Luigi makes an attemp to outplay Mario, and although he does not suceed, don't look past his quirky adventure.
For being a launch title of the Nintendo Gamecube, Luigi's Mansion really did not have much to live up to. With the exception of Halo and a few others, no launch games have ever been spectacular by any means. Even though Luigi's Mansion is not a spectacular game, it does do it's job as being a solid game that should attract gamers to buy the system.
The controls are simple to learn, and in no time at all, one can be on their way into the depths of the haunted mansion. A new character to the Mario cannon, Professor E. Gadd (oh how funny) is the only spice the story will receive, as the main plot is the same as any other Mario game. Someone gets captured (Mario), someone has to save them (Luigi) and they end up beating a run of the mill Mario enemy (King Boo and, of course, Bowser, albeit in robot form). But, if one can look past the norm, the game provides a fun new look into the Mario cannon.
Lastly, although the game provides a whole new 'mode' to play through, it is the same exact game, only both Luigi and his foes do a whopping 1.5 time the damage as regular mode. Whoopee!
Finally, all of this results in a solid 8 for Luigi's first foray, and a fan awaiting his next adventure without Mario.
P.S. There is one door in the game in which I could never find a key for, and although there is a way around, much time would have been saved, which makes me somewhat angry.