I would have to say by now, I've sunk about 8-10 hours into Luigi...and I'm already 1/2 - 2/3 through with this game. I know people who have beaten the game already, and there's going to be one major complaint about Luigi's Mansion. The game is short. I was totally wrong about saying that this game was huge. On average, Luigi's Mansion has about 10-16 hours of gameplay, and that's it. This is including the mini games and side quests. Short yes, but that 10-16 hours is a heck of a good time. I guess the thing that sucks is, I'll be done with the game by the end of the weekend for sure. I’ve been trying to prolong this experience as much as possible.

I'm trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, but I've gotten further into the game, and there's a few not-really-spoiler things that I think are worth sharing. Plus you'll be hearing it from Nintendo Power anyway...so here goes.

I have found three attacks that you'll be able to do in Luigi's Mansion. There are water, fire, and ice attacks that you'll be gaining through out your quest in the Mansion. Basically the vacuum cleaner can suck up water, fire, and ice and then shoot that attack on something. It's not just used for attacks per say, but to help with puzzles. For example, you might need to light some candles, or water a plant to get a ghost to appear. In a way it reminds me of Link's arrows in Zelda. Certain ghosts will only be obtainable is you hit them with fire, water, or ice.

Side quests are in the game to help, um, prolong the game a bit more. So far, the one I've found gives you the option to search out 50 ghosts in the Mansion. After you beat a room (get all the ghosts), the room’s lights turn on. Then it's time to search the room for ghosts with the help of your Game Boy Horror. The GBH acts like a radar, beeping until you get really close to the hidden ghost. These ghosts act quickly, and will try to leave the room. Beware of ghosts tricking you with bombs! Instead of uncovering a ghost, you may find a bomb. Luigi doesn't like bombs.

In my earlier impressions, I explained how Luigi calls out for Mario, and hums the theme song. It gets even better. As Luigi's heart monitor gets lower, he gets more scared. His vocal attributes reflect this. His, "Mario" gets nervous sounding. Luigi's humming or whistling isn't happy anymore...but with a big hint of fear attached.

Some people have said that the ghost hunting gets stale. Personally I have to disagree. They must have been playing the same level over and over. There's plenty of variety of nabbing ghosts. The puzzles in the game are tricky, but not all that difficult. Finding the ghosts is one thing. You also have to find the attacks, get pieces of Mario that are strewn about the levels, and find cash, pearls, jewels, gold bars, ghosts from the side quest, and of course, coins. It sounds like a scavenger hunt, but it's not. If you play through the rooms, you'll get these items. Getting them is fun not tedious. And that's the key.

I wish I just knew the story. I mean, you don't need a whole lot of Japanese skills to make it though this game. Luigi's Mansion has the most Japanese out of the three launch titles. I would have to say, that's about the most challenging thing about Luigi's Mansion, and that's the Japanese. Not to say this game isn't difficult. There are ghosts that I've encountered so far that have made me frustrated. But I've figured most of the game out on my own.

One other final thing. I have seen Mario in this game, but I don't know how to access the room, or who's responsible for this tragedy. Mario, I'm comin' for ya brother! I'll have you out by Saturday I promise!