Get ready to work up a serious sweat with UFC Personal Trainer! Boasting professionally designed workouts, the game is both for the serious health buffs and the more casual players determined to burn that extra flab and develop those pecs at home.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a mixed-martial arts company that showcases one-on-one matches between the world’s top tier professional fighters. Granted, those competing in the UFC have the chiseled bodies and sculpted abs that comes from years of training. With the release of the Wii UFC Personal Trainer game, players will be given a taste of what martial artists like Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre go though on a daily basis. The workouts are intense, and this is a major plus factor for the game.
The UFC Personal Trainer game comprises of several sets of exercises that were developed by renowned mixed-martial arts trainers Greg Jackson, Mark DellaGrotte, and Javier Mendez. These routines are also approved by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), so players will be assured with the knowledge that the game takes fitness seriously.
In UFC Personal Trainer, exercises are sandwiched between a warm-up and cool-down routine. Players can pick between a series of premade exercises or customize their own from scratch. In the actual workout itself, digital counterparts of the three famous trainers mentioned above make an appearance and guide you through the steps. The exercises include striking techniques similar to those used in actual UFC fights, some groundwork, as well as a few familiar gym workouts. There are also modes where you can practice your kicks on a virtual punching bag as well as demonstrate some boxing skills in “Hit the Mitts”. Overall, the game showcases over 70 workouts, definitely a stable set guaranteed to add variety and give every part of your body some serious training.
UFC Personal Trainer comes equipped with long term planning, including scheduled 30 to 60 day workouts. Players can set their workout goals, and the game will generate a routine that matches their objectives. Other bonuses include a timer to set the minutes you want to spend per workout, as well as various menus and charts to keep track of your progress.
UFC Personal Trainer is an above average workout game. However, the Wii version is severely limited compared to its counterparts on the Kinect and Move. The motion sensing isn’t as accurate, and some of the ground exercises do not register at all. In addition, the Wii cannot track those routines that involve kicks and knees.
Also a limitation on the Wii version is the graphics, which aren’t as smooth as those on other consoles. Most of the visuals on UFC Personal Trainer are also quite bland, and exercises often take place in an empty gym that looks lonely and depressing. Although the trainers are made to look like their real-life equivalents, they still come of as robotic and uninspired.
Sound quality also suffers in UFC Personal Trainer. The trainers have a limited number of lines and will start to repeat themselves as the exercises drag on. There are no custom scripts that give you feedback on your progress, and oftentimes the trainer will say things that have nothing to do with your actual performance.
If you’re looking for a serious workout and don’t care much for any icing on your cake, UFC Personal Trainer will suit you well. However, those looking for more aesthetic value will be disappointed
UFC Personal Trainer can be played on a standard Wii console and remote. The game has support for two Wii remotes at once and is compatible with the Wii Balance Board. It is for single-player only.
UFC Personal Trainer is an intense workout video game for those serious about their health. With the solid planning and development from professional trainers, players will get what they bargained for in this entry. However, the Wii version is clearly the weakest among the bunch, and getting the Kinect or Move UFC Personal Trainer is a better choice to get the most out of the experience. If you want to start sweating soon, UFC Personal Trainer will not disappoint. Just don’t expect to come out cage-worthy and ready to crack some skulls in the Octagon though.