Luigi's second solo appearance does not dissapoint.

User Rating: 8.7 | Luigi Mansion GC
For his second solo game ("Mario is Missing" being the first), Luigi makes quite a show for himself in this game. Not only does it manage to live up to the standards that were set by the other games in the Mario series, but it also manages to head out in a new and unique direction of it's own. To start with, the game's story is quite interesting. Luigi heads out to a mysterious mansion that he won in a contest that he never entered. Apon entering the mansion he is attacked by a ghost, only to be saved by one Professor E. Gadd. After the professor reveals the unfortunate fate of Luigi's brother Mario, Luigi sets off to the mansion with the professor's "Poltergust 3000" device to vaccume up the ghosts and uncover the mystery behind the mansion. Gameplay itself is nothing like previous games in the Mario series. Platforming is nonexistant in this game, the enviornmens have been designed to resemble what might be an actual house. Not to say that the mansion actually resembles an actual house, but it has been set up to look like a place that people might actually inhabit, if it wasn't inhabited by ghosts. Getting through the game reqires puzzle-solving, mainly through inteacting with various parts of the enviornment. One puzzle might involve messing around with musical instruments or hitting a punching bag. Eventually it can all come down to trial-and-error. However, Luigi has been eqipped with the Professor's "Game Boy Horror", which will allow him to search through the enviornments in a stationary first-person view and scan different objects for clues. Since the camera does stay at a fixed angle throughout the game when the player is not using the GBH, this can come in handy in some rooms. The main objective in each part of the game is to capture the portrait ghosts that are hiding in the mansion. Doing so usually requires you to solve some special puzzle that will surprise the ghost and allow you to capture it. Reaching the ghosts often requires you to pass through different locked doors, which, obviously, require you to find keys to get through them. Often capturing one ghost will grant you the key to locate another one. Also, there are fifty Boo Buddies located throughout the mansion. Catching them all is imperitive to finishing the game. However, to catch them you must first locate them. This is done by using the ghost detector on the GBH horror to find a room in which the Boo is hiding. Once the little light on the GBH turns red, some nearby object will usually harbor a hiding ghost. As for actually catching the ghosts, this is done with both the Poltergust 3000 and Luigi's flashlight. To catch a ghost, Luigi must surprise it with his flashlight to make it's heart appear. Once that happens Luigi can ensnare the ghost by sucking it into the vaccume cleaner. However, the act of ensnaring the ghost usually causes it to flee, meaning that Luigi will have to pull in the opposite direction to wear down the ghost's stamina. Once this has been done the ghost will be pulled into the vaccume, and the player may recive a reward of some sort. In addition to it's ghost-capturing abilites, the Poltergust can also gain the ability to spew fire, water, and ice. This is done by collecting various medallions that are hidden around the building. The abilites themeselves can be used to solve various puzzles, although it would seem that they are never quite used enough in the course of the game. Also, there are various treasures hidden throughout the mansion. Aquiring more cash will mean a better ending for the player once they finish the game. The game's graphics are a sight to behold. Luigi's expressions alone are quite a treat. He displays varying amounts of terror as he visits the mansion's various areas. Cutscenes are usually done in a high amount of detail, and all of the charachters in the game animate well. Every one of the ghosts has a cartoonish look to it, and they all move in relation to the player's position in the room. The enviornments are all beautifully designed. They each have a highly detailed and filled with all sorts of objects that make the mansion truly look like a haunted house. Sound is done quite well. Luigi himself hums along to the game's theme music as he walks along. As he takes more damage, Luigi's voice become shakier and shakier. Also, he has various other expressions that he comes out with throughout the game, such as when he picks up a key or gets surprised by a spook. The ghosts also have a fairly decent array of sounds. Most of them make some form of sound when they attack, usually with the intent to scare Luigi (as he is scared of ghosts). So to finish, this is quite a good game, especially if you already have a GameCube. I would highly reccomend it to anyone who has not played it yet. Especially those of you who waited years for Luigi to have a game that he could call his own.