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Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon |OT| Take ghost-busting to the Next Level

Reversible cover art is new information.

It's not really reversible, I guess. Not technically. It's one of those ones where the holes in the inside of the packaging allow you to see the faces of the ghosts. Who knows if it'll be in the international versions.

dscn0054va.jpg

And the 'cover' of the 'manual' just because.


EDIT: Just discovered hitting the Dpad while walking makes Luigi cry out 'hello?' in different ways.
 

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
I'm 2 hours in and having a blast so far. Luigi never stands still. He's always doing something, like shivering or checking over his shoulders.

It's really charming.

Edit: Oh yeah, and I love the DS's ringtone.
 
OK, here are my very first impressions, spoiler-free of course. I warn you; I have only played the first mission and I completed it in 30 minutes, but just because I stopped to investigate every detail of the environment the game presents after every corner (and I have to say that Luigi’s Mansion 2 knows how reward the meticulous player).

Let’s start by the graphics. Frame is much better than expected, it keeps itself stable at a comfortable rate even in exteriors where there is happening a huge storm, with rain and lightning, as well as other effects. It goes down when there is more than one ghost in the stance, as well as during transitions between rooms, tough. However, I thought it was going to be much worse.

Visual and artistically is one of the more delightful experiences of Nintendo 3DS. The detail is exquisite, every room counts with a huge amount of elements that react to the minimum interaction; pounding, sucking or even light flashing. The physics of curtains and carpets, the move of the lamps, the vibration of the wardrobes, the crackle of the candles… it’s like a Retro Studios game. In addition, character animations are awesome. Luigi has a single reaction for every situation; just seeing him running is hilarious! I loved the characters mimics and their expressivity, as well as the incredible variety of emotions displayed. When I’ve seen the first ghost of the game I have run to the previous room (before catching him) in order to see if something had changed there, and Luigi has closed the door behind him with violence and a horror expression, like if he was thinking “There is nothing in the world that can make me going again into that living room of hell”

Music is catchy and the sounds are pretty adequate, too. There are some great and inmersive melodies that confer a perfect atmosphere to the mansion, as well as other catchy tunes. And don’t forget Luigi’s humming, whistling and shouting every time a door crackles. I just would like that the standard composition for the mansion was longer, because when you have been exploring for a while it can turn a bit repetitive.

However, it’s in gameplay where Luigi’s Mansion 2 shines in its own right. The dungeon design is much closer now to Zelda than in the previous installment, with the difference that just exploring the five or six rooms of the first mansion you get a stronger feeling of freedom, choice and non-linearity than in the last 5 Zeldas. You will even carry two keys simultaneously! Puzzling also seems to be quite promising, as well as Luigi’s new abilities. I must say that this is a game where just moving around here and there and playing the fool with the flashlight up and down is incredibly funny.

I insist in the marvelous care and attention to detail everything is made with. It is not only a pleasure for the eyes, but also a joy for the rigorous player. You are constantly opening chests, moving carpets, sucking coats, messing with old boxes full of rubbish, pounding jars, spying through windows and cracks…and always the game rewards you with coins, bills or diamonds, which can be used to buy gadgets for our Poltergust 5000.

I haven’t played that much, but it seems Luigi’s Mansion is a game full of content. You can go further than just completing the missions, and replay them in order to achieve a bronze, silver or gold emblem (depending on the damage received, the time you spent and the cash you earned during the mission). In my first trial I just earned a bronze one, so I guess next time (which will be pretty soon) I should try to complete the level faster and not being damaged by ghosts. In addition, every mansion counts with an index of hidden jewells you can try to find (for example, Bad Manor has a total of 13, and I just found one). If that were not enough, there is also a room in E. Gadd’s lab where you can see the ghosts you have caught (just like the Kid Icarus Uprising bestiary), the jewells you’ve found, the boos you’ve defeated, the status of the vacuum… a pretty succulent dinner for the completionist players. I also noticed every mission has two spaces; I know one is for the emblem I mentioned, but I have no clue about what the other is for.

Nothing more to say, I think. Mi first contact with the game has been pretty pretty good, but I don’t want to get too excited so soon. I just hope that it maintains this level of quality, because if so, this game could deserve the title of Super Luigi Galaxy 2.

Oh, almost forgot. I loved the pause screen theme, so I have recorded and uploaded it to youtube. And please, feel free to ask me anything you want about the game. Oh, and I do apologize too for my english level. I'm Spanish and I'm aware that my use of english can be a pain in the ass for the reader. Well, enjoy the tune!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2Haao90BdQ


Amazing hands-on!
Gracias por tus comentarios, yo también soy español y no puedo esperar a pillar el juego esta semana. ¡Y tu ingles está de puta madre!
 

Fireblend

Banned
GameXplain posted some full level playthroughs from the Japanese verison

http://www.gamexplain.com/article-982-1363762205-luigis-mansion-dark-moon-spoiler-reel.html

They also posted the final boss, but I think I'm going to hold off this time (for once). Only 4 more days!

Just watched the first mission's playthrough. The game looks absolutely incredible, can't wait to get my hands on it! (which will most likely be on my birthday next month, which is ok since I have to get through Paper Mario, HarmoKnight and at least get started with Fire Emblem first :p).

Luigi's reactions to pretty much everything look hilarious, Mario would never be as expressive as this. Plus those graphics are amazing, from those videos I really don't notice any framerate issues at all. Hype +1000.
 

zroid

Banned
I have a Japanese copy and I played with someone from Spain yesterday. ^^

awesome :D

It's not really reversible, I guess. Not technically. It's one of those ones where the holes in the inside of the packaging allow you to see the faces of the ghosts. Who knows if it'll be in the international versions.

It won't in the Americas, at least, because except for Kid Icarus there's no precedent for the ECO-art. :(


Also, looks like I might need to consider bailing from this thread... 4 days...
 
Torn on whether or not this is the kind of thing I want to keep forever and buy digitally (I do have a $20 eShop card) or buy retail so I can sell it once I'm done. Hm.
 

Neiteio

Member
I plan not to use the 3D effect, personally. Everything looks cleaner in 3DS games when 3D is off for me.
I'm the opposite. I was playing the HarmoKnight demo last night, and everything is so crisp and clean and vibrant in 3D. I tried toggling on 2D, and everything looks dull, all muddled together, and suddenly I noticed aliasing -- even if it's there in 3D, I don't notice it until 2D, since 2D has flat images against flat backgrounds. 3D is definitely the way to go, imo.
 

noffles

Banned
GameXplain posting all the spoilerific stuff is a bit weird. I know it gets them views, but jesus christ it's fucking annoying.
 

Neiteio

Member
How are ppl getting this early? Did stores break street date already?
It's out in Japan, and some stores broke street date in Spain. We have GAF members all around the world.

GameXplain posting all the spoilerific stuff is a bit weird. I know it gets them views, but jesus christ it's fucking annoying.
How bad are the spoilers? I'm not looking at them either way, but I'm curious how overboard they're going with their coverage, seeing how their earlier previews were already exhaustively thorough.

I've uploaded a bit more of the game's music. This time I've recorded the composition that sounds after finishing a level, which I think it's awesome and fits Luigi like a glove. It reminds me a bit of Super Mario World, specially at the end. Enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unq7kmGgB34
This tune is excellent. The Super Mario World comparison is accurate.
 

Lucent

Member
Thanks for the heads up. I hope GAF members will be more courteous else I'll have to forego this thread.

Yeah. But at least the guy who posted the links on here said what they were. "Full level playthrough" and "final boss" were enough of a warning for me to not click them.
 

Tuck

Member
However, it’s in gameplay where Luigi’s Mansion 2 shines in its own right. The dungeon design is much closer now to Zelda than in the previous installment, with the difference that just exploring the five or six rooms of the first mansion you get a stronger feeling of freedom, choice and non-linearity than in the last 5 Zeldas.

Well damn.
 

OwlyKnees

Member
GameXplain posting all the spoilerific stuff is a bit weird. I know it gets them views, but jesus christ it's fucking annoying.

Absolutely. Guess it's to be expected, as their previews were fucking ridiculous in telling me lots of information I didn't necessarily expect to be spoiled in previews.
 

eternalb

Member
How bad are the spoilers? I'm not looking at them either way, but I'm curious how overboard they're going with their coverage, seeing how their earlier previews were already exhaustively thorough.

Well, they are a few full-level playthroughs, but most everything there has been shown in the trailers before to some degree (except for the final boss of course, but that's not in the list of videos article on the site)
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Picked this up off the Japanese eShop last night and played the first two levels. I never played the Gamecube original, but I'm really enjoying it so far. It's extremely charming, and looks great for a 3DS game (3D always off). It's too bad about the framerate, which can get rather low. It's still totally playable, but it becomes extremely noticeable in some areas, especially when there are sections in tiny rooms where the framerate becomes smooth as butter.

Anyway, having a great time so far. I hope the puzzles get a bit more elaborate later on.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Man, any particular reason NoA dropped the ball compared to NoE?

I would've loved a glow-in-the-dark box and Boo ball. :(

Wait, is the glow in the dark box pre-order special bonus edition or is it that way for every PAL box? God I hope Bergsala (The shitty scandinavian distributor) didn't fuck that up! It's bad enough that they're cutting us off from Club Nintendo and star points as it is.

Then again my Mirror of Fate box was standard PAL, with german warnings on the cart itself and shit.

Is there any skill involved in capturing ghosts?

It just looks like you suck them in and wait to press A.

If it's anything like the first you have to constantly move away from the ghost to pull them towards you, like fishing.
 
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