Have you ever heard of a show called Quincy M.E.? It’s a somewhat old show, but reruns were shown on television several years ago. Of course, DVD on TV has allowed a generation of watchers to see what they have missed. Anyway, the show followed the title character Quincy, who solved mysteries. He was always leaving his examining room interviewing people, looking at the crime scene and trying to figure out the truth. In fact, I would argue that this show set the tone for shows like CSI. So what does this have to do with videogames? Simple. Trauma Team has part of this vibe. And Aram Jabbari from Atlus was kind enough to show us the first mission of the Forensics mode.
Forensics follows a goth-looking woman by the name of Naomi. Her job, as you might have guessed, is to examine the body and the crime scene and figure out how the victim really died. The first case is that of a 30-year-old man who committed suicide. But Naomi does not think that the first case is a suicide as the FBI and police departments believe. Instead, her cell phone lit up with an eerie purple light and revealed the victim’s last words. So she sets out to see if her “vision” is correct.
What sets this mode apart from the rest of the surgery modes is its adventure vibe. You get to listen to interviews of suspects and witnesses, send items to be analyzed by your assistant Little Guy and inspect clothes and the body. In fact, what surprised me the most was how fluidly it all moved. Clothes and body are easy to rotate and inspect.
In fact, the body looks like a blue mannequin. So if you don’t have the stomach for gory stuff that’s seen in shows like CSI and NCIS, no worries! Anyway ... what you do when inspecting the body is analyze the obvious clues, such as the slit wrist. But there are other things to back up Naomi’s intuition: There’s the bloodshot eye and a strange wound shape. Furthermore, our witness, the suspicious-looking granny, commented about the fire starting at 3 and that the repair man came by earlier in the day.
Thus, as you get further into each case, the game throws more clues your way. It’s your job to investigate each clue and figure out how each of them fit together. By combining the grandma’s testimony and the body, you can reach the estimated time of death. And no, that’s not a joke. You do combine clue cards in order to figure out what to do next. And there’s no way to get “stuck” as the game gently points the way in the proper direction. The only way to fail a case is to make too many errors in deductive reasoning.
Whenever you visit a crime scene, Naomi has access to different tools: her eyes, a light changer that identifies powders and a spray that helps find blood. All of these help build her case. So, persistence and open eyes are necessary. A big bonus is the simple fact that Naomi will tell you when she believes there’s no more evidence at a scene.
Presentation wise, Trauma Team looks great. Hotspots are quickly identifiable. This is especially true around the office as they have an exclamation point on top of it. The plot is told in a story book/comic book format. However, the scenes are not static; characters move about, and the camera changes position. And, the best part of all, characters speak. From what I’ve heard, Naomi’s voice is almost deadpan. She knows, to an extent, what’s coming, and she’s seen it all before.
Overall, Trauma Team is shaping up to be an excellent medical game. A Forensics case will take about an hour or so to solve. And there is a save state available in case you don’t have the time to complete it in one sitting. If it controls as well as it looks, this might be a necessary Wii game. It might be the game that’ll let me channel my medical fantasies. Though time will tell if it is worth the wait. Trauma Team is scheduled for release on April 23. For more information, visit www.atlus.com/traumateam.
