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UFC Trainer preview: Grappling with danger
THQ is, apparently, quite interested in making a big impact with its upcoming Kinect exercise game, UFC Trainer. In a large loft in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood a few weeks back, the publisher had nearly a dozen folks -- some from the game's developer, Heavy Iron Studios, some from THQ, some from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and even one actual UFC fighter -- to show off the game. To be clear, that's about three times the number of people normally showing off a single game to the press. And during my demonstration, I was the only member of the press in attendance. As if the battalion of representatives wasn't enough to convince me of THQ's dedication to UFC Trainer, I was told upfront that the game had been moved out of its intended Kinect launch timeframe in order to give the developers more time to make a better game. Moreover, UFC Trainer was pitched as "especially for men," being the first exercise game to offer "something new and fresh" with male gamers in mind. I was then introduced to a rep from the National Academy of Sports Medicine who assured me that his institution had "gotten its hands dirty" with the project and left a profound stamp. I was even told by UFC fighter Urijah Faber that, relative to the training he actually does, the game is "really realistic." What I saw and played of UFC Trainer, however, left me unconvinced that most gamers should pick up the game for exercise -- let alone just male gamers -- and fully convinced that the few folks who do pick this up may actually end up hurting themselves.%Gallery-121990%
