Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas

Some games are relaxing ways to pass the time while others challenge your brain power or dexterity, but the most important thing is that they need to be fun to play. Somewhere along the line, Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas misplaced this important lesson, likely collecting dust next to its copy of Gray's Anatomy (the book, not the TV series). It's probably easier, and shorter, to start with the game's sole positive. It's got an entertaining art style. The game leans heavily into its absurdity, with a cartoonish look and feel that one can never take seriously. After all, it's hard to expect much realism after slapping a fishbowl on your head, grabbing a bloody hand saw, and replacing a kidney with a coffee mug.

As far as what Surgeon Simulator 2 gets wrong? That's just about every other part of the game. The controls are meant to be awkward in order to make for more goofy moments. But these controls go far beyond simply awkward and well into the nigh impossible territory. And the more time you spend, the more irritable you get. Add the stress of the timer as the patient bleeds out all over the room, and even the most level-headed gamer will have to resist the urge to toss their controller or keyboard across the room. The game pushes hard for players to jump into some online team play, which can admittedly make missions just a touch less frustrating. But that's usually only if you team up with friends. In the random matchmaking, more often than not, you wind up teamed with people who seem to relish in messing each other up and causing as much chaos as possible. Surgeon Simulator 2: Access All Areas is neither fun nor satisfying. In fact, the only gratification comes when you've had enough and finally just pull its plug.