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Getting tired of DDR lately...?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 23
Date: October 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing DDR(Import versions) since it came out for PSOne and was sort of growing tire of it when I was getting to play PS2 versions(US versions)- then heard about "Pump It Up", which is suppose to be more popular than DDR in Asia, Europe, and South America regions- and decided to give it a try; and understood why it was more popular in other regions after few tries.

I definitely agree with other reviews that it feels more of dance moves than just stepping like DDR; Pump it Up added only one more step button in middle and changed '+' format of DDR into 'X' format instead. However, result is quite different because you gotta cover more space and extra step to fill in, resulting in dance-like movement and more rhythm to dance to.

Yes, I guess if you are THE veteran in DDR, you could probably do the headspin and 360 and all, but casual players like me felt more of dance movement because of the middle step button. It's only an extra stepping button yet it's like math where 2square (2x2)is 4 but 3square (3x3) is 9, exponentially giving more variation/freedom to the player.

I did some research when I decided to purchase this game and the feedbacks were overwhelmingly positive; one of my concerns was what if they give you this crappy dance pad since it's coming out at the end of PS2's life cycle?? I did a direct comparison with DDR dance pad (one that came as a package with DDR Extreme, 3rd installment in PS2) and not only it has better surface feel to it (more of synthetic nylon feel instead of sorta 'sticky' plastic feel of DDR if you play in bare feet; I always had to wear socks to play DDR but don't need to do that with PIU) but most importantly it has more 'meat' to the dance pad, which is easier on your feet for a long playing time (I play about an hour- looking for a cardio workout??).

Like I said I'm a casual player, but I consider myself pretty good in DDR since I've been playing it for years...and could pretty much cover all the difficult levels in DDR... yet it was a different story with PUMP. May be I haven't gotten familiarized with the 'X' format quite yet, but it becomes way too hard if you are trying to finish even a 'hard' mode(ok, I just blew my cover as a 'pretty good' in DDR... hehe..but PUMP is objectively harder than DDR... try 'CRAZY' or 'NIGHTMARE' mode... you better be in a good shape).

I used to love DDR when it first came out... The idea was refreshing, and I could feel the effort of people involved in making DDR on every step I took on DDR dance pad- yet I feel recent versions have been more of rehash instead of 'evolutionary'; I don't really feel 'soul' in them anymore.

Well, if you are into DDR (or have grown tired of DDR these days)or looking for a dancing game (seriously, just play this sucker for an hour everyday and see what happens) then give Pump It Up a try because you will fall in love with it like I have. Last DDR game lasted only couple days...yeah...but PIU looks even more promising after two weeks of playing. It's probably because of various genre over more than 100 songs and creative background video for each one of them (I believe some of background videos are so cute like cartoons..even kids in elementary will love them).

Ok.. gotta go now for another round of PUMP IT UP...I'm out of shape

Fun enough that you'll forget it's exercise

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: September 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I haven't tried all of the different dance pad games. I bought Pump It Up because its movements were supposed to be more fluid, and its movements more natural and dance-like.

I found that because the steps are not random, (each song has a set routine), I can easily spend an hour doing the same song over and over trying to do it more accurately. As I start to learn a routine I can sometimes get through the more difficult sections without having to keep my eyes on the screen - which helps.

The pad seems to be good quality. On my rug it does slip slightly so that I might need to move it back in place every few songs. On a wood surface it doesn't slip noticably at all.

I'm still a beginner, so I can't say how advanced users will find the game, but don't expect to outgrow Pump It Up for a very long time. The game has plenty of locked features that can be unlocked through gameplay, so I would definitely suggest getting a memory card if you don't have one.

Blows DDR out of water

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: September 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Since Konami first released the original DDR in the late 1990's, there have been quiet a number of follow-ups, both from DDR franchise and from other developers as well.

Pump It Up is one of them. Originally created in Korea, it caused a nationwide sensation and dominated the arcade over DDR.

Soon PIU sensation spread to other countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan and others;

Yet, ironically, PIU stayed relatively unkown in USA. Although popular among some hardcore steppers and freestylers in arcade, there is no doubt that DDR owned PIU head to head for years in US.

Well forks, that's about to change forever. Finally, after a long wait, they've decided to release the PS2 and XBox version of PIU!!

Pump It Up : Exceed is it's full name. It would be wise to memorize the name now. Forget DDR. Forget In the Groove. A truly fascinating dance game is in the house.

Do yourself a favor and buy this if you liked playing DDR or were thinking about getting it. You won't be disappointed.

Also note that you might want to buy a second pad to get the maximum fun out!

http://piu4home.com
(visit if you want to listen to in-game musics)

Get on the Dance Floor, or Soft Pad

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: September 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have played this game in the arcade. It is was a fun game, so I purchased it for the Playstation 2. Each song has its own video, which is great. Once you start building your skills, the soft pad just wont be able to keep up, but until then, it's a blast and a good workout. If you can play Dance Dance Revolution well, you can start playing Pump IT Up's Hard level songs almost immediately. I still think Dance Dance Revolution is more fun, but Pump It Up offers something new and is worth checking out.

Pump it Up is best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I was at a party and we played dance dance revolution all night long. It was so much fun that it was hard to tell that I was actually getting some well-needed exercise. I decided to go ahead and get it for my xbox. At the store they had about 5 to 1 ratio of dance dance revolution to another option called Pump-it-up; in fact Pump-it-up was around the corner displayed away from all the dance games/accessories! After reviewing the boxes I decided to go with pump-it-up because it had a 5 step buttons on the pad vs. the 4 on dance revolution.

Once I was home and playing I was so bad at it and I was sure that I could never do any of the dances on level 3 or up...they were crazy fast! In fact, after the short tutorial I was getting D's and C's on level 2! (For some reason there is no level 1 songs; it starts you on level 2 in home mode). Anyway, once I spent an hour with it I was quickly doing the level 2s...and what fun! Now I can't believe it but I am getting A's on level 5.

All these dance games are fun, however I am so glad that I went with Pump-it-up over dance dance rev. The extra button makes it more dynamic and the placement of the buttons is more natural. The music is fun and works great with the dances.

Cons:

I can't seem to find a place to buy another dance pad. I talked to a friend who simply purchased another game bundle to get another pad so his wife can dance at the same time as him. I'll probably end up doing the same (yeah it is that good and worth it).

At first there are only a few games available in HOME mode; to get more you have to play them in ARCADE mode first to unlock them in HOME mode. There are many more level 2s in ARCADE mode for practice. The problem is that ARCADE mode stops you dance if you miss to many steps and you have to start over at the main menu screen...this is frustrating to me because I am just using it for HOME mode.

So, I think it is a difficult choice but the best choice. (Difficult because dance dance rev. has been around the longest and everyone seems to know about that one and never heard of pump-it-up. So it is kinda scary going against the crowd to buy this...however; it is so much more fun than dance rev. you won't have any regrets)

PS> I've lost 30 lbs!

Fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

its fun however not played as much as DDR. it would be a lot better if they would make more home version. its too bad arcades around seattle dont have pump it up so there really not much of an arcade comunity.

i can past most songs up to 13, it just involves paterns and mashing arrows. not so much beat with the large timing window. its was worth playing arcade endlessly just for canon d and dignity.

Great game lots of fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

i would suggest this game to anyone its a lot of fun and also good exersice for those of us who are a little plump

PUMP IT!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Whew, I was at my cousins house and she was really into this new arcade hit called Pump It Up. I'm a HUGE dance game fan, I do alot of DDR and Pump was new to me. WOW! What a challenge is this compared to DDR. This game is not all steps and hope, you have to lear rythms, practice your songs and improve. This is a great game to a true arcade dancer, or just a DDR fan that needs some thrill to their routine

A Step Off The Beaten Pad - An Un-Merry Christmas

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 29
Date: December 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is unplayable to those of us who have had lives the past five years, therefore having no time to obsessively master this totally pointless game. Not only is it impossible for the normal person, even at beginner level, but it has absolutely no purpose except for extreme pain to its victim. It does not count the calories you've burned, it does not tell you the miles you've run. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ABOUT THE MUSIC. Have you ever heard of a song called Passionata? How about Masterwok? Who wants to "dance" to obscure Japanese techno? The only people who I can see enjoying this game are masochists, sadists, or both. I must say that playing this game is like playing Twister with a vague-almost-there-but-not-quite techno beat. HELLO? Can you say chiropractor? You can imagine my surprise when I was expecting something similar to Dance Dance Revolution to give my niece. She opened up the box, started playing, and almost threw out her back. And this is a thirteen year old girl who had been dancing for seven years. Do we really want to subject people to this? I mean, come on. We could definitely do better than this. I felt so guilty about my niece's un-merry Christmas that I went right out and bought the RIGHT game, Dance Dance Revolution Extreme. This game throws Pump It Up onto the proverbial floor and stomps it repeatedly - on beat and with great music playing in the backround. To sum it up, this game is something akin to Chinese water torture. I will never, and I mean NEVER trust a review on this site again. I'm just trying to warn other people who may make the same mistake I did. Believe me, if I could give you one piece of advice: Either get Dance Dance Revolution or nothing at all. STAY AWAY FROM THIS EXCRUTIATING GAME OF THROWN-OUT BACKS, TWISTED ANKLES, AND PAINFUL MUSIC.

Family fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Great to bring your wife to PS2 world. It's fun but it's kind of complicated to learn how to beat the game/machine.
Song tracks could be more interesting- doesn't need to be todays Bilboard Top 100. It could be a sample ot Bilboard TOP 300 for the last ten years.

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