National Pump It Up Competition Debuts in North Carolina
U.S. players get a shot to win all-expense paid trip to the World Pump Festival in Korea
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 21, 2005) For the first time in the seven-year history of the game, Pump It Up players from across the United States will be gathering in Concord, North Carolina for the first annual National Pump It Up Competition. Sponsored by Andamiro, Mastiff, and Jillian's, this event will decide who goes on to represent the U.S. in the World Pump Festival later this year in Seoul, Korea, where players will compete for over $30,000 in cash prizes.
Developed by Andamiro, and a smash hit in Asia, Europe, Mexico and South America, Pump It Up is the dance game known for allowing players to actually dance as opposed to the stepping featured in other so-called dance games.
Video Game publisher Mastiff released Pump It Up: Exceed for the Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system to retail stores throughout North America on August 31, 2005.
The National Competition will consist of four separate tournaments called Divisions. Three of the Divisions match the different difficulty levels in the Pump It Up game: Hard, Crazy, and Freestyle. The Fourth Division has been created especially for the home console release of Pump It Up, Pump It Up: Exceed. 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. For more information on the National Competition go to www.PumpCS.com.
"A national competition is something Pump players have been wanting for years. 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.
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. For more information on the home version of Pump It Up go to www.pumpitup4home.com.
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Editorial Contact for Mastiff:
Michael Meyers
Michael Meyers Public Relations
925-551-8080
michael@mmpr.com