|  Nintendo keeps calling this the GameCube’s first Mario title,
but where’s Mario? Well, Mario is missing; he was supposed to meet Luigi at the
mysterious family mansion but never showed up. Now it’s up to Luigi to save his big
bro by clearing the mansion of its numerous ghostly inhabits. Luckily Luigi is armed with
a flashlight and vacuum, so he can battle the ghouls Ghostbuster style. Even with his
brother missing, poor Luigi isn’t the real star of Luigi’s Mansion, the awesome
lighting effects are the real stars. Outside a lightning storm flashes and pops, inside
Luigi’s flashlight searches the room nervously for ghosts. The shadows and textures
created by the mixing light sources are breathtaking. The gameplay is fast and fun and
pretty unique (though Silent Hill 2 promises the same sort of limited lighting, but in a
very different context) There will be over seventy rooms in the final version. I really
hope that they’ll be a bit more diverse than the levels showing at E3. If you’re
a big Mario fan, this is the game you need to pick up with your GameCube. I say it’s
about time for Luigi to grab the driver’s seat and get his bit of franchise fame.
 
Sarah
Wichlacz |
