Luigi's Mansion Short Review

[Cajunstarwalker]

Luigi's Mansion Short Review



System: Nintendo Gamecube
Release Date: Nov, 18 2001
Publisher: Nintendo
Devoloper: Nintendo
Memory Blocks: 3 Blocks
Rated: E for Everyone
Single Player Only

This game was a launch title for the Gamecube. It was it's highest selling launch game when it came out. It was also one of the first Gamecube Player's Choice games. This is an overall enjoyable game starring Luigi.


Plot: Luigi has just won a large mansion on an abandoned hillside. He is going to meet Mario there. Though the house looks like the one from the Amityville horror, for some reason our hero is clueless and still goes inside. But who could blame Luigi, afterall it is a free mansion. Inside, Mario is nowhere to be found. After searching a while for Mario, he is ambushed by some ghosts. After being rescued by Prof. E. Gadd, he is given the Poltergust to help him on his search for Nintendo's mascot.

Gameplay: In the game, you play as Luigi. You go around ridding various rooms and floors of ghosts while looking for Mario. The gameplay is fun but not revolutionary. The whole idea of sucking up ghosts is similar to the plot of Ghostbusters. You use E. Gadd's Poltergust to suck up coins, cash, jewels, and ghosts. One is even similar to the first main one in Ghostbusters. Another thing about the game similar to the movie is the cover. Luigi looks like the kid on Home Alone. If I were that kid I would be parents are gone! Let's party! But no, he freaks out like Luigi does whenever he sees a ghost.

Graphics: The graphics are great. They showed how much better the graphics were compared to the N64. There are several noteworthy examples in the game. Luigi will sense ghosts nearby in the dark and you will see his teeth chatter and breath. When you walk, dust flies up into the air. What I think is the best though, is the flashlight. It will cast shadows on objects when you look at objects. The flashlight is bright in the center and gets dimmer in the background. It truly looks amazing.

Sound and Music: The Music has an interesting mood to it. It sounds fun and a little spooky, There are two things worth noting in the music. One is the famous Totaka's Song. The other is music from Super Mario Bros.. The sound is good. You can hear Luigi run up the stairs, Boos cackle, instruments, water run, pool balls, and other things like Luigi whistling nervously in the dark.

Control: The control is good and responsive. It is somewhat moderately difficult to get used to the Poltergust controls. You have to use both the C and the Analog stick to use and move it from up to down, and from side to side. There are two movement options. One is Sidestep. This setting is annoying and only really useful against Mr. Luggs. The other is the default which is much easier to use. The other buttons are used to view items, rooms, and knock on objects. When not near anything, if you press A Luigi will yell Mario in different tones.

Difficulty: This is one of the major reasons to buy this game cheap and not pay for it new. The game can easily be beaten in less than two days. One day if you play it nonstop. There are only three bosses other than the final one. The final one is not much more difficult to defeat than the others. It just has a larger life. There is not much to do after you beat it. After completion of the game you unlock the Hidden Mansion. Just the same game with slightly more difficult enemies. The other main flaw is that the game is extremely short.

How Long This Game Will Last: Probably a week. After you beat it, you'll be more interested in other games that are newer. You'll still play this game from time to time.

Review Breakdown

Plot: 7.6
Gameplay: 6.9
Graphics: 9.1
Music: 9.2
Sound: 8.5
Control: 8.0
Difficulty (based on if it's too hard, too easy, or just right): 5
Overall Grade: 7.7

My suggestion: While slightly better than average it is still an overall good game. I suggest buying it used and adding it to your collection of GC games. You will play it at least from time to time.

[Macawmoses]

Pretty good for a short review. Lots of detail and opinion squeezed in there. Please make it an actual FULL review as I am intrigued, i never have actually played it :D. In the future try using a bit more complex wordings, but what you used worked. Keep it up!