Pump it Up - Davis

Pump it Up (PIU for short) is a rhythm game by Korean company Andamiro. It bears a strong resemblance to DDR, but uses five panels instead of four. DDR fans occasionally refer to Andamiro as "Fauxnami."

There're only two PIU machines in the Davis area, and they are in the MU Games Area. Initially, there was a "Pump it Up Exceed" machine, but was quickly upgraded to "Pump it Up Exceed 2". This made several people very happy and was widely regarded as a good move. Since then machine one has been upgraded to PIU Zero, then PIU NX ("New Xenesis") and most recently NX2 ("Next Xenesis.") I am not making these names up. They also have a pump it up pro, which has slightly better rhythm assessment.

Certain regulars show up, as one might expect, regularly. Occasionally kids from Sacramento come and start friendly rivalries with Davis players, some of whom have been doing pretty well for themselves.

Costs three tokens ($.60) to play. The Pro machine is a better deal because you get 3 songs. The PIU NX only gives you 2 songs you can win a third bonus round if you score an A or better. As of NX2, the machine supports proprietary USB sticks, which can be had for the princely sum of $22 plus tax at the desk. (Regular memory sticks will not work, as far as I can tell.) The PIU sticks function as normal USB memory as well, so they're not a complete ripoff.