Definitely a pleasant surprise in nearly every aspect. Sucking up the ghosts is incredibly satisfying once you learn the timing and positioning of the process, and the atmosphere is at a level of quality that wouldn't be matched in another Mario game until Super Mario Galaxy. The mansion itself manages to feel both claustrophobic and spooky, yet vast and mysterious. Even things as simple as trying to open a locked door give off a unique sense of light-hearted eeriness. There's a few aspects of the game that lead to excessive wandering (Boo-catching), but it's much more tolerable in this game when the whole environment is a treat to take in.

The whole game is like a niche little side story in the Mario universe, constructed with a quirky approach to a still developing 3D style of gameplay. It's kinda bizarre to think of this as a launch title for the GameCube and the first game that many people connected with the console, but Luigi's Mansion just somehow fits that role perfectly.