC: Second Opinion. The gameplay of Trauma Center DS is truly unique, and I'm glad Atlus can carry the fun to the Wii.

HylianTom @ Jul 27th 2006 1:27PM

Nintendo fanman here. I never owned the original Trauma Center, so it's no big deal to me. However, I do have wishes for future surgery games for the Wii.

There's a c-arm fluoroscope in the linked article on WiiFanboy, so I'm hoping for some fluoro-guided procedures in the next game. Maybe start-off with a simple laproscopic cholecystectomy? And move on up to hip nailings, spinal fusions, vertebroplasties, pituitary tumor removals? :)

common sense @ Jul 27th 2006 1:29PM

How is this is remake? this is a PORT. The same was that liberty cities from psp to ps2 was a port, except this time, wii fans will try deny it in, because we all know nintendo dont do ports.

same way they try deny that they are about to buy super mario 64 for the 3rd time, with the super mario 64 ds wii version.

nav1 @ Jul 27th 2006 1:34PM

@ 1) It's not a good thing, but the diference is that so far it's only one game (ok, maybe Zelda too can be counted, but that's it). If they start doing more ports, then it will be an issue.

And this is a game that a lot of people have not played, so that helps. I've never even seen it, other than on the internet, and that is true for all people I know with DS's.

Felix Andrews @ Jul 27th 2006 1:35PM

Can anybody confirm the rumour I've heard that the game will be packaged with a defibillator peripheral that plugs into the underside of the Wiimote? That in itself would rock, in a childish sort of way.

Pal @ Jul 27th 2006 1:36PM

Excellent, never played it. Can't wait!

corwin @ Jul 27th 2006 1:47PM

What the hell, Am I considered a fanboy just cause I own a fucking nintendo? For shits sake! That might as well be a race card people pull or a cheap and easy way to sum up all their reasons why thay dont own a nintendo or happen to like the games.

Hey PS3 and 360 ""fanboys"", if you believe in your systems dont feel so threatened.

baberg @ Jul 27th 2006 1:48PM

Definately good-news-bad-news for me. Played the game on the DS, loved it, but only got through about half of it before it got too hard for me. I was looking forward to having another game in the same vein, because it was great. That's the bad news for me - no new game.

The good news? Now I only see 4 must-have games at launch instead of 5, so my credit card thanks Atlus!

DG @ Jul 27th 2006 1:50PM

Here goes:

PS2 to PSP ports:
ATV
Ape Escape
Burnout Legends
Daxter
Dynasty Warriors
Gran Turismo 4 Mobile
GTA
Me and My Katamari
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Ridge Racer
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo
Tekken: Dark Resurrection
Tomb Raider: Legend
Twisted Metal: Head-On
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
Wipeout Pure

DS to Wii ports:
Trauma Center

What's the argument again?

TyDobbs @ Jul 27th 2006 1:54PM

I'm a Nintendo fan and I can say I'm very dissapointed that Atlus is simply remaking this game instead of coming up with an all new sequel. You could say that it is a little more forgivable since it is only the second game in the series as opposed to the 6th+ like in the case of GTA but that isn't really much of an excuse. From a business perspective though they have all the same reasons as rockstar does for making a port and a few others as well. First by reusing as many assets from the first game as possible they are probably keeping their development costs, and thus their risks associated with this project extremely low. Remember we are all excited about Wii but it is still not a guarenteed hit so anything to reduce risk is going to be very attractive from a $$ point of view to a publisher. Also by resusing as much of the previous title as possible it will allow them to get the game to market faster, which makes sense as well if you look at all the recent articles about how many third party publishers will miss out on the initial Wii rush by not being prepared with a game. Well if Atlus can push a game out cheaply and quickly I'm sure all they can see is $ signs.
Now having beaten the game on the DS (Haven't tried the unlocked missions yet rhine) I am concerned that Atlus might not take enough time with porting the stylus control to the pointing control because while manipulating a pen sized stylus and pointing across the room may have many similar capabilities, they actually have quite a different feel and Atlus could easily end up with a title that is hard to play and feels gimmicky on the Wii if they aren't careful.

N-ZERO @ Jul 27th 2006 1:56PM

Common sense no wonder you have a negative star cause you are really and i am sorry to say it but you are really retarded. Who hear as a proclaim nintendo fan are denying that it is a port/remake. I am not. but I haven't played it so it will be good for me but for the people who actually played it that SUCKS alot. But the good thing is that almost no one bought the game because Atlus never made enough units of the game to get a massive fan base for it. So this way its alot better. but I think it sucks that it is a remake.

Also who the hell said tht Mario Galaxy is a port from Mario 64. You are retarded I mean if you have seen the footage it is different and you can do way more then what you could in mario 64. First of all there is the controller it provides a fresh new feel to the game, second are the levels they are way different the mario 64, and thirdly he is in space and gravity is an issue in the game which makes it alot more fun. So why don't you go play Liberty city stories and shut up cause you really made yourself look retarded. That goes for other sony fanboys too. No one is denying it as a remake/port ok so please don't post something retarded like this guy did.

Jay @ Jul 27th 2006 1:57PM

DG; wow! Nice list :)

I'm glad of this. I was in town today and saw a fantastic offer for Phoenix Wright and Trauma Centre, £45 for the two. almost snapped it up but the impending sequel for Phoenix Wright turned me away. And now the Wii TC is console up-port? excellent. now I have no reason to buy the DS game. I love my DS but if I had the choice of Wii or DS I'd probably go for the big console. Just for the controller I must say.

Very happy on my end. More Wii games for me.

Clintt @ Jul 27th 2006 2:02PM

Is this game about Lorena Bobbitt? That's some serious Wii trauma!

Sub @ Jul 27th 2006 2:03PM

...

The ignorance is amazing. It's not a port, their redoing the game for the Wii. A port would be them taking everything that was on the DS version and making it playable on the Wii, like Liberty City Stories did with the PSP to PS2.

This is kind of like what the Civilization series does... Every title is a remake of the last, yet no one complains about that. Give it a rest.

Alex @ Jul 27th 2006 2:04PM

...I literally might not get a Wii at launch after reading this.

Which, uh, I wouldn't have expected of myself, but I'm a huge fan of the original Trauma Center, and this had fast become my only reason for needing a Wii at launch... I'm actually really disappointed.

falcon @ Jul 27th 2006 2:06PM

Since i owned the DS version i am somewhat dissapointed to hear that this game is a remake. Difficulty settings on the other hand are great because in under the knife you could be operating on a surgery in chapter 5 and it could have the difficulty of a chapter 1 surgery. I am happy about additional surgeries. I loved under the knife so i am sure this will be great also. I hope everyone enjoys it!

Zach @ Jul 27th 2006 2:07PM

My main concern is the control scheme. What made the original so exciting was the fact that you could actually be the surgeon and hold the knife in your hand. It is probably the best DS-specific game that I've played. I guess it could be played on a tablet PC, but who actually has one of those?

I fear that without that direct, physical connection with the surgery, this near-port will not offer nearly the same level of engagement. We'll see, and I'll almost definitely pick it up, but there's a big difference between touching something and being six feet away from it. Just ask your girlfriend.

Strike Man @ Jul 27th 2006 2:14PM

@ # 17 (DG):
Many of those titles are new entries in the series (like Ridge Racer or Daxter) while others are expanded or tweaked versions of those found on the console (Need for Speed, Tekken DR from the arcade).

I don't disagree with your point, but many of those aren't straight ports or remakes. Some, like Daxter, are brand new games while others such as Liberty City Stories are new as well, even if they borrow heavily from assets from an earlier title.

DG @ Jul 27th 2006 2:22PM

Strike Man: Fair enough. I just looked at the Wikipedia PSP game listing and hazard my best guesses on what titles looked familiar. Course I don't actually have a PSP, so it was a bit more difficult.

All the same, it's an easy point to make. I just did the legwork.

common sense @ Jul 27th 2006 2:24PM

dg you are retarded because ps2 to psp is NOT the same as ds to wii, they are diffrent things because its porting from a handheld to a console, not the other way around.

SO your list should have said.

PSP to ps2 = liberty city
DS to wii = Trauma centre

And Nzero because no one didnt buy the game dose not make it any diffrent, its a port, get over it, and for the record many people before you said its NOT a port, which it is. Adding a few missions is not a diffrent game or a REMAKE. A remake consits of actually changing the game to a point where though it has the same story and core gameplay elements, its still a new/diffrent experience.
eg resident evil 1 for the gamecube was a REMAKE not a port. Mario 64 ds where they simply added a minigames and extra characters IS a port.

This is a PORT. Or at the most, a special edition of version of the same game. It is NOT a remake.

CG @ Jul 27th 2006 2:24PM

Awww...I was hoping there wouldn't be anymore Triti in the Wii one. My entire strategy for those is Healing Touch + hope I can pull everything out before it wears off.

Ubersnuber @ Jul 27th 2006 2:27PM

Agree with Strike Man.
Tekken, wipeout,Daxter..those r made only for PSP.(i think)

But ofc i c ur point DG!
PSP owns DS when it comes to ports :P

Jay @ Jul 27th 2006 2:29PM

The DS version is back in stores. I picked it up at Best Buy today for $29.99. They had a buncha copies.

Ginger Nathan @ Jul 27th 2006 2:37PM

It's a remake, it has different characters (thus the inconsequential story will change), and new surgery techniques (fixing broken bones and heart surgery), and new missions, and added different difficulties. They've redone the game, enhanced it for the different console, and added new features.

In the same way that Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes and Resident Evil on the Gamecube were remakes.

A port would be like Resident Evil2, Nemesis, and veronica on the Gamecube - which were identical in every way to the version released on previous consoles.

Ubersnuber @ Jul 27th 2006 2:38PM

#28:
Hmm..interesting,was only familiar with those i mentioned.
then i guess PSP nd DS have one each

Lazy American @ Jul 27th 2006 2:47PM

Ratchet and Clank Size Matters is not a port. At E3 Gamespot sat down with Leslie Matheson from High Impact Games to talk about the NEW title. It takes place AFTER Deadlocked. And I'm not sure Me and My Katamari is either.

Gonzo @ Jul 27th 2006 2:50PM

A little disappointing but I had a hard time imagining what else they can do anyway. That game had tonnes of "levels."
Still can't wait.

Raynre @ Jul 27th 2006 3:00PM

Ahhhh... This flamefest makes me weep for the human race...

On one hand, it amuses me that the Sony boys are so insecure with themselves that they immediatly jump on the first news of a Nintendo port with "LOOK AT THAT, YOU HAVE PORTS TOO!!". It really says something about the PlayStation brand...

On the other hand, the Nintendo fans are taking the bait from said PS fanboys all too easily. Yes, we get ports too, big suprise, everyone's guilty of it. Considering this is from a non-Nintendo company, I really dont even see what the problem is... You dont have to answer for them, and you certainly dont owe the PS boys any explanation. Now, if we start getting Super Mario Bros.: Mushroom Kingdom Stories, thats when you should start to worry.

Im dissapointed in both of you. XD

Personally... Im psyched. I could never find Under the Knife in stores, so hopefully this will justify my Wii purchase all the more.

Kylara @ Jul 27th 2006 3:54PM

OMG. Trauma Center is showing up at outlets? I've beaten NSMB three times and really need a new game >_< what retailers?

Shogan @ Jul 27th 2006 4:01PM

Another Nintendo fan here... and I have Trauma Center for the DS.

I think this is pretty lame. I was expecting a new game, not a translation with bonuses. Somewhere I read, and maybe it was speculation, that the Wii version would allow more complicated surgical procedures since the Wiimote had one thing the DS stylus didn't... depth.

I do love Trauma Center though, and I would probably pick this up anyway. But only in a month when there were no new titles coming out, and even then it depends on how the buzz for the game goes.

Hillary @ Jul 27th 2006 4:14PM

I was looking forward to a whole new game but I guess this will have to do. At least they're adding new things like the heart transplants and broken bones. Plus difficulty should be nice since it took me forever to beat the bomb stage in the DS version and I'm still stuck trying to save all the patients at once. I really also look forward to the new voices and better graphics. One question. Does anyone else think Dr. Stiles looks kind of like a woman?

KR @ Jul 27th 2006 4:43PM

Whoa. I predicted a "Surger-Wii" game back when the Wii name was originally announced. What do I win?

Nothing?

Oh.

Jon C @ Jul 27th 2006 4:57PM

Not new news. When the game was announced at E3 everyone knew it was a remake. I am quite surprised Joystiq missed that.

Tony @ Jul 27th 2006 5:32PM

I think what's most ridiculous is that apparently no one noticed when this was said on and around E3 several times. Way to pay attention everyone.

It's more than a "port". It obviously has a different control scheme. It has the added defribulator. Supposedly it doesn't even end in the same place and has some sort of new story angle with some evil doctor.

"Remake", I suppose is a more adequate term for what's going on with the title. I honestly don't see the big deal considering it's obviously going to be substantially enhanced and expanded upon.

Reuben @ Jul 27th 2006 6:20PM

Trauma Center, now with Bliss.

N-ZERO @ Jul 27th 2006 6:37PM

Common sense when did i say it wasn't a port or remake. If you look at what I wrote I said "Who hear as a proclaimed nintendo fan are denying that it is a port/remake" I never said that it was a remake cause if you look I put port OR remake sense I wasn't sure if it was a port or a remake. Also it doesn't affect me if it is a port I even said that "I haven't played it so it will be good for me but for the people who actually played it, that SUCKS alot" So you just brought yourself to a new level of retard.
Also you have it backwards a port is a complete rehash of a game that was all ready made and a remake is a game thats old that was remade to fit the console it will go on with added features. so you are retarded. Joystiq even tells you its a remake at the top retard. If you respond to this you will lower yourself even more. I am sorry that you are so dumb. It isn't your fault its cause you were born that way. Also I wasn't talkling about Mario 64 for the DS as a port if you look at your post you said that "super mario 64 ds wii version" was a port. You are a dumbass you are calling Mario galaxy a port. Let me just say that it isn't a port and to go actually look at footage of the game at ign.com and then come bnack and tell me its a port ok.

Comtar @ Jul 27th 2006 6:49PM

Oh boy now I can waive my arms like a maniac like I wave my stylus when I have to do the 5 surgeries in 10 minutes level.

Questworld @ Jul 27th 2006 10:41PM

@1 & 5

Who says it's "okay." It's not okay. Sure I haven't played it on the DS and still look forward to trying it on the Wii, but on principle alone this is what makes (some) third-party support for Nintendo systems such a pain in the butt. I mean how cheap an effort is this?

We don't get games like Metal Gear Solid 4, but we get Elebits? Weak. Metal Slug Anthology (look forward to this by the way), an arcade compilation of a series that for years was being skipped on the Cube? Capcom announces a slew of games for the other systems but all Wii gamers can look forward to is an ambiguous Resident Evil game that isn't RE5. I dread the idea that it's going to be another Deam Aim. Cheap, late, lame, lazy. Right now only companies like Ubisoft are pulling out as much of if not all the stops to deliver as many as they can. Other companies are on a wait and see approach, putting quarters in slot machines just waiting to see if they'll hit the jackpot instead of investing oodles of resources and effort to create a business that'll in turn give the same yield as that jackpot.

Oh yeah, big "support." Praises everywhere and yet making their best for the other two and hardly any for the Wii. What a joke. It seems more like their enthusiasm stems for a gamer's perspective than a developer's perspective. They can't wait to play it, they just don't intend to make anything for it and let others do the work instead.

Okay, I'll cover them and say it's early, so I'll give them a year to a year and a half. If result are more effectively bargain bin game efforts, then forget it.