How would you rank the three Luigi's Mansion games?

[Sphinx]

I am just finishing Luigi's Mansion 3 and while I enjoyed it, I was annoyed by two things:

.- poor controls

I really don't remember being this pissed off at the controls on 1 or 2, I absolutely adored LM2 on the 3DS and I can't remember if I had issues with controls but I think if I had had them, I'd remember. Maybe I just played it the wrong way and was too lazy to learn them properly? don't know

.- a tacked on co-op component in a series known for its single player experience. like, why nintendo?

my memory is hazy but multiplayer on LM2 was completely outside the main game, it was a side-game and fun for what it was and a nice addition but the meat and potatoes was the single player experience. In LM3 you get gooigi, which is a replacement for people like me that don't have people to play co-op with...

why do devs do this? I will never understand it. Get people interested in their single player experience then insist on adding some shitty MP competent, same with resident evil 5 after 4. I will never understand what is the line of thought there. give people what they do not want instead of what they want. no idea why there is noone in the dev team who says "hey, but that's multiplayer, won't we alienate the fanbase by putting that???"

is not as bad on LM3, you get through the game nicely on SP but you can tell, it's not the way it's supposed to be played.

anyway, what's your order?

I am for LM2>>>> LM3>>>>LM1

how about everyone else?

 

[eXistor]

3 is the best and by no small margin. It has a lot of what made the first great and expanded greatly upon it.

1 is second. It's got the best art-style and atmosphere of the three, but as a game it's pretty bare-bones. Fun, but bare-bones. It's fun while it lasts though and was a very original game for the time.

2 isn't all bad and has a lot of great stuff, but the fractured design did it no favors and the cartoony art was a huge step down from the first game. Still fun and worth your time though.

 

[KOfLegend]

3 = 1 >>>> 2

 

[Bushido]

I think they got better with every installment, in fact LM3 was my GOTY 2019. Love the level design, exploration and animations in that ne, only real flaw was the backtracking for me.

 

[NuclearCake]

It just kept getting better.

The original always felt like a tech demo. It was impressive for the time in some aspects but really shallow and not much fun.

 

[Spinosaurus]

I know people rag on the first game for being so short but I'll be lying if I didn't say playing through 2 and 3 just made me appreciate that aspect of it.

I feel like these games get super repetitive super fast. I also just like 1's style a lot more, and it still has the most fun "combat", with 3 being the worst there cuz the slam is just kinda lame.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

For me it's 3 , 1 , 2.

Two felt pretty dry and dull to me

 

[EggmaniMN]

3 is a great game that stays great for the duration, 1 is a fun game that doesn't overstay its welcome, 2 has really bad boss fights and feels overly long with the same environments too much.

 

[404LinkNotFound]

3 > 2>1

 

[Finale Fireworker]

Nothing beats 1 for me, which provides a unique experience neither sequel is designed to provide.

3 is an excellent game that looks great and it's certainly closer to what I want than 2 was. But 1, along with RE1, is the masterclass of gaming's "haunted house."

 

[Noog]

I'm in the 3 > 2 > 1 crowd even if I think each one has things that the others don't. The atmosphere of the first game is incredible, and having one setting to explore is really cool as it sort of becomes the opposite of Peach's Castle - it's a location you get to know very well, but instead of feeling safe and secure, it feels dangerous and unfamiliar.

While I don't love the level-based structure of Dark Moon, I don't think the environments and bosses are awesome.

LM3 is the best, but the backtracking cat missions suck ass.

 

[BigTime_2018]

1 > 3 > Dark Moon

All three games are good, but the tone and atmosphere of the first remain unmatched.

 

[Amnixia]

2 was good, but I prefer the continuous walking in 3 and 1. All the mission thing didn't do much for me (and not being able to continue exploring the level).

So : 3, 1 and 2.

 

[ghostcrew]

3>2>1

None of them are bad but I definitely think they've got better over time with each release (which is actually really nice).

LM3 is undoubtedly the best one.

 

[Z-Beat]

I've only played the first but if what y'all are saying I'll be pleasantly surprised with the 3rd, which is sitting on my shelf right now

 

[Deleted member 17210]

I finished the original twice, the second didn't even hold my interest to the end, and I played through three once; I liked it but probably won't replay it. 1>3>2 for now. Hopefully they will fix the camera control options in 3 for future players.

 

[lord_of_flood]

I'm in the 3 > 1 >>>> 2 camp. The 3rd game is just genuinely really good, and I really liked the design of the mansion in the first one a lot. 2's mission structure was not something I enjoyed though, because I kept getting pulled out every time I made key progress, when I just wanted to continue exploring.

 

[Stopdoor]

I am just finishing Luigi's Mansion 3 and while I enjoyed it, I was annoyed by two things:

.- poor controls

I really don't remember being this pissed off at the controls on 1 or 2, I absolutely adored LM2 on the 3DS and I can't remember if I had issues with controls but I think if I had had them, I'd remember. Maybe I just played it the wrong way and was too lazy to learn them properly? don't know

.- a tacked on co-op component in a series known for its single player experience. like, why nintendo?

my memory is hazy but multiplayer on LM2 was completely outside the main game, it was a side-game and fun for what it was and a nice addition but the meat and potatoes was the single player experience. In LM3 you get gooigi, which is a replacement for people like me that don't have people to play co-op with...

why do devs do this? I will never understand it. Get people interested in their single player experience then insist on adding some shitty MP competent, same with resident evil 5 after 4. I will never understand what is the line of thought there. give people what they do not want instead of what they want. no idea why there is noone in the dev team who says "hey, but that's multiplayer, won't we alienate the fanbase by putting that???"

is not as bad on LM3, you get through the game nicely on SP but you can tell, it's not the way it's supposed to be played.

anyway, what's your order?

I am for LG2>>>> LG3>>>>LG1

how about everyone else?

Click to shrink...

I mean, I want multiplayer. Sounds like you're the one alienating people by making yourself sound like the reasonable one and anyone who wants it is a loon. Not a good look.

 

[Ginger Hail]

Honestly, I think Dark Moon might be my least favorite. It's still good, but the multi-mansion design made things feel more disjointed. There's just something about the other two games having one large interconnected world that I enjoy. 3 feels like they took the new ideas/mechanics from Dark Moon and refined them in addition to all the new stuff they added.

As for 1 vs 3, I'm undecided. The first game is short but sweet, while the third is probably the best in terms of content overall. They're two different experiences that are both still very fun.

 

[Lord Azrael]

I'm one of the few that thought Dark Moon was better than 3. I just much prefer the interconnected mansions of Dark Moon over the almost entirely isolated floors of 3. Yeah the hotel is all one building but the floors don't interact with each other at all past like the first two. And Dark Moon also had the most clever puzzles in my opinion

 

[GamerJM]

3>2>1, I guess I could make it more like 3>2=1 depending on my mood.

The series improves mechanically with each game. 2 had worse structure and pacing than 1 but the game felt better in every way.

 

[WestEgg]

1 still has the best atmosphere to me, and the focused and relatively grounded location help with that. 3 was great, but I'll probably always prefer 1 over it.

 

[mopinks]

2 has the worst ghosts so it's automatically in last place

 

[Flame Lord]

1>>>>>>2. I loved the style of the first game, which I can now recognize as being Resident Evil for kids; it was fun to explore the mansion, find secrets, and unlock more areas. Then they fucked it all up by making it Mario styled and going to a number of smaller dungeons, also the ghosts looked way worse. I have 3 but I haven't started it yet, I'm hoping for a big improvement but honestly I'm not expecting much.

 

[Cipher Peon]

1 >>> 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2

1 is one of the greatest games of all time, 2 is one of my least favorite of all time. 3 is fine enough, I suppose.

 

[falcondoc]

Never played 2, but 3>>>>>>1

 

[LonelyGay]

I literally just finished Luigi's Mansion 3 last night. It was good-to-great, but I wouldn't say it was excellent. The final boss, King Boo, was super disappointing.

I would rank them as Dark Moon, 3 and then 1. Hoping that the series gets a fourth game.

 

[Stopdoor]

2 has the worst ghosts so it's automatically in last place

Click to shrink...

If you're measuring by ghost fighting (?) quality, the boring slamming mechanic seems like it disqualifies LM3 tbh

 

[BigTime_2018]

1 is one of the greatest games of all time

Click to shrink...

Agreed.

 

[JershJopstin]

I am for LG2>>>> LG3>>>>LG1

Click to shrink...

Luimi's Gansion, my favorite game

If you're measuring by ghost fighting (?) quality, the boring slamming mechanic seems like it disqualifies LM3 tbh

Click to shrink...

I think that was a comment on ghost personality and design, not combat mechanics.

 

[Like the hat?]

3–2——————————————————1

the controls in 1, like many GameCube games in my opinion, are awful.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

3 > 2 > 1.

I absolutely adore all of them though.

 

[PlayBee]

Never played 2 but 3 is much better than 1 in almost every way. I did get tired of the non-boss ghosts though

 

[Skies]

3 >>>> 2 > 1

Not much to add except that the co-op is actually great in LM3. One of Nintendo's best efforts in that regard. Each player has a significant role in most puzzles/boss fights, and don't just feel like a tag along.

I literally just finished Luigi's Mansion 3 last night. It was good-to-great, but I wouldn't say it was excellent. The final boss, King Boo, was super disappointing.

I would rank them as Dark Moon, 3 and then 1. Hoping that the series gets a fourth game.

Click to shrink...

A fourth is almost guaranteed. LM3 has passed nine million sold and will easily hit ten million+.

 

[Het_Nkik]

In LM3 you get gooigi, which is a replacement for people like me that don't have people to play co-op with...

Click to shrink...

I mean, the second person is still Gooigi when you play two-player. If anything I think Gooigi is designed around single player environmental puzzle solving and the ability to make him playable by a second player is a tacked on easy mode.

 

[m4st4]

I simply couldn't finish LM3 after three attempts! The controls are so frustrating and I didn't like the boss designs. Everything else is just pitch perfect. But the controls were too annoying.

 

[FinalArcadia]

1 > 3 >>>>>>> 2

Dark Moon is not fun. It has a total lack of atmosphere, the ghosts aren't interesting like in the original or even 3... it's just bad. I would never go back and replay it. It's actually blowing my mind to see it held in high regard here over 1.

I think 3 is a very well-crafted game (and my god, the animation quality), but it still doesn't pull off the atmosphere of 1. 1 legitimately still has a good, creepy vibe in the mansion (and stronger sound design IMO), and 3 is a little more goofy. It matters a lot to me, which is why I consider 1 the best still, even if 3 is solid.

 

[fiendcode]

3 > 1 > 2 for sure

 

[Spring-Loaded]

I kind of wish 3 had more interconnectedness between floors beyond the elevator.

the optional co-op is fantastic though—not sure how that's in any way a negative.

 

[Josh5890]

For me it is a toss up between 1 and 3.

Dark Moon was actually my first game in the franchise. I enjoyed my time, but the other two stood out more.

 

[zMiiChy-]

I think the second game is bad
I think the first game is good
I think the third game is alright

 

[Sphinx]

I mean, I want multiplayer. Sounds like you're the one alienating people by making yourself sound like the reasonable one and anyone who wants it is a loon. Not a good look.

Click to shrink...

are you saying I am being unreasonable because I'd like these games to stay single player only? cause all three games are single player experiences, I don't think I am being unreasonable

People wanting multiplayer can play the independent multiplayer component included in 2 and 3, if that's not enough then there are thousands of games to enjoy multiplayer on.

Luimi's Gansion, my favorite game

Click to shrink...

lol got me there XD

I mean, the second person is still Gooigi when you play two-player. If anything I think Gooigi is designed around single player environmental puzzle solving and the ability to make him playable by a second player is a tacked on easy mode.

Click to shrink...

I mean, it's fine, it's not broken or anything but there's the clear intention to expand the gameplay by having 2 luigi's around, it was ok in LM3 but I think they should make up their minds and don't half ass it, either make it mandatory co-op and go over the top with the dual puzzles and sell it as such or put the "look! two luigis!" idea to rest in the next installment.

 

[RoadDogg]

The forced level structure of 2 completely ruined it so all of the options where that one isn't last should be removed. There was zero joy in being ripped out of the level because it decided you were done and shouldnt explore anymore.

 

[Stopdoor]

are you saying I am being unreasonable because I'd like these games to stay single player only? cause all three games are single player experiences, I don't think I am being unreasonable

People wanting multiplayer can play the independent multiplayer component included in 2 and 3, if that's not enough then there are thousands of games to enjoy multiplayer on.



lol got me there XD



I mean, it's fine, it's not broken or anything but there's the clear intention to expand the gameplay by having 2 luigi's around, it was ok in LM3 but I think they should make up their minds and don't half ass it, either make it mandatory co-op and go over the top with the dual puzzles and sell it as such or put the "look! two luigis!" idea to rest in the next installment.

Click to shrink...

Yes, I think you are being unreasonable. You have no more right to the gameplay of the series than any other fan or dev. I'm a fan, I wanted it, and in my opinion they implemented incredibly well for both single players and multiple players that I'm pretty sure you're pretty alone on this opinion of it being "half assed".

Saying thousands of games are multiplayer as a defense is like me clapping back with "hundreds of other games have Luigi/ghosts/single player" - obviously there's no real equivalent to Luigi's Mansion so to argue you could get a multiplayer Luigi's Mansion fix from any other game just isn't true.

 

[Nucarn]

Never played the second as I did not have a 3DS, but comparing the first with the third one I have to say the first one was my favourite, both were good games anyway.


The third game does not really try to follow what the first one did, perhaps something that already had happened with the second entry, and even though it was an enjoyable experience, specially with the added co-op, I did feel the game losing a bit of steam on the later floors as nothing new was really added apart from the theme/puzzles. I guess I was always hoping the game would try to give new tools to add more variety to the action parts, but that never happened. Also the difficulty bump on the final boss compared to the rest of the whole game felt unneeded.

The first one for me still feels unique in my gaming experience it had this unsettling mood, the mansion was interconnected (helps being a fan of metroid style maps) and the bosses were entertaining to do.

I don't believe the series will ever try to pursue the same elements the first one did so well, the third entry seemed to be well received either way. I can only hope that the sequel tries to at least provide more tools to interact with the ghosts/environment.

 

[VanDoughnut]

Never played the first.

But I think 3>2
2 was just a bit too ambitious on 3DS and that blurry image quality is what I hold against it.

 

[CerealKi11a]

My wife says 3-2-1, and I'm inclined to agree although we only played the 1 remake on the 3DS. The controls were frustrating and challenging.

Three was by far the best on account of the super charming cutscenes and level variety.

 

[Deleted member 80102]

1>3>>>>>2

 

[Sphinx]

I know people rag on the first game for being so short but I'll be lying if I didn't say playing through 2 and 3 just made me appreciate that aspect of it.

I feel like these games get super repetitive super fast. I also just like 1's style a lot more, and it still has the most fun "combat", with 3 being the worst there cuz the slam is just kinda lame.

Click to shrink...

I feel exactly the same with the Pikmin Series, I love Pikmin 1 because it's cohesive and concentrated. Then they did 2 and it felt at some point it started to feel like a chore, new pikmins and all...but I think a majority considers 2 the better game, so I know I am in the minority. (I am not sure about 3 cause I still have to play it)

referring to LM, I did think 1 was a tad bit too short and simplistic, I didnt "get" it like I did with pikmin.

 

[Rran]

I'm part of the weird handful of users here who enjoyed Dark Moon most and LM3 least