Pump it Up: Exceed SE preview!

An in-depth look at Andamiro's first Pump console release...

Pump it Up is a game that has been around for a long time, for over six years in fact, and throughout time has grown from a niche Korean arcade dance simulator to something huge. Andamiro has released many PC versions in the past, ranging from OBG to Evolutionary Dance Floor, and Perfect Collection to Prex 3, however all of these releases were fairly uncommon and had to be ordered from a very small selection of online stores (that is, unless you live in Korea and are able to find the game for sale at a local market). Well, Andamiro has made their first move in bringing Pump to the mainstream - releasing a console version of their game PIU: Exceed.

Released in Korea last year, this game has only been available as an import from that country. Like its PC game predecessors, this game wasn't widely available for American consumers. Now, however, the company has announced a local version of their game for the American market, and now everyone will be able to experience Pump It Up at its finest, right at home on their PS2 or Xbox.

The Korean release of the game was a perfect arcade game port of Exceed 1, with the entire game's song list intact. The only new bonuses were a couple of old song revivals such as Mobius Strip, A-Trap, and The Rap: Act 3 - all songs found in their latest arcade game release, Exceed 2. However, the Americans are getting something new. We're getting a unique, special version of the game.

Pump It Up: Exceed SE (Special Edition), as our version of the game is called, will feature new never-before-seen songs in the Pop channel, most of which are by well-known artists. Some of the new songs include the following (click the song title to download the song):


Elvis vs. JXL - A Little Less Conversation
Pandera - I Love You Baby
Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove
Crystal Method - Name of the Game
Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man


The game will be released in two flavors. There will be two releases, the PS2 and Xbox version, and each one is a slightly different game. While the song lists aren't definite yet, it appears that each game will have around 85 songs, and the song lists of the two games will not be the same. Smidget, from PumpXtreme, obtained a copy of a beta version of the PS2 game, and this is the song list of that beta version. This may not be the final list, but it should give you a good idea what is in it:

[PLEASE NOTE: THE FINAL SONG LIST HAS BEEN RELEASED, SO PLEASE CHECK THE MOST RECENT NEWS THREAD FOR THE LIST OF SONGS!]

BANYA CHANNEL:

Banya - Hypnosis
Banya - Koul
Banya - Final Audition
Banya - Extravaganza
Banya - Final Audition 2
Banya - Naissance
Banya - Turkey March
Banya - Solitary
Banya - Mr. Larpus
Banya - Rolling Christmas
Banya - Beethoven Virus
Banya - Dr. M
Banya - Love is a Danger Zone
Banya - Maria
Banya - Winter
Banya - Will o' the Wisp
Banya - Vook
Banya - Csikos Post
Banya - Bee
Banya - D Gang
Banya - Hello
Banya - Beat of the War
Banya - Come to Me
Banya - Chicken Wing
Banya - Final Audition 3 U.F
Banya - Naissance 2
Banya - Monkey Fingers
Banya - Blazing
Banya - Pump Me Amadeus
Banya - X Treme
Banya - Get Up!
Banya - Oh Rosa! (Spanish Version)
Banya - First Love (Spanish Version)
F2 Original - Can Can


K-POP CHANNEL:

Fin.K.L - Forever Love
Clon - Come To Me
Clon - Funky Tonight
Novasonic - Another Truth
Sechskies - Mobius Strip
H.O.T - Fighting Spirits
Sechskies - Com'back
Tashannie - Don't Bother Me
Lee Ju No - To the Top
Deux - We Are
Yu Seung Jun - Love Song
Baby V.O.X - A-Trap
Novasonic - Run!
Deux - Come Back to Me
Kim Sung Jae - As I Told U
Novasonic - Slam
Diva - Perfect!
Novasonic - Empire of the Sun
Duke - Starian
Honey Family - The Rap: Act 3
Lee Hyun Do - Pierrot
Crash - Dignity
OneTwo - Shake That Bootie
BoA - Valenti
Crash - What Do You Really Want?
U;nee - Go
Oliver - Flamenco
S'Max - One Love


POP CHANNEL:

Papa Gonzales - Bambole
Scoop feat. Joyce Lyle - Clap Your Hands
Queen Latin - Conga
Mozquito - Eres Para Mi
DJ Paula - Fiesta Macarena Pt. 1
Kay Kent - On Your Side
Carlos T. Quila - Everybody
Gans - Join the Party
Lisa Cool & The South Spirit - Let the Sunshine In
Mozquito - Mexi Mexi
Debbie Scott - Kiss Me
Kaoma - Essa Maneira
Kristeen - Ba Be Loo Be Ra
Los Ninos de Sara - La Cubanita
Victoria - Power of Dream
Victoria - Watch Out
El Cuba - Fiesta
P. Hernandez & B. Thomas - Born to be Alive
Elvis vs. JXL - A Little Less Conversation
Pandera - I Love You Baby
Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove
Crystal Method - Name of the Game
Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man

The Xbox version of the game will have a different song list. IGN posted videos of an early Xbox version of the game, and through this video, there were some songs seen that were not on the PS2 list, such as Hate, Soca Make Yuh Ram Ram, Go Away, Gotta Be Kidding, Circus Magic, and even Canon-D, an Exceed 2 song! It is still unknown what the final song lists will be, however. The Xbox version will also have full Xbox Live support. Andamiro will release song packs online, and it's been said that Andamiro will also include licensed music in their song packs. They will also have an online leaderboard, and now rumors are suggesting that they might even include online play! Among other things, statistics nuts will have a little fun with this, because you'll be able to check all kinds of random stats, including the total mileage you've covered in playing the game. Seriously.

Something new that Exceed SE has is actual real music videos. Unlike the BGAs from Pump in the past, there will be a couple music videos for the new songs. For example, take Walkie Talkie Man. It has without a doubt one of the coolest music videos ever made, and it should change the experience somewhat because you'll be able to watch the music video as you play! If you don't care much for these kinds of videos, not to worry - the "music video" mode from Exceed KR will also be in this game, so you can watch all your favorite videos from the game without arrows cluttering up the screen.

Aside from the general arcade mode, which has the regular 3 song + bonus setup of, uh, arcades, this game will have all-new modes to further enhance the game's replay value. First there's the workout mode (yeah, I know you guys have seen this before), but with it set up for Pump it should be a pretty new experience. There will also be a sudden death mode. Think Oni on crack. Unlike DDR's oni mode, which is forgiving if you make one mistake or two, this survival mode does not let you make a single mistake. Miss one step and you're done. Masochists who like attempting the impossible should get a kick out of this mode. There will be a tutorial mode, to introduce the game to newbies, and best of all, players will now finally be able to choose separate difficulties for songs. Players will no longer be limited to one mode for both players. Finally Andamiro has listened to players' complaints and finally given us what we want!

Andamiro's teamed up with Mastiff for distribution of the game. The mats shipped with this game will be of excellent quality, just like all official Andamiro PIU mats, and will be very similar to the one released with the Korean Exceed for PS2. It has not been confirmed whether these mats will be USB or if they'd support PC USB mats like Exceed KR, however the look and setup of the mats will be extremely similar to the Korean release's.

This game should turn out to be a truly unique experience. There will be new modes, new songs, and even DDR-style song unlocks. This game appears to not only be limited to stuff found in Exceed 1, because for example the perfect/great/good/bad/miss font in this game will be like that of Exceed 2, not Exceed 1. We still don't yet know all the content Andamiro's packed in this game, but it's definitely an excellent first console release. Fans should be excited for this, because if the game turns out to be a success, Pump's popularity could skyrocket even more, bringing on a larger fanbase. So, support Andamiro and buy yourself a copy when the game is released! It's tentatively scheduled to be released in July, but this date could change.

A beta version of Exceed SE will be playable at the Dallas PIU tournament this weekend, so if you'd like to experience the game before its official release, try to make it there! If all goes as planned, we'll have a more in-depth look at the game after the tournament. But until now, we have some screenshots and an ingame video of the song select menu from the beta Xbox version to whet your appetite. Credit goes to Smidget, IGN, TeamXbox, and DDRFreak for information in this article. And that's it!