An interesting footnote in ATLUS' history where the company attempted to design a game with the western market exclusively in mind. Judging by the results, I can understand why this was never attempted again. New Blood's attempts at a more down-to-earth and serious story don't play to the strengths of the series' writers who are more successful at over-the-top and emotionally charged narratives. Despite attempts at trying to add more variety to the mission structure, New Blood still manages to feel repetitive as it moves along at a glacial pace while operations without substance tend to be repeated often, with a degree of challenge that often feels cheaper and less rewarding than the original. All in all though, since New Blood shares so much "blood" with its predecessors, its hard not to enjoy it to some extent, especially since the addition of co-operative play transforms the experience to such a degree.

I gotta say, the game is better than the first, and a great sequel.
The game follows two surgeons, Dr. Vaughn and Dr. Blaylock, as well as the nurse Elena Salazar who is way too goddamn young to be a licensed nurse, fighting to stop the spread of Stigma, a bioweapon that's pretty much just GUILT 2.0. Their journey takes them all across the world, and there's an even higher amount of variety in surgeries in this one than Second Opinion, with stuff like Brain Surgery and treating a dog at one point. The story is a step up from Second Opinion, and this is helped by the new inclusion of voice acting, though it isn't the greatest. Troy Baker as Dr. Vaughn felt like he was here to grab his paycheck, though he still sounds alright, and they casted Yuri Lowenthal for waaaayy too many roles. The story is a bit more down-to-earth and a bit more personal than Second Opinion, and it's overall better, though the climax was a bit anticlimactic.
Graphically, it's very similar to Second Opinion. Thankfully, they added widescreen support, but the external models still look the same, but at least the organs look a bit better. The artwork was also made to be a bit less anime, and they look mighty solid.
Audibly, same deal as Second Opinion. Most of the songs fit and sound nice, but I wouldn't listen to most of them outside the games. This time, it goes for a slower, more... acoustic(?) feel, instead of the high-energy soundtrack of Second Opinion. It fits with the darker tone, though I'd rather listen to Second Opinion's soundtrack outside the game.
As for the gameplay, the main mechanics are identical to Second Opinion. You can choose between two surgeons in this one, both with different Healing Touches, which is a nice addition. There's also co-op, and while many others describe it as really fun, I was unable to experience it. My main complaint is that the Sigma were a bit more annoying than the GUILT of Second Opinion, but that game had Triti so that makes this game way better by default. The gameplay, however, is a bit more refined and a lot more diverse with different procedures. It also may be a bit easier, though that might just be my skill improving.
Overall, New Blood is what a sequel should be. They took what worked in Second Opinion, and added it's own flair to make it unique. The increased variety, improved presentation with voice acting, and overall fun factor makes this a great time that I also recommend to any Wii owner, even more than Second Opinion.
8.2/10

S' Good game.
Gameplay carries the experience but the story, while being more sound than Second Opinion, is significantly less memorable with a complete downgrade of cast (I genuinely can't remember most side characters looking them up first).

However, like I said earlier gameplay is this game's greatest asset and the new challenge stages as well as the added game mechanics make this my favorite trauma center from a gameplay perspective.
Game's pretty cheap nowadays so try if you get the chance.