Did you have a tantrum and want to throw your racquet at the referee last time you played tennis? Sure, everyone has. Get ready for the court next year. SEGA is in development with Virtua Tennis 4 for PlayStation 3, which will use the Sony PlayStation move controller and be 3D for those who spring for a new 3D HDTV set. Continue reading Virtua Tennis Takes a Swing with PlayStation Move
While Sony and Microsoft prepare to roll out their respective motion-centric game system add-ons this fall, Nintendo isn’t taking it lying or sitting down. The company, which has essentially danced its way to the bank with the Nintendo Wii, now will let gamers do the dancing. This week Ubisoft announced that Gold’s Gym Dance Workout is available for gamers to shake their way to better fitness.
The game offers a variety of dance routines with workouts that include Latin dance styles, as well as choreographed boxing dances and even mini-games that target specific muscle groups. Gold Gym Dance Workout includes multiple training modes to appeal to a range of fitness levels, whilst the difficulty of the gameplay can evolve as the player’s actual fitness level increases. Virtually players can hit the gym and visit some of the most iconic locations, including those in Japan, Egypt, India, Australia or even the legendary Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach. Continue reading Ubisoft Lets You Dance Your Way to the Gold
Global popstar and former Spice Girl Mel B has teamed up with BLAZE and Fitness First to spice up the fitness video game market with a range of new products for the Nintendo Wii. The erstwhile Scary Spice began her relationship with Fitness First last year, when she became the not-so-scary face of National Fitness Week, and followed up with a workout DVD titled “Totally Fit.” Now she’s jumping into the video game arena with a range of products, with the first being released next month. Continue reading BLAZE Gets Scary With Fitness First for Wii Based Products
Think you have what it takes to throw down with Jackie Chan or Jet Li? Chances are you probably aren’t at their level and never will be. So what is an aspiring Kung Fu master to do? You could spend the next few years training, honing your skills and doing all that Karate Kid styled “wax on, wax off” stuff. Or you could fake it and show off your skills in a video game. Of course that means sitting on a couch, which we don’t recommend. As an alternative to just more button mashing, there is the Kung-Fu Live fighting game, which will let players show off their badass fighting skills for the PlayStation Network this fall. The game is currently being developed by the Virtual Air Guitar Company, a Helsinki-based independent game producer and computer vision specialist. And yes, virtual air guitar does sound a bit redundant to us too. Continue reading Kung-Fu Live Lets You be the Next Karate Kid
Staying home and playing video games probably sounds like a lot more fun than actually hitting the gym, but a research from Ohio State University is questioning whether even “exercise” games such as the Wii Fit actually do any good? The New York Times reported that researcher Derek Troyer compiled a database that looked at the chances of getting an injury while taking part in a virtual workout as opposed to actually going to the gym.
The results are actually mixed. On the one hand users aren’t at as great a risk of getting injured by staying in their living rooms – the study noted that those who lift weights at the gym are four times more likely to get hurt, while those who run on a treadmill are 1.5 times more likely to hurt themselves. On the other hand, the study did find that real exercise at the gym far outweighs the benefits of virtual exercise – “even when the risks of injury are accounted for,” notes The New York Times.
The paper further quotes Jack L. Nasar, professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State, who oversaw the research, as saying” Wii Fit is probably not a serious threat to users, but it’s also not very useful for getting them fit.”
This maybe true, but the study probably didn’t take into account that hardcore gamers aren’t exactly the type of folks to hit the bike or the gym. So the fact that people are using the Wii Fit is actually something that needs to be considered as well. The benefits might not be up there with the gym, but we have to say it is better than just another game of Mario or Metroid.
You won’t have to wait long to go controller-less with the Xbox 360. Today Microsoft announced that the Kinect game console add-on will be released in North America on November 4, and will cost $149.99. We were hoping that Microsoft would include a fitness game, but instead it looks like the motion and voice control system will be released with the game “Kinect Adventures.”
This game will be also be part of new Xbox 360 bundle, which will include the soon to be released matte black version of the console that now offers a 4GB hard drive. The quasi-fitness game “Kinect Sports” will also be available at launch on November 4, and we’ll expect many third party titles will also arrive in time for the holidays.
The East Coast heat wave has likely kept families indoors but as things cool down just a bit outside the video game competition will be heating up. Nintendo will be hosting the kickoff event for its Wii Games: Summer 2010 Competition at Liberty State Park in New Jersey on July 16. This will be the start of the first-ever nationwide Wii video game tournament, which encourages participants to get off the couch.
Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars champion Shawn Johnson will be the first official Wii Games ambassador and he’ll be on had to greet participants. While the first event will be in New Jersey, follow-up competitions will be held all summer at Six Flags theme parks and select shopping malls throughout the United States. The events are open for gamers of all ages, and qualifying winners at these competitions could qualify for a chance to compete in the Wii Games: Summer 2010 national championships, which will be held in Los Angeles in September.
Wii Games: Summer 2010 Official Site
Information on the kickoff event:
Friday, July 16, 2010
11am to 6pm
Liberty State Park
South Lawn
Jersey City, NJ
201-915-3440
Not enough time in the day? That’s not an excuse any longer, especially if you have a Nintendo Wii sitting there. If you have enough time to play some games, you’ll have 10 extra minutes to get your heart pumping. This week Activision Publishing and 
Anchor Bay Entertainment announced that the companies have brought the popular 10 Minute Solution workout DVDs to the Nintendo Wii.
And price isn’t an excuse either, as the workout pack is available now for just $19.99. As with the video workout version, the Wii edition offers users the choice of cardio boxing, mixed games and step aerobics at varying levels. There are nine workouts that are also compatible with the Wii Balance Board too – but this accessory isn’t required however. The game even provides health and wellness tips from fitness spokeswoman Jessica Smith.
10 Minutes Solution for Wii is rated E for Everyone, and is recommend (by us anyway) for those gamers who can’t find the time to squeeze in a workout. Now that there is this solution, you have no excuses.
While we like to report on software that actually gets you moving, one game stands out year after year as a sports related title that is worth taking a break from activity. No, we’re not talking about Madden; we’re talking about Pro Cycling Manger from La Vuelta. This year’s 2010 title is available now, with a new patch in time for the start of this week’s Tour de France in Rotterdam.
The game is available for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Portable (the latter meaning you could even take the game with you on those long training rides). This year’s game lets you take part in 180 races and international classics, where you can get a better understand of the daily aspects of general management including training, finances and even contracts. After all there is much to professional cycling than just riding expensive bikes.
And be sure to check back over the next three weeks, as we’ll be reporting on any technology updates happening at the tour, including news on the latest bikes and hardware.
We can never say thank you enough to our men and women in uniform who serve overseas, often in dangerous and hostile regions. Sadly our thanks are not nearly enough, and this is especially true to those soldiers who have been wounded in the line of duty. Fortunately there are programs to help, including the newly announced Rehabbing with the Troops from the Wounded Warrior Project. This project has a simple goal, to create a virtual community, called the Wounded Warrior Arena, in which soldiers can find common ground and a mutual understanding while working on their physical rehabilitation and emotional well-being.
This partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project and the USO, and sponsored by Armed Forces Insurance, resulted in Pro vs. GI Joe creating Rehabbing the Troops, which uses the concept of connecting pros and troops through video games. These include workouts with the Nintendo Wii while professional athletes act as the trainers. This project will run through the summer season, with pro trainers from the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.
The 10-week season will conclude in New Orleans on August 21. Troops will complete their final workout, receive, receive awards at an AFI-sponsored luncheon and then get to watch the New Orleans Saints pre-season home opening game at the Louisiana Superdome.
When we first read that a former Spice Girl wanted to do a fitness game we assumed it would be Sporty Spice. Then we read it was Mel B and our thoughts were confirmed, but actually Melanie Chisholm, a.k.a. Mel C, is the former Sporty Spice. Melanie Brown, or Mel B, a.k.a. Scary Spice is the one who is actually going to be working on a title for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect and PlayStation 3 Move.
“I have always been passionate about videogames and then when I grew up my preferences moved towards fitness and wellbeing.” she said in a press release. “Today I can finally mix together my two big passions, it’s been like a dream.”
The title from Black Bean Games will feature Brown as a celebrity trainer in Get Fit. It will build on the publisher’s previous Fitness First titles and will feature six types of aerobic disciplines and more than 100 exercises. The Brown fitness game will arrive for the holidays
There is no denying that anyone entering the cage to compete in mixed martial arts is ripped and probably works out a lot. And we mean a lot. Video games on the hand tend to work out a little and play games a lot. So what if you could somehow marry the two in a way? THQ is on it with a UFC-inspired fitness game for Microsoft Xbox Live Kinect, Sony PlayStation Move and the Nintendo Wii.
And in an interesting twist, unlike many other fitness games this one is actually going to be targeted primarily at men. UFC Trainer won’t actually make it in time for the holidays however, so gamers will have to find some other way to stay in shape this summer and fall, so we suggest turning off the console for a bit.
But from the official line from THQ’s executive VP of core gaming, it should be worth the wait. “We want this thing tuned to perfection without lag. And I’m not going to ship it until it’s the coolest fighting thing in the world.”
One big problem with some workout games is that you need to be in the mood to work out. That’s why a good alternative can be to dance, and Zumba Fitness will get you moving. The company already has a full line of Latin dance and reggae flavored DVDs, and this year at E3 Majesco announced plans to bring the unique fitness program to the video game world.
In Zumba Fitness players can learn and perfect nine different dance styles, ranging from salsa to hip-hop to rumba and reggaeton. The dance game will be accessible to all ages and feature a “learn to steps” training, plus beginner, intermediate and advanced routines. The game will be compatible with Kinect for the Microsoft Xbox 360 for two player fun, plus a four player version for either the Nintendo Wii or the PlayStation 3 Move. Zumba Fitness will arrive this holidays, so get shaking.