Nintendo Wii Fit Reviews - Feel The Burn!

Before you spend money on yet another exercise program, read these Nintendo Wii Fit reviews to see if this program is what you are looking for.

Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii, is another one of Nintendo’s attempts at taking gaming to a new level. With Nintendo Wii Fit, they admiringly succeed. The basis behind Wii Fit is exactly what it sounds like: fitness. It is another aim to attract casual gamers, as well as those who may have never thought of getting into the gaming world. Included with the exercise game is the Wii Fit balance board. This device has sensors in it to recognize your posture and balance.

My first gripe with the game comes in with the balance board. It is not so much the sensors or recognition, as much as the design itself. Many gamers with wider shoulders will realize that doing pushups is simply awkward and almost impossible. I was able to do pushups without a problem, however a buddy who was also over trying out the game found it to be difficult, not in the sense of the workout itself being hard, but he could not get a normal grip on the fitness board because it was too short.

Aside from the design of the board, most people will find this to be one of two things: a complete waste of money. Mostly due to the fact that the dedication is not there to stick with the workout. The other group of people will love it and use it on a daily basis. Wii Fit most definitely serves its purpose as a workout mechanism. Now just like any gym, Wii Fit is broken into a variety of workout categories. I have decided to rate each one independently as those who buy it may choose to use certain workouts more than others. The categories are as follows, yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games.

The game kicks off in a cool way. You will have your balance, BMI and weight measured by a little bank character. This will later help keep track of how long you have worked out by adding coins to the bank as you complete each workout. The game has over 40 different workouts in it. Let’s get into the real meat of the game: the exercise.

Yoga (5 out of 5)

Any one who has taken any sort of yoga classes knows that, though it looks simple, they are some of the more difficult stretching and flexibility maneuvers in the world of exercise. Wii Fit takes on a variety of different yoga positions, each one attacking different muscles. You will find yourself attempting the Half-moon, tree and standing knee, just to name a few. Just like any yoga class, you also have a personal trainer. This is true throughout every exercise in Wii Fit. You always have somebody there to show you how exactly to do the workout, as well as what parts of the body are affected. I was never one to really try yoga up until I started using Wii Fit. As a result, I have a whole new respect for the art. I woke up the next morning sore all over, but in a, “I feel like I accomplished something”, type of way. The balance board really does a great job of recognizing your balance and technique. Yoga fans will love the workouts included in this section. It is definitely one of the stronger parts of the game.

Continue reading on page two for more Nintendo Wii Fit reviews.

Nintendo Wii Fit Reviews - Continued

Strength Training (3 out of 5)

I was really looking forward to the strength training portion of Wii Fit. I guess you need to take into consideration that you can only do so much with a balance board. Most of the workouts however, you can do without use of it and still have the same effect. What also kind of discouraged me was the fact that the workouts stemmed mainly from push-ups and sit-ups. Even those weren’t too impressing. Don’t get me wrong, just like yoga, you will feel the aches and soreness the next day. I would’ve just like to see a little more variety. It would have also been nice to have a training regiment to go along with the strength training. You are relied on to develop your own workout program, and though that may be nice for some, it would have been cool to have it layout a plan or schedule for what workouts you do during the week. Instead you are giving the freedom to do as many push-ups as long as you want, which is fine, but working one single part of the body is not the best thing for you. As mentioned above there are some issues with the balance board as well, if you have wide shoulders, you can forget about doing push-ups on it.

Aerobics/Balance Games (3 out of 5)

In Wii Fit, the aerobics and balance games are actually two different categories but they follow along the same lines. These are more like mini games that incorporate a bit of fitness into them. You will find yourself trying to catch a hula hoop by leaning when it comes at you, or jogging in place, while a character runs across a small environment. They will still serve a purpose and get your heart going, but they are a little shy of the two workout categories above. I think these games are meant for when a group of people get together and mess around with the Wii Fit. My nephews sure enjoyed the ski jump, and there’s nothing quite as funny as playing the soccer header game and taking a shoe right in the face. However, the appeal runs out for these little games and though they do test your balance, they don’t leave you with as much gratification as the above workouts.

FINAL VERDICT (4 out of 5)

Wii Fit takes the gaming world to a new level. If there is a sequel to Wii Fit, it will be interesting to see what other kind of workouts that can be thrown in. The game is going to be loved or hated by gamers. Those who are really looking for a way to get in shape and have the dedication may find this a godsend. Those who are buying it just for the popularity will grow tired of it fast. Overall though, Wii Fit, does do what is intended, that is get you working out. The lack of workout schedule, and the poor design of the board hold this one back from being great. Though, Wii Fit is still ground breaking for the gaming community and should at least be tried by exercise buffs who don’t want to have to pay that annual fee to a gym, the $90 price tag does hurt the appeal though.

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