UFC Personal Trainer – Preview

UFC Personal Trainer is set to be released in June, however, we have been lucky enough to get a sneak peek into how this game is developing. UFC Personal Trainer is a game that will take you through the exercises and some of the training that your favorite UFC fighters go through on a regular basis. The development team over at THQ worked closely with the UFC and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) to try and make this game as authentic as possible and, from the little bit I saw, it seems like they have succeeded. One of the important elements of this title was usability. This game will utilize Kinect, Playstation Move and the Wii remote, however, the main platform seems to be the Xbox360 with the Kinect functionality. After speaking with some of the development and the fighters that were showing off this new title, it became apparent that THQ wanted to make this game incredibly easy to use. That might sound like common sense and something that all developers try to accomplish, however, that isn’t always the case. The buttons on the screen were made a little bigger than the other workout titles available for Kinect to make it easier for you to select the option that you want. Additionally, you can navigate the menus and begin your work out using voice commands, which is obviously a Kinect specific feature. There are over 70 exercises that you can use to customize your workout so that you get the results that you want.

After playing the game for a little bit I was very happy with how responsive it was and how it didn’t let you cheat. You have to do the exercises the correct way if you want to get any credit for completing them. There will be personalized tips from your trainer to help keep you motivated. The Xbox360 version will also utilize Kinect to implement a full-body tracking system. There will be a plethora of UFC fighters that you can work out with in this game and the Xbox360 version will have Dan Hardy, Frank Mir, Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian as exclusive fighters. In the beginning you can select a pre-set 30 or 60 day program that will best meet your fitness requirements. The program you pick will then populate the in game calendar with daily routines to follow as well as your overall performance. Additionally, the Ultimate Training mode will allow you to participate in agility drills where you can earn rewards and have fun with your friends in a competitive multiplayer environment.

Overall, I was very impressed with what I saw and I have high hopes for the final product. The responsiveness was pretty impressive and being able to do MMA moves such as a Superman Punch, Flying Knee, Muay Thai Elbow Combo and more will definitely help separate this game from the rest of the pack. I was excited after playing this game and, hopefully, that excitement carries over once I have the final product home and I can begin my MMA training.