Monday, September 3, 2012
The Wii U Experience!
So, recently, Nintendo invited me--a loyal Club Nintendo member--to an event called the "Wii U Experience." Basically, this event allowed me to play Wii U games such as New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, Sing, Rayman Legends, Nintendo Land, and more before they're released this holiday season! To say I was ecstatic about this event would have been the understatement of the century; I found myself wishing Nintendo would invent a "time pipe" in addition to a warp pipe, so that the day of the event would come sooner. (Of course, now I'm wishing they would invent a "back-in-time" pipe, so that I could relive the event again...)
Unsurprisingly, the event was a blast. Granted, I spent most of the time singing or dancing along to Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" song because all the other games were being played, but if the worst thing I can say is that I danced the night away, then I'd say I had a pretty fantabulous time. While I did NOT make the video embedded below, I am featured in it for a whooping 2 seconds (1:20 to 1:22--I'm the girl in the light blue Zelda shirt dancing to Sing). I really don't know how I'm going to cope with this 2 seconds of fame. My attempts to live life anonymously have been thwarted. >;D
ANYWAYS, the Wii U has everything I expected it would: responsive controls, colorful graphics, and a fun factor to the power of infinity. Some highlights include sailing out of danger with the flying squirrel suit in New Super Mario Bros. U, getting owned at the "Donkey Kong's Crash Course" minigame in Nintendo Land, and laying the law down with Rock Pikmin in Pikmin 3. Those of you who haven't played the Wii U yet are in for a real treat this holiday season. I'll be lining up for one the day it comes out.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Another upcoming 3DS game I'm really excited about is Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (formerly known as Luigi's Mansion 2). The original Luigi's Mansion was my first Gamecube game and is easily one of my favorites. Luigi is one of my favorite Mario characters (when I can't play as Shy Guy or Boo, I almost always pick Luigi), and so I couldn't have been more excited to get my mitts on this game.
I wasn't disappointed. I found sucking up ghosts with a vacuum Ghostbusters-style great fun. And the names of the Boos made the not-so-secret punster in me laugh on loud on more than one occasion (Little Boo Peep and Mr. Boojangles, I'm looking at you!).
With all of this said, I'm actually kind of surprised that Nintendo is making a sequel to this game in the first place. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE the original (as should be clear as plastic by now), but I know a lot of people who complained about it being too short and repetitive. (Unsurprisingly, I didn't find either one of these to be a problem. I take a ridiculously long time to complete games unless I'm renting them, and I found the characters and situations Luigi found himself in to be varied and humorous enough to keep my interest throughout.) In addition to these complaints, Luigi is more cowardly and less popular than his superstar brother, and so it was surprising enough to see him land a starring role in one game, let alone two (despite the *fact* that he clearly deserves his own series!).
Then again, Luigi's Mansion has made quite an impact on the Mario series. In addition to introducing His Majesty King Boo, the Gamecube great is also responsible for a court in Mario Power Tennis, a racetrack in Mario Kart DS, a battle stage in Mario Kart Double Dash!!, and more. So, maybe the rest of the gaming population liked the game more than the pessimistic peeps I know.
But enough about the original; let's talk about the sequel! In addition to being in 3D and on a portable system, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon features multiple differences from its predecessor. First off, Luigi's vacuum has been significantly upgraded, as Luigi can now suck up multiple ghosts simultaneously (http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/34084/best-games-of-2012-3-luigis-mansion-2/). I wish my vacuum was that durable, as I'm lucky to get through one floor before the cleaning appliance starts choking on dust.
Next, Dark Moon features multiple mansions, including a traditional mansion, a clockwork mansion, and a snowy mansion, with rumors of plant-themed and desert/pyramid-themed mansions as well (http://www.mariowiki.com/Luigi%27s_Mansion:_Dark_Moon). I'm especially excited about the snowy mansion--think of all the snow-themed Boos Nintendo could have (Snowboony, Boo Spruce, and Boodolph the Red-Nosed...Boo for starters!).
Thirdly, Dark Moon requires more strategy than its predecessor. Players must use a specific strategy to beat ghosts, as opposed to just sucking them up. In addition, the game features more puzzles, which will hopefully add longevity to the game (and remedy complaints some players had about the original being too short) (http://press.nintendo.com/E32011/Nintendo3DS/LMansion/FACT_LMansion_3DS_SW_E311.pdf).
With top-notch games like Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Paper Mario: Sticker Star coming out, the 3DS is going to have a very busy holiday season.
Pictures obtained from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luigi%27s_Mansion_2-_Dark_Moon_logo.jpg
http://mariokart.wikia.com/wiki/Luigi%27s_Mansion
http://zoknowsgaming.com/2012/06/08/nintendo-shows-3ds-wares/
I wasn't disappointed. I found sucking up ghosts with a vacuum Ghostbusters-style great fun. And the names of the Boos made the not-so-secret punster in me laugh on loud on more than one occasion (Little Boo Peep and Mr. Boojangles, I'm looking at you!).
With all of this said, I'm actually kind of surprised that Nintendo is making a sequel to this game in the first place. Don't get me wrong: I LOVE the original (as should be clear as plastic by now), but I know a lot of people who complained about it being too short and repetitive. (Unsurprisingly, I didn't find either one of these to be a problem. I take a ridiculously long time to complete games unless I'm renting them, and I found the characters and situations Luigi found himself in to be varied and humorous enough to keep my interest throughout.) In addition to these complaints, Luigi is more cowardly and less popular than his superstar brother, and so it was surprising enough to see him land a starring role in one game, let alone two (despite the *fact* that he clearly deserves his own series!).
Then again, Luigi's Mansion has made quite an impact on the Mario series. In addition to introducing His Majesty King Boo, the Gamecube great is also responsible for a court in Mario Power Tennis, a racetrack in Mario Kart DS, a battle stage in Mario Kart Double Dash!!, and more. So, maybe the rest of the gaming population liked the game more than the pessimistic peeps I know.
But enough about the original; let's talk about the sequel! In addition to being in 3D and on a portable system, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon features multiple differences from its predecessor. First off, Luigi's vacuum has been significantly upgraded, as Luigi can now suck up multiple ghosts simultaneously (http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/34084/best-games-of-2012-3-luigis-mansion-2/). I wish my vacuum was that durable, as I'm lucky to get through one floor before the cleaning appliance starts choking on dust.
Next, Dark Moon features multiple mansions, including a traditional mansion, a clockwork mansion, and a snowy mansion, with rumors of plant-themed and desert/pyramid-themed mansions as well (http://www.mariowiki.com/Luigi%27s_Mansion:_Dark_Moon). I'm especially excited about the snowy mansion--think of all the snow-themed Boos Nintendo could have (Snowboony, Boo Spruce, and Boodolph the Red-Nosed...Boo for starters!).
Thirdly, Dark Moon requires more strategy than its predecessor. Players must use a specific strategy to beat ghosts, as opposed to just sucking them up. In addition, the game features more puzzles, which will hopefully add longevity to the game (and remedy complaints some players had about the original being too short) (http://press.nintendo.com/E32011/Nintendo3DS/LMansion/FACT_LMansion_3DS_SW_E311.pdf).
With top-notch games like Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Paper Mario: Sticker Star coming out, the 3DS is going to have a very busy holiday season.
Pictures obtained from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luigi%27s_Mansion_2-_Dark_Moon_logo.jpg
http://mariokart.wikia.com/wiki/Luigi%27s_Mansion
http://zoknowsgaming.com/2012/06/08/nintendo-shows-3ds-wares/
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