Wii Fit Plus (Software Only) Wii

Released on 30/10/2009

• Get off the couch - GAME looks at fitness games

  
  

  

  Asthmatic Athletics

  The popular image of video games is that of a pastime requiring no more physical effort than a sofa slouch and nimble thumbs - along with a carb-heavy diet of pizza and sugary soda. The fast-track to a slow death from obesity, in other words.

  Fitness games fly in the face of that assumption, but they're not the recent invention many think they are. Even as far back as 1982, companies like Atari were looking at ways of connecting exercise bikes to a virtual reality under the codename Project Puffer. In 1986, Bandai released a control mat for the Nintendo Entertainment System which came with Family Fun Fitness, a suite of exercise games. Nintendo was so impressed, it bought the product and repackaged it as the more exciting sounding Power Pad.

  This, of course, led to games like Konami's seminal Dance Dance Revolution, which ushered in the age of the dance-mat as a legitimate and popular game controller. 2005 brought EyeToy: Kinetic to the market - the first modern motion tracking exercise game - while 2006 saw the short-lived and rather naffly titled Gamercize system wire actual exercise equipment up to games consoles.

  

  The Rise of the Wii

  It was the Wii that really pulled all these ideas together to create the fitness game genre though. Indeed, it almost had to be Nintendo who would finally crack the nut and make gaming and exercise feel like natural bedfellows. The Wii was a friendly machine, and with titles like Wii Sports it had already made jumping around part of the gameplay experience. Here was a console where the all important mums and dads might buy into the idea of gaming to get healthy.

  With Wii Fit's balance board Nintendo finally had the peripheral to make it work, while the software cannily combined solid fitness goals with more accessible video game mechanics. Motivation is the key to any exercise regime, and video games are nothing if not efficient effort-to-reward systems. What better approach than to tap into our natural desire to beat our last score, to reach the next level, and to be congratulated for doing well?

  In the years following Wii Fit's 2007 release, the floodgates opened. Celebrity endorsed fitness packages aped Wii Fit's style, but without adding much to the genre. It was only when SONY and Microsoft got involved, with Move and Kinect, that there was enough competition to drive the development of even more advanced fitness games.

  

  Which brings us to today, and the chart-topping success of Zumba Fitness. Based on the popular fitness franchise, it ditches the squats and thrusts in favour of more fun dance-based exercise. With its Latin rhythms and have-a-go simplicity, it's no surprise that it's selling so well - this is a fitness game disguised as a dancing game, which is then dressed up as a bloody good laugh. Perfect for people who might otherwise feel intimidated by the genre.

  EA Sports Active 2 goes in the complete opposite direction, with its wireless heart-rate monitor and resistance band accessory. This is the game for serious fitness nuts who really want to push themselves further with each new workout, with loads of stats and options to tweak your experience for maximum calorie-crushing impact.

  Similar in style, but slightly less ferocious in approach, is Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. This also concentrates on scalable aerobic workouts with an emphasis on personalised training routines and lots of encouragement to keep the pace up. For players who have taken Wii Fit as far as they can, both titles represent the obvious next step.

  

  Workouts Are For Wimps

  But what if this is all still a little too much like leotards and headbands? What if you're worried that doing star jumps in front of your console won't impress your hard mates? Well, that's why there's UFC Trainer. This manly fitness game for manly men offers much the same workout results as other fitness titles - but in a style that makes you feel like you could kick a man's head through a wall. Heavy on the cardio and sparring, it offers an experience as tough as its name suggests. Unless you actually do fight in the UFC, we suggest you don't go steaming in, ready to show off with the hardest settings.

  It's doubtful that motion control is going anywhere soon, what with Wii U around the corner and the next Xbox likely to incorporate Kinect, so it seems that far from being a passing fad the fitness game is here to stay. Maybe the stereotype of the lardy wheezing gamer is finally coming to an end. Pass the leg-warmers.

  Published: 10/08/2012

• Wii Balance Board claims Guinness World Record

  Wii Balance Board claims Guinness World Record

  Nintendo's Wii Balance Board has claimed a place in the Guinness World Record book as the bestselling personal weighing device of all time.

  The popular peripheral shifted just over 32 million units between April 2008, when it was introduced alongside the revolutionary exercise game Wii Fit, and November 2010.

  Since then, gamers have snapped up millions more copies of Wii Fit and its follow-up Wii Fit Plus, bringing lifetime sales of the series to more than 40 million.

  The Wii Balance Board has been central to the appeal of the games, allowing the Wii to measure players' weight and track subtle shifts in their balance and body motions to enable a range of calorie-burning gameplay experiences.

  Many other games have gone on to use the Balance Board as an accessory, including similar titles like EA Sports Active, as well as non-fitness games such as Punch-Out!! and Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party.

  Nintendo's Laurent Fischer said: "The launch of Wii Fit with the Wii Balance Board revolutionised the way people got active at home, making it fun and easy to exercise in the comfort of their own living room."

  Published: 11/01/2012

• Christmas Round-Up - 24th December 2010

  Was there ever any doubt that Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Black Ops would be this year's Christmas number one? Especially considering it's the sequel to last years Xmas best seller, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2...

  Well actually, for a few weeks, there was - because this year has seen the release of some real gaming crackers! Want to know which ones are the stars this Christmas? Here's the full top 10 - and not a turkey in sight...

   

  1. Call of Duty: Black Ops is an awe-inspiring package, featuring a single-player campaign packed with stunning set-pieces at every new corner. The intriguing plot masterfully strings together the globe trotting missions, each of which will blow you away. As if that wasn't enough it also features a refined multiplayer with unbeatable value.

   

  2. FIFA 11 is the definitive football video game experience. Just when we thought EA couldn't improve on FIFA 10 they introduce new nuanced animations and intricate touches of realism to a game that is already a visual marvel. The mechanics in FIFA 11 have received small tweaks that go a long way in providing added depth to the game, there are countless ways to score a goal and thanks to the introduction of playable goalkeepers, just as many ways to save a few.

   

  3. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is a blisteringlyfast, endlessly fun, finely polished arcade racing game with no equal. Hot Pursuit has a racing model that feels weighty but still loose enough to provide that unique arcade feel. However, where it truly shines is in its online component. The Need for Speed Autolog is a fresh and effective take on online community that keeps racers coming back; hoping beat a few friends and perhaps make a few enemies.

   

  4. Just Dance 2 builds on the winning formula from the first game. The simple controls and fantastic selection of music make is easy for everyone to get involved, making it the social game of choice in households around the world this Christmas. Just Dance 2 comes packed with new gameplay modes such as duet mode, co-op and competitive play, making it the ideal Wii dance game.

   

  5. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is the definitive open-world action game, Ubisoft's third console Assassin's Creed game has enough new content to take out the competition this Christmas. Picking up moments after the events of AC2, Brotherhood sees you take control of Ezio once again, and features a huge variety of side-quests, an intuitive new combat mechanic, sublime platforming and a fantastic new multiplayer mode that is unlike any other game on the market.

   

  6. Gran Turismo 5 sees the return of Sony's legendary simulation racing series to the most powerful video game console on the market, and it doesn't disappoint. GT5 builds on the success of the series by sticking close to the tried and true formula. However, the amount of content in the latest game is through the roof. With over one thousand cars available to drive, dozens of racetracks, special events and online multiplayer Gran Turismo 5 is one of the most feature-packed racing games of the year.

   

  7. Donkey Kong Country Returns is not only a worthy successor to the classic Donkey Kong platforming franchise, but also one worthy of the Nintendo seal of quality. Donkey Kong Country Returns is overflowing with impressively creative and imaginative worlds that constantly provide new and inventive gameplay experiences that demand the kind of quick reflexes and platforming precision that are a trademark of Nintendo platformers. If you thought New Super Mario Bros. was fun, wait until you play this.

   

  8. Medal of Honor faced danger head on by attempting to break into a market dominated by Call of Duty, and manages to do a good job of carving out its own fanbase. The game has tight shooting mechanics, takes place in an unusual but interesting setting and features characters that have unique personalities. Medal of Honor delivers in the multiplayer department too, since it's developed by DICE, the guys behind Battlefield: Bad Company 2, it's not one you can afford to miss.

   

  9. Wii Fit Plus encourages players to maintain a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise. The game makes getting fit fun by providing a variety of exercises with set goals for the player to achieve using its innovative balance board. With over 15 new balance games, six new strength training and a number of yoga activities you'll not only get fit but you'll also have fun doing it.

   

  10. Professor Layton and the Lost Future is easily one of the best games in the popular puzzle series. It wastes no time in getting to the good bits and immediately throws a series of creative puzzles at the player. Make no mistake, this game will require you to get your brain into gear but that won't take much convincing since the puzzles are masterfully woven into an intriguing time-travelling adventure that you'll want to see to the end.

  Published: 24/12/2010

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