During the press conference held earlier today in Leipzig, at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Nintendo announced Mario Smash Football will be storming its way onto the Nintendo GameCube on 18th November 2005. On top of that The Mario Smash Football bundle will also launch on 18th November, consisting of a beautiful pearl white Nintendo GameCube and a copy of the game.

For more information on Mario's upcoming Sports game check out the press release below or head on over to our preview by clicking here.

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17th August 2005 - Dribble like Pele, bend it like Beckham, place the ball in the net with the effortless grace of Zidane, before celebrating by flooring the opposing goal keeper with a well-aimed turtle shell. The referee won't like that one! Mario Smash Football will be storming its way onto the Nintendo GameCube on 18th November 2005. The Mario Smash Football bundle will also launch on 18th November, consisting of a beautiful pearl white Nintendo GameCube and a copy of the game.

Once again Nintendo has taken one of the world's most popular sports and added a Nintendo twist as Mario and friends take to the pitch in this incredibly fun game. No longer do players live in fear of a small bitter man in a black shirt, instead the rules are out of the window as the Mushroom Kingdom's favourite residents use tricks and power shots to lift the football trophy.

Mario Smash Football is a five-a-side based football tournament pitting teams of classic Nintendo characters against each other. To win games players simply have to place more balls in the back of their opponent's net than the other team. In Mario Smash Football anything goes, so players who get fouled will get unique Mario Kart style items to avenge themselves with. These can range from mushrooms, which give them a superhuman burst of speed, to shells, which freeze or knock down the opponent's defenders.

Football is all about team-work and Nintendo's stars have brought along their friends to help ensure they are the ones lifting the cup at the end of the season. Each team is captained by a well-known character, such as Mario, Luigi or Donkey Kong and filled with other Mario themed players like Toads and Koopas. The different teams all provide essential support for their star players, setting up those all important goal opportunities.

Single player mode is split into a variety of different modes, giving players more choices than Jose Mourinho's reserves list. The most simple of the bunch is Grudge Match mode, in which two teams battle it out to score the most goals. Battle Mode is the game's main championship mode. It pitches all the teams against each other in a league championship, where players compete for the coveted Bowser Cup. The stars of Battle Mode will then get a chance to compete in the Champion's League of the Mushroom Kingdom, Super Battle Mode - a rock hard championship for the ultimate teams. In addition to all of this, Mario Smash Football features an innovative championship customisation mode called Custom Battle, allowing players to tailor championships to their personal specifications.

Every football fan knows one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is watching your players thoroughly beat your best friend's team. Mario Smash Football does not disappoint here, providing an addictive multiplayer mode in which up to four players can engage in fast-paced games to crown the true champions of the pitch.

Mario Smash Football will score a big hit on the Nintendo GameCube when it launches on November 18th 2005 at the estimated retail price of around 60 Euros. The Mario Smash Football bundle containing a pearl white Nintendo GameCube and copy of the game will also be available from 18th November 2005.