News Desk: Nintendo Makes 2013 the “Year of Luigi”

Mario’s brother will be having a busy year as Nintendo announces new installments in the Mario Golf and Mario & Luigi franchises.

By Kevin Knezevic. Posted 02/14/2013 08:48 3 Comments     ShareThis

2013 marks 30 years since Mario’s cowardly younger brother Luigi made his debut, and the Big N will be celebrating the plumber’s anniversary in style with a host of new Luigi games for 3DS and Wii U later this year.

Nintendo kicked off today’s announcements with another look at Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, which will be released in North America on March 24. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is serving as the game’s producer, citing his desire to see the original Luigi’s Mansion in 3D as the impetus behind the project. Like the GameCube title, Dark Moon will thrust the plumber into a series of haunted mansions, arming him with a flashlight and a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the spooks within. Unlike the original game, however, the Poultergust can now be augmented with a variety of different bulbs, from a strobe light that stuns ghosts to a special “dark light” that reveals hidden objects. The game also includes a number of multiplayer options for up to four players to enjoy, be it locally, online, or through download play, making it one of the most fully-featured 3DS releases of the year.

That was only the beginning of today’s Luigi-themed announcements. The company also unveiled Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the next installment in the humorous RPG franchise. Fans disappointed by the light RPG elements of Paper Mario: Sticker Star will be happy to hear that Dream Team will be sticking to its role-playing roots, featuring the same combination of turn-based battles and tricky platforming that has made the series famous. This time around, the entire game is set in Luigi’s dream, which are splayed out on the system’s top screen. Mario will have to venture into these dreams while his younger brother slumbers away peacefully on the bottom. Since the game takes place in Luigi’s subconscious, the cowardly plumber can be a “more powerful hero” than in previous adventures, and Mario can even team up with multiple Luigis to solve puzzles and battle foes. Players can also use the 3DS touch screen to prod Luigi’s face while he’s asleep, affecting the world on the top screen. Dream Team will be released in North America this summer.

Also hitting stores this summer will be Mario Golf: World Tour. Like previous Mario Golf titles, World Tour is being developed by Camelot and will feature a wide variety of courses to play, from more traditional fairways to ones inspired by the Mario universe, including one based on Tiny Huge Island. The game will also feature a number familiar faces and game modes, including the series’ trademark Power Shots.

Perhaps the most exciting news of all was the announcement of a special add-on pack for New Super Mario Bros. U called New Super Luigi U. Unlike previous DLC, this download is more akin to a level hack and will change all of the game’s existing courses into entirely new ones starring Luigi himself (hence the absence of the word “Bros.” in the title). The sheer scale of new content effectively makes this download an entirely new game, giving even players who’ve cleared the adventure another reason to pop it back in (and giving those who’ve held off purchasing the title another incentive to finally pick it up). No further details on the DLC have been announced, but Iwata promises that it will be available on the Wii U eShop later this year.

What do you think of all these new  game announcements, and which one has you the most excited? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Nintendo Direct

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