Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix Preview

The actual gameplay in the stages themselves also have some Mario influence to go with them! For example, in Teresa’s Castle, a giant Boo appears near the bottom of the screen. Then with each mistake that you make on the dance pad while the song is playing, it will eventually begin floating up to the top! If you make too many mistakes, the ghost will eventually interfere with your being able to see the notes meet with the transparent ones up at the top, forcing you to hit the pad at the last possible second! Various Goombas and Koopas also make appearances in the form of special icons! When a Goomba icon appears, you will smash it if you tap on the dance pad at the perfect moment. If you end up nailing a Koopa twice, you will send its shell downward, taking out any other special icons below, saving you the need to tap on the dance pad for them!

As for other ways of playing, DDR with Mario features an array of other modes as well! Such modes like Free Mode and Mush Mode add to the excitement this game has to offer! Free Mode allows you to simply dance to whatever song your heart so desires without having to worry about the actual performance you execute. You’ll still earn a bad grading if you end up sucking, such as the typical “D” or “F” DDR rating since it uses the usual evaluative scale that DDR utilizes.

However, one of the best modes that DDR with Mario seems to have to offer us is Mini-Game Mode! In this mode, you won’t be doing any technical dancing, but more or less using the dance pad as a controller for various other activities! These games will range from anything like Whack-Rat to the ever-so-classic “outrun the boulder” kind of situation. A partially completed list of the playable games are as follows:

• Wheel
• Note Pickup
• Fire Up The SS Brass
• Flagpole Leap
• Banana Storm
• Punch Up
• Avalanche!
• Hidden Treasure
• Coin Collection

So for those of you out there that have been itching for a DDR game to come to the GameCube, now’s your chance! Now don’t be so quick to judge that just because Mario has a significant presence that it will end up sucking, don’t be afraid to give it a try! Sure it may be a heck of a lot different than all the other DDR games out there, but that’s what should make this game fun! Different isn’t always bad remember?