Like any keep-fit title worth its salt, UFC Personal Trainer features a nice blend of preset workout routines and customisable options. Meanwhile, each exercise or workout routine is hosted by certified trainers Mark DellaGrotte, Greg Jackson or Javier Mendez, who are also joined by actual UFC fighters in unlockable videos, which detail certain moves and disciplines.
Well-produced and informative videos introduce players to the game, while training takes place in professional and authentic-looking gyms, as well as in the Octagon itself. One weapon that the game has in its arsenal, is that unlike Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, for example, which was a little drab and dreary, UFC Personal Trainer benefits from having an interesting and appealing license, which aids, among other things, the presentation side of things. If you're not planning to play the game in a tiny box bedroom and trimming the fat is your main objective, then UFC Personal Trainer - despite a few technical issues with the Kinect sensor - is one of the better keep-fit games on the market today. The same is true of most Kinect games, but is particularly pertinent when it comes to UFC Personal Trainer - a nice thick carpet or workout mat is also advisable. Secondly, in order to get the most out of the game and really feel the benefits of each workout, you're going to need a lot of room.
The game does, on a fairly basic level, teach you how to kick, punch, grapple and gouge (well, maybe not gouge) - but these activities are mainly for cardio purposes and will not hold you in good stead in the Octagon! At no point will you go toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar or trade blows with Tito Ortiz.
There are a couple of things to point out, however, before we begin to talk about the game's many features. Fortunately (and much to the relief of my ever expanding waistline), with the aid of the UFC license, Heavy Iron Studios has managed to craft a fitness title more in tune with the wants and needs of the core gamer. If UFC Personal Trainer is to stand any chance of succeeding, therefore, it will need to stand out from its rivals, or find a way to appeal to gamers with no previous desire to jump around their living rooms in order to get in shape. Despite only hitting the shelves a little over six months ago, Microsoft's hands-free gaming device features a remarkable number of dedicated fitness games, such as Get Fit With Mel B, The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout and EA Sports Active 2.0 - not to mention gut-busting mini-game compilations such as Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sports. UFC Personal Trainer is the latest keep-fit title to be released for Kinect.