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Verse Two: Feeling the Beat
My first song in Arcade Mode was "X-Treme," a quick-paced piece that clocked in at 162 beats per minute (bpm). Honestly, the only reason why I chose this was because I couldn't figure out how to select anything else. The lowest difficulty setting available was Normal, and the song started up.
Status: OWNED. It was time to try out Home Mode.
Home Mode is where you're given the entire song to feel out with no actual meter to flunk you out of the stage, so it's perfect for getting the kinks out of your style. I selected Normal right off the bat, and got a feel for the interface. Just like in the actual gameplay, you use the secondary directions to select things instead of the cardinal directions. For example, the northwest arrow changes the music channel from Pop to K-Pop (Korean Pop, for those not familiar with the term) to BanYa (songs specifically recorded for the series by the channel’s namesake band), and the two southern arrows scroll through the available tracks.
I scrolled to one of the more familiar pieces in the game, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang, and followed along. The diagonals took some getting used to, especially when jumping from the upper "notes" to the lower ones, but the implementation of the center note made the transition that much easier. After passing that one with relative ease, I moved onto the K-Pop Channel and selected "What Do You Really Want" by Crash. After earning an S Rank (the highest one) on that song, I decided that what I really wanted was a challenge. Much like DDR, Exceed has its orchestral-pieces-turned-techno staples, and being the orchestra geek that I am, I found Antonio Vivaldi's "Winter" and confidently stomped on the Start button.
I got my ego stomped on right then. It was 168 beatings per minute on my spirit, and unlike when I lost my place in the middle of a piece, I couldn't just fake the motions until I found my place again. With all those "MISS" cues onscreen and Vivaldi's head pulsating in the background, it was as if the composer himself was yelling at me while being shamed by my performance. I hung my head in shame before my giant F, yet couldn't help but eke out a sly grin as I hit Retry again... and again.
Finale: The Last Dance
The main complaints that I’d make with Pump it Up: Exceed would be the same that I’d have with the many DDR incarnations out there. As usual, the game’s soundtrack doesn’t vary far from expectations, which is fine for me, but not everyone that would like to play these games listens to Asian pop. The erratic difficulty levels seem to be another proud tradition of the dance genre that Exceed is more than willing to uphold, but the weak excuse for an online mode (codes? That’s so passé) is definitely lacking after DDR: Ultramix let people around the world compete against each other.
After days of trying to get acclimated to the "real dancing" of Pump it Up: Exceed, I came to the grim realization that I just have two left feet. The thing is, though, I enjoyed every moment of flailing and stumbling in my living room. Sure, it was frustrating as all heck, and there were times where I just had to walk away from my PS2 cursing and pouting, but it was definitely an experience that I wouldn't trade in. To the die-hard dancers out there who may have dismissed Exceed before it even emerged, give it a go. It's a different game, with its own style and flair, and who knows? It may very well live up to its title as far as expectations go.
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