Having bought the Nintendo Wii earlier this year, we decided we would get Wii Fit to go with it. We pre-ordered it from play.com and despite saying that they would deliver on the release date we were told that they were out of stock, and didn't know when they would be getting in. We were lucky enough to get one at out local Game store so we set it up later that night.
~ The Balance Board ~
As well as the game, you get a balance board. This is what you stand on to be able to play the game. It takes batteries and is cordless like the other controls that are used with the Wii. The balance board, white in colour, reminds me of a set of scales although it is a bit bigger. There is a power button on the front of the board and this is easy to use to turn the power on/off. You are advised to stand on the balance board with bare feet, which we always do. Depending on which activity you are using, the TV tells you not to jump on the Wii balance board. I am always careful not to but my dad jumped on it by accident when we first got it. He hasn't done it since and the board still works, but it obviously wasn't the cleverest thing to do!
~ Setting up ~
If you already have the Mii character's set up on your Wii you can select one of these to represent you when playing on Wii fit. You need to input some more information, such as your height and date of birth. Once set up you are ready to use the game. It felt like
it took ages to set up but it was probably just about 10 minutes each, as the wii 'talks' a lot, in the form of writing on the screen.
~ BMI and body test ~
Each day you can check your BMI (body mass index) and do a body test. When you select to the body test, it tells you your centre of gravity and you are informed of your current weight and what this is in terms of your BMI (taking you height into account). When we first started I was classed as overweight but I am now in the ideal section. (I have also changed my diet as well as using Wii Fit) It tells you if you have gained or lost weight since the last time. You can set goals, choosing how much you want to lose/gain or stay the same and the time period you would like to achieve this in.
The body test consists of 2 balance tests, some of which are easier than others. These include, standing on one leg, a walking test and a stillness test. From these balance tests your Wii Fit age is determined. It takes into account your current age as well as your performance in the tests. I am usually between 18 and 20 (and since I'm 19, this is really good) but I have been as 'old' as 29, depending on the tests I get. My parents are often 6-7 years younger than their actual age but have sometimes been older.
The Wii Fit recommends that you do your body test every day even if you don't have any other time to spend on the Wii.
The Games
Wii fit is split into 4 sections and I will tell you about each of them separately. There are only a few things available in each section when you first start using it, but as you use it you open more features. We've opened all of them now but I won't tell you about all of them as I found it exciting opening the new features and seeing what it was.
~ Aerobic ~
Hula Hoop - you have to stand on the balance board and spin your hips as if trying to keep up a hula-hoop. The other Mii's also throw more hoops at you, which you have to lean and 'catch', the more hoops you have the faster your score goes up. I really like this and I was really good at it when I first started. I then didn't use it for a couple of weeks and couldn't do it at all. I can do it now but I'm not as good as I was when I first started. It's quite difficult to keep the hoop going, but afterwards I feel like I have been exercising.
Jogging - you don't need the balance board for this but you do need the usual Wii controller. You just have to jog on the spot (or around the room) with the controller and the screen shows you jogging on an island. Other Mii characters are running too and it is interesting to watch the first couple of times. You can jog for different length of times (lowest is 3 minutes) and I think this is good exercise too.
~ Balance ~
Football - you stand on the balance board and have to lean to head the football that the team are throwing at you. You also have to dodge the football boots. This is fun but I am not very good at it so it gets quite frustrating after a few attempts. However, with practice I am getting better. My dad is really good at this.
There are lots of other balance games too. These are more like games than the aerobics but I don't feel like I have done so much exercise. They are fun to play and fun to watch others do and are said to help your posture.
~ Yoga ~
I've only recently started using the yoga and I quite enjoy it, though I've only tried some of the simple moves. You can choose a trainer and you copy them, and they tell you if you are doing well. At the end of the yoga position you get a stability score and a label to go with it, ranging from yoga first timer to yoga master.
~ Muscle Workout ~
I have only tried a few of these but they seem to really work. They are difficult but the trainer is there to copy and you can view a tutorial before you start. Again, you are told if you are doing well (i.e. not moving too much, not enough etc)
~ Fit Cash ~
Every time you complete an exercise on any of the sections you get some minutes to add into your fit cash box. This may be 1 minute or 10 minutes depending on what you do. The minutes add up per day as well as an overall total and as you earn the minutes you open more features.
If you complete 30 minutes in one day, a message comes on the screen congratulating you. Also, if you've been using it for too long (even if it's not in one go) it suggests that you have a break.
The main disadvantage of the Wii Fit is the amount of information that it keeps repeating to you. It tells you that you're not just limited to weighing yourself on the wii fit as you can hold a baby or pet and it will tell you their weight. This was interesting the first time, but after being told almost everyday it gets a bit boring! Also some of the fitness tips that it offers are not really very helpful and are really just common sense. Other than this though, I love Wii Fit!
~Overall ~
My mam, dad and I all enjoy using the Wii Fit and it is fun to watch as well as play. I feel that it motivates me to do some exercise and although I know I should do other exercise as well, I think this is really good. I would definitely recommend you to get one if you have a Wii or are planning to get one. They retail at £69.99 but I believe they are difficult to get at the moment, though ebay has some listed (at a much higher price).
Thanks for reading! Happy Wii-ing!
by (15%):
07.02.2009 19:12
Great review, thanks :)
28.08.2008 23:01
Great Review! x
20.08.2008 19:06
Hoping to get the wii fit soon too, I've even got my mum addicted to our wii....she is better than all of us at ten pin bowling on it lol x