• 7Aug 11

  UFC Trainer Update Week 5

  So, this week is done and for some reason the last workout (for the week) I had should have been yesterday but the game froze again but this time in the middle of the workout session with the T push ups. I had to reset the console and because I finished half of the activities for the day I was too exhausted to start form the begining and push trough it all.

  The Numbers

  Well, the interesting thing is that this week I lost about 2kgs which brings me to about 7kgs in total. The progress is really slow because there is not too much left to lose so it's more about getting some muscle in shape.

  The Chellenges

  This week was a special kind of hell. All the exercises were made to push me to the limits and I almost gave in. On Thursday and Saturday it culminated into a 32 and 28 activity workout plan and both of them lasted for about 35 minutes with warm ups and cool downs. It does not sound like much, but you have to consider that the activities have no room for breaks, so between every activity there is about 10 seconds of catching some deep breath and going at it again. This is becoming more about endurance and less about just casual exercising, but I kinda don'tmind it that way. At least I can see how far I can go after I went to a whole month of training so far.

  The Let Down (About the game)

  The only thing that really bothers me in the game is the interaction that the trainers have with the gamer, or should I say the lack of interaction. There are only a few recorded sentances that the trainers use over and over again, but still most of the time the repetition is needed to keep the gamer reminded why is the cool down omportant or that he should breathe normally. Those are little things but they help. The real reason that I feel let down is the way Hit The Mitts works, every fighter that you choose as a partner that helps you in the session has the same lines and even the tone of their voices is the same, there is no character to them. Their explanations should be a little different for each other but it seems they just read what they were paid from a peace of paper and that was it.

  The Surprise

  The most satisfying thing that I experienced was the comparisson I made between my first day of trying the game out and this Thursday. The first day was hell, and the surprising thing is that it consisted of only 5 exercises, and on Thursday I did 32 and it was still cool to get some Hit The Mitts fun. So in a month I came a long way from having my ass kicked by only a few simple activities to the place where I start having fun.

  All in All

  I must admit, this started as a tryout for me but became much more. The game is meant to motivate and show what you can do if you want to and if you are a "high score freak". If you really wanna be the best at this game you must be prepared to push yourself and be amazed at what you get in return. The game is simple, follow the trainer and stop when you have to, but try to keep up if you want to get better.

  If they tweak some glitches like the freezing at some activities and use more interaction with the trainers it can be even more engaging. That's just wishfull thinking for now but if they get a crack at it again and come up with a new UFC Kinect Trainer I'm pretty sure I will be in line for it.

  This is not an advertisement, only my opinion about the game.

  Thanks

  I just wanna say "thank you" to all who support me in making it trough the 60 day programme and for all the comments and cheers. I will keep you posted about the news.

  • Posted Aug 7, 2011 1:18 am GMT
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• 1Aug 11

  UFC Trainer Update Week 4

  Another week has passed and another set of chellenges had to be done. Even though I didn't see any improvment in weight loss, I think it's reasonable to assume that it's now in a slower phase where most of the exercises are about fittness level.

  General

  This week the main obsticle was a 24 activity workout which had me going for a little above half an hour. It reminded me of the conditioning training I did when I played handball in highschool. The most tiresome of the exercises was the T-push up. 22 of those and the rest of the day was hell, oh and it came up twice on the same day. So for those who are in the first weeks or just getting started I can only say "watch out, you will be tested".

  The Good

  Since I started the only thing I really noticed was the weight loss, but as a progress the smaller things become more noticable and appreciable like after a quick sprint to catch a bus or train if I'm sort on time, I don't get my heart rate up so much and don't break a sweat. Riding a bike is showing more stamina too so all is going well.

  Probelms

  The same problem with the tire flip came up again and the same solution worked fine, so remember to stay still and don't make a move till the timer runs out, that should help you continue with the workout scheduel. Other than that, some of the moves in the exercises weren't recognized so I had to do them over and over again untill the sensor got it right, but it gets annoying when it happens a few times in a row.

  Missed days

  In case I didn't cover this topic, I want to say a few words. There is always a chance to not be around the console for a day or two and at the same time miss out on the workout scheduel. There are two things you can do:

  Cheat, that means, you disconnect from net and set the date of the missed day and do it in retrospect (Warning: this works only if you didn't already started the game on the new date)

  Suck it up and do it anyway with a day delay, this means that the game will reconize that you missed a day and rescheduel the same workout for "today". So you don't lose anything only gain another day to your workout plan, so it will be a day longer than planned.

  In my case I did it this way, so I gained 2 days to my 60 planned, but as July and August have 31 days each I can still finish till August ends.

  Final words

  Thanks for reading my blog and giving me the support, it is my pleasure to bring you my point of view on the game, and as I'm doing this for myself, I'm starting to do it for you guys, too. So thanks again and I'll keep you informed on any news that come up.

  • Posted Aug 1, 2011 7:28 am GMT
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• 27Jul 11

  Not enough split screen

  In the last couple of years as I look in retrospect it's noticable how the number of split screen games is decreasing. It is of course understandable from the viewpoint of the developers. They want to be competitive on a global scale and that means conquering the net. But what about the people who have friends near by and want to play some arcade racing or fps and other genre.

  I find myself asking the same question all over again everytime my friends come over to chat and play a little. Okay, sports do have multiplayer option, COD has multiplayer, and so does Gears of War, but from racing the last one that held my interest was Split Second, The NFS games changed to Autolog and it works only for online play so the offline players can just wish for some support in the future. As hard as it is to believe there are still places where consoles can be bought but internet is still a luxsury and even the games are really hard to buy, and they are even more expesive than you think.

  This trend of making the games more accessible for the gamers led to the separation of the gamers physically so that they can play and chat only trough online play, but never see the expression on the face of a buddy who is being owned in a round of any game that is to your liking.

  I hope game designers and developers will soon start doing some fan service and give some awesome games for the offline community. I still remember my first LAN party, and my first PSX split screen game, and PS2 and X360, they were all so much fun, because I saw and heard the real reaction of people around me, the freakouts, the joy of winning, the screams of excitement, the faces of my friends after a cool move or kill, or anything that was just awesome.

  Sometimes I get tired of "lol"s "omg"s "did you see that" or any other thing that is constantly said or written in the online plays. Split screen is the oldschool way and it should be a standard, not a memory and fairytale of the guys who once played some cool games together (COD night, Halo night Gears of War night, PES night and so many others).

  You can agree or disagree, the beauty of it is that you can, but my point stays firm. Real friends beside you in a coop mission or in a car chase or in any game are the real deal, what you see is what you get.

  • Posted Jul 27, 2011 10:55 am GMT
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