‘TRAUMA CENTER: NEW BLOOD’

‘TRAUMA CENTER: NEW BLOOD’

(Atlus) for Wii

Genre: Simulation/Action

Rating: T; Grade: B

Go tell Dr. McDreamy to stuff it; this is some serious surgery you’re getting into here. The “Trauma Center” franchise has a devout following, and it should grow even more with this new release from Atlus, because this is one of the more intelligent Wii games to come around.

By “intelligent” I mean more thoughtful than collecting stars or Pokemon or what have you. Here, you wield the Wii’s controllers to use scalpels, administer drugs and save lives. As the Wii’s originality begins to wane, it’s good to see more adult fare introduced. One of the better aspects of the game is that two players can operate on the same patient, which helps with the added difficulty, and also is more realistic since surgical procedures are rarely performed solo.

The game eases you into the operating room by not going over the top with gore and detail. The visuals are helpful, and won’t give you anxiety if you lose a patient on the operating table several times before getting it right. But the dialogue is really shoddy — something that keeps this from being one of the top Wii games.

Don’t be shy about slicing someone open in “Trauma Center.” Chances are, you’ll save that patient’s life — and find you actually got a kick out of it.

‘UNIVERSE AT WAR: EARTH ASSAULT’

(Sega) for PC

Genre: Real-time strategy

Rating: T; Grade: C

Real-time strategy games can scare gamers away if there isn’t a hook to lure them in. There are two hooks in “Universe at War” — the well-balanced story and the game-play comfort level — and that helps make this a solid entry-level game.

There are three factions/races to play as (Norvus, Hierarchy and Masari), and Earth is the playground, um, battlefield. Each has unique characteristics that make them fun to play. I cannot claim to be an RTS guru of any sorts, but once I saw that this game blends RTS elements into what plays like the old “Risk” strategy game, I was in full comfort mode. Soon nations were being taken down and the big picture made more sense.

“Earth Assault” is the victim of a horrible, awful camera system. It does not allow you to pull back and view a wider swath of the battlefield, making on-the-fly decisions much harder. Visually the game is fine, but the vocals are less than desirable.

You won’t be blown away by “Universe at War,” but it’s a game worth playing, and those who are looking for a path into the RTS genre would do well here.

‘GODZILLA UNLEASHED’

(Atari) for Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, DS

Genre: Action; Rating: E

Grade: D-

To the remaining seven Godzilla fans left on this planet — please forgive me for tearing apart your scaly deity as he turns in perhaps the most boring, confusing and lackluster game in recent memory.

I will admit to enjoying some of the classic Godzilla flicks. They’re poorly acted ham-fests, but have allure because of how technologically challenged they were.

“Godzilla Unleashed” is like a video-game version of one of the movies. It makes no sense, the characters move like lumbering blocks of concrete and it often looks like no one is actually doing anything of significance.

What kind of game allows you to die and yet still progress? That’s actually possible here. Also, you can literally do nothing, and instead watch the AI-controlled characters whale on each other, then progress by shear default of being the last creature standing. This is just one of a myriad of problems littered throughout this game.

In the time that it takes to beat this game, you could watch the film versions of Mothra, Godzilla and all his alien pals and be way more entertained. That’s a pretty sad notch for a video game to hang its rubber suit on.

— Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard News Service