Nintendo takes the next step...
Having survived the disappointing GameCube era on Game Boy sales, the DS and Wii have together turned Nintendo's fortunes around. Once the favoured brand of t3H H@rdc0r3Z gamer, Nintendo's newfound mainstream success can be put down to some stunning crossover titles which have introduced gaming to a whole new audience.
Following on from the likes of Brain Training, Big Brain Academy and Wii Sports, Wii Fit will be the latest, and by far the most ambitious release in Nintendo's growing line of health-conscious self improvement titles.
Eye-ercise
You could look at Wii Fit as a cross between Eyetoy and an exercise DVD, but it's far more sophisticated than either. Indeed, Nintendo themselves consider Wii Fit to be the next step in getting non-gamers gaming, and making the medium an essential part of everyday family life.
It's a lofty goal, but we think that may be realistic. For instance, the technology behind Wii Fit is impressive, and yet it's so incredibly easy to use. You simply stand on the Wii Balance Board and four corner sensors measure your weight, which combines with inputted height info to calculate overall body mass index (BMI), telling you if you're underweight, overweight, just right, or need to be asking some serious questions of yourself!
Wii Fit will be the latest, and by far the most ambitious release in Nintendo's growing line of health-conscious self improvement titles.
And there's something for everyone here. For the exercise obsessive, Wii Fit will be a digital dream. Wii Fit's Yoga looks set to be the housewife's fave, with four positions expanding to 40 progressively harder disciplines. An on-screen instructor (male or female) will show you how it's done, and then you'll need to mimic their pose – with the board representing your balance as a moving red dot on the screen. Keep it relatively static and in the middle as you stretch out gradually, and you're golden.
Living room Rocky
Muscle conditioning in Wii Fit meanwhile may be the gym-goer's preference. You start out small, with squat thrusts and such having you leaning on the Wii Balance Board, but as you progress you'll unlock progressively harder exercises, and eventually you'll be doing hardcore one-arm push-ups like a living room Rocky Balboa.
Wii Fit's Aerobic excercises, on the other hand, would appear to be less strenuous, focusing more on cardiovascular workouts. In one you put the Wiimote in your back pocket and jog on the spot, with the gyroscope picking up your speed and transferring it to your on-screen Mii running around a virtual park. In another you must keep a hula hoop circling, and lean at certain intervals.
Wii Fit also boasts plenty of ways for the casual Wii Fit player to get in shape and still make a wally of themselves.
If that all sounds imposing, then never fear – Wii Fit also boasts plenty of ways for the casual Wii Fit player to get in shape and still make a wally of themselves in the grand tradition of the best multiplayer titles.
The balance exercises are what you could label the 'fun' component of Wii Fit. From snowboarding (stand sideways on the board and lean to steer) to ski-jump (crouch down and spring onto tiptoes and hold steady for maximum distance) to heading footballs (leaning side to side and avoiding boots and panda heads hurtling your way), plus many more, this will be Wii Fit's most accessible single and multiplayer area.
Wi[i]nner!
What's most innovative about Wii Fit, though, is the way it will offer a different experience for different people. Predicated on small-burst, daily play, Wii Fit is designed to let players have fun getting in shape however they choose, focusing on the outcome they want without being too much of a lifestyle drain or demanding timesink. By offering that and enjoyable multiplayer gameplay on top, Wii Fit could well see Nintendo onto another widespread winner.
Preview by: Mark Scott
Published: 14.03.08