In
Lifesigns: Surgical Unit, you play as Tendo Dokuta, a second year intern at Seimei Medical University. Not only does he have to deal with the ins-and-outs of life at the hospital, but he's also struggling with a few personal problems. Not only is the hospital run by his estranged father, but he also has a monster crush on his mentor, Dr. Suzo Aso. Tendo's life outside the emergency room is the game's weakest aspect. Although it sounds interesting, Tendo's life is pretty bland. The plot unfolds through a series of conversations, which really just boils down to dragging a bunch of icons onto people until it pushes the story along. There's little weight to any of your decisions, which takes away from the experience. At least the characters are interesting.
You'll also play through a few mini-games. A few are story-related, such as playing air hockey or pushing a woman from in front of a bus. If a patient begins to flat line during a surgery, another mini-game pops up that involves using the shoulder buttons to try and revive the patient. The mini-games are nothing earth-shattering, though they do provide a fun distraction and are much more enjoyable that the endless conversations.
Although you'll go through Tendo's personal problems throughout the game, gameplay centers primarily on going through surgical procedures. Most scenarios begin with the introduction of a patient. You first talk to the patient in order to diagnose the problem; this is handled by selecting from a variety of tools, like a stethoscope, and using the touch screen. After making an initial diagnosis, you can then order x-rays or blood work to get a better idea about what is going on. Then it is off to the O.R. You'll manage most of the pre-op procedures, including speaking to the family and setting up an appointment with the anesthesiologist. To this extent, Lifesigns does a great job at giving you the complete "doctor" experience. Whereas Trauma Center was more about life in the Emergency Room, Lifesigns gives you a slightly different experience. The pacing is a little slower and methodical, which should appeal to anyone who was put off by Trauma Center's frantic gameplay.
On the other hand, the pre-op work can be a little tedious. Sometimes you just want to get into the operating room and start cutting - which isn't always the case since some tougher cases require a bit of Phoenix Wright-style investigation to figure out what is going on. Sometimes this can last almost an hour, which is way too much time to spend outside of the operating room, especially when what goes on inside the operating room is supposed to be at the center of gameplay. There are only a handful of surgeries in the game and they are spaced pretty far apart.
