Cheat Index - Luigi's Mansion GameCube Review

Portrayed as only a game to fill the gap in the wait for the next true Mario game, Luigi's Mansion pits you as Luigi. A frightened little plumber who never plumbs, yet has one a mansion. Mario has already made it to the mansion, and once you, Luigi, arrives, you realize that Mario has been kidnapped. Pulled away from the mansion, a professor hands you the Poltergust3000! that will help you out through the mansion. In an attempt to find your brother and clear the mansion, the struggle begins...

Presentation

One of the coolest things about Luigi's Mansion, is the GameBoy Horror. Used as most of your menus, it tracks your items and carries a map. Through it you can find places you've been, locked doors, and other things. Also, it is used as a first person view to investiage objects, and give clues. Oddly, this view is hardly ever used and pretty much pointless in the end.

The look and feel of the game is great, and nothing really stands out, but nothing really detracts from the game either. With such simple gameplay, there isn't much to keep track of anyway. As well, even the money you'll notice you collect is pretty much pointless as of late.

The controller seems to fit perfectly with this game. With the left control stick, you control Luigi. With the right C-Stick, you control your flashlight and vacuum. Very simple control. You never have to look down, and the ease of use is amazing. I caught on very quickly.

Two control setups are available for use during the game. Standard and Sidestep. In the Luigi's Mansion manual, Sidestep is said to be used for more advanced users. After completing the game, I went back to try sidestep. Because the C-stick is used to change direction, to me this setup is much more difficult. Keeping your flashlight off to attract ghosts, isn't very easy, because its hard to use both the 'B' button (used for the flashlight) and the C-stick to control its position. When using standard, control is great. For sidestep, unless I'm just getting it wrong, its just too hard. Overall, the presentation is great and the control just the same. Few flaws.

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