Lots of new info has surfaced about Luigi's Mansion, since the final version of the game is being shown playable at Space World 2001. To quickly clear up a mystery from the previous update, Toad acts as the game's save points. He was with Mario to begin with, but they got separated and then Mario disappeared. Toad will show up at various points in the game to act as your save point, although you can always go back to his last location to save at will.

No longer do ghosts simply appear when Luigi gets near; he'll have to manually search for some of them in drawers, cabinets, etc. Apparently this ties in with the so-called first-person mode, which seems to be an interface for quickly examining the various searchable places in each room.

If Luigi takes too much damage, he'll shrink old-school Mario-style and be unable to use his vacuum until he grabs a power-up! Also, we now know that the vacuum, in addition to sucking and shooting water, can also take in different kinds of fire (?) and shoot it back out. These abilities are gained later in the quest; Luigi starts out with the basic vacuum.

In a very weird touch, ghosts now drop banana peels as you attempt to suck them up. If you step on one, you'll slip and take damage. The best way to avoid that is to suck up the banana peels too, which apparently becomes one of the main gameplay strategies.

The "character ghosts" we saw at E3 are actually all part of a ghost family, and believe it or not, the game's very first boss is the baby.

The E3 demo's timer is completely gone, so don't worry about having to hurry through the game or anything like that. Also, though we still don't know just how broad the game's scope is, Nintendo's best testers are reportedly taking over twenty hours to beat it.

Impressions are sure to reveal much more about Luigi's Mansion in the coming days, so stay tuned...

Last updated: 08/21/2001 by Billy Berghammer

Looking through a Japanese game magazine today, an old friend is looking to join Luigi in his quest through the mansion. Toad will be making an appearance in the game. What he'll be doing exactly is unknown...but if he follows his N64 duties in Mario 64...he'll act more like a guide.

Hopefully we'll know more in just a few days....

Last updated: 06/27/2001 by Max Lake

Earlier this month, I updated the Luigi’s Mansion preview covering all kinds of good stuff. It sparked a couple interesting responses in regard to some of the aspects that were discussed. I received these two emails, within 1 day of each other. Both gentlemen presented the same possibility, though explored it a little differently. These guys both are trying to put the pieces together and have a good idea. Obviously, this is reader-fueled speculation but it caught my attention and was something I hadn’t thought of before.

Here they are for you to check out:

I read your update of Luigi's Mansion, and it got me thinking. You mentioned that there was a clock on the screen in the game, and that this might be a hint that the game may have a day and night aspect to it, like Majora's Mask or Pikmin. You also mentioned the old rumor of the Luigi game actually being one disc in a 2-disc set of Super Mario Bros. games, the other disc being a Mario game. I then thought of the games that were removed from Nintendo's game list on their site, and specifically, Mario Sunshine. I think it may be a possibility that Luigi's Mansion and Mario Sunshine be the two games in the rumored 2-disc set. Luigi's game would have the creepy, night atmosphere, while Mario's disc would have the daytime or "sunshine" feel to it. Then, by completing certain tasks, you could access the daytime hours in Luigi's Mansion and the dark hours in Mario Sunshine, adding tons of replay value and depth to each game. I could be, and most likely am, way off in my prediction, but it was just a though I wanted to share with you guys.

Philip Halverson

We copied the mysterious game list in question here. Check it out - it was on Nintendo's site for like a few minutes after we found it and then taken down fast.

First of all, you guys run an excellent site. Second, I don't know if this ( i.e., to you) is where I should have sent this, as it is little more than idle speculation, but I think that it's an interesting possibility. Reading your updated preview of Luigi's Mansion I realized something a little suspicious. You mentioned the old rumour that Mario and Luigi could have separate disc adventures as part of one game. Considering that possibility, doesn't the title (as reported on Nintendo's own website before they pulled the link) Mario Sunshine make a little more sense? Think about it, where did they get the name Mario Sunshine? Mario games don't have names like that. It's always been Super Mario (Bros, World, 64, etc.). But when you think of Luigi's Mansion [Takes place at night with a clock (even though, if I remember correctly, an NOA rep said you don't ever play during the day), dark haunted house...] it seems to counterbalance, juxtapose even, the idea of Mario Sunshine. Say it aloud: Luigi's Mansion, Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Mario Sunshine. Visualize the double disc case, Mario Sunshine and Luigi's Mansion opposite one another. It begins to sound plausible. I don't know if this connection has been made before, and maybe its the seawater talking but it does seem like an interesting possibility if nothing more.

Thanks for your time,

Jordan

Not to take anything away from these gentlemen’s theories, but apparently these ideas have also been mentioned throughout our forums. Then again, these guys mailed me several weeks ago…

There is another other “mystery Mario title” that was mentioned in the list: “100 Marios.” However, we think that this is the Mario 128 demo first seen at last year’s Space World. On the other hand, we have no word on what “Mario Sunshine” is really going to be, so these ideas are certainly interesting. Thanks guys!

Another thing: during PGC's E3 interview with Beth Llewelyn, Beth confirmed for us that Luigi's Mansion was indeed the final title, its own game and not part of the Mario title. She also hinted at a separate Mario title that might not be available at GameCube launch. She also said that what we were seeing of the game was only a "sample" of the final game. The full interview will be part of the PGC E3 video. (Had to get a plug in there somewhere!)

Last updated: 06/06/2001 by Max Lake

Recently, we’ve updated the Luigi’s Mansion preview with information from the past, regarding indications of Mario’s role in Luigi’s adventure. This time, we’ve decided to update the preview with info we haven’t mentioned before, elaborate on discoveries from this year’s E3, and re-visit some old rumors! Luigi’s Mansion has shaped up to be something completely different than what we imagined, so now’s a good time to look at the big picture.

When we last left our Luigi’s Mansion preview, we had just re-discovered a two-year-old interview where Miyamoto talked about a more “mature” look for Mario and hinted at Luigi’s starring role. PlanetN2000 (PGC’s last incarnation) ran a report shortly after this interview, where Miyamoto explained the “mature” comment:

"…in regard to how we are going to deal with the design of the next Mario and his surroundings. I am talking about background scenery, and I'm talking about Mario's facial expressions."

Miyamoto added that "In the past few years those areas have become much more geared toward children. What we're going to attempt to accomplish with the next Mario game is to allow older gamers to find interest in the title as much as younger ones and not to be ashamed to play it."

Interesting that Miyamoto mentioned facial expressions, no? Luigi’s cowering & crying are so exaggerated it’s comical for all ages. If Luigi’s physical fear doesn’t crack a smile, the lighting, transparency and reflective graphics of this game will catch the attention of even the staunchest adult. The background comments have obviously played out into the mansion environment; while past Mario games have featured haunted houses and creepy castles, this is the first time that one has focused on such a place.

Some people are worried that stunning and sucking up ghosts will be too shallow and get old too quickly to be a truly useful gameplay element. In fact, Luigi's Mansion features several strategic twists that make ghost-extermination a bit more complex than it sounds. There are various ways to trick various ghosts in order to catch them. From our experience with these ghosts at E3, it’ll be a bit trickier than tossing balls at half-dead little monsters. Most ghosts have to be stunned with the flashlight, which is equipped by default, and then sucked with the vacuum until their hit points reach zero, when they'll be fully sucked into the vacuum and permanently eliminated. Lesser ghouls, like the mouse and bat apparitions, are actually immune to the flashlight and must be vacuumed "raw". Our old friend Boo, who has been around since Super Mario Brothers 3 on NES, seemed to be more concerned with what direction Luigi is facing than whether he's being spotlighted. Other times, it’s a bit more involved, especially for what Jon Metts called (in his impressions) the “character ghosts.” These are more detailed, more human looking ghost characters and they are very tricky to catch.

Jon described a gentleman ghost in a rocking chair for his impressions. The other character ghost in the demo was a prissy female spirit putting on make-up, sitting down in front of the mirror. She only appears after you walk by her seat and she disappears once you turn to try to catch her. You must keep your back turned and look for a change in the animation to swing around and hit her with your Hoover! (She walloped TYP!) Towards the end of the demo, there was also a small outdoors section near the kitchen. In addition to tons of ghost bats, this fenced-in area also had a doghouse containing and ectoplasmic canine who looked very much like the bulldog baddie from Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Speaking of Michael “TYP” Cole, he made the following observation in his impressions of the game:

“When using your vacuum, everything in the room can be shaken and rattled. Although right now it seems to be mostly eye-candy, I bet that moving things with the vacuum will be vital to beating the game.”

A very good observation and something we’ve even seen an example of already! During the pre-show press conference, Miyamoto demonstrated a function of the vacuum hose that wasn’t playable at the show: shooting a stream of water by using the L trigger. One theory PGC staff speculated about was the possibility that the water hose previewed during the pre-E3 demo is used to fill a bathtub (where a shadow of a shapely character ghost is bathing) full of water, in order to get the ghost to appear so you can catch it. You first must use the vacuum’s suction to pull away the curtain! There’s nothing there, except an empty bathtub. After filling the tub, we suspect Luigi will get to meet the bathing boo-ty. (OK, that pun was lame!)

It seems the vacuum may be used in other ways as well and may include other as-of-yet undisclosed abilities (perhaps awarded as enhancements by Dr. Gad) as you progress through the game and round up more & more ghosts. After all, it’s a vacuum cleaner that can already suck up spooks and shoot water...who knows what else it can do? Expect all sorts of puzzles to emerge as Luigi’s ghost-bustin’ device gets powered up & or he gains new gadgets (hmmm, that’s almost reminiscent of Zelda). Jonny Metts even theorized that since Luigi can shoot water, maybe he can suck up other substances with the vacuum and shoot them back elsewhere with the hose. Unfortunately, no one at Nintendo would comment on that idea. :-(

In another Zelda-esque feature, after each room is cleared of all the ghosts, coins (and sometimes a key) erupt from a chest and the lights come back on. The coins have pictures of Boo on them –what they are used for yet is unknown. The ghosts that Luigi sucks up will eventually be turned into paintings. (Looks like you’re on your way to one scary art collection for that new mansion, Luigi!) We didn’t see this happen at E3, but NOA’s press materials do mention it.

Moving on to some gameplay details… Luigi’s Mansion features the “click-action” (a term first coined by our own Rick Powers) of the NGC controller’s L & R analog shoulder buttons. The “R” button activates your vacuum cleaner and the click-action fired it up to full speed, but it had the added risk of burning out even faster than normal. Very innovative! For some ghosts, you’ll want that added power for a quick capture, whereas other times, it may be counter-productive. (This “click action” function of the controller is examined more fully in David Trammell’s editorial, The Click!)

Another handy move when wrestling the ghosts is that Luigi can do dive rolls to either the left or right. Allows him to quickly duck outta the way when too many ghosts close in, or get a different angle while pulling a ghost in.

The mansion is pretty big too, so it’s a good thing Luigi brought a map! In an earlier preview update, we mentioned Luigi's Game Boy Color and how it is used to interact with Dr. Gad. We neglected to mention that the map is actually integrated into Luigi's GBC too. When you hit start, you see him reach down and pull out the GBC, then the view zooms in towards the screen and you're in map mode.

Previously, we told you about the clock in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. (The other on-screen information includes a coin tally, Luigi's hit points, and your vacuum's power meter, which also lets you know when the ghostbusting appliance is about to overheat.) TYP’s impressions mention the clock / time limit as possibly being part of the change in gameplay styles:

“I believe this further hints that there is more to the gameplay than they are showing. Ghost-hunting is at night....will Luigi use his jumping skills (which surpass Mario's) during the day? I hope so!”

What TYP didn’t know when he wrote this is that during Shigeru Miyamoto’s interview with Newsweek, he admitted one of the design points of Luigi’s Mansion was to design a game without jumping. Still, the idea of a “day” version of the game is possible; especially with night & day themes working their way into Miyamoto’s Zelda games and more recently, Pikmin!

Although the demo was entertaining and fun, the collective feeling among the PGC staff was that we were getting but an appetizer of the full game and this goes beyond Mario not being around. PGC even posted a story summing this up is during E3, as we all suspected more.

To quote Rick Powers’ Luigi impressions:

“Nintendo representatives also got a little squeamish when asked if Luigi's Mansion just just part of a larger title, or even just a level in a larger Mario title. In fact, they seemed unhappy that we were making a connection to Luigi's Mansion and Mario at all. What this means, I'm not sure.”

We’re still not sure, but various NOA reps have confirmed that there is much more to the game than the demo we played at E3. Reportedly, the game will "evolve" as you progress, both in terms of abilities and evidently even types of gameplay. There will be more to do in Luigi’s Mansions besides just hunting for haunts, though the entire game will be centered around the mansion and the ghosts plaguing it (looks like the “Luigi Mansion” name is here to stay, people). Still, it seems that Luigi has inherited one big mansion, as there will be lots to explore. Along with sneaking around all sorts of inner rooms, you will be able to venture outside, up in the attic, and possibly an underground area.

Regarding Mario…Let us remind you that there is every indication that Mario will appear in his own game. In fact, so much so that we started a Mario GC preview just before E3. I personally asked Miyamoto what was up with Mario at the Q&A during Nintendo’s E3 pre-show and was essentially told “wait and see till our next show” (Spaceworld 2001). This indicated Mario was indeed coming (in his own game presumably) and we’d learn more about it at Spaceworld. Miyamoto repeated this subsequently throughout the show and also mentioned something very similar about Zelda for GameCube.

As previously noted, we’ve uncovered some old info that suggests Mario may also be a hidden character in Luigi’s Mansion and playable once he is rescued. It could very well be revealed that Mario is part of Luigi’s Mansion at Spaceworld, but there is good reason to believe the “separate games for separate brothers” theory too...that rumor Tendo Box ran from way back when! Essentially, there would be two discs, two games, one for each brother that would combine for a super cool adventure. Well, with Luigi’s Mansion positioning Luigi as the star & hints of another Mario game looming, this rumor seems to hold a bit more weight! Having each game unlock the the other brother in the other game would add tons of replay value, and would not be unlike the cross-title passwords in Flagship's dual GBC Zelda games.

Speaking of old rumors, there’s something else we should re-examine in light of recent discoveries… When PGC first reported info on “Mario Advance” we speculated this “new game” might have something to do with Luigi’s Mansion on GC. As we all know now, Mario Advance is in fact a “special edition” of Super Mario Bros. 2, and an enhanced version of Mario Bros. to boot. Nintendo has informed PGC that no launch titles for either the Game Boy Advance or GameCube will utilize the “linking” feature between systems. Our hoping Mario Advance would have something to do with Luigi’s Mansion was simply that: hope. Interacting Mario games on GBA & NGC are probably something we can expect in the future, but not with Mario Advance & Luigi’s Mansion; both are launch titles for their respective systems.

Oh yeah, one more thing we really ought to mention about Luigi’s Mansion this time around… As some of PGC’s crew wandered around Nintendo booth, they saw Sega’s Yuji Naka and Konami’s Hideo Kojima being interviewed by some Japanese TV station & what was being said could not be heard. The whole time, both revered developers kept pointing to Luigi’s Mansion, with big smiles on their faces.

Last updated: 05/25/2001 by Max Lake

When we updated this preview the other day, we vaguely alluded to a past Miyamoto interview, which seemingly referring to Luigi’s Mansion and Mario’s role in it. The reader who mentioned the info (“Ed”) wrote back, and uncovered the interview. Originally, it came from Nintendo’s Online Magazine (August 1999 update) and was printed in English on IGN64 on August 2nd, 1999.

Here’s the information reprinted, with the specific quote we mentioned last time highlighted in bold.

"Whenever new hardware comes out, Mario has to play the leading part as the console's 'top batter' -- that's why he has to exercise a lot," joked the master designer. "Right now, he's getting in shape for the Dolphin.

"You'll see a completely new side of Mario on Dolphin. Don't you agree that in recent times, both Mario and Luigi have become a little too cutesy? I feel like it's time that they became a bit more grown-up. That's where the Dolphin comes in. For example, right now, Mario always does the V (Victory) sign with his fingers. I think that's a little too childish now. For the Dolphin version, I'd like to replace the V sign with an entirely new pose."

Miyamoto added that Luigi is perfectly happy to play the supporting role in Mario's next adventure, but that he'll definitely have a part in it. As a matter of fact, Luigi is used a lot in the current development version of the Dolphin Mario game. "If an onlooker were to see the game in our development room, he'd probably think that Luigi is the main character," said Miyamoto.

Since this information is just under two years old, whether or not Miyamoto’s statements refer to Luigi’s Mansion or the actual next Mario game is less than certain. Many things could have happened since then. Still, it’s nice to have the actual quote.

Thanks again to “Ed!”

Last updated: 05/23/2001 by Max Lake

We’re back from E3 and have all kinds of updated details about the game. Our previous preview update and E3 impressions should give you a better idea of the game already, so we’ll immediately move on to some new specifics:

The doctor who assists Luigi is called Dr. Gad and is apparently staying at the mansion to study ghosts, unawares that it belongs to anyone. The intro cinema has Dr. Gad saving Luigi from the specters with his vacuum just in the nick of time. (This is where we got notion that Dr. Gad might be playable we mentioned last time…) Dr. Gad then fills you in on who he is, his work and how you can help get rid of the mischievous ghouls.

There is a great training mode where ghosts pop out from holes in the floor and approach you from different angles, while Dr. Gad talks to you on a Game Boy Color. Then you can hit the mansion to go ghost hunting or do the training again.

Throughout the game, Dr. Gad communicates with you via a Game Boy Color (perhaps its vertical nature makes it handier to fit in the screen than GBA) which looks really cute. His head pops into the screen as he hops, talking to you, during the training session or telling you the demo is over.

The GBC pops up in the right hand corner whenever Dr. Gad has a message for you. Meanwhile, just below the time is displayed in the bottom right corner at all times—how it fits into the game we are unsure. Maybe Luigi has only the span of an evening to capture all the ghosts? We’ve actually heard (although this is unconfirmed) that the clock represents a time limit, and after time is up, you "start over" aka Majora's Mask at 6pm.

Surrounding the clock, is a whirring, color-changing border that seems to work almost like a motion sensor from the Alien movies. You can detect the ghosts as they get close and the detector starts making “PING!” noises faster and louder. Despite the cartoony nature of the ghosts, this can still be somewhat freaky.

The trick of the gameplay is to hit ghosts with your flashlight, then suck them up in your vacuum. There are various types of ghosts, from the classic Mario enemy Boo, to ghosts seen in the SpaceWorld demos, to more human-like ghosts. There are even ghost creatures like bat and mice!

Another important aspect of Luigi’s Mansion is its atmospheric creepy (and incredibly catchy) music. PGC’s resident “Luigi expert” The Younger Plumber made some inquiries and discovered that beloved Nintendo composer Koji Kondo working in assistance with someone else on the music of Luigi’s Mansion. No wonder it’s still stuck in our heads! The software engineer TYP also spoke of Mario, which brings us to our next point…

During E3 and since there has been rabid speculation whether Luigi’s Mansion will be a full game or is part of another game...and how Mario will fit into it all. Well, one of our readers, “Ed”, wrote in with his observation and a forgotten Shiggy comment:

“Ed” says: In response to the mario gc game, I recall reading an interview with miyamoto in which he said: "If you were to play a demo of the next mario game, you would think its only about luigi but you controll mario afterward." Anyway, something like that. I really think its going to be a mario bros. title.

We were unable to track down said interview, so we can’t vouch for it 100% but believe that it is VERY possible that after you rescue Mario, he may be playable. Just think, Mario as second banana for once! Luigi-fans, your day of reckoning has arrived!

Last updated: 05/16/2001 by Jonathan Metts

At today's pre-E3 Nintendo press conference, Luigi's Mansion became reality. The game was introduced as the next entry in the Mario series, and it brings a whole new style of gameplay and graphics to the most famous gaming franchise in the world. Luigi's Mansion appears to be, basically, a spoof of Ghostbusters.

The younger plumber (heh) has acquired a spooky old mansion (the NOA press release says he inherited it, but Shiggy said today that he won it in a contest), and now he has to save Mario (no clue) by eliminating all the ghosts. His tools include a flashlight, a vacuum, and a water hose. The flashlight's beam lights up the very dark and spooky mansion and freezes ghosts in their tracks, like the Ghostbuster proton packs. Don't cross the streams! The vacuum sucks up ghosts and also effects other objects in the environment, probably opening up possibilities for puzzles. The water hose was shown with various levels of power, but we don't yet know how it affects ghosts or anything else in the game. The water was clearly just a recent addition; it will not be available in the playable demo tomorrow.

The control scheme is surprisingly unorthodox and almost Turokesque: the main analog stick controls Luigi's aim in all directions, while his movement is mapped to the camera stick! The flashlight seems to be equipped by default, while the vacuum and water hose are controlled by the R and L analog triggers, respectively.

Graphically, the game showed off some extremely impressive lighting and particle effects. The ghosts are all transluscent, the fog is dynamic (you can even suck it up with the vacuum), and the lighting effects are simply stunning. Reflections are present on pretty much anything that can reflect. The main character showed some amazing facial expressions, particularly when a ghost touches him.

Luigi is aided by a mysterious and kooky doctor, who appeared in the video at times wearing a vacuum himself. Does this mean he'll be a playable sidekick or alternative character? Probably so, because NOA's press release says that this game is a single-player quest. The style can only be described as spooky; certainly nothing that we've seen in a Mario game since Boo's Mansion in Super Mario 64. Luigi creeps around the darkened environments in an obvious terror.

Today's unveiling of Luigi's Mansion was a huge surprise in many ways. The game is indeed the next "Mario" game, and that revelation left the press conference crowd stunned into silence...until they started to see just how impressive this sucker is. The control scheme is truly weird in light of Miyamoto's efforts to showcase the A button, which seemingly isn't even used in this escapade. The gameplay is a far cry from anything we're used to in Mario games...Luigi doesn't even jump. Luigi's Mansion has an almost Resident Evil feel to it, much darker and "mature" than any other Miyamoto game we've ever seen. It's not gory or really even violent, but it definitely aims to create atmosphere. Will Nintendo fans stand for such a jarring change in this most cherised series? Only time will tell.

One of the most pleasant surprises was the load time for the game...or the lack thereof. Miyamoto-san put a real GameCube disc into the system in front of him and booted the game up onto the large projection screens, and we got a chance to see just how fast the disc drive is. The game went from boot-up sequence (a killer animation with the official GameCube logo that we uncovered just days ago) to title screen to introductory cut-scene to actual gameplay with never more than half a second or so of pausing.

Luigi's Mansion was as impressive as it was jarring. Thanks to a question to Miyamoto-san by our own Max Lake, we now know that there is a true Mario game in the works, but it won't be shown until Spaceworld 2001 in August and will most likely NOT be a launch title. Nintendo is betting that fans will eat up Luigi's first starring role since Mario is Missing and be so impressed that they won't even miss Mario at launch.

Last updated: 05/14/2001 by Max Lake

We could be mistaken, but it looks like PGC was the first gaming site to tell you about Luigi’s Mansion and the fact it’s a game starring Luigi.

So where did we get this hot Luigi’s Mansion info? If you think it was from the TIME story, you’re half right. We actually got the info just a bit earlier from one of our many spies. When we received the info from the individual (the same source of the Rare secret game info) – we weren’t too sure about it at first – it was just too nuts. Still, we planned to run it as a cautious exclusive scoop, early Monday morning. All of a sudden, the TIME article was discovered by another one of our agents in the field and we suddenly had a VERY important update to post. We also ran the other info (Rare secret game) since it is probably accurate too.

So, originally, we were going to run the spy's statements on Luigi’s Mansion & now that the information is confirmed, we’ll still run it. Although it contains very little that is new, it corresponds with the Time report pretty closely and gives another perspective:

”I saw Luigi's Mansion the other day. It's Luigi with a hoover, sucking up ghosts and collecting coins. The way they did the lighting is interesting. In the room there is Luigi with a flashlight, and that flashlight has much of the physical characteristics of a real flashlight. The walls, as Luigi goes through them, become translucent, so the wall is always there but as he enters a room, you see right through it. I didn't see much, it's got a younger target audience, but it's a cute game. Reminded me of some kind of a mix between Ghostbusters, the haunted mansion at Disneyland, and Super Mario. Watch closely when Luigi's hand goes to turn the handle on the doors he enters.”

Who is the spy? Obviously, we can’t say anything about the person, save that for they were right and we should have run the piece sooner. Just like in Time, the lighting is singled out, revealing that the effects in the game must be quite revolutionary. We can’t wait to see them.

What else can we say about Luigi’s Mansion? Now that it is confirmed to be the game’s name, it seems unlikely that the mansion is just “a level” in the game and seems to instead be its entire setting. We don’t know where Mario is and if/how he will appear in his own game; whether he will appear in Luigi’s Mansion and conversely, if Mario does have his own platformer, if Luigi will be in it. We don’t know if the gameplay in Luigi’s Mansion is a platformer or is more puzzle like—or if it’s a whole new “ghost hunting” genre or something. It’s really hard to say at this point. However, it’s clear the flashlight & vacuum are central to the gameplay.

Oh, something that PGC sources have been telling me for some time & should be pretty obvious: Luigi’s Mansion will be a launch title.

We’ll probably have many more updates concerning the game very soon, maybe even before we play it this week. Stay tuned!

Last updated: 05/13/2001 by Max Lake

For a long time, we have wondered what is up with Luigi’s Mansion. Would it be a game starring the Mario Bros.? Was it a level from the next Mario game? Was it (as the SpaceWorld footage & rumors suggested) a new game starring Luigi? Now we can tell you.

It seems that “Luigi’s Mansion” will indeed be the name of the game, Miyamoto is helming its design and it WILL BE A GAME STARRING JUST LUIGI! The premise is Luigi is ghost hunting, ridding a mansion of the ghostly inhabitants a la Ghostbusters stylee! At his disposal, Luigi will use a vacuum cleaner and a flashlight. Go Luigi! The game will showcase the GameCube’s dynamic lighting effects. (Just think, translucent ghosts, dark mansion, flashlight…)

If it's literally Luigi's Mansion... 1) WHERE'S MY MARIOOOOO, 2) Just a mansion? That's it? Nothing more? But it is Miyamoto… We’ll have answers to these questions and more, VERY soon.

Last updated: 01/10/2001 by Max Lake

Although the Mario Bros. game for GameCube remains one of the hottest titles in the Planet's Most Wanted, Nintendo remains to keep this project tightly under wraps-away from our prying ears and eyes. Recently though, there's been one new development that just may tie to this soon to be legendary game. Nintendo have just announced they will make a Mario Advance game for Game Boy Advance. Although nothing is known about this upcoming handheld-Mario game, we can't help but wonder if it will connect in some way to the GameCube game we officially know only as "Luigi's Mansion." After all, the connectivity between GC & GBA have been highly touted by Nintendo and what better game to showcase this feature than a Mario game?

Last updated: 01/01/2001

Since the time we began work on our previews and game profile sections, our friends over at the Tendo Box unleashed a hot rumor. According to the word heard by TB, the "Luigi's Mansion" demo shown at Space World may indeed be the "Mario Gamecube" game and simultaneously feature Luigi in his own title as well. How can this be? Evidently, Gamecube Mario/Luigi game may be a two-disc game-and not because of space limitations. There will be one disc for each character! The rumor report at Tendo Box also mentions "create-your-own adventure/choose-your-own-adventure elements" as well as "undetermined communication features." The two discs would supposedly interact with one another and feature actions that would have real-time consequences.

This all sounds terribly exciting, though it's curious where TB have gotten so much info about the game this early on. We'd love to believe these elements will be incorporated, though for now it's just a rumor. We're keeping our eyes on how Mario & Luigi's next adventures shape up between now and the time they make an inevitable appearance at Gamecube's launch. In the meantime, check out TB's Rumor Report where this info first appeared.

Last updated: 09/10/2001 by Max Lake

You gotta love Mario. Shigeru Miyamoto's plumber in red overalls has captured gamers' hearts all over the world. For the longest time, a sequel to Super Mario 64 was promised to N64 owners though continually failed to materialize. As Repeatedly asked about the status of the game, Miyamoto admitted that he was heavily involved in other projects and SM642 had not progressed farther than a demo of Mario & Luigi running around. However, Miyamoto said that he would likely use some of the ideas in this demo in the next Mario game, one for the "next-system" game.

Before Space World 2000, all that was known on said Mario game is that would be "less childish," (Mario will no longer do his trademark "peace sign" pose; Shiggy says it's time for something new / more adult) and feature long-lost brother, Luigi in a playable role. From the video footage shown at Nintendo's pre-Space World 2000 show, it's clear Miyamoto is already delivering on these claims. A new demo, known only as "Luigi's Mansion" was shown to the crowd's delight, featuring the neglected Mario bro and graphics seemingly lifted straight from a Disney animated movie.

Footage opens with a dark and stormy night as the camera zooms in on a gigantic mansion on a hill, bombarded by lightning and thunder. The scene then changes to the mansion's interior as the front door swings open, revealing a familiar silhouette. Lighting crashes and we see the shadowy figure turn to reveal the concerned face of… Luigi!

Terrified, Luigi slides down a stairway banister as spooky ghosts pursue him. Luigi's feet begin cycling crazier than Fred Flintstone's two-feet in a high-speed getaway. Luigi moves just in time too, as an enormous chandelier hits the ground right where he was standing! The effect of the glass shattering into small pieces is spellbinding, as is the shot of Luigi's tonsils swinging like church bells as the camera zooms into his screaming mouth.

The entire demo looks fantastic, complete with facial expressions, use of lighting and incredibly detailed animation throughout. What's more astounding is that all of the action of the demo goes by very quickly, demonstrating some pretty awesome power on the part of the Gamecube! One can only fantasize what this would be like to play-for now.

There's no word on whether or not the scenes depicted in the demo will make their way into the GameCube Mario game, showcasing that Luigi will indeed be playable for gamers' next visit to the Mushroom Kingdom. Although there was a demo shown known as "Mario 128," it seemed more of a tech demo than any kind of game. Still, it's also possible it could represent a whole new game featuring just Luigi. Miyamoto has joked that he's wanted to feature Luigi in his own game-could this be it? Of course, it may be just a demo too… But we're bound to see both of the Mario Brothers in a title looking very similar to the things seen in "Luigi's Mansion," no doubt right around the time of the Gamecube's launch. That's something to be pretty excited about. What's more, Mario games traditionally launch with Nintendo systems and are only an initial display of the console's capabilities. Think about it, if "Luigi's Mansion" accurately represents 1st-generation GC software, imagine the games that will follow it.

Stay tuned for more info!