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Wii Fit wasn’t exactly a surprise (rumors of a fitness-based Wii game have been around practically since the system launched), but the new “balance board” peripheral was certainly a new twist to what everyone expected the fitness game to be like.
The peripheral is a flat white board that resembles a scale in some respects. It is completely wireless and looks like it could easily be tucked away under a bed or sofa or leaned in a corner when not in use. The board features two sensors that measure your balance based on how you shift your body weight from left to right. Although a seemingly simple thing, Nintendo has managed to work out a number of games based around balance.
You begin your Wii Fit experience by first determining your BMI, or Body Mass Index. This number is an indication of how healthy you are based on your age, height and weight. After the game determines this information, which doesn’t take much more than answering a question or two and standing on the balance board, it will set goals for you to reach your optimum BMI. You’ll also receive a “body age,” which is similar to your “brain age” in the Brain Age series. To help give you a visual representation of where you are now and where you want to be, your Mii will alter itself to match your current body state.
Once you have your goals, it’s off to your workout. The workout regimen presented in Wii Fit is a mix of traditional workout routines and work-out based games. In one game, you’ll rotate your hips to keep a hula hoop in motion on your Mii. Other Miis will occasionally toss new hoops that you’ll have to first catch, then incorporate into your rotation. Another game has you playing as a goalie in a soccer game. Various Miis will run up and kick soccer balls which you need to lean towards and reflect off your head. As a test of your mental reflexes, sometimes the Miis will miss the ball and send a shoe flying at your head, which you must dodge.
A third game is a ski jumping game where you lean forward to gain speed then jump when prompted, hopefully pulling off a spectacular jump. In another, you’ll have to constantly shift your body weight to navigate a ball towards a hole. You are given a limited amount of time to sink the ball, which adds time to the timer. Eventually multiple balls will be in play that you’ll need to herd through the mazes.
As far as the traditional workout routines go, many are based on yoga and other balance-based exercises – which translates into a more low-impact (but effective) workout. Each exercise will require you to adopt poses or stretch, all the while the game will keep track on how well you were able to keep balance – indicating how effective the routine was. Some exercises will challenge you to keep a dot in a shaded area on the screen, again indicating the optimum balance for the routine.
Wii Fit already looks in good condition and is really hitting Nintendo’s aim towards a larger market. Wii Fit is slated for release later this year in Japan. A North American release is scheduled for early next year. |
