Wii Fit review (Wii)

This isn't the review I intended to write. I had a plan see. I would try out Wii Fit for several weeks tracking the progress as I hauled my lardy arse around all the mini games in the hope of proving whether Nintendo's exercise regime really was good for weight loss and your physical wellbeing.

But then fate intervened. First it struck our 14-month old twins. Then my wife. Then me. A nasty D&V bug. I'll let you work out what the D and V stand for. Suffice to say I lost more weight than Wii Fit probably would have achieved, so much that my wedding ring fell off.

And so it's back to square one with Wii Fit. Will I track my progress here? Sure, I think in a month or so it will be worth revisiting the subject to see what long term effect the system can have on one's weight. But I've learned enough over the last few weeks to be able to talk to you about the positive benefits of Wii Fit.

Not that positive benefits is what we're about. This isn't the Salvation Army, it's Boomtown. Sod healthy, sod good moral values - we love GTA, Call of Duty 4 and Condemned 2. It doesn't matter if Wii Fit cures cancer - that's for the Daily Mail to get excited about - is it a fun game? That's the question we need to ask today.

Cute Combo

And the answer to that question is, on the whole, yes. Wii Fit is actually quite a fun way of getting some exercise and it's certainly very amusing to play with friends. I doubt my wife will ever get over the site of me trying to play the hula hoop game.

So what's it all about then? Well Wii Fit, if you can get hold of one, is a software and hardware combination. The hardware is a balance board - reinforced for lardies - which can sense your weight and how that shifts. The software interprets this information and sets out various activities that will hopefully improve fitness. These come in the form of yoga, muscle strengthening, aerobic exercise and balance.

Some of these take the form of mini-games, others are dryer more serious affairs led by a ghostly fitness instructor.

Lard Graph

Before we look at the games it's worth mentioned one of Wii Fit's best features, which is the way the whole thing is structured. Upon first registering your Mii in the software you'll be weighed and given a few simple balance tests. If your a tub of lard - as I am - you'll be given the chance to set some weight loss goals for the weeks ahead.

The software is sensible - if not a little too conservative - in that it doesn't really let you set any wild goals that would require a bout of bulimia (or contracting the D&V as our family did). References are made to your goals as the days roll by and the Wii will gently admonish you for missing a few days exercise (I was ill okay!).

You can keep track of your progress via graphs and building up exercise time opens up new activities. One feature I really likes was that you could input time spent doing exercise away from Wii Fit so your whole regime can be tracked by the software.

Odd Contrast

I could take or leave the yoga to be honest. Standing on one leg for minutes on end makes me want to eat pies and play Grand Theft Auto Iv. I did find a many of the other activities rather entertaining. There's an odd contrast of styles though between the yoga and muscle stretching sections - which are dryly presented by a gym instructor - to colourful fun minigames that make up the balance and aerobic exercise.

The muscle stretches do feel like a good workout and always left me feeling better on the days I completed some of them. That goes for much of the software really - the days when I completed at least 30 minutes activity left me with a spring in my step that lasted the rest of the day. Even if it didn't result in me losing much weight (thanks to the illness ending the experiment) I certainly know that Wii Fit made me feel better.

Be Pure, Be Vigilant, Behave

Some of the balance and exercise games are particularly fun. Trying to walk the tightrope is really tricky especially when you have to leap over obstacles - there's a real sense of achievement in making it to the other side. Other games such as heading footballs, ski jumping, and those hula hoops are a real giggle.

My favourite workout with the game - the one that made me feel most like I'd done some work - ironically doesn't make use of the balance board at all. The jogging on the spot (or I suppose the room if you've one big enough) is a very thorough little workout. You must follow another runner onscreen (and sometimes a dog) by jogging vigorously.

How does this work without the board? Well you put a Wii Remote in your pocket, or keep it in your hands while you jog. Though you've got to make sure you swing your arms when you run or you may as well not bother. The thing is though...and pardon me for being crude here. But success in this field is based on frantic arm movements...well wrist movements. You don't have to jog at all. In fact you could be engaged in...well let's not go there. Suffice to say Wii Fit requires some honesty on behalf of the user and purity of thought and action.

Balance

In summing up my thoughts on Wii Fit I'm conflicted in my opinion. As a videogame it's no great shakes really. But as a way of adding some interesting and fun exercise into your life it works very well indeed. As you know I can't tell if you it led to any particular weight loss - you'll have to wait for next months' feature for that - but as I said previously I really did see the benefits in 30 minutes with the system each morning.

Any of the days I used Wii Fit I felt much better for the rest of the day. And I managed to do that while having some fun...a laugh or two...and some of those minigames really do give you a great little workout. Wii Fit isn't really going to replace going for good long walks or other forms of exercise but is a very welcome addition to our household. If you can find one in stores anywhere I really would recommend it.

And perhaps it's worth getting just for the balance board. EA Sports has already signalled an interest in creating a more western set of excercises for the hardware - more aerobic workouts rather than the eastern focus on balance and yoga. I'm already looking forward to the possibilites the Wii Fit will bring ahead of its own bundled software.