2001 Nintendo
Luigi finally makes his starring debut in an original adventure titled Luigi's Mansion. Luigi embarks on his quest after hearing of Mario's mysterious disapperance in a self-proclaimed fancy resort. On his way to inquire the whereabouts of his chubby loveable brother, Luigi stumbles upon the dilapidated haunted mansion where his brother was last seen. Armed with a vacuum cleaner and flashlight, Luigi commences the search for his lost brother Mario.
Features
- A huge mansion waiting to be explored
- Dual analog vacuum action
- Dolby Surround Pro Logic
- Fine-tuned lighting and shadow effects
- Only for Nintendo GameCube
Since visuals are always the first thing you notice about a game let's get that out of the way so we can later concentrate on the more important aspects. Once you first step foot in Luigi's Mansion, you are given a taste of the game's amazing lighting effects. Each object can be seen casting it's own individual shadow. In turn, each object also lights up almost flawlessly under luigi's flashlight. Just for the records, this game will probably go down as one of the finest examples of lighting and shadowing for it's time. Other games such as "Nocturne" for the PC have tried to offer realtime shadow effects but at the sacriffice of a static camera angle. Luigi on the other hand almost effortlessly throws shadows in all directions and angles without even flinching. On top of this, the camera is certainly not static and can move about freely.
The use of graphical technology can also be found with the surreal physics involved. Every single object is seemlessly connected in this "world". For instance, by searching in a drawer Luigi might come across some dollar bills. They will float around in the air like real pieces of paper. If you decide you would like to give your trusty dust buster a break from ghost catching you can let it interact with these sorts of things. The vacuum will make the bills change paths and come towards you all the while twirling gracefully. A tablecloth can also be pulled with the vacuum. you can see the edges stretching out as you suck it in. A true testiment to Nintendo's programming finesse.
The ghosts themselves also hold a great deal of visual appeal. Each one glows in an eery semi-transparent kind of way. The way that their bodies glow looks marvelous in realtime. This is the kind of graphical effect that GameCube was built for. A great introduction to the goodies that the little cube holds. As for animation in general, this game packs quite the punch. Luigi's movements are very versatile. he can rotate his upper torso while stepping to the left and it all looks spot on. Even the hose on the vacuum seems to dip and sway as luigi whips around to catch his next target. Though, what is all of this without some good old fashioned gameplay?
This game holds a simple formula to say the least. You must rid each room in your mansion of the pesky ghosts in order to open up the subsequent rooms. However, the simplicity ends right there. Ghosts will be hidden in each room and it's your job to find them. Once found, you use your flashlight to stun them. This is the part when you get to reel them in. Using the R button you can control the analagous power of the vacuum and try to suck the ghost in. At the same time you move luigi's position around with the main analog stick and his aiming with the C-stick. The C-stick in particular is used very much like a fishing rod. By pulling away from the ghost and jerking the pull on the vacuum you can bring in the ghost faster. Each ghost has a number on him/her depicting the amount of "hit points" they have left. Once you reduce their "hit points" to zero the ghost will be sucked up into your vacuum and will bother you no more. The catching is the arcade aspect of the game, but how about finding the ghosts and their weaknesses?
Finding ghosts is the other half of the deal. Some are just your standard baddie ghost that come in all shapes and colors, and will come out of a closet or dresser in the attempt to beat you senseless. These ones are not the ones to be worried about since they are less powerful and can be stunned easily. It's the special character, or better put, the "people" ghosts that make the puzzle aspect of the game worthwhile. This mansion is inhabited by "people" ghosts who are not just a floating sheet with two eye holes in it. Each one of these ghosts have their own personality and agenda. One might love to brush her hair, while another may love to play music. These ghosts are far more difficult to get rid of since they don't just let you shine your light on them just any time. If you turn to shine your light on them they will only fade away. So how do you defeat them then?
Like us humans, these ghosts have not only strengths, but weaknesses too. By examining the ghost in question you can get a look into their thoughts. Their thoughts will always hold a clue as to when you should strike. Once you find a ghost's weakness you will reveal their heart, and thus it is time to start the beat down. Be wary though as these guys can pack quite the punch. If you don't move Luigi around properly the ghosts can break the "beam" and cause Luigi to fly back while losing some health. The trick is to not get greedy. Weaken the ghost bit by bit and don't let yourself be hit by other obstacles. This is the basic outline for the gameplay.
The gameplay is intact and fresh enough to offer a very new experience. The graphics and sound are top-notch and indisputably next-gen. Will it's length and departure from the classic platformer Mario Bros. series bother you? Or will it tickle your fancy ? Only you can answer that.
Jason: It has been a long journey. We have all been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Nintendo's new powerhouse GameCube. During the past couple of months however, my hopes for Luigi's Mansion had started to turn for the worse. Many people were complaining at the length of the title, and in many cases, I feel it was unwarranted. So, why nine stars then?
Let's get something straight: Luigi is not a tech demo. To say that Luigi is just a lengthened technical demonstration is like saying the movie "Braveheart" was only about blood and violence. In the case of Luigi's Mansion, I found that the game had unparalelled amounts of personality in it's presentation. Other people have glossed over the fact that everything in the mansion can be interacted with. Let it be known that this is not an easy thing to do in a game environment. There are almost no static objects in luigi's mansion, which is a contrast to typical games. Everything that Nintendo said that gaming would be is shown in Luigi's Mansion. For one of the first times ever, I was not sure what to expect next in a game. There was just so much creativity and variety that may get overlooked by many.
Gameplay on it's own is also an enjoyable experience. You'll be hooked as soon as you learn to harness the double-analog control. The idea of bringing in ghosts like fish is just brilliant. Luigi is not lacking variety, and is especially not lacking originality. The game is artistically impeccable. I would say this is the "Shrek" of Video games in terms of personality and artistic direction.
The amount of physics and interactivity in the game makes my brain hurt. What I want everyone to understand is that you will never be able to program something like this. Even if you could, Nintendo has beaten you to it and is already two steps ahead. We're talking genius programming here. The sort that make it in the history books as the most complex physics and dynamics in a video game ever. Doing this kind of thing is not as easy as saying "make papers fly now". No, it's not that easy at all. It involves insane amounts of mathematics and endless nights coding. In then end, it adds up to an environment that beats out Super Metroid in terms of depth.
There is something that I feel is the only reason why Luigi cannot get a perfect score. This would be the use of potential. You see, in respect to graphical prowess and longevity, Luigi is really a pre-first-generation game. It's only scratching the surface of what the GameCube can do. So for this reason alone I cannot give Luigi a full ten stars. Bravo Nintendo, you have once again put the rest of the industry to shame in all aspects of game creation.
Glen: Let it be blatantly known. This game is short. It took me approximately three to four hours to complete the game with 77,085,000 G. There were no instances in which I became stuck while solving the required disposal method for a ghost. While I do expect some players will become stuck, if those players carefully utilize their GameBoy Horror, I think anyone, regardless of their skill, will find themselves blazing through the game. Its simple -- all the way through to the final boss.
On that note Ill mention the fact that the boss fights arent anything extraordinary. They require a little more sucking skill compared to your average ghost and a lot more running/dodging of flying items. Thats about the extent of it. Nevertheless, I found the boss battles to be enjoyable, with the final boss being my favorite. Ill avoid revealing spoilers here. It was a clever surprise, Ill tell you that.
The lighting, the shadows, and the graphics in general are probably the highlight of Luigis Mansion. As I progressed through the game I found myself removing ghosts from rooms for no other reason than to bring light to the room. Clearing a room of ghosts prompts the lights to turn on. Every time it occurred I would fall into a trance and simply stare at the television screen, admiring the variety and detail of the rooms furniture and appliances.
However, the best feature of Luigis Mansion, in my opinion, is its nod to old-school Mario Bros. fans. In particular, the inclusion of the Observatory with its breathtakingly beautiful Star Road environment, Toads triumphant return as a save point, and the Conservatorys Super Mario Bros. theme music procession, in a weird way, made me as a gamer feel appreciated. I felt almost as if Nintendo had made this game for me. Nostalgia is an understatement. What can I say, Im a sucker (heh, sorry about the pun) for this kind of stuff, I really am. Its that Nintendo feeling that derives from its past games. My mouth couldnt help but form a smile.
Luigis Mansion is a light-hearted adventure where its all about having fun. You simply have to take it for what it is and not expect more. Do not compare it to Super Mario 64. The two games contrast in so many ways, its pointless. Luigis Mansion is a separate entity and should be treated as such.
I have to admit, despite it being a short-lived fun, I did have fun. There is no denying it. However, because of the length or lack thereof, I suggest foregoing the $50 price tag and instead giving it an exclusive rental. I highly suggest it, in fact. This is a game every Mario Bros. fan should experience...as a rental.
Brent: Luigi's Mansion is a short game, but it's a lot of fun while it lasts. The game comes across as more of a puzzle game, though the puzzles aren't really that hard. It's not a platform game and definitely no substitute for Mario, but it's an enjoyable experience and I believe it's worth the price of admission. The game has a lot of style -- hearing Luigi call out for Mario, getting more desperate in his calls as his health meter wears down, is absolutely beautiful. It's a fun package and since I don't believe a game's length should be any reason to give it a bad score, I put Luigi up there at the top of the pack as one of the best launch experiences out there. The presentation here is really top notch and the connection that you have with the characters, from Luigi to the bosses, makes for a great experience. It's hard to be scared when playing this game, but you can really feel the emotion and the fear the Luigi is experiencing and it makes for a really impressive launch title.
Breakdown
| Presentation | 8 |
| Ingenuity | 8 |
| Graphics | 8 |
| Audio | 8 |
| Lastability | 4 |
 |
25/30 |
Disclaimer: Reviews are conducted by a random set of three members of the N-Sider staff. The N-Council Final Score is the compiled sum of each editors individual score.
Score breakdowns: A 30-27 garnishes a gold award, a 26-24 scores silver award, and a 23-22 scores a bronze award. Any scores falling below those parameters can be compared by score alone.