the same body, with different colored sprites. That’s somewhat indicative of the career

poor Luigi Mario has had. I mean, come on, Luigi Mario? He can’t even sign a check

without being reminded of his brother. He may be famous, but...

Luigi has lived his entire life...as player two.

So what, then, would you call this? Overdue? Surprising? Whatever you go with, be sure

to savor the moment. Because after three decades of playing second fiddle, the chartreuse chicken

himself is finally getting the spotlight. Luigi’s Mansion is back, only this time...it’s

one of the best games on its system.

Take a bow, big guy.

Well...at least success hasn’t changed him.

It’s not that Luigi’s Mansion was a bad game. It’s just this one’s better. In

fact, it’s a lot better. All the criticisms people had about the original? Apparently,

Nintendo kept them in a shoe box all these years, because a decade later, they’ve released

the game the first Luigi’s Mansion should’ve been.

Dark Moon picks up with a very familiar face. Professor E. Gadd, the lovably childlike paranormal

investigator, is in his lab doing...paranormal investigations. All the sudden, his friendly

ghost assistants become a bit less friendly. I mean, they walk through the wall. With no

time to stall, you call the...

Um. Well, that’s who you call.

I think the area where Dark Moon makes the most improvements over the original is presentation.

And it’s not just the aesthetics. I mean, the game’s absolutely gorgeous, the music

is amazing and sets the perfect mood. But the real highlight...is the game’s personality.

Luigi is just so endearing. The way he reluctantly stumbles through the mansion, anxiously humming

along with the music, always cowering...

Luigi comes to life in a way no Nintendo character ever has...and that includes big brother.

As for the gameplay, well...Dark Moon makes improvements there, as well. Like the original,

this is really just an adventure game. It’s like Maniac Mansion, but with more direct

control and combat inspired by Ghostbusters. But what’s interesting is that...the game

has been streamlined—uh, the controls are simpler and it’s split into levels this

time. But the game is also more complex. Luigi only has a flashlight and a vacuum cleaner...but

combined, it’s just stunning how much you can do with them.

And actually, this is a stunning game, period. Its puzzles are consistently clever, and its

five mansions are just teeming with secrets to uncover and treasures to find. This game

is bigger and more complex than the original, defined by an incredible attention to detail.

With every room, it gets more engrossing. With every pixel, it gets more beautiful.

With every one of Luigi’s mumbles and stumbles...you smile a little more.

Of course, it hasn’t always been smiles for Luigi. It’s been a decade since Nintendo

launched the GameCube not with a Mario game, but with Luigi’s Mansion. Which, in a perfectly

Luigi twist of fate, would release to average reviews and usher in Nintendo’s least successful

home console ever. You could call it a disappointment.

Luigi called it a Sunday.

He calls this redemption.