Luigi's Mansion

The Good
The graphics and sound were absolutely stunning when it came out. Very colorful, very whimsical, very, well, Mario-ish. The gameplay is fun (you control Luigi while he walks through a haunted house and suck up ghosts with your vacuum, just like in Ghostbusters). All the different rooms and ghosts are different, with different graphics, and somewhat different strategies used to proceed. The sound is just as good, everything's technically very neat and tidy.

The Bad
The controls took a while to get used to (you use one set of controls on your joypad to control Luigi and another one to control your vacuum). Took me a while to get used to it but a more experienced action gamer might feel differently. But if the game is designed for young kids (it's Mario, after all), then it might be a tad too difficult.

There's zero replay value. Seriously, nothing to unlock really so the second game is essentially the same as the first.

Also, the game feels too short. Even though the graphics are stunning and every room of the house is different, it's still the same house and it doesn't have the same feel as most Mario games, where you discover entire worlds.

The Bottom Line
This is NOT a typical Mario brothers game. Keep that in mind.

Remember the original Mario for the NES? It came with the system (along with Duck Hunt), just to showcase the system. They should have done the same with this game and the GameCube. Hey, this is a short, not too demanding game that'll show you exactly what your new system can do. But as a seperate purchase it's still nice to own and more than adequate, but I can't shake the feeling that it would have been a better rep if it came bundled with the GameCube. Still, it's been republished under the "Player's Choice" budget games, and for that price it's a nice pickup if you like the whimsical colorful Mario stuff (and really, who doesn't?)

Of course, the problem with games that make you "Ooh" and "Aah" when you first get it because of their technical standards have one major problem: you won't "Ooh" and "Aah" any when you get the game for the first time years after it's release and more impressive stuff is on the market when you first see it. But so far, time's been kind to it - I can still fire it up and consider it a beautiful game. Ten years from now my opinion might be different.

The Good
Luigi's Mansion finally allows Mario's little brother to step into the hero role and rescue his brother from evil ghosts, who have hidden inside a giant mansion. Luigi must rid the mansion of ghosts, stop the evil Boos who have escaped, and find clues to track down Mario. It's a pretty straight forward game, but it's fun.

The best part about Luigi's mansion is Luigi's Vacuum Cleaner Pack. Much like Mario's Water Pack in Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi needs to use his pack to solve his problems. In addition to sucking up ghosts and hard to reach items, Luigi can get special stones that equip his pack with elemental powers like Water, Fire, and Ice. Luigi can use his powers to attack special ghosts, solve element specific puzzles, and other things.

The mansion itself is a sight behold and is plenty big. Nearly every room contains something helpful and there are tons of things to uncover. Several rooms have secret passages which lead to other rooms or to a healthy jack pot of coins.

Luigi's mansion also provides a well balanced challenge. The game is rarely unfair and puzzles aren't stare-at-the-wall mind boggling. Ghosts are not easy to beat but at the same time not impossible. Its the right amount of challenge for both hardcore and casual gamers.

The Bad
Luigi's Mansion, though fun, is a little on the short side. When all the Boos escape from the basement, you have already explored 56% of the mansion. While the boss battles extend the game's life span, they are pretty simple and only add mere minutes to the gameplay. Most expert gamers will be able to beat the game in about a week, maybe a few days if they spend some dedicated time to it.

The mansion's layout can become pester some at times. Several rooms can't be accessed on the same floors as other rooms, which can make getting from place to place a bit hassle-some.

The Bottom Line
While on the shorter side, Luigi's Mansion is an enjoyable survival game (You can't really call it survival 'horror' unless little white ghosts are what you consider horrible). The gameplay is interesting and the mansion can be at times fun to explore. This game is well worth your time and you will probably play it until you find all the secrets and beat the game.

The Good
--> A good launch title for the Gamecube, good graphics overall with stunning lighting effects.

--> Music is appropriately creepy and dynamic. Sound effects are good as well.

--> Humorous story and ghosts, it's very entertaining watching the cowardly Luigi's reaction to the events unfolding around him.

--> Fun action-adventure gameplay

--> It's fairly cheap now, at $20 or under. A good title for the budget-minded gamer looking to expand their GC library.

The Bad
--> It's pretty short, an experienced gamer can get through the game in under 10 hours, though you may want to play through the game a few times to obtain the best ranking.

--> While a decent challenge, even the most casual gamers should have little problems with this game once adjusted to the Resident Evil-esque control scheme

--> The final boss, while cool, wasn't quite as challenging as a final boss should be.

The Bottom Line
After years of playing second banana to Mario, it's finally Luigi's turn in the limelight. After receiving a notice that he has won his own mansion, Luigi excitedly calls his brother to tell him the good news. While trying to find his way to his new mansion, Luigi becomes lost in a strange wood. Soon he happens upon his mansion, and discovers it wasn't exactly what he bargained for, it's infested with ghosts! Worse yet, they have kidnapped his brother Mario! Luigi talks to Professor E.Gadd and is equipped with the professor's invention: a vacuum equipped to suck and contain ghosts. Slowly he proceeds into the mansion to rid the infestation, and save his brother...

    Gameplay consists of proceeding through the halls of the mansion, sucking up low-level ghosts, and invading the haunts of the tougher portrait ghosts, exploiting their weaknesses (found by gazing at their heart) and sucking them up to gain access to locked doors, eventually leading you to a boss ghost for the area. 
    The analog control stick is used to control Luigi, the C-stick is used to aim the vacuum or flashlight(used to freeze ghosts), the Right and Left triggers are used to suck up ghosts and expel elements (fire, water, ice).


   The graphics are very nice with detailed textures, cool lighting and reflections, and detailed models. The coolest effect in the game is how the objects in the environment react to your vacuum, such as sucking the tablecloth off of a table, open curtains, or having to suck piles of dust to clear a path. The animation of Luigi and the ghosts is very fluid and often humorous. Every type of ghost has a unique personality, some like to sneak up on you, some are found of throwing bombs, and some just like to be gluttons, leaving the remnants of food behind. Each portrait ghost has a unique personality as well, from the musician to the couple dancing on the rotating dance floor. While not a system showcase to the degree of say Metroid Prime, this title is still a decent representative of the Gamecube's power.
     The music is spooky, atmospheric and often funny. It's nothing to write home about, but still, very nice. Sound effects, from Luigi's calls to Mario, to the clink of coins and the yelp of a startled ghost are are well done and appropriately cartooney.

     With a few improvements, primarily the length of the game, this game could have gone from good to outstanding. As it stands, however, I recommend this title to any Gamecube owner looking for a good adventure game, or a unique gameplay experience. Now that the game is selling for $20 and under, there is no reason you shouldn't pick it up. A very entertaining game, while it lasts.

The Good
For everyone who ever thought that Luigi ought to have his own game, this is the one. Luigi's first chance at solo stardom. That alone is enough to make me like the game, but even more, it's pretty fun in a Ghostbusters kind of way. The game controls are easy to master, and the graphics are beautiful, particularly the various rooms of the mansion.

The Bad
For starters, the game is just too short. Most people will get through it in about six hours, and after that, if you really want to, you can play through the "Secret Mansion" really the same mansion with extra traps, but most people won't have the patience to do that, particularly in light of the game's other two major flaws: clueless AI and terrible camera angles. Admittedly, the clueless AI really isn't that bad. However, the bosses and tougher ghosts have exactly one method of getting Luigi; the follow him relentlessly. That's it, nothing more complex than that. As for the other problem, the camera is likely the most irritating thing in the entire game. It is essentially fixed in a flat 3rd-person view, on level with Luigi. While it occasionally moves, the inability to view an entire room without resorting to the "Gameboy Horror" is incredibly irritating.

The Bottom Line
Despite it's flaws, Luigi's Mansion is a pretty fun game. By this time, you should be able to pick it up in the used section for a reasonable amount of money, and it's worth having in your library. For everyone who wanted Luigi to have his own adventure, this is a must have. Let's just hope that next time Luigi will get his own princess to rescue, instead of having to save his brother the glory hound.

The Good
Even though I may be quoting many other people when I say this I think it is good to see that Luigi had finally got his own game, even though the game seems to like pointing out how much of a wimp he is. I liked the way that Luigi can react with the rooms he enter after he clears all the ghosts so even though the lights are on and there are no enemies left in the room there still may be some secrets Luigi will be able to find before he moves on. The idea of the vacuum cleaner or poltergust 4000 was a imaginative idea and a good one, a good way for the programmers to be able to hide things on top of shelves and such.

The Bad
It was WAY WAY WAY to short. I guess it is a bit unfair saying that because I had just finished playing FFX and I was foolishly expecting at least 15-20 hours gameplay, but sadly my fun was stopped dead in its tracks at a poor 6 hours. And they could have at least tried a bit harder on the secret mansion at least try to put new things in so it doesn't pretty much seem to be the same game over again.

The Bottom Line
An amusing game for someone who is looking for a little bit of entertainment. But don't expect a big unfolding story because you wont get one.

The Good
This game's graphics were quite nice, and the music was cool and creepy(that's to be expected in games like this). I also had a huge laugh at some of Luigi's lines. The rest of my family had quite a laugh and loved to occasionally quote Luigi's lines. I also liked the bosses as well as the challenge they gave me. The storyline also suits this game quite well, but it might have been better if Luigi had to save Peach instead of Mario.

The Bad
I was annoyed by the camera, and a lot of the puzzles are just too easy to solve, it would probably only take people about 5 minutes to figure them out. I was also irritated that the game was 4 to 5 hours long.

The Bottom Line
Luigi's Mansion is cool. To me, it's Nintendo's way of apologizing that Mario was hogging the spotlight for years. On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a nice way of bringing Luigi back to the Mario series.

The Good
Luigi's Mansion mixes Ghostbusters with the green goofball himself, Luigi. Does it work? Despite the ridiculous concept, yes it does!

What the game is basically about is you win a mansion from a contest you didn't even inter. Strange, huh? To make matters worse, Mario went there to check it out and has gone missing! Again!!! But this time, it's fun!

What makes it a fun game? If it were a boring game, I wouldn't be typin' here disscusin' it with ya, now would I!?!? ...But seriously, what you do is you suck up ghosts... Ghostbusters style. Well, only not as dangerous and literately sucking them up... WITH A VACUUM!!!

The story, while I said it was ridiculous, doesn't mean it's bad. Ridiculous can be good. This is one of those cases. After all, it is refreshing to have something different from the usual save the Pea- I mean Princess formula, right?

The music, while not to much of it, is very enjoyable. It's not the best, but it's still good. I like the fact that in lighted rooms, Luigi whistles the theme, while in dark rooms, he hums it. What I like even more is that the weaker he is, the more frail he sounds. But probably the best part of the sound department is when you press A when not against a wall, he yells "Mario!". The funniest one he does is the one where he goes "MAAAAARIOOOOOO!!!". I crack up every time I hear that.

The graphics are surprisingly good, especially for an early GC game. The models look good, if not to terribly detailed. The art in the art gallery kind of sucks, though.

The Bad
It can sometimes be irritating to scare and suck up ghosts. ESPECIALLY the rare light blue ones. You have to get them juuussst right or... poof. Gone forEVER! And... that's about it.

The Bottom Line
If you like Luigi, you should definitely buy this. Even if you don't, consider it. It is a very fun, if not sometimes irritating, game.

PS: If you play it at midnight in the dark, I think you could actually get scared!