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/