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Wii Fit or Wii Shit? A Review |
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Written by Ryan "White Silhouette" Jahn
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Thursday, 29 May 2008 23:09 |
For those who are unaware, Wii Fit is the latest game from Nintendo which targets the casual space. It comes with a Wii balance board that uses 4 AA (included) batteries, and game disc for around $90.00. The idea behind Wii Fit is that it is an interactive exercise & fitness program using over 40 different activities. These are broken down in to 4 categories. Yoga, Strength Training Aerobics and balance games. Before you begin however you must select a Mii to represent you. Then enter in your date of height and date of birth. Your Body Mass Index is then calculating with your weight and height. The calculation done by the Balance board is not as accurate as something your doctor would do. So take the BMI and any other advice it gives you with a grain of salt. Much like Wii Sports and Brain Age there is a daily test in which you can do.This will determine your Wii Fit age based on how well you do. The major question is whether Wii Fit has some longevity to it, or is it just another piece of exercise equipment that gets stored away.
Presentation:
The menus in Wii Fit are very basic and very simple. There is some integration of the your other Mii's in the various mini games, as well as you can choose between the personal trainer to be male or female. But little effort in to the presentation is beyond that.
Game Play:
This is tricky to break down the game play of Wii Fit as the point of Wii Fit is not centered around typical game elements. Oddly enough most of the activities are locked at the beginning of the game. The are unlocked by doing different events. Each event gives you a time coin based on how long it took to complete. These coins unlock the new activities to do, as well as more difficult modes. These can include adding more reps, longer endurance runs, or different aspects of the balance games.
The yoga and strength training in Wii Fit are focused on toning muscles, center of balance and posture. Before each activity your personal trainer will explain and show you the pose or exercise you are about to do. As you interact with the balance board the personal trainer will give you audio clues of your progress. Whether you are off balance or shaking. There is also a visual cue on screen to indicate the ideal center of balance. At the end of each session you are giving a rating on how well you did. This rating is out of 4 stars and a level of experience is given. For someone who regulars a gym or other fitness program these work outs may not seem too difficult. Personally after a few days and different exercises I was feeling the burn, and able to notice a improvement in my balance.
The only real “game” aspect of Wii Fit is in the balance games section. Where you can find such games as soccer head butting, various skiing games, ball balance games and more. These most likely won't make you break a sweat, but they show of the true potential of the balance board. Unfortunately the balance games are single player only. The Wii is also limited to having only one board synced with it at a time. If multiple people want to try the games, you either need to have multiple consoles or take turns. Taking turns is easy enough but each time the balance board senses a change in weight, it asks you if you would like to continue or back up and set up a new user. This becomes annoying when multiple people are playing.
Breakdown:
Wii Fit is one of those games where it's hard to determine how people will react with it two months down the road. Right now it is new and interesting, but how soon with that pass and it becomes another dust collector. The only motivation to the yoga and strength training is how much you are wanting to exercise and improve your balance. The balance games quickly become repetative and once you have unlocked all the difficulties and reached four stars, there is little reason to continue playing.
I would say Wii Fit is ideal for someone who doesn't have access to a gym or would rather work out in the comfort of their own home. Those interested in learned the basics of yoga will find this a cheap alternative to taking a yoga class. But the there are many more benefits to having a live instructor in which can coach you, and can answer questions.
I believe average gamer will most likely find the lack of depth and activities in Wii Fit to be not worth the cost. But the casual or softcore gamer may find more longevity in Wii Fit. It is definetly and interesting experience, but at the same time the novelty wears off rather fast.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 May 2008 23:09 )
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