Dance the Nintendo Beat: DDR with MARIO's Release Date confirmed

News from <a href="http://www.yesasia.com/?/news.php?artc=3610&&lsaid=219793" target="_blank" >Lik Sang</a>

<BLOCKQUOTE>Well established as a platform for music and rhythm games, after the recent releases of top-titles Donkey Konga 3 and Donkey Kong - Jungle Beat, GameCube owners are now looking at a confirmed date for the anxiously awaited Dance Dance Revolution with Mario, shipping on July 14th. Having been subjected to adventures that involved a significant amount of jumping (and running!), as well as events such as tennis, golf, kart racing and even brawling in the past, Ninty's most beloved icon might well dress up in his usual plumber outfit again, but this time he literally moves to a different beat.

Nintendo has teamed up with Bemani veteran Konami to unite fans of both the Mushroom Kingdom and DDR gameplay to bring you a title that offers the best of both worlds. Expect a challenging and deep Dance Dance stint, with a strong Nintendo influence: gameplay mechanics are close to what has helped to build a healthy DDR community in the past, while colorful backdrops from games like Super Mario Sunshine and characters like Mario, Luigi and Yoshi as well as a whole troupe of known bad guys render this videogame experience a true Nintendo theme throughout.

This also gets reflected in recognizable tunes and remixes the mascots dance to while aiming at a perfect score in matching the cues given on-screen, which will do away with enemies like Boo that occasionally try to block the rythm meters; timing is the key to eliminate those interruptions. Talking about available songs, there are for instance versions of the main Super Mario Bros. anthem, as well as Super Mario Bros. 2. Although the full list of melodies has yet to be announced, a mix of game and non-game tunes await rythm-hungry players. The selection seems geared toward the whole family, which might be just one reason that DDR with MARIO is likely to be destined to become one of the year's best party games for GameCube. Not to mention plenty of mini-games that provide even more fun you can shuffle your feet to. Split-screen mode allows the dance frenzy to be enjoyed by two players, where while depending on skill, the invitation to sabotage your opponent will certainly prove irresistible.

In order to boost the pleasure of seeing Mario shake his booty to the beat, you can make good use of the dedicated dance mat peripheral that will get released alongside the game. Like him, you might appreciate the opportunity to melt some unwanted pounds resulting from too much Ravioli by getting some fun exercise! Similar to the Tarukonga Controller, in that it provides the right tool for the job in DK Jungle Beat and Donkey Konga games, this dance mat will defintely add to your DDR enjoyment here. It's officially manufactured by Nintendo and features a "Here we go!" logo written across its face; a certain Italian plumber would absolutely feel at home on that one. Gamers can tap left, right, up, down and A or B on the dance pad to the on-screen action, throwing their limbs about beside a whole cast of famous Nintendo characters, who move gracefully to the cheerful music.

Preorders are already open for this unique addition to any GameCube owner's library: Dance Dance Revolution with MARIO JAP will ship on July 14th for just US$ 59.90, eligible for Free Shipping Worldwide and a preorder bonus of 100 Payback Points extra. We assume that the game will supposedly be including the Dance Mat. If, in the future, the game and the dance mat are confirmed to be both available separately as well as in a bundle pack, we will accept preorders for all options.
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