A new form of freestyle is hitting the streets on 28th October 2005 when Dancing Stage: Mario Mix launches across Europe!

Konami's legendary Dance Dance Revolution series is coming to the Cube in Europe in the shape of Dancing Stage: Mario Mix. The game combines classic rhythm based action with an exciting Mario storyline and characters. The result - the Cube's first ever dancing game, and comes bundled with a free "Action Pad" - the special Dance Mat controller.

Luigi's nemesis Waluigi has stolen four magic music keys, upsetting the natural balance of the Mushroom Kingdom and letting the unchecked melodies run riot. Mario and his friends have to journey through five lands, using their dancing skills to reclaim the keys and keep the escaped music in check.

Players follow onscreen directions as they dance along to music. As the song plays, coloured arrows rise up the screen from the bottom to the top. Players must step on the correct arrow as it reaches a bar at the top of the screen. Stepping on the correct arrow fills the player's energy gauge. If the player misses an arrow, the energy gauge is reduced; miss too many and it is game over.

As players progress through the single player missions they will get to travel around much of the vibrant and colourful Mushroom Kingdom. Each song features a different location, related to how it fits into Story Mode. Players will dance their way through levels ranging from underground 'Piranha Plant' infested caverns, to a fairground rollercoaster.

The game features over 25 classic Nintendo tunes and funky dance music to strut your stuff to. Well known Nintendo music from games including the Super Mario Bros. series, Super Mario World, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Mario Party 5, Donkey Kong and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door all feature in the game, along with a multitude of other titles. This alone makes Dancing Stage: Mario Mix a retro revival for Nintendo fans old and new.

There are no less than five different modes to dance your way through, including the game's main single player adventure, Story Mode, which allows players to dance through a Mario adventure at various skill levels. Other options include Free Mode, where players can play any song they have unlocked, a multiplayer dance off, a fitness level that tells players how many calories they have burned and a Mini Game, where players can play different mini games unlocked in Story Mode.

Players are presented with the unique opportunity to compete in the ultimate dance off within the multiplay function. Up to two players can dance cooperatively and competitively using a split screen. Players can each select a different skill level, allowing fair competition whether they are novices or pros. At the end of the song, each player is given their score total and a rank, proving who the dancing king or queen is once and for all!

Dancing Stage: Mario Mix will be grooving its way onto a Nintendo GameCube near you on 28th October 2005 for around 60 Euros, which includes the Action Pad.

See what we thought of the title in our preview!