Take one look at Lifesigns: Surgical Unit and you will most probably think it was a sequel to one of the DS’s early smash hit title, Trauma Center: Under the Knife. After all, what makes one operating room game different from another? Surely a change in characters with the same premise will be boring, unless the storytelling is done in such a compelling manner that will move millions of copies. Lifesigns, however, claims that it is pretty different from what Trauma Center offers, since the doctors in the game do not have any magical powers that enable them to enter the zone - too bad for your patients I guess.

This more authentic feel won’t make Lifesigns any less of a game though, since you get a more realistic setting that will probably appeal to a different set of gamers. According to the game’s producer, Jay Podilchuk, Lifesigns is a reality-grounded story and gameplay that requires the doctor to do much more than just diagnose the patient’s illness. Players are required to exercise some bedside manner (presumably through point and touch conversations that are pretty linear in nature like those found in old school RPGs) which is crucial when it comes to extracting important information from the patient before a diagnosis can be reached.

The surgery portion in Lifesigns will be reached only upon a successful diagnosis. I guess those who have a hard time listening in real life will greatly benefit from this game, as it forces the player to actually read through the game’s text without blindly pressing the “A” button to advance. There is word that the sequel to Lifesigns will be localized, but this depends on whether the first release pulls a Pokemon.

Source: DSFanboy

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