Gourt Home::Gourt :: Trauma Center: Under the Knife
Trauma Center: Under the Knife (超執刀 カドゥケウス Caduceus: Surgical Operation in Japan) is a surgical simulation game developed for the Nintendo DS and the first in the Trauma Center Series. Suited exceptionally well for the handheld's touchscreen, the user makes incisions, removes diseased areas, and sutures the patients back up. This game has been discontinued in North America, but has continued production in Europe and Australia. As of June 27, 2006, Atlus has confirmed that they will be relaunching the game by the ends of July in American Shores, 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 descendent 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 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."
Main characters
Derek Stiles (age 26) - The main character and a surgeon at Hope Hospital. He is just beginning to realize his potiential. 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 somes to medical situations. She usually can keep a grip on things, but may be caught up in the moment.
Hope Hospital staff
Mary Fulton (age 39) - The senior surgical assistant for Hope Hospital. She is a nurse whom 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. 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.
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 GUILT strain of Paraskevi 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.
Members of Delphi
Adam (Age 121) - Born Erich von Raitenau in Austria, 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. Delphi believes that humans deserve the "blessing" of disease and they try to rid doctors from the world using GUILT.Professor Blackwell (Age Unknown) - The father of Angie who left his family when Angie was only 9 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.
Interestingly, the majority of the patients treated in the game have names relating to US medical shows, particularly Scrubs and House MD. For example early in the game, there are patients with the names of Kevin Turk (Dr. Chris Turk from Scrubs) Elliot Cox and Linda Reid (Dr. Elliot Reid and Dr. Perry Cox). Whether this was intentional or not is unknown.
Game Sequence
| Chapter 1: Dr. Stiles |
- C - Rookie Doctor
- B - Specialist
- A - Senior Surgeon
- S - Master Surgeon
Anything less than these in the operation is a failure (and you will have to repeat the operation)
The Healing Touch
The Healing Touch is an ability that 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. Only two surgeons in the game are known to have it.
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 - 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.
GUILT
GUILT (Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin) is a group of deadly manmade viruses 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 virus that makes lacerations to organs.
- Deftera (Δευτέρα) - A mobile tumor that comes in two types which attack each other on contact.
- Triti (Τρίτη) - A triangle shaped membrane mass that slowly petrifies affected organs.
- 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 affects the heart and drains it of energy, thus personified as death incarnate. This strain is the most deadly and can move at incredible speeds.
Strain names are transliterated Greek days of the week, starting from Sunday.
Trivia
- Many of the patients' names in the English translation are names of either characters or actors from American medical TV shows "Scrubs" and "House, M.D.." This includes patients named Eric Dorian, Elliot Cox, Chi McGinley, Linda Reid, Elisa Chalke, Kevin Turk, Jack Reyes, Neil Spence, Omar Flynn, Greg Kasal, Hugh Vogler, Noah Lourie, Amy Chase, and Jesse Pratt.
- The game is heavy in dialogue between operations, but simply hitting SELECT speeds the conversation on.
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.com gave Trauma Center an "impressive" 8.0 *
- Official Nintendo Magazine gave Trauma Center an 80%
See also
External links
- Official website
- Touch! Generation Page
- Atlus Page
- Nintendo Page
- Official Japanese website, with some extra content
- Official forums
- Official Atlus Walkthrough
- IGN DS preview
2005 computer and video games | Nintendo DS games | Atlus games | Trauma Center | Touch! Generations
"Trauma Center: Under the Knife"