2019 is starting off with strong for the arcade business, as we have a couple of new games to discuss that should be available for arcade/amusement venues to add to their collections. For this post, we’ll be focusing on Andamiro’s next big video release, Pump It Up XX.
Fans of Pump It Up (PIU) have known about the 2019 installment of the game for a while now, although the first chance that they had to experience it was at IAAPA 2018. This video I shot covers a few of the features and bases, but after that, we’ve got more to chew on:
Thanks to Andamiro, here are some additional details on the launch version of PIUXX, which will include some additional features that were not present in the IAAPA version. Also, we’ve got this great high-rez shot of the cabinet:
First off, the songs. PIUXX will ship with 500 songs, 100 of which are new and marks the “largest volume of songs to rollout with a new PIU version.” Operators and fans can expect updates once about every two months.
An online matchmaking system will be present in this new software, although it does not entail real-time cross-site matches. Instead, it sounds like an in-depth leaderboard, by “finding/identifying other players with similar skills, and comparing those players” to each other.
Fans will also be able to enjoy renewals for both song and step difficulties and more than 100 reward titles (titles are something that a player earns as they play the game on their account). These also play into the new “enhanced” interface that the game is sporting.
Finally, I asked about upgrade kits. Sites or collectors with FX, CX, TX or LX cabinets will be able to purchase an upgrade kit for an easy switch; if you have an older cabinet, then it will have to be updated with an HD screen as the XX software does not support SD resolutions. Kits should be available through distributors that will be selling dedicated models.
PIUXX begins shipping this month, although an exact date has not been provided yet. Until then, you can visit the new YouTube channel that Andamiro created to focus on PIUXX by clicking here.
The issue with this is that so many songs have been removed, for some of us it doesn’t feel like PIU anymore. But kudos to Andamiro for supporting worldwide fans more than most other arcade companies have. Having Pump online is fantastic and it really is one of the last competitive games on the market worth going to a Western arcade for.