I got Wii Fit for Christmas, along with the accesories (thanks mom and dad! :D).
For a while now, people have dismissed Wii Fit for being a crappy casual title with no real point, challenge or skill needed (something that applies to Wii Music as well). Well, after playing it for a few hours all I have to say is...its a bonafide game. Yes, it might be a "training" title that helps people get fit, but it offers that through challenges that mimic traditional gameplay concepts like achievements, scores and performance rate.
For example, in both the yoga and strength exercises the goal is to maintain your center the balance, even if they have you doing something wacky, like balancing on one foot while your arms are up in the air. In fact, this offers great challenge because your performance depends on your physical strength and balance, immersing you even further into the challenges. I can't tell you how many hours I wasted already on the soccer, jogging and hula hoop games.
I bring this up because Wii and casual gaming haters often bring up titles like Wii Fit as an example of how traditional games are being replaced with shallow casual games. The truth is that even if it isn't about shooting or killing things, exploring caves or collecting monsters that doesn't mean the game won't offer any challenge. Wii Fit harshly rates your performance, even if it does pat you in the back for trying. The difference is that its trying to make your health better, and it offers it through very fun games and challenges that ANYONE can get into.
One other thing I want to bring up is how people are criticizing Wii Fit for not being effective enough and people dropping out of their routine. If people bought Wii Fit our of curiosity, then I can see how they will leave soon. But the experience, like Wii Sports before it and Wii Music after it, is defined by the player. In other words, if you want to play three hours a day then you can. If you want to drop all together, you can too. Its the same as going to the gym or jogging. No one doubts the effectiveness or those two things, yet very few people commit to them as often as they should, so why is Wii Fit any different.
So yes, despite what other gamers may say Wii Fit is a game created upon the classic concepts of old; better performance through constant practice and challenging games. Its just that it wants you to get off your lazy ass and feel alive! :p
