Overview

Japanese rock band MintJam made a spectacular transition from amateurs to pros during the last decade. Between their high-profile original albums and vocal arrangements, they also worked on a number of low-budget bishoujo and fighting games. One that particularly channels their core rock sound is Million Knights Vermilion, a fighting game released by NRF. For a modest 1000 JPY, they released the soundtrack several months before the game during Japan's semi-annual Comiket festival. Unlike the game, the music actually lived up to the hype...

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Right from the opener "Bloody Nightmare", MintJam showcase their modern yet nostalgic rock sound. The band lead towards a hard rock sound with their thrashing rhythm guitars and pounding drum kits, yet the rock organ melody that emerges is clearly inspired by the light-hearted game music of the SNES. The section from 0:38 seems to be a tribute to Castlevania with its harpsichord passages and elaborate counterpoint, while the guitar solo that succeeds it is filled with the heroism and exuberance of Street Fighter II. Proving they're much more experienced than the average doujin band, the instrumental performances here are excellent and the recording quality is clean throughout. Despite the short length, setzer packs plenty of melodies and emotions into this one.

MintJam ensure a varied yet accompaniment to the various stage themes. "Let's Rumble" shifts from its slightly muffled vocoder introduction into a stylish rock anthem filled with a2c's electric guitar mastery, while "Broken Blade" places an even stronger focus on the instrument and is certain to inspire an air guitar performance or two. Capturing the challenging gameplay, "Burnt Cross" has more grit and density than most of the other tracks here; TERRA convincingly mixes in piano cluster chords Similar to Street Fighter IV's favourites, "Archenemy...?" is an intoxicating blend of wailing Chinese flutes, pentatonic guzheng lines, and edgy trance beats; it brings some much-needed novelty to the gameplay and presumably reflects the origins of the featured character, Million Knights Vermilion's answer to Chun-Li,. Relatively disappointing is "Mad Temptation"; while TERRA incorporates pleasant soundscapes and jazzy stylings here, the track is more about rhythm than melody. trance beats and Chinese flutes, presumably reflecting the

Summary

The soundtrack for Trauma Center: New Blood certainly suits a surgical simulation game. What's more, there are enough catchy tracks and emotional soundscapes for the soundtrack to appeal on a stand-alone basis. However, Kitajoh and Tsuchiya's themes are rarely innovative — they merely build on the approach of Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the gameplay themes and relying on scoring clichés for the event themes. In addition to being quite predictable, the soundtrack is also let down by an abundance of short tracks. Overall, cautiously recommended for those who played the game.

Overview

The Wii's Trauma Center: New Blood, known in Japan as Caduceus: New Blood, was more expansive than its DS predecessors in a number of respects. Its soundtrack, in particular, was bigger and bolder due to the flexibility offered by the console. Relative newcomer Atsushi Kitajoh took the lead role, while Kenichi Tsuchiya returned to supplement the score. Unlike its predecessors, the soundtrack for the title was released at the same time as the game.

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Atsushi Kitajoh builds on the series' moody sound with the opening theme. The blend of aseptic electronic beats with warm piano lines provides a surgical twist on the Atlus sound. What's more, there are more than enough rhythms and melodies to compel listeners and make them come back for a second listen. Various tracks build on this theme with different moods and palettes. They range from the meditative "Prologue", with its subdued guitar licks, to the more cinematic "The Tale of Two Doctors" and "Stigma", with their ambiguous unresolved progressions, and, of course, "Ending", with its more liberated development. The 'piano plus beats' combo also makes a return in "Surgery", "Surgical Knowledge", and "Awakening". Inspired by trance music, these tracks will be too simple and formulaic to appeal to those looking for something novel. Nevertheless, they're groovy and catchy enough to still be highly accessible.

Liberated by the technological capacity of the Wii, Kitajoh and Tsuchiya tend to offer bigger, richer pieces than those on the DS instalments. "Team Caduceus" is particularly delightful with its punchy lyrical approach and big band stylings. Secondary melodies such as these help to keep listeners entertained in a score filled with main theme arrangements. Other jazz-influenced tracks such as "Valerie" and "Show Time" add some flair to an often metronomic score and, while entirely synthetic, they're a step-up in quality from the DS' score. The rock influences of tracks such as the main theme arrangement "The Physician's Battle" also add edge to the game. While such tracks are not as dense as those on Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2, they do bring variety to the in-game and album experience. The way epic choral chants and piercing guitar riffs is integrated into the climactic "Awakening" is also enjoyable.

As with past titles in the series, there are numerous event tracks scattered among the more substantial themes. For better or worse, all the clichés of event scoring emerge here. Dark tracks such as "State of Emergency", "Tension", and "The Truth" tend to focus on dissonant orchestral motifs or murky electronic beats, while more intimate pieces such as "Sorrow", "Tragedy", and "Grief" predictably focus on strings, piano, and flute. Naturally, gothic organ and chorus come out during the final couple of tracks here too. While such tracks recycle past approaches, they're generally composed and produced in a competent way. In addition to serving their in-game purposes, most are substantial and intricate enough to still be rewarding on a stand-alone basis. There are only a few real stinkers, for example "Gloomy" and "Shiver".

Summary

The soundtrack for Trauma Center: New Blood certainly suits a surgical simulation game. What's more, there are enough catchy tracks and emotional soundscapes for the soundtrack to appeal on a stand-alone basis. However, Kitajoh and Tsuchiya's themes are rarely innovative — they merely build on the approach of Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the gameplay themes and relying on scoring clichés for the event themes. In addition to being quite predictable, the soundtrack is also let down by an abundance of short tracks. Overall, cautiously recommended for those who played the game.