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Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix GameCube
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Release Date: Oct 24, 2005
Metascore
69 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
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  1. Cheat Code Central
    90
    A great value. If you like to visit the Mushroom Kingdom, look silly playing a videogame and wish to get in shape, rush out to your local game shop and pick up a copy.
  2. Kombo
    90
    An auditory feast for Nintendo fans. Everyone who grew up with Mario and friends needs to see what the game has to offer, even players who have never touched a dance game before.
  3. BonusStage
    85
    As a DDR and all around dancing game beginner myself, the accessible approach to DDR: Mario Mix hooked me more than any of the other games in the series.
  4. My Gamer
    82
    For newcomers to the series and Gamecube owners, though, Mario Mix provides an entertaining introduction to the world of Dance Dance Revolution.
  5. N-Insanity
    82
    If you're new to the series, this game warmly welcomes you with its brutally easy difficulty. But steroid-using DDR veterans will dominate this game in a couple of hours, and won't give it a second thought.
  6. AceGamez
    80
    As a dancing game beginner, the accessible approach to Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix hooked me more than any of the other games in the series.
  7. DarkStation
    80
    Konami's massively hip dancer comes out for the Cube, as Mario does the boogie to classic Nintendo tunes. A solid choice for music-hungry fans.
  8. IGN
    80
    Nintendo fans will love it. A full Mushroom Kingdom-themed storyline sets up dance-offs with Nintendo music remixes and mascot mini-games.
  9. NintendoWorldReport
    80
    Mario's strongest influence is on the soundtrack, which is comprised almost entirely of remixes and remakes of familiar songs from the many Mario games over the years. These songs, many of them bona fide classics in the annals of game music, have been brushed up with various styles ranging from jazz to techno. [JPN Import]
  10. eToychest
    77
    It brings the phenomenon to the GameCube, and while far from being the best the DDR the series has to offer, in the final analysis it could have been much worse.
  11. Da Gameboyz
    75
    Some things bothered me though. Firstly is that the dance pad moved around while you were playing and this would eventually lead to missed arrows.
  12. Nintendo Power
    75
    Offers a form of exercise that will strengthen part of the body other than our bulging thumb muscles. [Dec 2005, p.118]
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  13. Deeko
    75
    If you're looking for some good, old-fashioned Mario fun with a DDR backdrop, this is the game you've been waiting for. If you're looking to get in touch with your hardcore side, it's wise to take DDR: w/ Mario with a grain of salt.
  14. Siliconera
    75
    This isn't your hardcore aerobics DDR game. Instead Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix is a cheerful title that is sure to entertain gamers looking for something slightly new. [JPN Import]
  15. Detroit Free Press
    75
    Best of all, this fun game hides the fact that it's packed with exercise activities (the game, like others in the series, even has a workout mode that counts calories burned). My kids played through a good chunk of the game in their first outing and constantly asked to play again.
  16. Eurogamer
    70
    For the poor, deprived Cube owners out there that have been thus far denied the chance to strut their stuff in front of their TV, this is easily the best Dancing Stage title on any platform.
  17. GameSpot
    70
    With a short story mode that serves as a fun, linear introduction to sequential stomping, Mario Mix is suitable for a child, or for an uncoordinated friend.
  18. GamerFeed
    70
    The mini-games and quirks to the traditional gameplay will keep you playing for a while. It's just too bad the difficulty forces the ride to end earlier than expected.
  19. Nintendophiles
    67
    A must for hardcore Mario buffs, as well as those GameCube owners dying to get on the Dance Dance bandwagon.
  20. G4 TV
    60
    Mario Mix is easier than forgetting to put the toilet seat down. If you have any DDR skills whatsoever, you'll trounce it without missing more than a step or two.
  21. GameSpy
    60
    If you're new to the whole Dance Dance "thing," then you'll have a blast with Mario Mix. Interacting with a game via the dance pad is quite a bit of fun, and there are enough things to unlock and other diversions to keep you busy for a while.
  22. Sydney Morning Herald
    60
    Not only will it keep the younger ones occupied for hours, but they'll be getting exercise.
  23. Gaming Age
    58
    Mario Mix is a worthy addition to your library if you have kids 6 to 12 that would like to dance and don't mind doing so with Mario and company.
  24. Game Informer
    53
    A disastrous misstep. [Jan 2006, p.149]
    All this publication's reviews
  25. netjak
    52
    There are many better DDR mixes out there, ones with actual challenge and ones where you can use better third-party mats. It's not that DDR Mario Mix is bad. It just doesn't take enough classic DDR elements and bogs the game down with too much extraneous junk.
  26. 1UP
    50
    If you don't own any other console and you just really want to stomp those arrows, by all means, go right ahead. For everyone else, there's simply nothing to see.
  27. PALGN
    50
    Juvenile pleasures, but will not satisfy the mature palate.
  28. games(TM)
    40
    Recommended only for DDR completists or people who would seriously consider Mushroom Kingdom cosplay. [Dec 2005, p.122]
    All this publication's reviews
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. buellerbueller
    9
    This game is possibly the only recent Mario game you could finish in one hour. But that doesn't mean that it's bad. I think that the mat is the bad part. Is there anyone besides me who found that the DDR:MM mat doesn't work that well? Maybe it's a defect, but the first time I played the game, I kept getting Game Over because none of the keys were pressing. But anyway, back to the review. The story is actually well-crafted for a DDR game. Waluigi gets his moment in the spotlight, but I would've wanted to see more of Waluigi in the game. The villains' snappy and witty dialogue really give the game its angst. The music is also great for nostalgia-philes. But the beautiful and happy ending will make you remember this game for a long time. Maybe,just maybe, you'll push aside Resident Evil Zero and Wave Race: Blue Storm, so that you can reach this game in your shelf. Put it in the GameCube, and relive the magic of Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix...oh, and Toad is a sidekick for the first time since Super Mario Bros. 2.… Full Review »
  2. StephanieM.
    9
    I personally got it becuz I'm a mario fan but thought it sounded really entertaining, which it was. Being a beginner wit this DDR stuffand knowin a lot of hard core players really appreciated the different difficulty levels. I personnally think the calorie calculator is kinda cool. But the greatest part is being able to dance to the remixed Mario beats and watch both him and Luigi do their thing on the dance floor.… Full Review »
  3. SonicPhoto
    8
    DDR Mario Mix won’t certainly be that much different for those who have play any previous DDR game on other consoles or arcades. DDR for those who still have no idea, consists of you dancing on the dance pad along with the arrows that are coming up to the transparent arrow were you must hit that arrow when is reaching the transparent arrow. Arrows are left, right, up and down, unlike Groove Dance Craze that also had diagonal arrows. It can certainly sound simple but in hard modes when you get many arrows coming up it can certainly get very tricky and truly confusing, but that’s all the challenge about. There are different difficulties: Easy, normal, hard, very hard and super hard. The easy mode can be way too easy because only left and right arrows come up and you really don’t get the feeling of dancing in that way. In Mario Mix’s story mode from normal and up difficulty it is obligatory to do the songs on mush mode. Mush mode is when they replace some arrows with items from the Mario Universe. For the most part you have to hit them so they don’t take out your points. Is actually a good thing to make something different to the DDR formula but the problem with mush mode is the fact that these items or characters that appear can really confuse you the screen. Still does a pretty good job and gives some interest to each song. Some of the stuff that will appear is Goombas in which you just step in them and squish them, koopas hit them so they get inside their shell and hit them for a 2nd time so they disappear. Pretty much all of them consist of just hitting the arrow that the item or character goes to. DDR Mario Mix also includes minigames which are not quite addictive but interesting to play. In one of the minigames Goombas will appear on a left, right, up or down pipe and if it appears on the up pipe you hit the up arrow, simple but funny fun to play. Other minigames consist of running away from a Chain Chomp, collecting coins, etc. Each world on the story mode has a store in which you can buy a new song and some extra helpful goodies like potions that make you not lose points even if you miss an arrow. The only thing is once you visit the store you can’t go back to it unless you go and play the game again from the beginning and reach the store. That’s quite a problem in the game because sometimes you don’t have the amount of coins to pay for something but later when you have it you can’t go back to the store. Other modes that DDR Mario Mix offers are free play mode in which you play all the songs you have unlock in any difficulty and with mush mode on or off. Here you can also play against another friend with a normal controller or dance pad. But of course DDR games are only fun with a dance pad because otherwise the franchise would not exist right now. The other thing that the game offers that could sound a little ridiculous for some is a calorie system. Yes this game calculates you on how many calories you burn on each song you dance and asks for your weight so you can see if you lose weight by dancing. Is nothing too special but funny to play around with. The game also has a scoring system for each song with letters: A, B, C, D, and F, which is pretty much evaluating your skill on each song. It all depends on how many arrows you miss and which arrows you hit early or late, if you never miss an arrow and not hit an arrow early or late then you get the score of A. So getting A’s is certainly a tricky thing at least on hard mode and up. The graphics on the game are quite a good presentation of the Mario world. The character design is greatly animated and look just has they should be. The worlds on each area are colorful and full of cool animations here and there. While dancing you get has background Mario dancing around with some cool moves and other characters joining the rhythm. Special effects are not many to see but they are not truly needed, after all this is a dancing game there is no time to pay attention to the background all the time. Is a great presentation overall on the graphics area. Although not an impressive looking game like Metroid Prime or Resident Evil 4 but it fits with the gameplay you are getting here. DDR Mario Mix in the sound area offers a pretty nice collection of remixed tunes from the Mario Universe. The problem is that all songs are from Mario games, it just could have been cooler to have music from other Nintendo franchises like Donkey Kong, Star Fox, and Zelda. That way it could have more variety in the soundtrack. The remixes are done great with a more electronic-techno style in them. The songs are good to hear and interesting enough to dance them. There is no voiceover characters here but this is no surprise after all Mario games never have voiceovers so is already a common thing. Sound effects are not much to talk about since you hear more music on the game then sound effects. But there is not a high amount of special effects so don’t expect that much sound effects here is all simple funny sounds you have heard on previous Mario games. Overall the music selection is quite great but it would have been much better if it had more music from other Nintendo franchises and a few songs from music of today. And last the game only offers around 25 songs to play with. DDR Mario Mix does offer quite enough replay by trying out all songs in different difficulties, unlocking new songs through the story mode, burning calories (for some is good), trying to get better scores on the songs and doing your best to get A on all of them. Also DDR Mario Mix can also be a fun game to play again when you want to move exercise yourself around or practice some moves. But, most especially replayable when you are tired of your new games and want to go back dancing on DDR Mario Mix. But it all depends if you think the difficulty is good enough for you or too easy for you. And also if you like the songs, because if you don’t like most of the tunes then there is no need to dance something you don’t like. But the big problem in the replay area is that the amount of songs is short thye are around 25 songs only. Overall DDR Mario Mix has a lot to offer that Gamecube owners who never experienced the DDR series should definitely start with this game before going to the arcade and challenging and expert at it. The game is also in a good price since it comes with the Dance pad, same thing like Donkey Konga with the bongos. If you are an expert on DDR then Mario Mix could feel a little too easy for your level. Still is worthy at least the rent, that if they let you rent the game with the dance pad, because if you have no dance pad you won’t find any fun in it. DDR Mario Mix is in total a fun rhythm game addition to the Gamecube.… Full Review »
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