Ultimate Fighting Championship-licensed video games have traditionally been combat-based, but THQ's latest UFC title will be a multi-platform health and fitness game, focusing on providing high-intensity workouts.
UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System features some of the world's most renowned mixed martial arts trainers like Mark DellaGrotte, Greg Jackson, and Javier Mendez. Users will be put through various fitness routines that have been primarily designed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Over 70 MMA and NASM-approved exercises can be learnt to improve strength, endurance and conditioning.
51 routines have been specialised to target specific muscle groups and fitness goals can be set which factor in individual skill sets. Users can utilise 30 or 60-day programs to build their strength and to lose those excess pounds around the waistline. The MMA-inspired exercises will teach "authentic" training techniques, although the game's remit isn't to teach users martial arts as the lead designer Troy Sheets explains:
It is never our intention to actually teach martial arts, but you are being shown the proper technique for the moves themselves. So you will be shown how to throw a proper elbow, but the intent behind it is not to teach you how to fight, but how to workout in a way a mixed-martial artist works out... One of the things that we focused on with this product is the exercise portion. A nutritional aspect along side of that is something that we didn't feel we could execute perfectly, so we encourage that you partner with someone else for your nutrition because it's not a part of our product.
The game is scheduled for release on the Wii, PlayStation Move, and Kinect for Xbox 360 this June.
[source espn.go.com]
Comments 6
Cool.
I'll get it, most likely. Hope it uses the balance board
I find this slightly pointless. Even if it's just intended for health nothing beats a real teacher. It might even be worse since the moves are taught out of the context of a martial arts school, do they seriously think that if they show a kid how to fight (even as exercise) he/she isn't going to try it out with his mates? On a positive note maybe it will generate some interest in the real thing.
While I remain skeptical of the value of "fitness" video games, I imagine the Kinect version would be the best bet out of the three by sheer virtue of it being able to detect if you're doing the exercises properly.
@Usagi-san
Kids that fight will fight regardless of what a video game aims to achieve. From what Troy Sheets says, the aim is to show users how to work different muscle groups without hurting yourself, but I do understand your concern. I just don't think it will be an issue. I agree that there are right ways and wrong ways to working out, so it will be interesting to see how each version factors in how body movements are recorded given each console's different approach to motion control.
Is this pointless? I don't think so. Given the number of exercise DVDs that are available, I'm sure there are productive ways of getting fit even if you are following instructions on-screen as opposed to an actual person. The trick is to pick and choose what is taught.
@The Fox
I've never tried fitness video games before, but if I can work up a sweat playing Just Dance (I may regret admitting this), then I'm sure fitness games (especially this which aims to provide high-intensity routines) will be of some worth.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChosunNinja
This is all I have to say.
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