Not many reviews on the follow-up to a game that sold 20 million. True gamers busy playing with fake guitars and committing virtual homicide? Anyhow, here are my impressions of Wii Fit Plus. First a quick background on me.
I've spent nearly 70 hours on the original Wii Fit. My weight is fine but I'm hooked on the way Yoga loosens up my body and what the rest of the game does to my sense of balance and core strength. This "game" had a profound effect on my tennis and lower body strength in general.
Anyhow, here are my impressions of Wii Fit plus.
If you are actively playing the original, get the Plus. The upgrades are well worth it. There are 15 more balance/aerobic games which will serve as great ways of warming up and burning some additional calories to supplement your daily yoga/strength routine. The ability to chain together a series of exercises is great. The new strength and yoga routines are good, hard to perform well and engage a wider range of muscles.
For newcomers the multiplayer option adds a party game flavor and the ability to combine a series of preset routines is really nice. An exercise novice going through a "tighter arms" + "loose back" + "higher metabolism" combo will get a better understanding of the routine. The calorie counter is a nice addition to the high level of feedback offered by the game.
All is not well though, I was really hoping for an online component allowing me to invite distant friends and family. The wider social element is undoubtably a great motivator for exercising. They may have skipped on this for Wii Fit 2 or to keep an increasingly busy interface from becoming unmanageable. Not sure. But it would have been good.
Moving on to a brief overview of the new games/exercises (in no particular order):
1. Bike
Biking around WooHoo Island by stepping on the balance board, steering with the controller and touching flags. A good alternative to running in your place. It tries to motivate the user to pay attention to surroundings and find shortcuts. Not very meaningful when there is no supporting content. I probably would become a professional athlete if this used the levels in "Beetle Adventure Racing".
2. Chicken Flight
Flap your arms to fly between targets, changing direction by shifting your balance. The first thing that catches you by surprise is that this actually works. Flapping your "wings" and flying around between targets is fun and gets blood flowing into the arms. Haven't tried with friends, but I'm expecting quite a few laughs.
3. Juggle
Balance on a ball by shifting weight on board, use controller and nunchuck to juggle balls. Very nice. Simple but satisfying game. Builds coordination.
4. Snowball
Lightgun type game where the balance board is used to step out of cover and snowballs are shot via the controller. I didn't enjoy this all that much. May inspire a developer to build a more comprehensive game using the basic mechanics here. Not much of an exercise, not much in the way of building coordination or balance.
5. Skateboard
Not bad at all. Skating around various parks using the balance board as a skateboard. You get lost in playing the game but there is quite a bit of physical coordination and effort required here.
6. Parade
Walking on the balance board while performing rhythm game type movements with controller and nunchuck. I did not like this at all. The mechanics aren't very satisfying, the music and presentation feel limp and I cannot really see the benefits. May get a better feel after spending more time.
7. Platform
Running and jumping around platforms using the balance board. Wow! Simply amazed that this works so well. Despite the simplicity this is one of those rare gaming moments such as controlling Mario in 3-D with an analog stick. Even making a mistake and falling off a ledge or being bumped by a huge wrecking ball has you giggling like an idiot. Good fun, gets your legs burning without even noticing it.
8. Running
Running in place with the controller. They tried to spice it up with a quiz at the end. Didn't really excite me all that much.
9. Tilt
Upgrade to the awesome "Monkey Ball" clone in the original. Good stuff.
10. Bubble
The "Mii-in-the-bubble" game from the original gets an upgrade. Lots of fun and makes me wish for DLCs where I could get more levels for this and several other games in this list.
11. Rolling ball
Tilting in rolling balls using a combination of a controller and balance board. Good for coordination, but the balance and exercise benefits are limited. Still a fun game.
12. Golf Drive
Golf drive exercise which takes the weight shift into account. As with the bike, this "exercise" requires better context. EA, this should be in next year's Tiger Woods. For the dedicated golf players it will be a great tool.
13. Math
Bumping balls with hips to add up numbers to equal 10. Looks better in videos. Not a bad warm up, but not as fun as I thought it would be. May be better in multiplayer.
14. Segway
Drive a virtual segway using the balance board and controller. I don't get this, it seems to be challenging for the wrong reasons. Doesn't feel like it belongs in Wii Fit.
15. Kung Fu
Mimic the Kung Fu routine in a dojo using the balance board, controller and nunchuck. Can't explain it, but this is really satisfying. Good warm-up routine, requires a sense of timing and all around fun to perform. Good job.
Let me know if you have any questions about Wii Fit Plus.
╔╦╦╗╔╦╗
