Luigi's won a mansion in a contest he never entered, but does this 2001 game make the cut? Find out if you dare.
Story: Who plays a Mario game for the story anyway? (3/5)
Luigi won a mansion from a contest he hadn't even heard about, much less entered. Luigi thought it best to tell Mario about this happy event and Mario headed off to the mansion, Luigi went not much later.
Upon reaching the mansion, Luigi can't find his brother, in lieu he finds some scary ghosts and Elvin Gadd, a comically strange scientist who created a machine to capture these somewhat idiotic ghosts.
Gameplay: Not in the veins of Mario, but rather a watered down and combined version of Resident Evil and Silent Hill (4/5)
Luigi is given a Poltergust 3000 (a modded vacuum cleaner, R to use if I remember correctly) to defeat his ghastly foes and a Gameboy Horror (Gameboy Color, Nintendo, you so crazy, set to X or Y) to check items (checking an item is set to A but first you have to use the GB horror, some items can't be checked, checking an item gives information or Luigi's opinion about that item, you can also check ghosts but this is unwise if during a fight) and see things Luigi could not normally see.
Green 'stache is also equipped with a flashlight (hold B to turn it off but let go and it turns on again) to, of course, see. The flashlight also stops ghosts in their tracks if you shine it at them when they least expect it (you can either turn away and then shine the light at them or hold B and when they appear and get close let go of the B button, you have a small period of time to use the Poltergust 3000 after you've used the flashlight, this is the only way to catch ghosts.) Bosses are just about always fought in the same way, sadly. The game is also way too short. Luckily, the controls are great. (Note: I have combined controls and gameplay, they go hand-in-hand)
Graphics: It's a Mario game so its graphics aren't great anyway, adding to it is a 2001 game (3/5)
There's not much to be said here, typical Mario game, but it has advanced lighting (I forgot the technical name) meaning realistic shadows that appear only in the light, the light is also done very well, it was a graphically good start for the gamecube.
Music: The music is good like a Mario game, but it has a creepy feeling that fits the game (4/5)
The game is hardly scary, but the music just screams "I don't know what's here, it could kill me, but I'm goin' for it," Totaka did the music for this game and I believe he worked with Koji Kondo, they did a good job quite honestly.
Overall: Great game, but it can be repetitive at times (7.5/10)
This game deserves 7.5, but that doesn't mean you need to stray away from it, it's cheap now and it's well worth the price, you should pick it up at a store or buy it from Gamespot Gamemarket, this game is short but it is well worth your small amount of time.
- ImBananas