King of the Ring Fitness Arcade Game

Nexersys calls their King of the Ring arcade game a "virtual fighting ring" but one look at all those full-contact pads and the surrounding cage and I am 95% sure that I would sustain non-virtual injuries while using it. Drawings depict the MMA-style fitness crusaders' latest cranial explosion, a follow-up to their Home NXS and Pro NXS fitness and skill trainers, currently available for purchase through Amazon. King of the Ring calls upon the entire body--not just button-pushing thumbs and fingers--to throw real right hooks, elbow jabs, and knee strikes at a set of 5 padded targets corresponding to the face and guts of on-screen opponents. You won't just simulate the sweat and the burn, you'll feel them. (For the record Nexersys, I also feel the sweat when I play air hockey at Gameworks. And also the burn when the GD puck nicks the tip of my finger because it wandered too far south on the mallet.)

King of the Ring will feature two different games, Beat Down and Fasts Fists, both available in either boxing or MMA versions. In Beat Down gamers face 3D Fighters or their friends in sparring battles. Real-life on-screen graphics will react to thrown punches when a target is hit, with timed rounds scored and KOs still the ultimate goal. I hope the 3D fighters include Jon Jones, Nick Diaz, Manny Pacquiao, Marky Mark, and my friend Cornelius, but not Georges St. Pierre because he's Canadian and I think Canadians are great and would feel bad decimating one with my bare hands.

The other King of the Ring game, Fast Fists, will serve more to improve skills and technique. Fighters paired with a virtual trainer in the ring will have their reaction speed tested and scored as trainers call out various prompts and demand hits to their mitts and body pads.

King of the Ring, version arcade, seeks Kickstarter funding for production through May 11, 2013. Actual game ownership costs a stiff $5,000, but supporters with less punch in their wallets can pledge at lower levels to earn rewards such as Founding Membership icons to be featured throughout the King of the Ring online community, advertising real estate within the game, or even an Avatar Fighter designed in their own likeness. Hm, now my question is, if I pledge $3,000 for the Avatar thing, can I choose to have the fighter whose face I am going to pummel designed in someone else's likeness?

December 2013 Update: King of the Ring's arcade machine funding was unsuccessful. At present Nexersys is still developing the game for public consumption. You can track its progress and get more information on the company's Website--follow the link below.