I Don’t Know Whether To Celebrate Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD Or Cry Over Its $60 Price Tag

I was visibly disappointed whenever it was my turn to pick Luigi when I played Super Mario Bros. with my friends back in the day. “Man, the green guy is not cool at all. I want Mario.” This was the only thing on my mind. Luigi was the overshadowed brother and the less-desired Italian plumber.

It wasn’t until I played Luigi’s Mansion, that my perception of the character completely changed. From being annoyed to play as him, I went to “Hey, the green guy is pretty fun, too.” I never thought his cowardly demeanor would instead become a major plus point.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 Is Coming To The Switch

Ever since I played the original Luigi’s Mansion, I’ve been a fan of the series. Then, I got my hands on the 3DS, and the very first game I tried on my fancy new handheld was the sequel to the iconic Luigi-centered spinoff. I know Dark Moon is not regarded as high as the other entries, but it holds a special place in my heart, being tied to the best years of my life.

In Defense of Luigi’s Mansion-Dark Moon: A Perfect Game to Revisit this Halloween
byu/MC_Fap_Commander innintendo

Luigi’s Mansion is essentially “Make a deathly scared-of-his-own-shadow guy a ghost hunter.” Mario’s gone, and it’s up to Luigi to find him while navigating a very obviously haunted location. All of Luigi’s unique scaredy-cat personality gets to shine brilliantly here. Watch him skillfully capture ghosts all the while endlessly shaking in his boots.

When the series moved to the 3DS, it got a special makeover to house the new 3D capabilities of the newest hardware. The basic gameplay mechanics of third-person controlled puzzle rooms, shining light in the ghosts’ eyes (?) to stun them, and then using an almighty vacuum cleaner to dispatch them once and for all remained the same.

Couple this with memorable, gimmicky boss fights, and you get an entertaining adventure you can laugh at while solving its conundrums. The third entry for the Switch kept all this intact while refining the formula to perfection, and taking the series to never-before-seen heights. And now, for those of you who came later and can’t enjoy the past entries, Nintendo is bringing back Luigi’s Mansion 2 with a strong visual overhaul.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the most expressive we’ve ever seen Luigi, especially in real time cutscenes!
byu/Puffdaddy-O ingaming

What’s With Nintendo’s Absurd Pricing?

Before you start jumping with joy over this reveal, let me remind you of the cruel reality that is Nintendo’s pricing strategies. That’s right, you can enjoy Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD on your Switch, but it will set you back a whopping $60.

How do you feel about Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD being $60? pic.twitter.com/j001gTYkYl

— Kit & Krysta (@KitandKrysta) March 13, 2024

I’m afraid this is nothing new at this point. It’s become Nintendo’s habit to charge an insane amount of money for even simple ports and remasters. The tech giant knows its franchises’ popularity and its overwhelming control over its fans. It can sell a past game for an absurd amount and no one will bat an eye.

Just take a look at all the past ports and remakes of the company. Donkey Kong games were sold at a ridiculous price after their porting and remastering process. The same is the case with all the Mario ports over the years. But you enjoy these games and so will pay a fortune for them. Nintendo knows this for a fact.

Let’s take a look at the latest Luigi’s Mansion 2 case. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this game, even more than all the people who criticized it. Yet, if you ask me if I’m willing to pay $60 for more than a decade-old game, my answer would be a straightforward “No way in hell.”

Nintendo after adding no new content to Luigi’s mansion 2 HD and selling it for an extra 20 bucks
byu/cookiemaster221 inMario

I mean, even the original Luigi’s Mansion 2 wasn’t priced so high. How could a remaster be worth $60 then? Besides, the game is certainly good, but nowhere near to justify such a hefty price tag. It’s a remaster, you’re getting everything you already know. I’ll get it to appeal to my nostalgic urges, but that doesn’t mean I’ll throw rationality out the window.

At Least Make It 1+2, Then We’ll Talk

Despite all this, I know full well my continuous plea is a cry on deaf years. Even with an illogically high price tag, these games sell like hotcakes; there’s no way Nintendo is going to change something that benefits it extremely and has no repercussions. Thus, when a protest doesn’t work, resort to “Nintendo, I’ve come to bargain.”

I’ll be willing to part with $60 since it can’t be helped, but Nintendo needs to sweeten the deal a bit as well. Throw in a Luigi’s Mansion 1 and we’ll call it even. That’s right. Getting to enjoy Luigi’s Mansion 2 on modern platforms is sweet, true, but what about the original? The second and the third entry are both available on Switch now, but the first is still locked away.

Luigi’s mansion 1 deserves an HD remake
byu/darkrubyechoes innintendo

So if Nintendo’s dead set on charging $60, making it a Luigi’s Mansion 1+2 collection will go a long way toward justifying the price tag. Since the first is a shorter game, I’m effectively paying $40 for the second and $20 for the first. That’s a deal I can live with.