Tag: first impressions

Yesterday, Luigi’s Mansion 3 was released for Nintendo Switch. I was a big fan of the original GameCube game (giving it a 8/10 rating), and I replayed it just last year. So it’s great to see the series vac again. Note: I have not played the 2nd game in the series, Dark Moon, on Nintendo 3DS.

The game starts out with Mario, Peach, the Toads, and Luigi (and his ghost dog) on a bus, heading to a fancy hotel for a nice vacation after Luigi was sent an invitation.

What’s Up with the Controls?

It isn’t long before Luigi discovers that the others have gone missing, and the hotel is haunted. Luigi initially has just a flashlight, but he soon discovers a Poltergust vacuum he can use to suck up the ghosts.

Pressing the right stick up moves your flashlight/Poltergust up, and pressing it down moves it down. That might sound fine, except for the fact that it was the exact opposite in the original game! I’ve played enough with the original’s inverted controls that it’s hard to unlearn them. And Luigi’s Mansion 3 offers no option to change them back!

Why are customizable controls not an option in this day and age? Especially when the defaults are the complete opposite of what they were in the first game? The game does support motion controls, so perhaps I can adjust to tilting the controller forward and back if I can’t switch the vertical axis.

Oh, the Horror!

In the original Luigi’s Mansion, Professor E. Gadd gave you a “Game Boy Horror” that displayed a map and offered other assistance. That tradition continues in a way that make you see red. Literally. The professor gives you a Virtual Boo, which is based on Nintendo’s failed Virtual Boy system from the 1990s.

And just like that system, the Virtual Boo’s screens are all red.

Sucking Gameplay

Luigi stuns ghosts with his flashlight, and then sucks them up with his Poltergust vacuum. Once you pull on a ghost long enough, you can sometimes press the A button to slam a ghost back and forth on the floor to reduce its health quicker. I’m not sure why the ghosts don’t just pass right through the floor, but it is an enjoyable and helpful tactic…particularly when multiple ghosts are in the area.

There are tons of hidden coins, gems, and other treasures to find along the way. And in fact, so far I’ve spent much more of my time searching for goodies than I have fighting ghosts. At least early on, many rooms don’t even have ghosts in them. So the game has a different feel from the original…although I’m sure that’s likely to change before long.

One very minor complaint is that ghosts don’t display their hearts like they did in the first game. Seeing a ghost’s heart, and the accompanying sound effect when you locked onto a ghost, was very satisfying in the original game. I’m a bit sad that didn’t return, but again, it’s not a big deal.

Let’s a Goo!

Within the first couple hours, you unlock Gooigi. He’s basically a clone of Luigi that’s made out of goo. Or slime. Or snot. Whatever he’s made of, Gooigi can pass through fences and grates that Luigi can’t. However, Gooigi will melt if he touches water…so some areas will be off-limits to him.

Gooigi can be used to help you reach new areas, and he can also be used as a second character for puzzles that require two things to be done at once. You can swap between Gooigi and Luigi at any time, or recall Gooigi to your slime tank when you’re done with him.

Departing Thoughts

The game seems to be considerably longer than the original, which is definitely a good thing. The original game’s short length was its biggest flaw, so I’m glad to see this game will suck even more of my time away. 😛

I’m about three hours into Luigi’s Mansion 3 now, and I’m definitely enjoying my time so far. And I still haven’t tried out the online play or other game modes yet. I’ll be sure to post a review once I beat the game and give those other modes a try.

Want to buy Luigi’s Mansion 3 at Amazon?

In this blog entry, I’m going to discuss the games (and other gaming-related items) I got in December. Most of these were Christmas gifts, but the first two things mentioned are games I bought myself earlier in December.

Yooka-Laylee (Switch)

I pre-ordered the physical version of Yooka-Laylee in September, and it finally arrived in December. This 3D platformer is the spiritual successor to Rare’s N64 games, and it really shows. From the graphics to the jumbled “voice” noises spoken by the characters, everything just screams Banjo-Kazooie. Some of the music and sound effects sound a lot like Donkey Kong 64 as well.

While I’m still in the first world, I am enjoying the game so far. I’ve always loved a good collect-a-thon, and this seems right up my alley. I do already have a minor complaint, though. The frame rate sometimes stutters, and it’s very noticeable. Hopefully it won’t become a bigger problem later in the game.

Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch)

Katamari Damacy was originally a PlayStation 2 game, which was very unique. You play as the son of the King of All Cosmos, and you roll around a sticky ball called a katamari. Any objects that are small enough will stick to the katamari as you roll, gradually making the katamari larger and larger (and thus, able to pick up bigger items). You start out picking up things like paper clips and erasers, but eventually you’ll be picking up people, cars, and buildings. It’s a bizarre game that’s a pure joy to play.

Katamari Damacy Reroll is an HD remake, and I bought the Switch version in December. The physical version is sadly exclusive to Gamestop, otherwise you can buy the digital version in the eShop.

The graphics have been improved, and yet they retain the blocky look of the original. The great tunes from the original have also returned.

But the controls were my biggest complaint with the PS2 game, and they are also my biggest complaint with Reroll. To move around, you must push both sticks in the same direction. Rotating the camera requires pushing the sticks in opposite directions. It’s not very intuitive, and the controls hold you back at times. I really wish they would’ve used one stick for movement and one for the camera. (Note: There is an optional “simple” control method which only requires one stick for movement, but it still requires both sticks to turn the camera.)

Even though the controls are a bit wonky, you do get used to them after a while. And picking things up with your katamari is an inexplicably enjoyable thing to do. The game isn’t super long, but Katamari Damacy is just pure fun while it lasts. This is a game that I highly recommend.

Buy Katamari Damacy Reroll digital code at Amazon

Super Mario Maker (Wii U)

Super Mario Maker allows you to create, play, and share your own Mario levels. It’s definitely a cool concept, and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun with it in the long run. But I’m disappointed by how limited the game is at the beginning.

You start with just a handful of level elements (blocks, enemies, etc.) you can use to create your levels. A few more elements are unlocked each day that you play, but the pace is far too slow for my liking. Since I haven’t been playing it daily, I haven’t even unlocked half of the available elements so far. I think I’ll get into the game more once I’ve unlocked everything. And it will help me make some scenes for future episodes of my Mario Plays ACCF series.

Super Mario Maker hasn’t been ported to Switch (so far, at least), but even if it had been, I still would have preferred the Wii U version. That’s because Wii U allows you to use the touch screen for editing and display the game on a TV set. If it was on Switch, you couldn’t do both of those things…at least not at the same time. So it really takes advantage of the Wii U hardware features in that respect.

Buy Super Mario Maker at Amazon

Worms W.M.D. (Switch)

The original Worms (I have the Jaguar version) was a 2D, turn-based strategy game, though it’s definitely not your typical strategy game. You control a team of four heavily-armed worms, and the object is defeat the opposing team of worms (either computer-controlled or another player). Each worm moves slowly and has a limited time to move around and get off a shot, and the terrain of each level can make things tricky. But the last worm standing wins the game.

Worms W.M.D. expands on the concept with more weapons, new levels, and online play. While I haven’t tried the online play yet, I have gone through most of the training levels and I’ve completed a few of the regular campaign levels as well. It’s a slow-paced game, so it’s not for everyone, but I’m really enjoying it so far.

Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast)

This is a unique (read: bizarre) music game in which you play as a reporter named Ulala. Aliens have invaded and hypnotized people, forcing them to dance. The object of the game is to mimic the aliens’ dance moves to defeat them and rescue the hostages. For example, you may have to press “up, down, up, down, shoot shoot shoot” in time with the music. It’s an interesting game, but it’s probably my least favorite of my five December games…at least to this point.

Not Games, But Gaming Related

I also received a few other gaming-related gifts that aren’t gifts. It includes a three-pack of Animal Crossing Amiibo figures (Reese, Cyrus, and K.K. Slider), a separate Blathers Amiibo, a controller-shaped Christmas tree ornament, a $20 Nintendo eShop card, and a tin of Zelda mints.

Amazon links to buy: Amiibo 3-Pack – Blathers Amiibo – Zelda Mints – eShop Card

In the coming weeks, I’ll test out the Amiibos in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Happy Home Designer. Admittedly, Reese and Cyrus aren’t my favorite characters, but Blathers and especially K.K. Slider are cool. As for the eShop card, I’m not sure what I’ll use it on just yet.

Get any good gaming gifts this past holiday season? Feel free to post a comment below!