PIU US Finals announced in Charlotte, NC

Cutriss · Staff Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002

Mastiff sends word that the date and location for the final US tournament round will be in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 24th, 2005. The press release also mentions an updated release date for the forthcoming home release of PIU: Exceed as August 31st.

Pump It Up Championship Series Debuts in the U.S.

Top players in U.S. get a shot to win over US$10,000 in the
hot international dance video game event

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 29, 2005) For the first time, American Pump It Up players are getting to compete for cash prizes and exclusive merchandise with the debut of the United States Pump It Up Championship Series, sponsored by video game publisher Mastiff, Andamiro, and Coin it Up. The next leg of the U.S. series will be The Battle of New Orleans, held this weekend in Houma, LA. The U.S. Championship will be held in Charlotte, N.C. on September 24, 2005, and winners of the U.S. series will get a chance to compete at the World Festival in Seoul this November. Winners of the World Festival bring home upwards of US$10,000 and earn the title of World Pump It Up Champion.

Developed by Andamiro and a smash hit in Asia, Europe, Mexico and South America, Pump It Up is the hot dance video game that lets players actually dance to choreographed music rather than just stomping on the right spot. Video Game publisher Mastiff will release Pump It Up: Exceed for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the XboxÂ® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft to retail stores throughout North America on August 31, 2005.

The U.S. Championship Series consists of six or seven main events around the U.S. running from January through September and culminating in the final National Festival. The winners at the National Festival will go on to represent the United States at the World Festival held in November in Seoul, Korea. The host cities to be used in the U.S. Championship Series are selected by region in order to have the tour span across America, giving players from all areas an opportunity to show their skills and earn the title of Pump It Up Champion. In addition to the main events, smaller local tournaments will also be held throughout the Series. These sub-tournaments feature Pump It Up merchandise prizes and free entry for players.

Each main event consists of four or five separate tournaments called Divisions. The Divisions match the different difficulty levels in the Pump It Up game: Hard, Crazy, Freestyle, and Battle. A new Division for the home console release of Pump It Up will give players more opportunities to win. Prizes for each Division include cash, exclusive tournament-only Pump It Up merchandise, and other sponsored prizes. Sony Computer Entertainment America takes no responsibility for this offer.

"We are very excited about the Championship Series. Never before has an organized tournament series been provided for Pump it Up players. We're looking forward to taking the best American Pump It Players to Korea in November and hopefully returning home with the title," says James "Smidget" DeVito, official Pump It Up ambassador and top U.S. Freestyler.

"Pump It Up has always had a legion of rabid fans in the arcades," says Bill Swartz, Head Woof of Mastiff, publisher of Pump It Up: Exceed for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in North America. "With the release of the home version this summer, the overall number of people playing Pump It Up should swell, and with more players will come an even higher level of competition."

About Pump it Up: Exceed
While other dance games arbitrarily assign positions to a dancer's feet, Pump It Up features choreographed steps for each song and a five button mat that lets the step designers reward players for not just where they put their feet, but how the feet got there. The game features about 100 songs, including new music for the console version from cutting edge artists such as Grammy nominees Crystal Method and Steriogram, as well as Elvis vs. Junkie XL, Earth, Wind and Fire; and Sugarhill Gang. Music familiar to fans of the arcade include top K-POP (Korean pop) acts like Sechs Kies, Honey Family, Clon and Novasonic, and songs like Beethoven Virus and Pump Me Amadeus by BanYa, the Pump It Up original band.

The console version of Pump It Up: Exceed is based on the arcade game Pump It Up: Exceed but, in addition to the new music features a wealth of exclusive features including three entirely original modes: Home, Sudden Death, and Survival as well as a practice and tutorial mode. Like the arcade version, the home version will also allow players to log their high scores on a world-wide score board.

About Andamiro
Andamiro is a major developer and manufacturer of interactive coin operated entertainment equipment supplying the amusement and gaming business. Andamiro is headquartered in Seoul, Korea with a world wide sales and marketing office located in Torrance, California. For further information contact [email][email protected][/email. For information on the Pump It Up arcade game, go to www.piugame.com.

About Mastiff
Mastiff is a publisher of interactive entertainment with offices in Tokyo, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Recent titles from Mastiff include La Pucelle: Tactics, which was recently awarded an Editor's Choice Award from leading gaming website, IGN.com, and a "Must Buy" from the top PlayStation 2 publication, PSM. Other recent releases include Gungrave: Overdose, Technic Beat and Top Gun: Combat Zones. Please visit www.mastiff-games.com for more information. For more information on the home version of Pump It Up go to www.pumpitup4home.com.
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Sentient Mode is capable...

Arks · Konami Staff Joined: 03 Aug 2004

Damn it Cutriss, the press release you put up lies.

There is no www.pumpitup4home.com ; ;

Tsuri · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:54 pm Post subject:

I believe home version information will be on the same site as the arcade versions just like the Korean release :
http://www.pumpitup.co.kr
http://www.piugame.com

And maybe I should take some dance lessons to get better at Freestyle and enter the tournament... a free trip to Korea is more than enough to make it worth going to that last USA tournament... but I wish it was near where I live

Michigan blows.

vader · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:26 pm Post subject:

Holy crap I live in North Carolina... (near winston salem)
But I am not good enough for a comp
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On Standard and Starting on Heavy mode....

Cutriss · Staff Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002

Mikey K18 · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:39 pm Post subject:

man if i knew about this earlier id def be in that tournament for freestyle! i was in maryland one time at a jillians and had a nice big crowd going. too bad they got rid of the pump it up here in mass

i havent been able to play for like 1year
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- Mikey K (WesMasCrew)

DancingMewtwo · Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 9:06 am Post subject:

redviper · Trick Member Joined: 22 Jan 2003 Location: Spartanburg, SC

I will most definitely be there, and you all need to show up too.
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Representin the spartanburg crew.
http://www.pumpcore.com

Boxy · Trick Member Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Location: Raleigh, NC

heh, maybe I'll try it...I might as well.
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current projects: SN2 and Pump Pro

DDR_KiD_1 · Trick Member Joined: 30 Jul 2005

Wait, i'm confused. Is this the last chance to qualify for WPF, or is it all the people that have won the events going to play for the right to be in WPF?
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Wait, what's a D.D.R?

I love that question.

Cutriss · Staff Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002

I think it'd be a rather short tournament if it was only involving the finalists. I'm pretty sure that they'll have a qualifier here too, but I really don't know.

Oddly enough, there hasn't been anything in the western US. The only qualifiers I know of existing are Houston, NO, and now Charlotte. Seems a bit disjointed to me.
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Sentient Mode is capable...

CStarFlare · Maniac Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002

hurtpiggypig.stg · Trick Member Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Location: NC/OH

:O!?
I have to be there.
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Black Hoodie Mafia <3

`CoCaZnInNoVaTiOn · Trick Member Joined: 27 Jul 2003 Location: Hampden, MA

So what's the deal with this? sign up online and go play?

There's stuff all over the place on the website, I don't really understand

I wanna enter the freestyle part, but I don't know like if it's what I think it is.

Is it just regular PIU?
Or is it like a much newer version?

Please help me out XD

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[quote:1c5522fd59="^____^;"]

Anti-perspirant and a good diet could cost how many millions of dollars? While a simple black T-shirt costs me $3 at Walgreens.
You do the math.[/quote]

DDR_KiD_1 · Trick Member Joined: 30 Jul 2005

Wait... WTF THERE IS ONE IN HOUSTON?? OMG I LIVE IN HOUSTON! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Omg I feel like a spaz. Where can I see the schedule of the regional qualifiers! FREESTYLE, must have FREESTYLE!

Hehe sorry, i'm a little excited. BRB!

.................................................................

Ahhhh that's better.....

Now, is this freestyle, as in spins flips jumps and stuff, or freestyle as in just doubles???
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Wait, what's a D.D.R?

I love that question.

ChristIsFreedom · Trick Member Joined: 09 Sep 2003 Location: Charlotte, NC

There's a PIU machine in UNC Charlotte's gameroom, but I don't know of it having a very big following there. And I don't think it's in many arcades in Charlotte malls either (except Concord Mills), so I'm wondering where in Charlotte it's going to be too.

Cutriss · Staff Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002

If it's like the others, you'll just need to show up beforehand to sign up. They'll likely make another poster and announcement when the details are official.
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Sentient Mode is capable...

Arturo · Trick Member Joined: 25 Jan 2004 Location: Dallas, TX

The US Nationals will be held in the Charlotte, NC, area (venue still being negotiated, last I heard). This is an open tourney (anyone can enter), but prior winners in the Championship Series will receive preferrential seeding. The US Nationals will decide who will represent us at the World Championships in Korea, in November, at the 1st Annual World Pump Festival (WPF). The winners at US Nationals get free trips to Korea to do so, in addition to cash prizes. We are one of 11 countries competing there for various titles.

There have been only two regional tourneys leading up to the US Nationals -- in Dallas (not Houston), and last weekend, in New Orleans. There were some other locations for tourneys that were desired, but due to the late creation of the series and Andamiro's decision to finally start up here in the U.S., there simply was not enough time to get those off the ground. Next year's series is anticipated to have many more official events. But remember, US Nationals are open to all.

Further details to come.
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Dallas, TX

cj iwakura · Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 8:08 pm Post subject:

This is what I've been waiting for. I start saving for the flight now.

I have every intention of making it to the Nationals, no matter what it takes. Sure, I'll get murdered in the competition, but that's just not something one misses out on.
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DDR_KiD_1 · Trick Member Joined: 30 Jul 2005