there's a cool understanding of what this is, not just a sequel but a maturing of derek and angie from rookies to veterans, that is shown through the OST.

for some context: i consider the first game's "normal operation" music one of the most amazing pieces of video game music ever. not just because it itself is a great scary tune, but because it serves its purpose of being tense, not overwhelmingly horrific. atlus knew the gameplay of trauma center was something unlike anything anyone had really ever seen before, and you have to remember that the touch-heavy games on the DS were usually pushed as casual, family-friendly difficulty romps. "normal operation" is a genius track, emphasizing that this game was about to get crazy and it wasn't for the average person trying to kill time.

a lot of the first game's OST is horror slanted, but this one's is much more techno and electronic. it represents a confident derek stiles, and i love that! you're no longer a scared little himbo, you're a superhimbo!

gameplay has been refined and is way more forgiving, but... it plays way slower. this is the biggest flaw in it -- it's too easy for the wrong reason. everything just feels like slow-mo, and the surgery patterns are meant to reflect on this by being much more forgiving and simple. there's a lot of recovery you can do in surgeries in this game, and it does kinda suck since that aspect doesn't really work itself into the whole "you've honed your skills in trauma center 1, now prove yourself in 2!" vibe i just praised this one for having... but whatever.

story is all over the place once again, but i appreciate it being much less random. emilioooo ;_;