Post by chiefeagle02 on Aug 6, 2008 23:26:13 GMT -5
It's a universally accepted notion that exercise is good for you and that those who partake in said activity enjoy benefits that go beyond staying in shape. It's also becoming a universally accepted notion that more and more people are getting out of shape, due to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and easier access to foods and food services. When the Nintendo Wii was released in November 2006, some people took its wand waving antics and applied them to create a legitimate exercise regime, entertaining the idea that one can simultaneously get into shape and have fun, and the results were actually pretty decent. At the E3 Expo in 2007, Nintendo unveiled details on the "Wii Health Pack" that was in development since the conception of the console, only now it was called "Wii Fit," which shipped with the software disc and the Balance Board. The idea is that families can have fun getting into shape together by doing the activities on the disc and then talking about the results with one another. The concept of exergaming is not a new concept as titles such as Dance Dance Revolution have had a steady legion of fans for several years. But with the Wii's drawing power to non-gamers, new folks are introduced to the concept through Wii Fit. But does it hold it's weight? Here's my review of Wii Fit: The Good; The Bad; and The Ugly.
The Good:
Wii Fit is a piece of software designed to help the player get into shape and keep track of his or her progress throughout the regime. Each player gets his or her own profile to track progress and up to eight friends or family members can have a profile, password protection is optional. The game also supports the Mii charactures from the Mii Channel, so building Miis of your friends, family, celebrities, or dictators wouldn't have felt like such a waste of time when you see them jogging next to you (more games that support Miis please, kthxbai). The graphics for this software is basically the same route Nintendo took when they designed the operating system for the Wii. Kind of a spaceaged, Apple-esque feel to it. Aesthetically pleasing, but nothing that jumps out and draws attention away. There are over forty activities included on the disc and they're divided up into four categories depending on what it benefits the most. Categories are: Yoga (stretching your body and using muscles that don't normally get used to create a greater sense of being), Strength Training (equally working the muscles on each side of your body for a stronger and more toned body), Aerobics (exercises designed to get you moving around and your heart rate higher), and Balance Exercises (games where your control of your body's center of gravity comes into play). For what it's worth, a lot of these exercises do work. Your arms will get stronger with the Push-Up activity, your abs will get stronger with the Jackknife exercise, and your legs will get stronger with the Single Arm Stand. During the Strength Training and Yoga exercises, you're given the option of having a male or female trainer help guide you along. The trainers will push you to do your best and will call you out when you start slacking, however they'll remain supportive for the most part. During the regime, you can weigh in each day and take a daily test to see how your center of balance is doing (the game really focuses on the importance of having a good center of gravity more than anything else, but it does make you more aware of how your body gains and loses weight). One of the bigger drawing powers to Wii Fit is the inclusion of the Wii Balance Board. It weighs roughly ten pounds and it does extremely well in tracking the player's movement and weight. It's a really solid piece of hardware with talk of how other games can implement the hardware in future titles.
The Bad:
The game is $90. For a some people, that's too much to spend on a game (for others, they're either rich or have already spent their ninety quid on Guitar Hero). For what it's worth though, Wii Fit has still managed to sell over six million copies worldwide. The Wii Series has been noted for its easy multiplayer. With Wii Fit only having one balance board, that idea sits out for a bit. The game can hold up to eight profiles, but it becomes a chore to have to sign out of one before you can access another. Of the forty activities, only one can be played with two players and it's the jogging exercise (the jogging exercise consists of you running in place, which is kind of a joke comparatively speaking to the real thing). While a lot of the activities do work, some of them don't seem to have a point. Either I'm doing the exercises wrong or Nintendo deliberately wants me to look like a complete twat when I'm doing single leg extensions, but some of these don't seem to have a benefit at all. One thing this game was called on was the lack of diet and nutrition information. It is there...but only when the game calls on you for gaining weight during a weigh-in. Another bad call was the lack of a solid work-out regime. There are forty exercises, but the game assumes you know what you want and lets you go at it (in all fairness, before each exercise, the game will tell you which area of your body is will benefit, so if you want stronger arms, you look for activities that give you what you want). The system goes by BMI Measurements. It should be noted that BMI is only a guideline and should not be taken too seriously, as some folks have gotten upset at being told their obese, while otherwise being very healthy.
The Ugly:
Does it work? Yes it does...but so does doing push-ups without a balance board or going for a neighborhood jog. Don't get me wrong, the Wii Fit is fun and does have the potential to help you get into shape, but it's not the magic bullet that a lot of people expect whenever they try a new weight-loss gimmick or protein shake. In exercise, you get out of it only what you put into it. Getting into shape is a lifelong commitment which some people have a hard time understanding. It takes work, diligence, and having a clear goal of what you want to be. Wii Fit won't exactly give you the physique of a Spartan, but it can be used as a springboard to get you started in doing a more solid regime.
The Good:
Wii Fit is a piece of software designed to help the player get into shape and keep track of his or her progress throughout the regime. Each player gets his or her own profile to track progress and up to eight friends or family members can have a profile, password protection is optional. The game also supports the Mii charactures from the Mii Channel, so building Miis of your friends, family, celebrities, or dictators wouldn't have felt like such a waste of time when you see them jogging next to you (more games that support Miis please, kthxbai). The graphics for this software is basically the same route Nintendo took when they designed the operating system for the Wii. Kind of a spaceaged, Apple-esque feel to it. Aesthetically pleasing, but nothing that jumps out and draws attention away. There are over forty activities included on the disc and they're divided up into four categories depending on what it benefits the most. Categories are: Yoga (stretching your body and using muscles that don't normally get used to create a greater sense of being), Strength Training (equally working the muscles on each side of your body for a stronger and more toned body), Aerobics (exercises designed to get you moving around and your heart rate higher), and Balance Exercises (games where your control of your body's center of gravity comes into play). For what it's worth, a lot of these exercises do work. Your arms will get stronger with the Push-Up activity, your abs will get stronger with the Jackknife exercise, and your legs will get stronger with the Single Arm Stand. During the Strength Training and Yoga exercises, you're given the option of having a male or female trainer help guide you along. The trainers will push you to do your best and will call you out when you start slacking, however they'll remain supportive for the most part. During the regime, you can weigh in each day and take a daily test to see how your center of balance is doing (the game really focuses on the importance of having a good center of gravity more than anything else, but it does make you more aware of how your body gains and loses weight). One of the bigger drawing powers to Wii Fit is the inclusion of the Wii Balance Board. It weighs roughly ten pounds and it does extremely well in tracking the player's movement and weight. It's a really solid piece of hardware with talk of how other games can implement the hardware in future titles.
The Bad:
The game is $90. For a some people, that's too much to spend on a game (for others, they're either rich or have already spent their ninety quid on Guitar Hero). For what it's worth though, Wii Fit has still managed to sell over six million copies worldwide. The Wii Series has been noted for its easy multiplayer. With Wii Fit only having one balance board, that idea sits out for a bit. The game can hold up to eight profiles, but it becomes a chore to have to sign out of one before you can access another. Of the forty activities, only one can be played with two players and it's the jogging exercise (the jogging exercise consists of you running in place, which is kind of a joke comparatively speaking to the real thing). While a lot of the activities do work, some of them don't seem to have a point. Either I'm doing the exercises wrong or Nintendo deliberately wants me to look like a complete twat when I'm doing single leg extensions, but some of these don't seem to have a benefit at all. One thing this game was called on was the lack of diet and nutrition information. It is there...but only when the game calls on you for gaining weight during a weigh-in. Another bad call was the lack of a solid work-out regime. There are forty exercises, but the game assumes you know what you want and lets you go at it (in all fairness, before each exercise, the game will tell you which area of your body is will benefit, so if you want stronger arms, you look for activities that give you what you want). The system goes by BMI Measurements. It should be noted that BMI is only a guideline and should not be taken too seriously, as some folks have gotten upset at being told their obese, while otherwise being very healthy.
The Ugly:
Does it work? Yes it does...but so does doing push-ups without a balance board or going for a neighborhood jog. Don't get me wrong, the Wii Fit is fun and does have the potential to help you get into shape, but it's not the magic bullet that a lot of people expect whenever they try a new weight-loss gimmick or protein shake. In exercise, you get out of it only what you put into it. Getting into shape is a lifelong commitment which some people have a hard time understanding. It takes work, diligence, and having a clear goal of what you want to be. Wii Fit won't exactly give you the physique of a Spartan, but it can be used as a springboard to get you started in doing a more solid regime.