Tancap Blog

Wii Fit is promised as a “fun way to get fit.”  For the most part it delivers, but you’ll have to forgo some of the fun if you are serious about getting fit.

Wii Fit offers 40 activities and exercises that are split into 4 categories: Yoga, Strength, Aerobic, and Balance Games.  The Balance Games are by far the most fun, but also aren’t vary much of a workout.  They do show the potential of the balance board.  The exercises in the other groups are much more “traditional” exercises.  However, only a few of the aerobic and strength exercises require very much exertion.  That isn’t to say you can’t burn calories with them, in fact a typical 40 minute (actual exercise time) workout allowed me to burn over 200 calories.  If you are looking for a sustained high intensity workout, you’ll need to look at another exercise game.  Also, initially most of the exercises and activities are locked out.  As you spend time exercising in the game additional activities and exercises will be unlocked.  This means initially your potential routines are rather limited.

While Wii Fit does a good job of tracking how much time you spend doing each category of activity and allows you to track activities you do outside of the game, it doesn’t suggest nor give you the opportunity to create your own exercise program.  Instead you must wade through a series of menus and prompts between exercises.  Also, while it does a generally good job of giving feedback based on information from the balance board, wii-mote, and nun-chuck, it is usually pretty easy to trick it if you try to cheat at an exercise.  Wii Fit does report weight and BMI based on using the balance board as a scale.  While BMI is not accurate for everyone, it does help give you a general idea of how your weight compares to “normal” and since it seems to retain data for an unlimited amount of time, it is an easy way to help document your progress (or lack there of).  You can also run through a couple of additional tests and Wii Fit will generate a “Wii Fit Age.”  I found this to generally not be reflective of my fitness as much as how familiar I was with the two tests it chose.

Overall, if you are looking for something to help guide you through a series of exercise, don’t want to deal with a health club, and have enough self-discipline to stick with a program Wii Fit can be an invaluable tool to help you accomplish your exercise goals.  The balance board is an excellent addition to the Wii’s controller lineup.  Hopefully over time we will see more first and third parties games make good use of it.  As I write this, Nintendo is releasing its sequel Wii Fit Plus.  If the glaring omission of having an actual exercise program is addressed, it becomes the obvious buy over Wii Fit.

Scores:

Graphics:

Character models and backgrounds are too simplistic.  However, there don’t appear to be any graphical issues that get in the way of performing the activities or exercises.

Sound:

Music is pretty much standard Nintendo style music.  The ability to play my own music would be nice.  Verbal instructions are generally clear and accurate.

Gameplay:

Most of the time feedback is accurate and instruction is easy to understand and follow.  The balance games are a fun break from the rest of the game and if you are playing in the group they are probably what you will stick too.  It is unfortunate that you can’t choose or construct an exercise routine and some of the creative thought that went into the balance games didn’t happen with the other exercise types.

Controls:

Feedback based on all of the controllers and balance board is generally very accurate.  The controls don’t get in the way of you successfully completing the exercises and activities.

Originality:

One of the first exercise games for the Wii, and the first one to integrate Wii controllers and balance board well.  Except for the previously mentioned fault of not having an exercise program,  Wii Fit does an excellent job on executing an interactive exercise game.

Overall Single Player:

Solid gameplay with good well integrated controls.  Only the lack of full exercise routines and a few other minor omissions keep it from being perfect.

Overall Multiplayer: Not Applicable

No online multiplayer and while there are a couple of multiplayer activities, there aren’t enough to warrant a separate rating.

Reviewer’s Opinion:

Up until the release of Wii Fit Plus, only EA Sports Active has offered as complete of an exercise game that fully utilized Wii controller capabilities as well as Wii Fit does.

Screenshots: