An ambulance blares as it hurries to Hope Hospital. The vehicle arrives, and the crew transports a wounded man in. You grab your surgical tools and head to the operating room to find lacerations on his arm and the upper right side of his body, with glass shards sticking out. The nurse begins the conference, and you listen carefully to the directions and objectives. Finally, the operation begins.

In the simulation Wii game “Trauma Center: Second Opinion,” you are surgeon Derek Stiles. Developed by Atlus and released 10 years ago, the story begins in the year 2018. Working at Hope Hospital, Dr. Stiles and his assistant, Angela Thompson, notice an unknown disease in a patient. After using the ultrasound, scalpel, and laser to cure her, you receive an invitation to join Caduceus USA, where you learn of a disease known as Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin (GUILT), which has more than one strain and was created by Delphi. This medical terrorist organization’s goal is to kill mankind with GUILT because it saw medicine defying natural diseases. Now, Dr. Stiles must save the patients suffering from GUILT.
As the story progresses through episodes of subplot called Z-Missions, new characters are unlocked and introduced. Instead of Dr. Stiles, you are Dr. Naomi Kimishima for these episodes. Delphi recruits her to keep the hosts alive for future GUILT experiments. Eventually this story line will combine with the main one.

The graphics are an improvement on its predecessor, “Trauma Center: Under the Knife.” The characters’ designs are animated better with more details. Also, occasional voice acting can be heard. Angela might say, “Nice work, Dr. Stiles,” after a successful operation. There are three-dimensional graphics of the patient’s body at the beginning and end of a procedure. It looked so real I thought I was really making an incision and suturing a person. After you make an incision, you enter the affected organ or body part to see problems like hemorrhages. The soundtrack conveys the scenes’ moods well. For example, melancholy piano music plays when Angela angrily yells at Dr. Stiles for his incompetence, and I could feel his emotional pain.

The gameplay is fun because it is challenging yet serious. Patients’ lives are on the line. During an operation, the right hand operates while the left switches tools. Staying calm and focused helps; my hands were shaky, which caused me to damage some organs. I also found switching tools difficult at first. Each direction of the joystick corresponds to a tool, for example moving to the upper right equips the forceps. As I operated more, I had an easier time working the joystick. At the end of each operation, you are ranked on how well you performed. Operating isn’t easy, but it is it fun because I can prepare for challenges and improve as the story progresses.

The patients of “Trauma Center: Second Opinion” aren’t going to cure themselves. The panic of the public isn’t going to die down without your help. They need you to save them from GUILT. Are you ready to begin the operation, doctor?