Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (Nintendo GameCube, 2005)

-THE GOOD:

-JUST LIKE PRETTY MUCH EVERY MARIO GAME, THIS ONE TAKES A FAMILIAR SERIES, AND ADDS IN PLENTY OF NEW INNOVATIONS. When Mario was first featured in his own sports games, with his presence came a ton of new features. The same can be said of his first appearance in an RPG. And with his first appearance on the dance floor, this is true once again! The DDR series is the premire dancing game series, and with Mario's added innovations, it's funner than ever. For instance, there is a story mode, plus new elements in the dancing itself. Mario enemies will appear on the dance screen, and you have to stomp them to stop them from damaging you (too much damage ends your session early.) These nice little features take an aging series and help keep it fresh.

-DANCE PAD IS INCLUDED WITH THE GAME. It's rather obvious Nintendo and Konami attempted to use Mario's presence in this game in an attempt to lure in a whole new crowd of DDR fans (it worked on me), so they included the pad with the game. Smart move on their part. Combine that with the fact that the Gamecube doesn't have very many dancing games, and the end result is a good one.

-MORE THAN "JUST ANOTHER DDR GAME." With all of the DDR games that keep surfacing in the modern-day video game market, it's about time we have one that can really distinguish itself from its peers.

-THE BAD:

-DIE-HARD DDR VETERANS WHO ARE SEEKING A CHALLENGE - THIS ISN'T THE GAME FOR YOU. Like I said, it's obvious Nintendo and Konami were using this game to draw in new crowds to the whole dance game genre. And as a result, the dancing action is a bit simpler than it is in other games in the series. If you're just starting, this will be great. Otherwise, you might want to stick with traditional entries in the series that keep the challenge level higher.

-YOU HAVE TO PLAY THROUGH THE STORY MODE TO UNLOCK EXTRA SONGS IN THE FREE DANCE MODE. The first song is the only one already unlocked when you first start the game. Now, I can understand Nintendo and Konami wanting gamers to work hard at the game to unlock additional content, but they shouldn't have had just one song readily available.

-ONLY INCLUDES ONE DANCE PAD. Granted, this was to be expected, and including an additional one would likely have jacked up the price, but still, you need two pads if you want to do "dance-offs" with your friends (you can use controllers, obviously, but doing that way blows compared to using a pad.) I personally think Nintendo and Konami should have released a dual pack as a buying option.

-YOU CAN'T SKIP THE CUT SCENES IN THE STORY MODE. Nintendo is infamous for this. The little dialogue sequences are the standard Mario game adventure dialogue everyone knows some variation of. And besides, I'm playing the mode to dance and to unlock new songs, not to sit through some sappy storyline I could care less about. It's all about the dancing, not the story!

Overall, I won't deny that this game has its shortcomings. But is it a good game overall? You better believe it is. Nintendo and Konami's collaboration is an awesome one. Putting Mario in this series was a smart move, and it's likely to attract all kinds of new fans to the virtual dance floor. Despite not being a perfect

It seems that these days Mario can be found doing just about everything. He saves princesses, kingdoms, and the world on a regular basis. He's a doctor, a plumber, and a master of disguise. He plays just about every sport known to man. And now he dances.

Mario Mix is, in many ways, just like any other DDR game. You step on the arrows as they appear, and if you do it with precise timing you get more points. But this game introduces a lot of new elements that make the game entirely unique in the series. First off is the story mode. This involves Mario (or Luigi) dancing around the Mushroom Kingdom in search of the four music keys. It's here that you unlock the songs that can be played in free mode, most of which are remixed Mario Bros. tunes. In this mode, you can also buy items to make the going a little easier, such as extra lives and items to keep your dance meter from going down when you miss a move. Unfortunately, this can take away a bit of the challenge from the game, but if you want a challenge, you can always just avoid buying items.

Some songs require the player stomp enemies as they dance to give this game that real Mario feel. The enemies will float about on the screen, and failure to stomp on them as they pass over your arrows usually means a major hit to your meter, or that the arrows will become harder to see. Some levels require the player to hit these in order to pass, so even if you manage to somehow get through the song without hitting these, you still fail the level. This might annoy some hard-core DDR fans, but I thought it was a lot of fun.

There are also several fun little mini-games that can be unlocked to keep things interesting. These are all reminiscent of activities from other Mario games, such as running to the flag-pole, and hitting goombas with a hammer (ala whack-a-mole). Any of these can be played during story mode or free mode after they are unlocked.

There's only two gripes that I really have about this game. First and foremost is that the song list for this game is VERY short compared to other DDR games (twenty-something songs total). This takes A LOT away from the game and greatly shorted the amount of time that I spent playing it. The second thing that I found to be annoying was the lack of playable characters. Even in free mode, you only get the choice to play as Mario or Luigi, both of whom use the exact same rediculous (and hilarious) dance moves. Would it have killed Nintendo to add in a few of the old Mario stand-bys (Peach, Yoshi, a few of the NPC villians) and give them their own movesets? This wasn't really that big of a deal to me, but it was a disappointment. Also of note is that the dance pad for this game was supposedly recalled, so you may want to invest in a third-party mat for this game.

All-in-all, this is a pretty fun game, but it could have used some improvements. If you are a DDR fanatic, you might enjoy the new tunes and gameplay additions, but you could just as easily be turned off by the very same things. I'd mostly recommend this game to those who, like me, are passive DDR players, Mario fans, or people who are just looking for a novelty game. It really is a lot of fun, and could be a great way to introduce a noob or younger player to the DDR series. Just don't expect it to be the typical DDR.

Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix - Mario DDR!

New for Gamecube - and sold out everywhere in stores (except eBay!) - Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix is the most sought after video game this holiday season. Mario is hitting the DDR dancefloor with over 25 dance songs including classic Nintendo tracks and new hip songs. There are 5 difficulty levels and there is even a workout feature.

NOTE: Mario Dance Dance Revolution is backordered at all major retailers and is going for big bucks on eBay. Its the hot video game of holiday 2005 - so if you have one, hold on! If not, shop eBay!

Dance Dance Revolution Mar Mix eBay Capsule:
DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION comes to the Game Cube with Konami’s DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION: MARIO MIX. Now, gamers unfamiliar with the popular dancing game can see what the craze is all about by helping out everyone’s favorite plumber and his friends. DDR: MARIO MIX is set up to be an introduction to the DDR series, and thus perhaps isn’t the DDR game for long-term dancers. Instead, the story mode is designed to introduce new dancers to the DDR system. The evil Waluigi has stolen the Mushroom Kingdom’s music keys, and without them, all the inhabitants end up dancing around mindlessly. It’s up to Mario to dance his way through the various levels to return them. One unique thing about DDR: MARIO MIX is that it’s not just about hitting the right arrows. Instead, dancers have to deal with environmental issues like icicles or Koopa Troopas. Stomping on the turtles sends them inside their shells, which gamers can then step on to shot them at enemies. There are also boss battles where different steps will cause different things to happen on screen. In addition to difficulty mode, there are several other modes. Gamers can play all the of the mini-games they come across in story mode and dance to any song in free mode. Songs can be played with or without the environmental additions. New DDR fans will be excited to see the series finally come to the Game Cube, and Mario fans will also enjoy the game’s hilarious story.

Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix Specs
* Shake your thing to over 25 dance-flavored songs, from classic Nintendo themes to familiar favorites
* Five difficulty levels -- dancers of all abilities will be able to get into the groove
* Grab a friend and throw your own dance party -- see who's got the best moves
* Have fun while getting in shape! The special Workout feature tracks the calories burned while playing

From Nintendo:
As the title suggests, Dance Dance Revolution with Mario is a new installment in Konami's DDR dancing game series, and it features characters from the Mushroom Kingdom. Details on the game haven't been disclosed yet, but from the released images, DDR with Mario seems to play similarly to DDR, with familiar backdrops featured in the 3D installments of the Super Mario series.

As in other DDR titles released by Konami, in DDR with Mario, gamers will play the game using a step-sensitive controller mat upon which they must time steps with the beat as dictated on the screen. Aside from the standard dancing game mode, DDR with Mario will also feature various original minigames.

It seems as though Nintendo is loosening its iron fist-like grip on its exclusive characters. It's rare to see Nintendo characters in games not published by Nintendo, but this news and Wednesday's announcement of Mario and friends being featured in the GameCube version of Electronic Arts' NBA Street V3 may prove that Nintendo is trying to give its favorite plumber a little more exposure.

Mario DDR is a fun game with all of the aspects we grew up love about Mario andhis band of friends, Just make sure you have a memory card in order to save progress...otherwise you won't be able to have any fun with friends. You have to work your way through the game before you get any songs to do in multi-player.


Overall rating 7 out of 10.

It's DDR meets Mario party. Play classic DDR action in the Mushroom Kindom to songs from every Mario episode. From the original Super Mario Bros. to Mariokart Double Dash, and even techno versions of Bach and Beetoven.
Play the interesting Story Mode where Mario surpasses each obsticle, including remodeling Toadette's Hotel and the ever predictable Bowser fight, by dancing. Mario Mix does have an interesting "Mush Mode" where Goombas and Koopas replace the arrows you stomp on. Fight our favorite baddies the DDR way.
It's got most of what every DDR episode has, but a much more limited library. Despite the available four controllers, Mario Mix limits cometition to two matts (but most people won't have the floor space for more than that), but no dual matt mode (one player on both matts). You can only play as Mario or Luigi (the Princesses don't even show up in this one), only 5 worlds, and fewer than 30 songs. That's the biggest problem with this one: way too short.
Appearently, Nintendo never anticipated this to be much of a hit, so it's hard to find in stores, and even here on eBay, it's kind of tough to get a hold of. This one is great for families, beginners and vetrans, kids and adults alike, and if you can get a reasonable bid price, go for it. 8 out of 10