First National US Pump It Up Competition Decides U.S. Team
Four players win all-expense paid trip to the World Pump Festival in Seoul
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 19, 2005 Concluding a very successful freshman year for the Pump It Up Championship Series, the National PIU Competition was held in Charlotte, N.C. on September 24, 2005. With over 13 states represented, including California and New York, the best of the best were there to prove that they are not only the top Pump It Up players in the country but that they also deserve to represent the U.S. at the World Pump Festival in Seoul, Korea this November. Winners and runners up in the two Pump style categories took home cash prizes, merchandise, and all-expense paid trips to the WPF 2005 being held next month. With Korea being the birthplace of Pump It Up, this is the ultimate prize for U.S. players of the game who will compete against 10 other teams from Europe, South America, and Asia.
Only the top four players were chosen for Team USA, two of each Pump style, Freestyle and Speed. The team who will represent the US in Korea are: James "Smidget," U.S. Freestyle Champion, Rick "Redviper," U.S. Speed Champion, Bruce Leroy, runner-up Freestyle, and Jason "Dread," runner-up Speed.
"The level of competition in the U.S. has finally reached the international standard," says James "Smidget" DeVito, official Pump It Up ambassador and U.S. Freestyle champion. "We had an outstanding year of national competitions, and being one of the 11 teams going to Seoul is a tremendous achievement."
Pump It Up: Exceed for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox video game and entertainment system from Microsoft released to stores throughout North America on August 31, and comes in a package that includes the special five-button Pump It Up mat for a suggested price of $59.99. A separate mat is also available. Pump It Up: Exceed for Xbox supports an exclusive step editor that allows players to import their favorite music and design their own choreography. The step editor is available via free download from Xbox Live. Visit www.piu4home.com for all the latest news on the home game, sample tracks, and more.
PSM magazine recently tagged Pump It Up: Exceed with it's "Buy or Die" designation, saying "It really is better (than DDR)," and Rolling Stone magazine says, "Already a hit in arcades, Pump It Up: Exceed now comes in a home version that is more intuitive and challenging than Dance Dance Revolution."
About WPF 2005(World Pump It Up Festival 2005)
After winning their National Festivals, the top Pump It Up players from ten nations will be flown to Seoul, Korea for the inaugural WPF 2005 event which takes place on November 13, 2005. With over $30,000 in cash prizes and the title of World Pump It Up Champion on the line, the level of competition is expected to be higher than that of any other tournament in the history of Pump It Up. The WPF is set to be the main attraction of GStar, Korea's newest and largest video game trade show and convention. For more information on the WPF, visit www.piugame.com.
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 sales@andamirousa.com. 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.
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Editorial Contact for Mastiff:
Michael Meyers
Michael Meyers Public Relations
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michael@mmpr.com