If you own a Nintendo system and wanted to enjoy the feet-moving goodness of Konami's popular Dance Dance Revolution series, you've been out of luck (occasional Japanese N64 and Game Boy release aside). Now, thanks to a partnership between Konami and the big N, you can finally show off your moves on the GameCube, and Mario's along for the dance party.

Like the other entries in the series, DDR Mario Mix is played by standing on the included dance pad (you can also play with a standard controller, but that's no fun). As a song plays, you dance by stepping on the appropriate arrow when you are prompted. Keep a steady beat, and you'll rack up a combo and a huge score. Misstep too often, and the song prematurely ends with a "game over."

Although there's not a lot that you can do to vary up that formula, Mario Mix adds a bit of depth by introducing a story mode. Here, you play as Mario or Luigi as you travel around to five different worlds with Toad in tow, looking to reclaim some magical Music Keys that were stolen by Bowser. Granted, the plot isn't much -- it's obviously a barebones excuse to explain why Mario is dancing with some Hammer Brothers -- but the story does have some funny moments. The feeling of progression also adds a bit of depth that the other DDR games lack.


Unfortunately for players wanting to simply dance without all the (un-skippable) story bits, you're forced to play through story mode to unlock most of the game's musical library. The free mode, where you simply choose a song and dance to it, only has one very simple song available in it at first (a remix of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" of all things). This is especially frustrating when you want to start off the game with a little multiplayer dancing and the only song to choose from is frickin' "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."