KingTermite 

I have never been a "big" gamer, but a few years ago I did buy the Xbox 360. If I have to be honest, there was no deductive reasoning prowess in that decision other than it was the platform that carried Oblivion (sequel to my favorite game ever - Morrowind).

That being said, I've had the Xbox 360 for a few years now and I don't play it that much. I'll get into a game or two and play hard for about a month maybe, but then it gets put down for 6 months. It's been that type of cycle ever since I got it.

I hate the "big" game mentality often times. The games that you have to relearn all the complex controls for all over again if you just put the game down for a week. I started realizing that the games I play most and enjoy most are short attention span, simple type games. The kind of games that are fun to just kill 30 minutes with mind numbing fun. I guess that comes with the territory for us 30 somethings as we aren't "kids" any more. I enjoy the complexity of a "vast" game now and then, but most of the time, I just want to have fun for a few minutes.

So I heard about the Wii Fit this year and it stated perking my interest. I was a little confused about the Wii though because of all the "packages" available. A Wii was $250. A Wii Fit was $90. But a Wii/Wii Fit bundle was about $600. I wasn't sure if all you needed was the console and the Wii Fit or if there was more to it. I thought there might be more to it since the bundle was about $250 more than the pieces needed separately.

Anyway, I found out the bundles were more extra stuff and all I needed was the Wii console and the Fit. I traded in my Xbox 360 and picked it up Thursday. I intended to keep it as a Christmas present and now break it out to show my girlfriend until Christmas. That idea lasted about 24 hours as I mentioned it the next night and we decided to hook it up Saturday morning.

Saturday morning had us setting it up in about 10 minutes and playing in about 12 minutes. OMG did we have fun with it. I LOVE the fact that you can do things "for real"...not just hitting buttons to make them happen. I can hold the Wiimote (just a simple remote control type object) just like a baseball bat and "swing" at the ball as it comes at me on the screen. That, by itself, makes it 10X better than most other video games in my book because it makes you get off your butt to play.

We had at least a few hours of fun playing the Wii Sports pack that came with the console: tennis, baseball, golf, boxing, bowling, etc...

We went out for a bit and came home to hook up the Wii Fit Saturday evening. It was like a whole new order of magnitude in coolness. When you first get on, using the Wii Fit game program that comes with it, the thing will test your standing balance/center of gravity and give you feedback on your posture. The thing could show me how I was putting more weight on the back of my feet and help me work toward better posture. I could TOTALLY see this being used by Physical Therapists to help people with their posture and positions.

Then we started playing with the "games" (fitness programs). There are "balance", "strength" and "cardio" sections to play. We first started with "balance" and did some yoga exercises. It not only demonstrates the stances to you, but uses the balance checking to help show you how to shift and balance better. We did three Yoga exercises and one (one leg balance thing) was particularly difficult.

Then we moved on to cardio games and did "hula hoop", "stepping" and jogging. The hula hoop and stepping ones were quite fun. It uses your balance and weight to determine your movements and when you step on/off. The hula hoop isn't "just" hula hooping, but they throw hoops to try to catch and keep going too. The step game has you going in synchronization with a whole group and tests your accuracy of stepping on and off. It reminds me of that dancing video game I've seen in public a few times.

The jogging was different. You didn't use the Wii Fit board, but just the Wiimote and jogged in place. It used your arm movement to determine your speed. You had other people around you jogging, like it was a park and a person in front of you that you were supposed to follow. It makes everything seem like you are with people which is very motivating.

The Wii Fit has a point system where it gives you points in a "fitness piggy bank" and the more time you spend you can unlock more games that are in there but hidden. Its a great motivational tool.
My girlfriend and I were very impressed with the whole thing. If you can afford it, I think the Wii Fit may be one of the most effective fitness tools ever devised.

trippn1

+1 Just got one for my wife for Christmas....It never even got it wrapped....She put it to play right a way . It is an awesome game...Too bad it is very honest about your BMI and weight...hahaha...I was waiting for it to tell me to get my fat ***** off.....lol.....

bautieri

The Wii certainly is a neat little bit of technology and if it gets people motivated to try the physical activities for real then even better! I can't speak for the Wii fit game, but the Wii sports (while fun) do little in way for real exercise. In actuality you're pretty much waving your arms around which is a good start for someone who may have been a bit on the lethargic side though I would be a bit concerned about the sudden snapping motion you use with no counter weight. IMHO calling it a fitness tool is a bit of a stretch. I'm sure it's great for physical therapy though.

Either way, thanks for the review on the Wii Fit. For a real hoot try Mario Kart Wii, I've found myself playing it when I should be out riding

jesspal

the wii fit is fun, but until they get new games it gets old. the new shaun white snowboarding game looks sweet though.

my wife does the hula hoopo and step program for 20 minutes and gets a terrific workout.

H.A.W.G.

I broke a finger very badly playing football ( split my knuckle in half) I now have 2 screws in there, and after months of painful therapy the video Game Guitar Hero did the most good. My athletic Trainer was kinda mad that a video game did more good than he did

Missbumble 

OK _ I fell in love with Wii one afternoon at my cousins (She is in her 60s)> We played Dance Dance revolution for hours. Really had to play at the basic level cause we were spastic! But I have never laughed so hard. played for 5 hours!!


I hear Wii fit i awesome and yells at you if you miss too many days. SHows you your weight etc! Sounds like fun!! Really -go buy the Dance Dance revolution...amazing! And a ton of people swear by Guitar Hero.

jyossarian

The wii is fun in general. I could've picked one up this weekend, but I wasn't planning on getting it that day so I opted for my original choice. The wii fit is next on the list.

eraven

the wii fit is tons of fun but would be even better if you have 2 setup at the same time, i heard there is a new fitness game coming as well, now we just need a wii game that works with a bike trainer

jaxgtr

We got one for my kids last year at christmas and use the bowling and the other sport ones all the time. My wife wants the yoga board do-hickey so I will be looking for that this year. We always have fun with it.

jesspal

yeah get it, it is priced reasonably and EA sports is supposed to be c oming out with games for the fit.

TechKnowGN

I work for a video game review site, and was in LA for the launch of the Wii at E3, and got one on launch day. In fact, before launch day, I wrote one of the first true hands on reviews in the country on the Wii while covering the Nintendo Fusion Tour back when it came out.

I finally picked up a WiiFit this past week when I got a review unit from one of our other writers, who wasn't using it much.

Anyone who thinks the Wii isn't excellent for working out isn't using it right. Yes, to be more successful in the game you need to do more wrist snapping than full arm movement (for now, Nintendo has announced an attachment to the Wii Remote that will make it far more accurate that will ship later). But, in Wii boxing for example, you can throw that wrist snap at the end of a full arm punch.

The WiiFit is a great workout to mix in with all of your other workouts. Because of the weather, I've been mostly trapped inside the past few days for workout purposes, and since I don't have a trainer yet, it's been the treadmill, the eliptical, and WiiFit. The WiiFit has a pretty big assortment of things to do, especially if you take them seriously. I have pretty good lower body strength, but not great upper body strength, so the pushups really punish me. The Yoga is way harder than I would have ever imagined (which is probably why every chick I know who does yoga is in the top 10 of my favorite hot chicks i know), and the cardio is a decent workout, even before you unlock the more advanced exercises.

MNBiker

A little OT, but I have heard some nursing homes/senior centers are experimenting with Wii as exercise therapy for seniors. It can be fun, it's played indoors, and it can get people moving without having to be too intense for seniors who aren't in good condition. I think it will work great in this context.

girlonthebike

I bought a Wii and Wii Fit last month and love it! I admit its gets boring after youve unlocked all the levels, its 'peeks' the game a bit too soon but am looking forward to new games for it! I LOVE the step game and hula hooping on it.

TechKnowGN

Ohio State is using it for rehab in all ages of patients on a somewhat limited basis but it looks like theyll be doing it full bore soon.

bautieri

I wonder if there will ever be any downloadable content for the Wii Fit to alleviate the peeking you mentioned. Sure seems like there could be a market for it.

KrisPistofferson

Thanks for the review, been thinking of getting one for myself here soon.

Caincando1

My younger brother in law and his frineds are all gamers. He has a regular Wii. He and his friends can dominate any sports game while parked on the couch munching on cheetos. It's all about manipulating the remotes. I hope Wii Fit is better, but I bet the kids will find a way to manipulate it also.

TechKnowGN

i'm sure the kids will, for now. But there's a new feature coming that when added to the remote, the system gets a better positioning on the remote so fuller motions will work better than just wrist snaps in say, boxing for example.

Neil_B

+1. I'm also wary of something that promotes the concept of exercise as 'something you turn on the TV set for.'

wayne pattee

Do they make a cycling game?

TechKnowGN

Isn't that how millions of american women do their in home cardio? Or yoga? from a DVD, because of either time or discomfort at exercising in public.

Personally, I have experienced the benefits of this tool. It was a small part of the progress I made on my weight last year (70ish lbs lost), and it helped me get through some winter days where going to the gym seemed too much. Is it the best way to exercise daily? I don't know, but I do know that it works. I was exhausted the other night after doing a mix of yoga, cardio and strength for only a half an hour. I can go full bore on the treadmill for that long and not be as tired or 20 minutes on the eliptical and be almost as tried.

I dont think people should turn their kids exercise habits completely over to a video game system, but if your kids happen to be ones that it works for, go for it.

jaxgtr

I was in my LBS and was talking about someone needing to create a trainer to use with the and then you could network it and have a race with someone across the world. We were calling it the Wii de France.

Neil_B

I'd rather my children, should I ever have any, learn that they are IN the world rather than just watching it through a box.

neilfein

Yeah. The Wii is pretty awesome. My brother-in-law got me one as an early 40th birthday present this past summer. We moved a few weeks ago, and I still haven't hooked up the TV/stereo/Wii.

Maybe I'll get my wife a Wii fit for her birthday next month.

bautieri

Be careful there Neil, don't want to send her a mixed message