Wii Fit has certainly made its mark on the gaming world and beyond - but does it live up to the hype?
So does
Wii Fit
really live up to the hype?
Should I cancel my gym subscription and replace my visits with yoga and sessions on this pressure-sensitive balance board, or should I hand Nintendo's new play thing over to my grandma and stick to real exercise?
After all, seniors are said to be going mad about Wii Sports which means they can enjoy ten pin bowling without having to drive anywhere or really work up a sweat.
After enjoying Nintendo's Brain Age (to increase your mental stamina and sharpness) - although I don't think any effect was long-lasting,
(Nintendo, about $200) feels a familiar concept.
After the easy installation, you get to grips with the familiar interface and provide some basic info about yourself such as age and weight and then it claims to rate you on a scale from underweight to obese. Compared to your yearly doctor exam, that sounds a little suspect.
After standing on the Wii board, your balance is 'tested' and your Body Mass Index extrapolated from calculated data. Just remember it's not very scientific - as parents of one UK girl found when they were horrified when it
calculated she was overweight.
Then you get your 'Wii Fit Age'. Every day after your workout, it will see if there is any change in your 'age'. My age started at something ridiculous but that was because I wasn't balancing properly. Fortunately it soon corrected itself to something more realistic.
Exercises comprise yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games such as virtual hula hooping. All of which can make you look a
despite the energy you put into it and maybe you will earn a pleasing 'Master' or equally disappointing 'Novice' rating!
Basically you spend your time moving your weight about on the board - squatting, stepping, stretching and bending whilst keeping your weight even.
It's fun and balances out the many hours you would usually spend with a controller in hand chasing down virtual enemies or recklessly driving virtual cars.
But a break from the Wii Fit to visit the real gym gave me a distinctive contrast. I came back feeling sore, tired but with the euphoric endorphin-triggered high you get from giving your body a tough work out.
The Wii Fit is a good fun supplement to all of that and a much-needed injection of activity for stay-at-home types, but
into thinking it is the total solution. There's no replacement for the real thing.
One can't help but feel it's a little like those exercise 'solutions' on late night TV; infomercials making you feel guilty about being a couch potato. I could easily imagine Suzanne Paul actively promoting this product. Perhaps this is only due to my preference for a female trainer with a British accent (memories of a yoga training session, 'nuff said).
It's perfect activity for a wet or lazy day you just can't be bothered getting dressed up to go out for, much less expensive than a casual visit to the gym, and dependant on your enthusiasm, rewarding as you pound away those BMI percentiles.
Health-wise, every bit of exercise you do helps - and this will get your body moving for sure. It's easy to slip in a decent half hour workout in your daily routine.
And if it gives you a reality check that you need to get motivated and do something to lose a few joules and keep some winter warmth, that's excellent.
But by the time you have unlocked everything and got a little discouraged that your Fit 'age' is not going down fast enough, and your expectations were too high after all (you are encouraged to set realistic goals) you may find yourself a little bored.
If that happens, don't give up the motivation - buy some running shoes, go for a walk or try a real yoga class for comparison.
Or you could
.
MadGamer's rating: 8 / 10
The big game release this month for Xbox 360 is the - much-awaited
Ninja Gaiden 2
. Here's a peek.
PLUS: Waterproof Allbirds - and some "professional" sneakers for the office.