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Carnival Games makes its return to the DS Download Service
For people longing to play new demos via the Nintendo Channel, the frustration continues. All we saw on the channel today was the return of two demos that we never really missed in the first place (we're looking at you, Carnival Games and Crosswords DS Wordsearch).Nintendo also extended the availability dates on three of the existing demos, probably because offering three new ones would have been too satisfying (/bitter). The good news is, you have another week to try out Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 and Contra 4 if you haven't done so already.Click past the break to see yet another underwhelming list of demos.
DS Download Service updates with old demos
For those of you looking to play something brand new this week, you're out of luck. Instead, Nintendo offers us a chance to catch up with some demos me might have missed in the past, allowing folks to download these up until next week. So, if you missed out last time, get on it!
Another unimpressive week of Nintendo Channel demos
With Trauma Center 2 and Contra 4 on the Nintendo Channel's demos list, you may wonder why exactly we're unimpressed. Perhaps it's because there's nothing new offered this week, unless you count the reappearance of certain demos on the list as "new." We don't.To see why we're thoroughly uninspired, check past the break for the full list of "been there, done that" demos.
DS Daily: Recent favorite
As DS fans, we play lots of games. There's just no getting around it, because the system is up to its eyeballs in great titles, always. So, we're often busy with this or that.We imagine you game quite a bit on the handheld, too. So, we have to ask: what is your recent favorite game? What game have you played lately that has blown you away? A little game called Space Invaders Extreme? Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2? Well, what game have you played lately that has been just plain great?
Nintendo Channel updates with lone demo this week
It's Monday again, which means it's time to check out what the Nintendo Channel has in store for DS demos. Like last week, we don't get much in the way of new stuff to play on our DS, but it's not about quantity here, it's about quality. And, this week's lone demo has that in spades: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2
WRUP: Cuts like the very first time edition
The big release this week is none other than Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2. After giving it a thorough play, we found it to be an overall great title. With Europe getting Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid DS this week, we imagine you folks are going to be playing those?How will you fill your free time this weekend? %Gallery-20065%
DS Fanboy Review: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2
There's one thing you need to know right up front: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 is one of the best DS games to date, even without the benefit of some of the things that were added to the Wii entries in the medical franchise. The gameplay is much improved over the already-excellent first title, and the biggest complaint made by the original's detractors -- the difficulty -- is mitigated here by the inclusion of a range of difficulty settings. The result is pretty close to spectacular.But when the gameplay is so good that there are few complaints, it's a lot easier to nitpick other aspects of the title, and we've got nitpicks in spades. That's all they are, though: tiny complaints that hardly matter. Under the Knife 2 should be remembered as one of the most satisfying experiences on the DS. Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen.%Gallery-20065%
DS releases for the week of June 30th
Anyone need a kidney? It's fresh! We need the money so we can keep up with all these vitally important DS games, and after this week, we'll know how to remove it cleanly. Trauma Center is just like real surgery, right? It's important that we learn, so we can get 1 vs. 100 (omg!) the moment it's released.Surgery may not be our thing, but we've got a handle on sarcasm. 1 vs. 100 AMF Bowling Pinbusters! Ducati Moto Journey to the Center of the Earth Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 Stagger past the break to see what's out in the rest of the world. %Gallery-20065%
Atlus dissects Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 box art
Of the many things we look forward to when unwrapping a new game, box art ranks just above the new game smell and that little card that falls on the floor when the box is opened, quietly pleading for feedback. This is not the case, however, for Atlus creative designer Jeremy Cail, who makes it his job to judge books -- make that games -- by their cover, and in a recent blog post breaks down all of the effort that went into designing the cover for next month's Trauma Center sequel for the DS.Besides the differences between North American and Japanese boxes, the designer expounds on the virtues of title placement (can't have it be covered by the shelf, can we?) and the importance of Derek's glowing hand (Uh oh, it's magic). He also discusses the title itself, noting that Under the Knife 2 was not the team's first choice, with subtitles such as "Surgeon's Oath" or "Under the Gun" also in the pot for consideration. And what of Nurse Angie's new maid cafe-inspired attire? Cail writes that "I hope that gives you cosplayers out there some extra inspiration this year at anime conventions." Man, it's like you read our minds. Creepy.
Promotional Consideration: The Hands of Fate
It's not that often that we hear about the creative process behind designing a game's box -- our own interview with Konami's contracted illustrator and packaging designer Julie Giles is a rare piece. Most people would rather read about the people who designed the actual games. Seeing an opportunity to share his experiences with packshots, Atlus creative designer has posted an update on the publisher's informative series of Production Diaries, detailing the adjustments that were needed to adapt Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2's Japanese cover for the U.S. audience. Join us past the post break for comparison shots and a scan of the surgery sim's new print ad!%Gallery-20065%
Trauma Center: Hands on the Knife 2
Good news for Trauma Center fans -- if you liked the first game, it stands to reason that you'll enjoy Under the Knife 2. All the slicing, stitching, and ass-kicking potential of the first is here, and with more options lifted from the Wii version. But if you didn't like Trauma Center the first time around, the Easy mode may not be enough to tempt you into this one.Of course, if you didn't like Trauma Center, you're probably more interested in spending your time kicking puppies, or otherwise engaged in some horrific habit. Honestly, the pain of (repeated, egregious) failure aside, it remains one of the best and most intense experiences on the handheld. Can a sequel hope to measure up? We spent a little time with the upcoming title in an effort to find out.%Gallery-20065%
Cutting open Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 videos
Want to see the gameplay that Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 has in store for you? IGN came up with some videos, which we've put here for your viewing convenience. The one up top shows an instance of performing surgery on an African plague victim, which looks difficult -- but seeing as this is Trauma Center, we'd expect no less. Fortunately for those of us in North America (and for the rest of you who don't mind importing), we have less than a month to wait before we can try it out for ourselves. The videos after the break include some of your ordinary surgery fodder, as well as Dr. Styles trying to save a land mine victim. Gallery: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2
Trauma Center's Healing Touch returns, along with stress
We're looking forward to applying a little more of that Healing Touch while spending some quality time with Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2, but this latest batch of screenshots has reminded us that the last game was, y'know, kinda hard. Perhaps even punishing. Why? Because so often you'd be on the brink of finishing an operation -- or so you thought -- and suddenly, 834 new challenges (we counted) would emerge from the depths of the patient's flesh. Who knew the human spleen could hold so many bone fragments? Check out the latest screens in our gallery below if you'd like to see some of the new challenges that await you with the Trauma Center sequel.%Gallery-20065%
Trauma Center: Under the Screens
July 1st can't come fast enough for people like us, who enjoy using our styli in virtual worlds to perform various surgeries. Although we love playing Trauma Center on the Wii, too, we can't wait for its return to the DS -- the little handheld that we never leave home without.Until we can actually play it, though, we have no choice but to look at screens and other media to ease the pain of waiting. So, if you need a Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 fix, just check out our updated gallery below. The new pictures include some dramatic pre-surgery gestures that Trauma Center characters love making, the African refugee camp locales, and some of the surgeries that you'll be involved in.%Gallery-20065%
Old familiar faces appear in Trauma Center sequel
It's only been a week since the news of Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 broke, and already we're awash in news of the upcoming title. We're not complaining, either; the original is the game you love to hate and hate to love, thanks to the fantastic concept and brutalizing gameplay. The screenshots (found in our gallery), aren't the best news of the day, however -- the real kicker is that we'll see Under the Knife 2 in July. July 1, to be exact, and yes, that's before it's due in Japan. Rejoice!%Gallery-20065%[Via press release]
Atlus bringing Trauma Center 2 for DS stateside before Japan
Atlus this afternoon announced plans to bring Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 stateside, giving us plenty to keep busy amidst reruns of Scrubs and E.R. when the game ships for the Nintendo DS this summer. Atlus confirmed that the sequel, which follows the 2005 release that made us all believe that we could cure cancer with a flick of the wrist, will make it to retail on July 1, offering new modes and operations for armchair surgeons. But wait, isn't that a full month before the game will be released in Japan? Has the world gone topsy-turvy? We touched based with Atlus and learned that this is indeed the case -- not that the world had gone into a tailspin, but rather that we can expect to stitch up wounds vicariously through Derek and Angie before our friends overseas. The official we spoke to also noted that while the team struggled with a number of titles for the sequel "there really was no other more fitting thing to call the game than Under the Knife 2." Honestly, they can call it anything they want, just get it in our hands STAT!%Gallery-20025%
