EPTI've been playing DDR for the past 6 years or so and loved the game (my first DDR was actually the Mario Mix for the GC, LOL). I then went on to play Extreme and Supernova and loved them. Then I started looking for other games and discovered Pump It Up.
![[image loading]](http://www.bhmvending.com/Amusements/Andamiro/andamiro_pumpitup_machine.jpeg)
PIU was created by a South Korean company called Andamiro. The first installment was released somewhere around the time the first DDR was released. A lot of people were arguing which came first, though.
Pump It Up is basically DDR with diagonal arrows (corner panels) and a center step.
At first, I dismissed the game as a cheap knock-off of DDR after watching some YouTube vids, but when I realized that the arcade near my home had a machine, I thought, "Hell, why not?" I went to the arcade, inserted a dollar bill into the machine, and started playing away. I quickly fell in love with it and ordered the PS2 version online.
To me, PIU is more challenging to play since there are five steps, not four, leaving for more combinations. Also, the stepmakers really put a lot of effort into the charts, and each song played differently. I also like freestyling on in PIU better than in DDR cuz the movement is a lot more fluid because of the layout of the pads.
PIU is far, far, faaar less popular than DDR in the States and Europe, but it's still well-received and even more popular than DDR in Mexico, Korea, and parts of South America. Pump It Up machines are so rare here, and my PS2 version is broken.
I really miss playing this game.Some youtube vids:
I'm sure some of you have seen this and thought it was DDR at first. I did 'til I saw the screen. This is how I found out about Pump It Up in the first place.
The hardest song the game had to offer at the time. There are even harder songs than this one now, no lie.
Freestyle!
So, any of you guys play or have played this game? I don't wanna be the only one here.
