Trauma Center: New Blood

Trauma Center: New Blood is an entertaining game with a fun and efficient control system. The combination of actual medical work and a more spiritual view works, although the ‘healing touch’ is perhaps a bit far-fetched. Operating on patients hasn’t changed much since the last game, but is entertaining and challenging, both alone and in co-op. Unfortunately, the storyline is less impressive, despite some good voice acting.

Still, Trauma Center: Second Opinion was one of my favorite games during the launch window for the Wii, and New Blood delivers more of the same joy. [Dec 2007, p.73]

When it comes down to it, Trauma Center: New Blood fixes the few flaws of Second Opinion while creating a few of its own that hurt the game more than it helps.

More of the same with some nice extra touches that don’t quite fulfil their potential. [Feb 2008, p.118]

No task is impossible alone, but the ease of co-op mustn't cloud the the fact that Atlus is still to find that sweet spot between virtual and actual brain surgery. [Mar 2008, p.100]

Alas, you can expect more of the same, except for a substantially increased difficulty. New Blood is still a load of fun, but it also comes with a load of aggravation.

It's a tough game but for all the wrong reasons. For Trauma Center die-hards only.

Trauma Center's developers need some serious interventional design therapy before the series's prognosis degrades beyond hope of recovery.

I've been willing to somewhat forgive the series' unbalanced gameplay until now, but after three games on two distinct platforms, the developers should be full-fledged M.D.s by now...so why do they keep making the same med-school mishaps?

But New Blood's single-player experience has all of the frustration of the original without the promise of eventual success. It's all stick and no carrot.