So you want to Train like a F#$&ing Fighter? “UFC Trainer” coming to Xbox Kinect, PS3 Move and Wii on Jan. 1, 2011

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I have been hyping up Microsoft’s ambitious no-controller hardware called “Project Natal” since it was first revealed at last year’s E3, because of it’s enormous potential. Especially when the first thought that ran through my head was about the potential for a Mixed Martial Arts game.

Well it looks like THQ had the same exact thought when seeing the Microsoft hardware, (which was officially titled “Kinect” this week) along with the Nintendo’s Wii and Playstation Move and has been working on a project to expand the UFC license into the quickly growing video game fitness genre.

THQ announced their plans for a motion controlled game at a Analyst meeting this week at E3, a title called “UFC Trainer”, which will hit shelves on January 1, 2011 on the Xbox 360 Kinect, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 Move.

The game will attempt to capitalize on the market that has grown considerably over the past few years due to Nintendo’s hit “Wii Fit”, which also helped players workout at home while playing their favorite consoles by following instructions from a personal trainer.

According to Danny Bilson of THQ that game will be released with “all the UFC fighters” and “Official Trainers”. So this could mean we will get Marc Laimon or Eddie Bravo in the game as our Jiu Jitsu instructors as we have seen in the past “UFC 2010 Undisputed” series.

The game was not shown this week at E3, because according to Bilson THQ wanted to ensure that game will not be shown until all the glitches and lag are removed and it is the coolest fighting game on the market.

My Breakdown on “UFC Trainer’s” potential

This game will have tremendous growth potential, due to the amount of potential new viewers and customers this can bring to the UFC and THQ. This game will simply be hit or miss due to the amount of money this game can cost a potential consumer just to train like a real UFC fighter.

Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move have gotten a lot of love and praise at E3 this year, and could do big business this holiday season when they are released. Playstation Move will cost you $129.99 when it hits shelves this September, but is also being criticized as a Wii knock off by many fans (Xbox and Wii Fanboys).

Xbox 360′s Kinect is currently being priced on Gamestop.com at $149.99 in a stand alone package, but will cost you anywhere from $299.99 (Arcade bundle without hard drive) to $399.99 (with hard drive) for first time buyers of the console. There is also a lot of skepticism that the new hardware can deliver fast game-play with out hiccups, glitches and deliver on the Microsoft’s hype that began last year at E3.

The Wii is priced at $199.99, but can be found as cheap as $149.99 to $129.99 for games looking to save a few bucks.  So this means if you choose to buy a brand new Playstation 3 that ranges from $349.99 to $399.99 along with Move, you could easily spend up to $600.00 after taxes.

This will leave very little wiggle room in the minds of gamers, especially the hardcore variety that read up to 3 game or product reviews before spending $59.99 on a game. THQ cannot mess around and must deliver in order to crack the smaller, but growing Fitness genre that has emerged over the past few years. If this is a hit we could see THQ deliver a entirely new genre like the Rockband and Guitar Hero did a few years ago. One that could be followed up with add-ons like sensored punching bags, gloves and grappling dummies, at a premium price in future iterations of the game ( but that is thinking really long-term).

THQ will already have the huge task of developing three different types of games for three different consoles, the game must be close to perfect. Normally when a cross-platform game like EA Sport’s “Madden” series is released on consoles, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions are essentially the same (with a few adjustments for the different harware). The Wii normally gets a different version, but one that is suited to their motion controller and packs a different experience then the graphics first consoles.

This time around THQ have three different consoles to writer code for, due to the creation of the Move and Kinect. This is not an easy task for publishers and developers and a it can push growing development costs even higher.

I want to know what you think, will you be throwing on your Muay Thai shorts and four oz. gloves on January 1, 2011 when “UFC Trainer” is released?