Trauma Center: Under the Knife (Nintendo DS)

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Developed by
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.

User Reviews

Easy as... Surgery Lawnmower Man (140) 3.5 Stars3.5 Stars3.5 Stars3.5 Stars3.5 Stars
Doctor Derek Stylus NeoJ (428) 2.17 Stars2.17 Stars2.17 Stars2.17 Stars2.17 Stars

Our Users Say

Category Description MobyScore
Overall MobyScore (18 votes) 3.6

The Press Says

Game Shark
In the end, the game is sort of like a simulation, while the storyline does not follow that path. It is fun while you are playing the game, even though the game can be extremely unforgiving with your moves, as it should be if you were actually operating on someone. I would have liked to see more chapters, because once you pop, you can't stop and that is not a joke about the aneurisms you have to remove. All and all, Captain Gordon gives this game an A-, and it is a must have for the DS.
GamePro (US)
Who knew that the thin, little plastic DS stylus can do wonders for an injured person? In this take on emergency room antics, you're a young surgeon who must exhibit lightning fast reflexes and sturdy hands to heal the onslaught of people in pain coming into your hospital. Through using the stylus and touchscreen, your tasks are the typical emergency room fare: from removing shards of glass and healing a spleen to heart massaging and extracting tumors. With a simple touch on the screen, the stylus can quickly turn into various instruments like a scalpel, forceps, and even healing gel--all of which are necessary for specific procedures that the game slowly and intuitively walks you through.
The Nintendo DS is all about innovation, right? Nintendo itself has led the way in this, with games like Wario Ware: Touched and Nintendogs; but little ol' Atlus trumps even the big N with something as weird as it is wonderful. It's a surgeon sim with unique control, an ER-worthy storyline, and appropriately squeamish graphics.
N'allez pas vous imaginer que je m'obstine à exploser l'échelle de notation pour le plaisir, mais Trauma Center constitue véritablement l'une des meilleures surprises de l'année sur DS. Brillant et sans équivalent, ce titre a cela de particulier qu'il parvient à créer une vraie fascination chez le joueur. Son côté éprouvant ne le rend peut-être pas aussi plaisant à jouer qu'un titre simplement divertissant, mais il propose une expérience de jeu incroyable. Voilà certainement la cartouche qui exploite le plus intelligemment les fonctions tactiles de la console au point de nous faire oublier que c'est un simple stylet que l'on tient entre nos mains.
So exotisch die Thematik auch klingen mag, das Konzept von Atlus geht auf. Der Mix aus Geschicklichkeitstest und Simulation begeistert. Die einzelnen Operationen werden durch die Story perfekt miteinander verknüpft und bringen immer wieder neue Herausforderungen. Einige Male hätte ich am liebsten das Skalpell in die Ecke gefeuert, denn der Schwierigkeitsgrad ist happig.
Game Informer Magazine
It's the fast-paced, procedure driven puzzling gameplay that really sets Trauma Center apart. Just gross enough to be interesting, this is a clever title with a sprinkling of wacky touches to make it really unique. Just wait for the screen were your main character throws up his hand and says, "It's time to start...the operation!"
Bitte Ruhe, nicht stören. Filigran vernähe ich die letzte Wunde, jetzt nur noch desinfizieren – geschafft! Die Schweißperlen tropfen mir von der Stirn und zufrieden sehe ich, wie sich der Zustand meines Patienten wieder stabilisiert. Der Nächste bitte... Nachdem ich mich mit dem wirklich knallharten Schwierigkeitsgrad abgefunden habe, bin ich nun mit Leib und Seele „Hobby-Arzt“. Der clevere Puzzler fordert vom Spieler jede Menge Geschicklichkeit, eine schnelle Kombinationsgabe und eine verdammt ruhige Hand am Stylus. Wer sich der medizinischen Herausforderung stellt, wird mit einem wahrlich innovativen Highlight belohnt, welches mal wieder eindrucksvoll beweist, was mit dem DS so alles möglich ist.
Certes il faut du courage et de la ténacité pour venir à bout de ce Trauma Center : Jouez du scalpel mais les ovnis de ce genre sont bien trop rares pour faire la fine bouche, surtout quand ils utilisent aussi bien la DS. Alors retroussez vos manches et enfilez vos gants, vous ne le regretterez pas.
Und nicht zuletzt ist Trauma Center kein Spiel für die klassische S-Bahn-Fahrt – dafür müsst ihr viel zu präzise vorgehen. Nichtsdestotrotz ein spannender, einschneidender, sehr anderer und intelligenter Zeitvertreib, der nicht nur als Spiel funktioniert, sondern vielleicht auch noch Interesse an der Materie weckt.
"Trauma Center: Under the Knife" is one the most challenging DS titles available! With a heavy and interesting storyline, briljant operations, good use of the stylus and a very good tense atmosphere, this game is really a must-buy!
UOL Jogos
"Trauma Center: Under the Knife" tem sucesso em fazer uso inteligente da tela sensível do Nintendo DS, promovendo o simulador de cirurgia mais intuitivo de que se tem notícia. Apesar de simples, é um game bem planejado e satisfatório, e peca apenas em alguns controles e na duração do game. Nunca um tema tão mórbido foi tão divertido.
Digital Press - Classic Video Games
It's long been a saying that games are meant to relieve stress, not cause it. Forget that you ever heard that. This is the core concept that Trauma Center relies on. If you fail the same surgery 15 times (and you will), it does lose a little impact, but finally pulling through is a relief. That's when you realize how involved you are in the gameplay. If that's not a sign of a successful video game, we'll never know what is.
G4 TV: X-Play
Trauma Center cannot be considered a simulation, since most of the procedures are more X-Files than E.R. (shark-like parasites swimming in the intestines, worms squiggling their way to the heart, etc.). Some may scoff at the “heal paste” and the “healing touch” ability to slow time by drawing a star on the screen, but these are acceptable concessions for an action-oriented game.

Instead of pointing to tools and touching the body, you actually perform each procedure--zigzagging the stylus across a gaping wound to close it up, pulling up fluid with the syringe before injecting it, and so forth. While Doogie Howser may have a better chance of returning to television than you have in learning any real medical knowledge from Trauma Center, the frenzied pace and slick controls easily make this one of the most “infectious” DS games yet released.
Good ol' Dr. Stiles thinks he's hot stuff in the operating room, but boy is he in for a rude awakening when he tries cutting up a few patients. Saving lives ain't easy. Trauma Center: Under the Knife generalizes the trials and tribulations of being a operating room surgeon, giving players control over slicing up a variety of ailing victims in the attempt to fix their sickening problems. So the deal is simple: each chapter is essentially a patient at one of the several different operating rooms in town. Through the use of the touch screen, it's your task to follow the set procedures in order to treat patients' life threatening problems.
One segment of the gaming market that seems to be lacking representation is games based on doctors. Sure we’ve had plenty of doctors and healers represented in games but not many have allowed you to operate on patients. One particular issue has been having the pinpoint precision in the controls to accurately represent just how delicate surgery can be. Fans of portable systems probably would have never imagined that one-day they would be able to play doctor on the go. Well, that time has come with Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the Nintendo DS.
The Video Game Critic
This game is stressful! With doctors and nurses yelling at you as a clock winds down, it can feel like more work than pleasure! Another aspect I could do without is the melodramatic storyline and the substantial amount of text it entails. I got tired of paging through all that dialogue at the start of each stage (hint: hold down Select to skip). In terms of graphics, Trauma Center is not exceptional, but does a good job of depicting injuries like lacerations, inflammations, and protruding shards of glass. I enjoyed the music, and the introductory track has an old-school, electronic quality that actually reminded me of Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991). Trauma Center is a fresh and exciting new addition to the DS library. You won't find a game like this on any other system.
Game Informer Magazine
Wanted for malpractice suits in 12 states, I can find surgery solace in Trauma Center - where my habit of having a sip before slicing doesn't criminally impair my judgement. Actually, this game does require a steady and and plenty of concentration, making it a challenging, if limited title.
While Trauma Center: Under the Knife is not the first surgery game to be released -- or even the first for the DS, as the system launched in Japan with the import-only Tendo Dokuta -- it is definitely the most exciting and direct one to yet appear. Blending reflex-based gameplay, a dramatic (if, at times, unintentionally humorous) story, and excellent graphics, Trauma Center is one more proof of the Nintendo DS' core concept: touch screen gaming.
Trauma Center apporte ce petit air frais de nouveauté. L’utilisation de l’écran tactile est maximum voire trop même car le jeu manque un peu de profondeur. On aurait aimé peut être autre chose que des opérations à la chaîne entrecoupées de phases de conversations pour le scénario. Ceci dit, le jeu propose réellement une expérience différente et rien que pour ça on est content. Allez, que demande le peuple ? Un deuxième opus encore mieux !
Atlus, to its credit, has managed to create a unique and interesting title that shows the player (and indeed other devcos) just how the DS' touch screen should be exploited.
70 (UK)
Adopting the mantle of Dr Stiles, a young doctor at Hope Hospital, you're quickly thrown into the OR. "Let's begin the operation!" he blurts with Phoenix Wrightian mania. During the initial section of the game, you're hand-held through touch-screen surgeries by departing nurse Mary on the top-screen, who teaches you the basics of making incisions, delivering injections, applying gel, suturing (stitching), handling forceps, applying artificial membranes and doing all of that while maintaining a patient's vital signs. This sets the tone for what follows.
Je kunt een hoop dingen doen met een touchscreen. Dat heeft de Nintendo DS al wel min of meer bewezen met geslaagde concepten zoals Nintendogs, Kirby Power Paintbrush, Meteos, Another Code, Brain Training, Metroid Prime: Hunters en Phoenix Wright. Atlus doet ook een gooi naar een goed uitgewerkt touchscreen-concept, met Trauma Center: Under the Knife. Een heuse operatiegame. Toch zit er meer achter deze game dan enkel een simulatie van een chirurgische ingreep.
This game will test you both mentally and physically. It is really challenging and will last a long time. You will probably find yourself playing this game again in about a years time after finishing it as it will always have a replayability factor.
Between the doctor game and the lawyer game the lawyer game is the definite way to go, though from what I understand it's become difficult to actually find. Trauma Center works great as a rental, works great as a borrow from a friend, and works great as a game to play for a few hours if you've got nothing else to do. But I can't recommend it for anything more than that. Maybe we'll get a Trauma Center 2, and with any luck, maybe that Trauma Center 2 won't be going through an obvious identity crisis.