Trauma Center: Under the Knife
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- This page is about the Nintendo DS version. For the Wii version, see Trauma Center: Second Opinion.
| Trauma Center: Under the Knife | |
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| Developer(s) | Atlus |
| Publisher(s) | Atlus |
| Designer(s) | Kazuya Niino |
| Release date(s) |  June 30, 2005 October 11, 2005 April 28, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Medical Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) PEGI: 3+ |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Input | Stylus |
Trauma Center: Under the Knife (超執刀 カドゥケウス? lit. "Caduceus: Surgical Operation") is a surgical simulation game developed for the Nintendo DS and the first in the Trauma Center Series. Well suited for the handheld's touchscreen, the user makes incisions, removes diseased areas, and sutures the patients back up. As of June 27, 2006, Atlus has confirmed that they will be relaunching the game by the end of July in the US market, due to the high demand and popularity of the game.
The player assumes the role of Derek Stiles, a young doctor who must perform surgeries and other medical operations. Derek is a descendant of the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius, and is gifted with extreme concentration, an ability referred to as the "Healing Touch."
The game takes place in Angeles Bay during the year 2018 where the majority of diseases, including AIDS and Cancer, have been eradicated. However, a mysterious disease known as GUILT (Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin) threatens mankind. The best weapon against G.U.I.L.T. is the "Healing Touch."
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[edit] Main characters
Derek Stiles (age 26) - The main character and a surgeon at Hope Hospital. He is just beginning to realize his potential. Interesting to note, his initials are DS, obviously a reference to the system this game is for. Stiles might also be referring to the stylus that is mainly used by the player in the game. Dr. Stiles is a laid back type of person, and didn't take his patients seriously until Angie came along.
Angie Thompson (age 21) - A young nurse that works as Derek's assistant. She is part German and was raised by a very well-educated family. She may seem a bit critical at times, but she is truly trying to help Dr. Stiles work to his full potential. Angie is also a smart thinker when it comes to medical situations. She usually can keep a grip on things, but may be caught up in the moment.
[edit] Hope Hospital staff
Mary Fulton (age 39) - The senior surgical assistant for Hope Hospital. She is a nurse who helped Derek learn the basics of surgery. She moved away from Hope Hospital, where Angie took her place. Mary is seen later in the game, wondering if Dr. Stiles is all right.
Greg Kasal (age 35) - The senior surgeon at Hope Hospital. He is very kind and cool during operations. Greg was Derek's mentor and taught him the ways of the surgeon. He is also infected with the Tetarti strain of GUILT later in the game and tells Dr. Stiles to operate on him as his final test in becoming a true surgeon.
Robert Hoffman (age 62) - Dr. Hoffman was an exceptional surgeon who stopped practicing in his 40's. He's now the director of Hope Hospital. He is also gifted with the Healing Touch but seems reluctant to talk about it. After the death of Richard Anderson, he becomes the head director of Caduceus USA.
[edit] Caduceus USA staff
Sidney Kasal (Age 35) - Greg's younger brother and director of Caduceus USA, who dedicated his life to the study of clinical medicine after his wife died of illness.
Stephen Clarks (Age 42) - Caduceus's head surgeon. His kind demeanor has comforted many sick patients.
Cybil Myers - The leading anesthesiologist at Caduceus. She was previously a policewoman. She's intelligent and very spirited. Some call her the "Iron Vixen". Once dated cops and a man on the bomb squad. Cybil proves to be quite a strong woman when in sticky situations. She is infected with the Paraskevi strain of GUILT later in the game and is operated on by Dr. Stiles.
Victor Niguel (Age 26) - Head of research and development. He focuses mainly on his work and its uses. He is considered a recluse and can't stand the thought of "idiots" being near him.
Tyler Chase - A former schoolmate of Derek's. He tries to keep everyone in a good mood. He was previously known as the 'Death Doctor' before Derek talked him out of practicing euthanasia. His sister, Amy, has a rare disease and is also infected by GUILT.
Leslie Sears (Age 26) - One of the many nurses on staff at Caduceus. She looks after Tyler's sister, Amy.
Richard Anderson - The head director of Caduceus USA and Secretary of Health. He was an astounding politician but decided to go into medicine because of his love for it. He dies when he is infected with the Pempti strain of GUILT and leaves Caduceus USA in the hands of Robert Hoffman.
[edit] Members of Delphi
Adam (Age 121) - Born Erich von Raitenau in Austria in 1897, he was the head of the Delphi organization. He has been sustaining his life deep within the Delphi Headquarters situated on a boat in the Pacific Ocean, and has been the main culprit in helping to produce the GUILT outbreak. He claimed that the GUILT virus originally came from his body before being modified by Delphi's scientists and then released into the world.
As the leader of Delphi he believes that humans deserve the "blessing" of disease as it is what God wills and it is his quest to rid the world of doctors using GUILT. Ultimately he escapes capture and is still at large albeit a fugitive.
In the game's conclusion, there are many unanswered questions about Adam such as: How did he end up in his undead/disease-elemental state? What exactly is his final virus, "Bliss" and how were the other GUILT strains created inside him? Another question is where the voice, that claimed to be his, really came from as Nurse Angie realized that he wasn't the one talking. Given that his picture appears in the background of the cover of the remake Trauma Center: Second Opinion it is safe to assume that at least some of these questions are to be answered then.
Professor Blackwell (Age Unknown) - The father of Angie who left his family when Angie was only 8 years old. After discovering that Delphi wanted to use his own daughter in their GUILT experiments, he made a deal to join them in return of his daughter to his family. He was the creator of the final GUILT encountered, Savato, and becomes one of Dr. Stiles patients in the end.
- It is also interesting to note that Delphi is the name of an ancient town situated on Mount Parnasus which housed the most famous temple to Apollo, the father of Asclepius, from whom the games main character descended. Also, the Oracle of Delphi was thought to hold beneath its foundation the still-rotting body of the dragon Python. Python's name means "rot", and the oracles were thought to receive their wisdom by inhaling the vapors that exuded from Python's body (in the case of the Delphi organization, the intent may be that only through total acceptance--even worship--of death's existence can wisdom be gained).
- Adam may have taken his new name from the book of Romans, where Paul refers to the biblical Adam as having brought death into the world. This Adam may be thought of as trying to restore that "proper" state of being to humanity.
[edit] Game sequence
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Chapter 1: Dr. Stiles
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Chapter 2: Healing Touch
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Chapter 3: Caduceus
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Chapter 4: Bio Terror
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Chapter 5: It Never Ends
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Chapter 6: Original Sin
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X Missions
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In these chapters, there are several episodes. Some are merely dialogue, but most are the operations. Rankings for these are graded:
- C - Rookie Doctor
- B - Specialist
- A - Senior Surgeon
- S - Master Surgeon
- Any grade that is lower than the B will be marked as a C
[edit] The Healing Touch
The Healing Touch is an ability that, according to the ancient Greeks, descended from Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. It allows a surgeon to focus their concentration to superhuman levels in order to move extremely fast and precise for a limited amount of time. In the surgeon's mind, this has the appearance of slowing down time. There are three operations (Death Awaits All, Final Sin & X7 Savato) in the game that the healing touch will activate automatically for you, and then you can actually stop the time when you activate the healing touch again after that.
[edit] Tools
There are a number of tools available for surgery.
- Surgical Laser - Used to burn away objects that are too small to remove from the body otherwise.
- Antibiotic Gel - Used to heals small cuts and disinfects body parts for incisions.
- Drain - Used to remove excess liquids, such as blood.
- Forceps - Used for precise removal of foreign objects, like glass, from the body.
- Hands - Used to massage.
- Healing Touch - Used to enhance concentration. It has the appearance of slowing down time to the surgeon.
- Ultrasound - Used for finding objects, such as tumors, that are hidden inside organs.
- Magnifier - Takes the place of the Ultrasound when needed. Used for zooming in on parts of the body.
- Scalpel - Used for making incisions.
- Needle - Used for suturing large incisions.
- Syringe - Used for administering liquids (mainly stabilizers or serums) into the body.
- Bandage - Used to bandage sutured incisions at the end of an operation.
[edit] G.U.I.L.T.
GUILT (Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin) is a group of deadly manmade parasites that start to infect patients as the story advances. There are seven strains that the player encounters in the game:
- Kyriaki (Κυριακή) - A lamprey-like parasite that makes lacerations to organs. Comes in immature and mature varieties.
- Deftera (Δευτέρα) - A mobile tumor that comes in two types which attack each other on contact. Often comes in two pairs (two of each type) and attacks two different parts of the body.
- Triti (Τρίτη) - A triangle shaped membrane mass, attached by thorns to tissue, that slowly petrifies affected organs. As parts of the membrane are removed, the mass will spread according to rules based on the placement of the thorns.
- Tetarti (Τετάρτη) - A virus that comes in three types and affects the liver. Creates poisonous abscesses.
- Pempti (Πέμπτη) - A gelatinous liquid mass that infects the lungs and targets the nervous system.
- Paraskevi (Παρασκευή) - A fibrous worm-like virus that also makes lacerations as it moves. It first starts out in the intestines. When threatened, it moves through the body until it reaches the heart, where it will then kill the host.
- Savato (Σάββατο) - A spider-like virus that wraps a web around the heart and drains it of energy, thus personified as death incarnate. Spawns multiple immature organisms that also attack the heart. This strain is the most deadly and can move at incredible speeds.
Strain names are transliterated Greek days of the week, starting from Sunday (literally "Lord's Day", "Second Day", "Third Day", "Fourth Day", "Fifth Day", "Preparation", and "Sabbath"). Adam claimed that there is one more strain called Bliss. This virus was never seen however.
[edit] Sales
[edit] Europe
[1].
| Nintendo DS Sales Chart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Week | 01 | 02 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | #3 | #10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[edit] Trivia
- Many of the patients' names in the English translation are names of either characters or actors from American medical TV shows ER, Scrubs, and House. This includes patients named Eric Dorian, Elliot Cox, Chi McGinley, Mario Kovac, Linda Reid, Elisa Chalke, Kevin Turk, Jack Reyes, Neil Spence, Omar Flynn, Greg Kasal, Hugh Vogler, Noah Laurie, Amy Chase, and Jesse Pratt.
- The game is heavy in dialogue between operations, but simply hitting SELECT speeds the conversation on.
- Derek Stiles' last name may very well be a play on words. Normally pronounced 'styles', the name can also be read as 'sty-less'. This is very close to 'stylus', referring to the input device used by the player to manipulate the Nintendo DS touch-screen and consequently the actions of Dr. Stiles. His initials "DS" are also a reference to the system.
[edit] Reviews
- Play Magazine included Trauma Center in its February 2006 list of the best Nintendo DS games of 2005
- In the January 2006 issue of Nintendo Power, Steven Grimm enshrines Trauma Center and its 9.0 score in the magazine’s review archive, reminding readers that it’s “fiendishly addictive”
- IGN gave Trauma Center an "impressive" 8.0 [1]
- Nintendo Official Magazine gave Trauma Center an 80%
- GameSpot gave Trauma Center a 7.8 out of 10, saying it "succeeds because it strikes such a good balance between its medical theme and its puzzler roots." [2]
- Trauma Center has an average review ratio of 80% on Game Rankings [3]
[edit] External links
- Official websites
- General resources
