GC Review: Wii Fit
As the gaming community continues to embrace Nintendo’s vision of gaming beyond the gamepad, it would have been easy for them to throw yet “another peripheral for the masses to lap up and fill their living room with. Nintendo has done this with Wii Fit, but the Wii Balance Board is without doubt the most logical peripheral released for the system (not that it would have been hard).
Wii Fit definitely delivers on Nintendo’s goal of giving gamers yet another unique input to play, and also in introducing many new people to gaming. In the box you get the Wii Balance Board, and a copy of the game Wii Fit. The Wii Balance Board has been called by some a “glorified set of scales”, which I have to disagree with due to its ability to register any shift in weight in regards to balance. It has a surprising amount of accuracy, making for a worthy addition to Nintendo’s arsenal of motion control gaming inputs, along with the already well received Wii remote and Nunchuk.
Demand for this product is as much as it was for the Wii itself, so don’t expect to be able to stroll in and get one for the next few weeks. Stores have been consistently selling out upon delivery.
The main hurdle to understanding Wii Fit is trying to understand how it fits into your day. It’s true that a lot of people would love to have the time to work out, but can never seem to make the time. Wii Fit doesn’t make the time, but its strength is that it makes the idea of working out addictively appealing.
Wii Fit in many respects is very similar to Wii Sports. The graphical presentation is very similar, and also the ability to use your Mii as your save profile. The game is also split into as series of mini games (over 40 in total), which provide plenty of variation, and games to suit all abilities. This is a big positive to me personally as Wii Sports grew repetitive with only 5 sports (of varying quality).
The mini games in Wii Fit are split into 4 sections:
· Yoga Poses (various positions held for periods of time)
· Muscle Workouts (push-ups, jackknife, squats, twists, leg extensions)
· Aerobic Exercises’ (hula-hoop, jogging, rhythmic stepping/boxing)
· Balance Games (table tilt, football headers, ski/snowboarding slalom, tight rope)
Plus many more.
Check out the E3 2007 trailer for Wii Fit, for a better idea of some the activities included. Video courtesy of YouTube. (WARNING! Trailer may appear more gimmicky than final product!)
Each game offers points which feed into a leaderboard depending on how well the activity was completed. Points are awarded for completing the activity, timing, and good balance. In the family setting for which Nintendo is aiming, the sense of competition between siblings and parents is a great motivation to improve your abilities, and ultimately your fitness. Each of the Muscle Workouts can also be adjusted in terms of reps depending on your ability and progress.
Initially the game will ask you for your age and height so as to calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) and later on your Wii Fit Age. Depending on your height and weight, Wii Fit will determine whether you are Underweight, Ideal, Overweight or Obese, which is sure to be an eye-opener to many. These statistics can also be tracked on a day by day basis using the in-game calendar graph showing your progress, allowing you to also schedule dates for personal goals to achieve. Anyone who has used Nike+ will appreciate the advantages of such tracking tools, and in usual Nintendo fashion all the menus are easily navigated and uncluttered.
The Wii Balance Board is a good looking peripheral, keeping with the simple and clean aesthetic of the Wii, and will surely find a place in many living rooms. It isn’t overly large or heavy and is easily stored away, not that it really needs to be, considering it is designed to cope with weights of up to 150 kg (nearly 23 stone, or 330 pounds)!
The only downside I’ve found so far is the annoyance of changing profiles when two people are competing in turn. Having to sign out, then sign someone else in can get a bit annoying, rather than the game having a multiplayer mode with automatic profile switching after each turn. There is the option for two-player Jogging, in which the Wii Balance Board is replaced by placing the Wii Remote in your pocket. This seems tacked on though as player 2 cannot save any stats for this event. A minor niggle at best though, as the Wii has a number of multi-player-centric party games from which to choose. Online leaderboards for Scores/Times via WiiConnect24 would have been nice too. The last possible niggle is Nintendo’s continued tradition of unlockables, meaning that you’ll have to put time into possibly unappealing activities to unlock your activities of choice. It’s not too bad for me as I like the sense of reward, but I’m sure for some this may be annoying, and unexpected. This isn’t Brawl after all.
Wii Fit’s success in my eyes is its ability to tap into the addictiveness of Brain Age, and transfer the same traits into the living room. The game successfully engages you in a way that exercise is not so much of a chore, and is sure to help more than uncontrollably swinging whilst playing Wii Sports in the hope of losing weight. Personal favourites include the Ski and Snowboarding slalom runs, and the Push-Ups game which can definitely test those looking to improve upper-body strength once the reps are cranked up!
On its own, Wii Fit provides a genuinely appealing and unique gaming experience, with the added extra of improving fitness and posture in the process. Sure if you’re looking to become the next Mr Universe you’ll still have to hit the gym and the weights, but for a day to day workout, which is fun, addictive, convenient, and most importantly will make a personal difference to your health and fitness, Wii Fit is definitely worth considering. If your looking for the unique feeling you had when you first bought your Wii, and are looking to spend some time with Nintendo’s latest then Wii Fit is a must-buy.
RRP: £70/$89.99
The Good: Fun and addictive way to increase personal fitness. Stat tracking and variety of activities ensure that Wii Fit is more than a novelty set of balance mini-games. Simple to use.
The Bad: Lack of a dedicated multiplayer. No online leaderboards.
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Comments
Is it just me or is this website some form of Nintendo Love in? every second story is Wii this, Wii that?
Surely you would be better off walking to the park, or walking to the bus stop than shelling out on another “Fad” that will be cast aside in a few months.
Its summer, get out of your living room and do something active in the fresh air!
Nice review. I think I’ll probably pick it up.