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Upcoming PS3 Fitness Games in 2011

In addition to the exciting announcement of MiCoach which is slated for release in 2012 there are a couple PS3 Move games that were recently announced that give me hope that developers are starting to see the potential of the Playstation Move for active motion gaming.

Here are the upcoming titles in 2011 that look the most promising:

Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest is slated for release on October 18, 2011. From early videos of the game, it looks like you’ll be placed in a world where you’re actively throwing stars, wielding your sword, and performing archery. It’s based on the same mechanics that Sony used for “Sports Champions”, so you know the controls will be spot-on. As exergames become more and more littered with subpar dancing games and sports games, it’ll be nice to have a truly unique game like this one.

Ubisoft hopes to cash in on its mega- successful Just Dance franchise on the Wii by releasing Just Dance 3 simultaneously on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. It will be interesting to look at all three of these versions head-to-head to see which platform handles dancing accuracy the best, and if Ubisoft’s very late entry into the field can outsell Dance Central on the Xbox and the upcoming Everybody Dance on the Playstation 3. This “dance battle” will be fun to watch.

As I wrote in my review of Singstar Dance, Sony’s first entry into dance games left something to be desired–maybe because dancing seemed almost like an afterthought to the singing portion of the game. Everybody Dance, set for release on October 18, 2011, is Sony’s attempt to cash in on the “pure dancing” genre. Again, it should be interesting to watch if Sony can keep up with Dance Central on Xbox, the current front-runner in next-gen dance games.

Speaking of dance battles, Dance Battle Vs. is a new game by Hyperkin due for release in Winter 2011. Reportedly, it will feature dance styles like capoeira, salsa, trance and even belly dancing. I don’t know too much else about the game now, but we’ll see how successfully the hardware manufacturer enters the world of software distribution. Seems that there won’t be a shortage of dancing games to choose from for Christmas 2011.

Motionsports Adrenaline is Ubisoft’s first foray into motion sports titles, after the decidedly lackluster Motionsports game released exclusively on the Xbox 360 last year. This time, the sports featured will be wingsuit proximity flying, kiteboarding, whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, free fall skydiving, ETRM skiing, and jungle parkour. Let’s hope that this game will live up to its name, and get your heart pumping in simulating those extreme sports. Due for release October 25, 2011.

My Body Coach 2 (Big Ben Interactive): If you’re racking your brains trying to remember what My Body Coach 1 was, the answer is, it was a game that was released only for the Wii and only in the UK. Developed in conjunction with popular fitness coach Valerie Orsoni, this title will feature 130 routines, two-player capabilities, the ability to play your own music (no more awful generic video game music), nutrition features, and will also include two 1-pound dumbbells to put your Move controllers in.

So, those were the highlights for me. There were also announcements of other core games such as Resistance 3 adopting the Move controllers, but I get the sense that those games will use the Move controllers in ways that don’t involve a whole body workout (but leave a comment if you hear differently).

In short, there are decidedly fewer motion games to be released for the Playstation than for the Kinect this year, but as we’ve seen with the Wii, more does not necessarily mean better. If the developers for the Playstation can focus on the things that make it strong, the pinpoint accuracy of the controls, the arguably superior graphics capabilities (including Blu-Ray and 3D), and the existence of buttons, these few Move games will shine. On the other hand, if they just churn out port after port which just uses Move controllers as a formality, Sony will have a lot of catching up to do. Whatever happens, it’ll be fun to watch.

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