E3 2011 Kinect Games Announced:

Champion Jockey
Forza 4
Hulk Hogan’s Main Event (Over the Top Wrestling?)
Michael Phelps: Push the Limit
Mind ‘n Motion (Left Brain Right Brain?)
Rise of Nightmares
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Star Wars Kinect
Take Shape (Harley Pasternaks Hollywood Trainer?)
The Gunstringer (XBLA)
The Sims 3 Pets
UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System
DaVinci Kinect (Microsoft Surface application ported to Kinect) NEW

E3 2011 Kinect Games Expected to be Playable on the Show Floor

Avatar Kinect
Child of Eden
Codename: Kingdoms
Dance Central 2
Dance on Broadway
Diabolical Pitch (Codename D)
Doodle Jump (XBLA)
Family Game Night 4: The Game Show
Ghost of Recon: Future Soldier
Haunt
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan
Kinect sport 2
PowerUP Heroes
Project Draco
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor

E3 2011 Kinect Games Speculation – These are rumors of games that might be on the show floor or could just be rumors.

Alan Wake: nights springs (XBLA)
Angry Birds Kinect (XBLA)
Cabelas Hunting
Crimson Alliance
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Fusion: Genesis
Gears of Kinect
Gears of war: Exile
Grease
Hole in the Wall
Just Dance 3 NEW
Kinect Adventure 2
Kinect Fun Lab
Kinect Googly Eyes
Kinect Me
Kinect Roller Coaster
Mass Effect 3
Monsters: Mass Destruction
MotionSports Adrenaline
Raving Rabbids Kinect
SSX Kinect (Snowboard Supercross) NEW
Winter Stars NEW
Zumba Fitness 2

First-party Kinect Game from ‘Virtual Toys’

Kinect Game from ‘Big Park’ (Microsoft)
Kinect Game from ‘Blitz Games Studios’ (Microsoft) NEW
Kinect Games from ‘MGS Family’ and ‘Soho Studio’ (Microsoft)
Kinect Game from ‘Lionhead’ (Microsoft)
Kinect Game from ‘Zipline studios’ (Microsoft)
Kinect Fighting Game from Yu Suzuki
KinectShare.com (Microsoft’s website)
Kinect Software Update NEW
Xbox LIVE Diamond TV (Microsoft’s entertainment platform?) NEW
Rare: Kinect Voice demo NEW
Zero-person Shooter Kinect Game from ‘Zombie Studios’

Check back all week for the latest in active video game titles from the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

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.

Fitness First, a group of 550 clubs in 19 countries, is also partnering with BLAZE to bring out the game, which was announced earlier this year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The products for the Wii include a fitness kit, a Wii balance board, as well as step riser and even Wii-mote dumbbells, so users can lift more than just the game controller.  ”We are delighted to be working with Mel B and Fitness First,” says Jason Cooper, chairman of Blaze Europe Ltd. “We believe these are the perfect brands for our fitness range.”

Gamers looking to get in shape can preview the upcoming offerings from the Blaze Europe website. Scary indeed.

Smile you're on the Kinect camera for the Xbbox 360

Exercise games on the market still require you to grab or stand on a controller to get your workout in. Yourshape Fitness Evolved, just announced from Ubisoft for the Microsoft Xbox promises a much more casual yet engaging workout. Using the video and sound controls of the game console’s Kinect, you just have to make sure  you have space to move. The camera picks up your image and presents it as a polarized image or heat map-like image of you and captures all of your movements. Select cardio, toning or other activities and get to work. Yourshape Fitness turns some workouts into a game where you can kick and punch boxes that come into range. End your workout with a calming cooldown by doing Tai Chi and other relaxing exercises.

Check back all week for the latest fitness related news from the Electronic Entertainment Expo

Working out with the Wii (iStockphoto)

Ever since the Nintendo Wii debuted in December of 2006, there has been an increase in more “active” games, such as Nintendo’s own Wii-Fit. As the video game companies prepare to showcase the next generation of fitness games at next week’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles, an interesting question was brought up this week by The Boston Globe: can you get hurt by playing the games?

As we’ve noted this week, there have been findings that games are being used more and more as a form of exercise, but this needs to be done as part of an “active” lifestyle. So in other words, just sitting on the couch doesn’t do it. But now the other half of the equation is being presented, and that is whether you can actually over do it by playing games.

There are obviously the repetitive stress disorder type injuries such as mashing away with too much Rock Band, or mouse wrist from shooting all those zombies in Left 4 Dead. But could this lead to other injuries. The Boston Globe reports that a pilot study is “being conducted at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston this summer,” and “may be the first to address the injury problem directly, by looking into the biomechanics of Wii gaming.”

This no doubt comes as bad news to anyone who thought that gaming alone would be the ticket to better fitness. So maybe its time to take the advice offered earlier this week from the University of Essex researchers, and use fitness games as a way to cross train instead.

Via The Boston Globe: Healthy games offer risks, too

Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel uses actual exercise to hone his gaming skills

Leave it to the Brits to come up with a study that compares top athletes to gamers. According to British academics, including University of Essex professor Dr. Dominic Micklewright, gamers share many characteristics with those engaging in sports. His findings were part of a BBC Radio 4 documentary, where he noted that games like sports, involve high degree of skill, and both are governed by strict rules.

However, as PC Pro reported, professional gamers tended to be less – well to put to bluntly – “physically able” than true athletes, and gamers often had health problems that athletes don’t have. This is notable as gamers can be a bit more sedentary and at times unhealthy life, as professional gamers can spend as much as 10 hours a day in front of the screen practicing.

What is also notable is that Dr. Micklewright further suggested that gamers actually get REAL exercise, which could in part help improve gaming performance. It was mentioned that top US player Johnathan Wendel (better known as “Fatal1ty”) regularly uses exercise as a type of “cross training” which makes him more physically fit, and possibly keeps him at the top of his game.

Via PC Pro: What gamers have in common with top athletes

But if you’re looking to get a workout with your games, the company offers a line of products built around the concept of adding fitness to gaming. In the case of the iTech Fitness Flight Simulator players can dogfight against others, fly a variety of aircraft and even get a bit lighter in the process.

Happy flying and gaming!

iTech Fitness Web Page