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Preview  Luigi's Mansion
- By Michael Loewer


SpaceWorld Update:

Several new screen shots of Luigi’s Mansion have been released and though they don’t show any new areas (a further indication of how small the game is) something new has popped up in several of the screens. Luigi carries a device with him called a ‘Game Boy Horror,’ and though the hardware is strangely in the shape of a Game Boy Color (rather than Advance) this may be an indication towards GCN Link support. Of course, this is only a small indication and may be nothing more than a clever inclusion of classic Nintendo hardware, so keep that in mind.

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Finally, after 16 years of being sidekick to his big brother Mario, Luigi has graciously been granted his own game, Luigi’s Mansion, for the mighty GameCube. Debuting as a technical “demo” at Space World 2000 and confirmed as a launch title at E3 2001, this comical ghost-hunting experience is sure to be yet another Miyamoto masterpiece.

Plot:

If Bruce Campbell has taught us anything, it’s that exploring old homesteads deep in the woods always results in nasty clashes with the undead. Sadly, Luigi does not heed this warning, and after inheriting a mansion deep in the woods, he sets off to explore it on his own and quickly realizes that yes, the massive estate is indeed populated by ghosts, and visitors are not welcome. Arming himself with decidedly low-tech weaponry such as a flashlight and vacuum cleaner, Luigi sets out to rid his new home of the ghostly menace. Soon, he meets an odd, doctor-type character who explains that he possesses the technology to turn captured ghosts into paintings. With the solution before him, the adventure begins.


Graphics:

Based on what we’ve seen, Luigi’s Mansion features what one would expect—exquisitely detailed, wide-open, fully 3D environments. What needs to be excessively praised are the lighting and shadow effects—just look at the screenshots to the right—and try to keep your jaw from hitting the floor. However, while the shadows may be the most impressive of the in game effects, they’re certainly not the only point to deserve high praise. The light beam itself looks incredibly realistic, not only creating perfect, real-time shadows but also even illuminating the dust floating in the air. Ghosts float in transparent, alpha-layered goodness, with added particle effects after they’re captured. Almost all objects in the game react to Luigi’s vacuum cleaner, may it be a wooden object rattling on a table or a piece of sloth swaying in the air. The view is polished, and quite simply, breathtaking.


Gameplay:

Luckily, Luigi made the correct choices when he picked the vacuum cleaner and flashlight as his weapons of ghostly war. These rather wussy ghosts are quite afraid of Luigi’s flashlight, and after locking on to them with the beam, the ghosts can then be sucked up using the vacuum cleaner. After all the pests have been removed from the current room, that part of the mansion returns to its pre-haunted state, allowing Luigi to continue his quest. Luigi, unfortunately, is also terrified of ghosts, who seem to enjoy attacking from behind. If he is unable to turn around quickly enough to get a lock on them with his flashlight, they’ll scare him. This inflicts damage on our green-wearing hero and sends him into a humorous screaming fit while running around the room trying to control his fright.

The mansion is vast, and as such can be extremely difficult to navigate without getting lost. To correct this problem, Nintendo has confirmed the first true application of the GameCube-to-GBA link. The GBA in this instance functions as a ghost-tracking device. There really are a lot of the suckers throughout the mansion, and being forced to simply wander the corridors in search of them could have become frustrating and boring rather quickly (::coughDonkeyKongCountry64cough::).

Anywho, keep in mind that this is most definitely not the 3D platformer title a lot of folks had hoped for. You’re not going to go running and jumping around the mansion very quickly—in fact, just the opposite. The experience is supposed to be slow and creepy, with Luigi carefully searching for his ghostly nemeses. Much of the action takes place in slightly angled 2D views, with gamers only able to move Luigi left and right. Regardless, the fun-factor is definitely present, trust me, and sucking up ghosts just never seems to get old. This is absolutely one of the must-buy GameCube launch titles (aren’t they all?), and I promise will not disappoint.

Mario, who supposedly can be found by Luigi somewhere inside the mansion, will star in his own, totally separate 3D platformer, probably debuting at Space World 2001.

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E3 Impressions; May 17, 2001
I certainly hope that this is nothing more than a simplistic tech demo. Luigi’s Mansion is nice to look at, but it’s difficult to control and has very limited gameplay. Luigi’s quest involves locating ghosts with a flashlight, sucking them down with a vacuum cleaner and - that’s it. After sucking up ghosts, curtains, fires, and lamps for about fifteen minutes I’d had my fill. I can’t imagine playing this “game” in its current form for more than a half hour. Not only is the gameplay tedious, but it’s boring and unrewarding. If one manages to exterminate all the ghosts in one of the rooms, the lights go on - I think. I couldn’t even tell what the point of Luigi’s terror-filled quest was. Miyamoto told us yesterday that Mario and Luigi had inherited a haunted house somehow and that Luigi was giving the house a visit without Mario. However, the game itself made no mention of this.

For those who were patient enough to make their way through the game’s tutorial, a strange scientist introduced Luigi to his special ghost sucking vacuum-light. With this strange contraption strapped to his back, Luigi is a veritable ghost-sucking maniac, if you can control him. Controlling Luigi in his psuedo 3D world is a difficult task, the c-stick handles his basic movement as the control-stick changes the direction in which he is facing.

So, Luigi’s Mansion is a flashy-looking game with no depth, it’s a hardware demo. We’ll probably see it packed in with the GameCube hardware.

*Impressions by Andrew

- 6.13.2001