| Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 6 2013, 01:29 PM (232 Views) | |
| TheGreg | Jun 6 2013, 01:29 PM Post #1 |
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Despite its horrid launch, Nintendo’s 3DS has been kicking all sorts of ass recently. Earlier this year, Fire Emblem: Awakening released to rave reviews and, by all accounts, the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Leaf is set to be the next major handheld addiction. Oh, and Nintendo plans to release a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past later this year. Then there’s Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. The 2001 GameCube launch title didn’t turn out to be quite the masterful experience many hoped for, but it was a fun game with a charming atmosphere. Dark Moon improves on the original in almost every regard to make it one of the finest games on the suddenly thriving handheld. Much like the original, the game features that wonderful Nintendo charm. It emanates from every aspect of this game from the hilariously goofy dialog of Professor E. Gadd to the mischievous ghosts and Luigi’s evocative animation. Visuals are among the best you’ll find on the system with particularly excellent lighting effects. But it’s the gameplay that makes Dark Moon a superior experience. It provides a great variety of locales to explore, all of which are bursting at the seams with hidden treasures and passages. Fans of exploration will love what developer Next level Games has done here. Of course, catching ghosts is also essential and thanks to Luigi’s expanded arsenal of tools and nice enemy variety, it’s a consistently fresh experience. As I see it, there are two areas in which Dark Moon slightly misfires. The game’s mission structure is a bit rigid. These fantastic locations are just begging to be explored, yet the game is broken down into individual episodes, making it occasionally difficult to just wander around and enjoy discovering all the deviously hidden secrets. I really wish the game employed a more fluid and seamless experience. Especially considering some of the mission objectives are redundant. The other complaint would be the slightly clunky aiming controls. When Luigi begins using an item, he becomes locked in that direction and can only move forward, backward, or strafe. A way to continuously utilize an item while still having a full range of motion would have been ideal. Neither of these issues really diminishes the game, however. It’s a masterful piece of environment design with consistently engaging gameplay. This is a sequel that easily and emphatically bests its predecessor. It’s a charming, fun and surprisingly deep game that is a must play for 3DS owners. |
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7:27 PM Jul 10