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/

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

So, I don't know about you, but I'm REALLY excited about Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the 3DS.  The N64 and Gamecube titles in the Paper Mario series are two of my all-time favorite games.  The humor, gameplay, and music in these games is just phenomenal.  The humor in particular deserves a special mention.  I'll never forget the time Kammy Koopa (AKA the Mushroom Kingdom's resident stalker) told Bowser about her latest "Mario sighting" in Rogueport, only to have Bowser reply, "Am I Mario's baby-sitter?  I don't care what he's doing!  Are you going to call me every time that guy blows his nose, or what?"  I nearly died laughing after reading this line, and the dialogue in The Thousand-Year Door stayed just as humorous throughout.

And while I haven't seen the dialogue in Sticker Star yet (for obvious reasons), I'm confident it will be just as funny.  The gameplay looks to be just as sharp as previous installments, with a return to the turn-based battle system of the original Paper Mario games.  And as the title suggests, stickers will play a major role in the game and hopefully provide some...crafty puzzles.

Mario: Sports Star, Super Star, and now Sticker Star...what about Rock Star?

If that's not enough to get you excited, according to the Paper Mario wikia (http://papermario.wikia.com/wiki/Paper_Mario:_Sticker_Star), one of Mario's partners might be a Chain Chomp!  After being on the receiving end of Tutankoopa's Chain Chomp's bite in the original Paper Mario, I'm seriously looking forward to having C-Dawg fight for me.  It will be interesting to see how Mario teams up with him in the first place.  Does Mario infiltrate a heavily guarded fortress and set poor Chompy free from his abusive Koopa captors?  Or does the Chompstar* challenge Mario to a duel--a duel which Mario must win to secure the hungry hombre's partnership?

According to The Guardian, Chain Chomps were inspired by a traumatic experience Shigeru Miyamoto had with a dog tethered to a post (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2010/sep/13/games-gameculture).  But that still doesn't answer the question of what inspired Miyamoto to create Thwomps.  A traumatic experience with falling pet rocks perhaps?

We'll have to wait until the holiday season this year (an exact date has yet to be pinned down) for the answers to these questions and many more.  In the meantime, tell me how YOU feel about the Chain Chomp joining Mario's traveling circus, as well as anything else you'd like to discuss about the latest addition to the beloved Paper Mario franchise.

*Chompstar, not Chompster--it's more in line with the star motif

-Chain Chomp picture obtained from this link: <http://wii.wikia.com/wiki/Chain_Chomp>.

Spotlight on Boo

So, as I was typing out the title for this entry, I realized how ironic it is.  As anyone who’s ever played a Mario game knows, Boo is a very shy critter who always covers his eyes with his stubby little hands every time Mario or Luigi turns around to confront him.  And with those sharp fangs, Boo could be a vampire ghost, making the “spotlight” thing that much more unlikely. 

Anyways, though, I decided to kick this blog off with Boo because I feel he (or she, depending on which game you’re playing) is slowly gaining the notoriety he deserves.  With prominent appearances in games like Paper Mario, Luigi’s Mansion, and Super Mario Galaxy, not to mention his role as a playable character in Mario Tennis Open and Mario Party 5-8, Boo is becoming well…aBOOndant.  But I don’t understand why he wasn’t playable in Mario Party 9.  True, he does don his crown as King Boo, but I’d much rather play as him than take him down.  Whenever I was playing as Boo in Mario Party 6 and my friends started booing me, I would just smile and say, “Yep, that’s my name—don’t you forget it!”  Funny how an insult can turn into a compliment when your name is Boo, isn’t it?