On Normal difficulty, no less. My thumb has been seriously brutalised. Flexing = ouch!
But hey, it was worth it (sleep deprivation talking here).
TC2 is a superb update to the DS original IP. The sharp, cel-shaded-esque art style of the Wii versions has translated back to the small screen rather well, and if you aren't an astute fella(like many random YouTube surfers), you probably won't be able to discern much, if anything, between this and the Wii games. Consider that a knock to the Wii's lacking hardware.
The extreme difficulty of the original has been left intact, but with three difficulty settings -- easy being easy enough so that most gamers can actually finish the game this time -- TC2 is clearly the more approachable of the two. The operations ramp up in complexity nicely, too. No random spikes here.
Now it's more or less the exact same game as TC1, with more real-life scenarios (broken bones, gallbladder removal, etc.) and less far-fetched viruses. The GUILT do return, though, but it's far less invasive this time around. If you didn't like TC1, you probably won't like this one, but if you did, then TC2 trumps it in almost every way; vastly improved presentation is the most obvious aspect, with the slightly tweaked interface, more flexible score system, smoother animations, more precise touch screen detection, and the aforementioned difficulty levels being of noteworthy mention.
The story is still a bore, though. I mean, there's nothing in the way of the drama you'd see in a typical episode of Grey's Anatomy, and don't even try to compare it to the insanely funny Scrubs. I skipped 90% of the dialogue if that's worth anything.
As such, I gorged on pure gameplay from start to finish, without any distractions. My play time reads 07:49:26 and I played on the Normal setting all the way til the epilogue. My thumb was ready to fall off after TEN bloody attempts to beat the final operation. There was absoloutely no way I'd tackle to infinitely harder X missions that follow.
But see, right there -- TC2 still offers plenty of replay value once you're done with the main storyline. Take on hard mode, where spontaneous haemorrhaging will have you scribbling like your life depended on it; strive for perfection by XS ranking every single operation -- heck, if you manage to finish (even one of) the X missions, you are truly Godlike.
But yeah, this sort of stuff isn't for everyone. At least those who were turned off by the difficulty last time will have a fair chance to explore their inner surgeon. If this was you, then what are you waiting for now? Dr Derek Stiles may not be Chuck Norris by a long shot, but he's manlier than you think.
And so is his brutal, yet brutally addictive game.
9.0/10
Hey! I ended up writing a review of sorts! LOL~
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Genj - August 23, 2008 (04:23 PM) Heh, even on Normal difficulty, I was a bit disappointed at how much easier TC2 was. Only had trouble on a couple missions at the end. Great game though. Turn this into a review ... or else. |
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