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Electronic Art’s first interactive fitness game was arguably one of the best if not the best of the 1st generation fitness games for the Wii.  Does this new version address the old’s shortcomings or is it simply more of the same?

More Workouts builds on the base of the original.  More Workouts main mode still is a multi-week (now 6 week) exercise program that guides users through a wide variety of exercises using the Wiimote, Nunchuck, and Wii Balance Board (optionally) to monitor the user’s performance and give feedback.  The game allows you to set various set and track various goals such as number of calories burned and number of hours spent working out.  You can also log outside activities and daily life habits (number of vegitable servings, sugar drinks, how much prioroity you give your workouts, etc…).  Notable changes include the addition of over 35 new exercises, retouched graphics, warm up and cool down exercises have been added, and you now have the ability to track your weight using the Wii Balance Board.  The new version also all0ws you to import your user data from the original.

The new exercises continue Active’s tradition of having exercises that will make most people sweat.  Some of them are simply variations on or packaging of some of the old into a single new activity.  For example, the new “Obstacle Course” activity includes lunges, jump squats, and side to side jumps from the original that have been slightly enhanced and bundled together.  As a nod to Wii Fit, a number of the new exercises are packaged as activities.  For example, water skiing is essentially squats and squash is a series of lunges.  These activities are well done, but can’t be mistaken for simulations of the real thing.

Overall EA has done a good job of keeping what worked and fixing a couple of omissions (such as abdominal exercises).  It can still be a bit touchy about correctly identifying some movements with the controllers, but overall More Workouts is the best fitness game so far for the Wii.

Scores:

Graphics:

Better than the original, but the characters could still use some improvement.

Sound:

Music is still somewhat generic.  Voice instruction is done well.

Gameplay:

Variety in the exercises has improved over the original.  Exercise flow still generally works well.

Controls:

More activites make use of the Wii Balance Board.  Still has some trouble detecting user movements if controllers aren’t held exactly the way the game expects.

Originality:

EA continues to try to improve a relatively young genre for the Wii.

Overall Single Player:

Other than few occasional control glitches.  The only other fault I have with the game is that graphics are more primitive than I would have hoped.

Reviewer’s Opinion:

Best Wii Exercise game for 2009.

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