Luigi's Mansion

Short and sweet

never got bored even once

didn't finish

This is my first introduction to the first Luigi's Mansion (I didn't get to play the original version of GameCube yet), and it's a very good game! I like how much personality they gave to Luigi, which is to be a scaredy-cat that is also full of courage and willpower. I really like the mansion's level design, with a map you can check to see the place's layers, rooms etc at all times. It has also pretty creative puzzles, ghost designs and boss fights, which I like, and heck just the vacuum mechanic was cool! My only nitpick is how short the game is, it could've definitely benefitted for 2-3 hours of additional gameplay. Otherwise, I had a great time playing it!

From Nintendo it's THE launch title for the Gamecube Luigi's Mansion. I've heard good things about it so let's see what this so-called underrated game has in store. This time, instead of playing as Mario, you play as his brother Luigi, as he has strangely won a contest that he didn't even enter and won a mansion. If that wasn't suspicious enough, the mansion is infested with ghosts led by King Boo. Luigi is understandably terrified at the prospect of having a ton of ghosts (some dangerous some not) infesting this mansion but is convinced by a scientist named Professor Elvin Gadd (or E. Gadd hardy har) to go in the mansion and capture the ghosts using a vacuum called the Poltergust 3000 and to find Mario, who has gone missing in the mansion. Gameplay wise, Luigi must navigate through the various rooms of the mansion in search of Mario and the ghosts of paintings. Sucking in ghosts with the vacuum is pretty responsive but even though the ghosts put up a fight to get out, they're not that hard to capture, unless it's a boss ghost (or a big boss ghost) which will fight back. Luigi can't jump in this adventure, but he does have access to different elemental magic he can shoot out of the vacuum in the forms of fire, water, and ice. They're pretty situational but are still useful. Luigi's movement can feel a bit stiff which is perfectly fine when exploring the mansion since it's designed with the stiff controls in mind. But when you're going up against the bigger bosses like Boolossus it becomes a pain because Luigi moves so slowly it makes it irritating to avoid attacks. The worst was the final boss in King Boo who has a Bowser costume and the vacuum only works when it feels like it when you're trying to expose King Boo. Otherwise the game as a whole is really good. The graphics hold up for a 2001 game and the music, though there's not much of it is really catchy, especially when Luigi is talking to one of the ghosts. Speaking of the bigger ghosts one thing that kind of bothered me was the fact that many of the ghosts you capture and put into portraits don't even try to hurt you, which makes me wonder if they were really worth going after at all. For example, this music ghost doesn't even try to hurt you, it just can't control the sheet music that's in the same area. As a whole, Luigi's Mansion is a good game that shouldn't be overlooked because of its length (it's long enough, believe me). It's a spoopy adventure that anyone should give a try.

One of the coolest spinoffs ever made.
Loyal to the character and to the fun Mario innovations.