The right touch

Another new game in my possession that I thought I'd tell you about.

Trauma Center: Under the Knife is a nifty hospital drama game wherein you are call upon to perform surgery. Using a variety of tools, you use the stylus to perform operations, with your assisting nurse watching over you. Sounds weird, doesn't it? Well, much like Phoenix Wright, this game works on some strangely perverse "this is new" kinda level. I realize that surgery games have been around for a long time, though in short supply (Microcosm on the Intellivision, if I remember correctly), but the DS provides a fresh approach, chiefly through the use of a touch screen. The story that fills in the gaps between the operations isn't anything like the humorous, well-written script to Phoenix Wright; it's okay, but not great. Basically, the further you delve into the title, the more it veers into X-Files territory, with alien parasites causing people's bodies to deteriorate, requiring you to remove the bugs and repair the damage. I'm about halfway through, I think; I just finished an operation where I had to perform surgery not on a body, but a bomb. It's an excellent game; I'm really enjoying it. I've been hearing a lot about how difficult the game gets, but so far I haven't run across anything that didn't require more than a few tries.

Like Phoenix Wright, this game is pretty rare. I found a used copy at Gamestop... or, at least, I thought it was new. When I took the box up to the counter, it turned out that the game was actually new, and that someone had erroniously put a "used" sticker on it. So I got a new game for a used price!