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Pump It Up: Exceed

Written by Gotti on Monday, November 14 2005

Pump It Up: Exceed is the new release from Mastiff and Andamiro that is the new competition for DDR. We had a chance to review it and decide for ourselves if this game can really give DDR a run for its money. Before I start I will say that my experience in the dancing game genre is limited at best so I'm hoping my take on this game will give all you other newbies in this genre (who might want to become expert dancers) a decent perspective.

The overall concept of this game is pretty simple... dancing. Along with multi-player support there are a few different modes you can play in for practicing, building up your score for posting online, etc. This game is obviously not centered around graphics or story telling so there’s no real point in commenting on those things (the graphics that are present are good enough for a game of this genre). The key aspect then is the music. I will say that for a home game I was fairly impressed with the music selection with over 100 different songs throughout the game comprising an eclectic mix of fun and unique artists such as The Crystal Method, Sugarhill Gang and Banya.

So what did I like about this game? Well there are a few aspects I think that are key to a game like this being good, and they were all present in this game. First off, as I said the music is excellent and for a dancing game that is pretty much what the game hinges on so it must be good. The next thing I really liked about the game was even for a novice like me it was relatively easy to pick up. Granted my first few tries were nothing less than embarrassing, but it was a lot of fun and after a few tries I almost found myself yelling "you got served!" to the television (if you have another playing partner and extra mat you can face off with a friend). This leads into my next point: the game is fun. I would consider the "replayability" excellent and this is the type of game that children and adults can enjoy by themselves, online, or with a group of friends. One other thing I liked about this game, something that a lot of gamers sorely need, is the exercise aspect to it. I'm sure this shouldn't take the place of regular exercise but when compared to sitting in a chair for hours this is a decent workout. I also feel that foot-eye coordination often gets overlooked in today's society for the more popular hand-eye coordination, seriously! Most gamers could likely perform surgery given their hand-eye coordination but ask them to do a simple 1-2-step and they are falling over themselves (or is that just me?). All kidding aside this game will definitely improve your overall balance after a few times playing.

What didn't I like about this game? Well, nothing really. This is a dancing game and as far as this genre goes (all 2 or 3 of them?) this one seemed to meet all the criteria of a good dancing game. If you want a good at home dancing experience because you've spent too much time in your local arcade on the DDR machine this is an excellent choice. The only draw back that could be considered is the price tag as this game will but a slightly larger dent in your wallet than a regular video game (don't forget you are getting a dance mat as well so you should look at it like an investment). Overall I would say Pump It Up: Exceed is an excellent idea for both the novice dancer and the hardened DDR fanatic.

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