Tom Chick on Wii Fit (Verdict: wretched for fitness)
Within the narrow confines of the legendary 7-9 video game review scale, Nintendo's Wii Fit is getting middling scores, with most reviewers doing their best to dance around the fact that it is not a serious fitness solution. But over at Quarter to Three, stalwart game critic Tom Chick has quickly summarized a lot of Wii Fit's faults, confirming a lot of my pre-launch suspicions...
I'm a week into using it daily, and I think it's absolutely wretched. For one thing, it's not really built for guys like me who are already somewhat active. Wii Fit won't let you start anywhere other than the bottom level...But more to the point, it's terrible for people who actually need help being motivated to stick to a fitness routine, because there are no routines. Wii Fit is little more than a collection of minigames with almost zero regard for a bigger picture. A lot of the stuff is really bad, and the push ups are a perfect example. They're just going to discourage people by trying to cram the balance board gimmick into the exercises. Similarly, their focus on balance -- which is really the only thing the stupid board can measure -- really misses the point. And the stop-start-stop-start of the interface is horrible.
In short, if you're out-of-shape and want to lose some weight? Go to the gym. If you're in shape and want to maintain what you've got? Go to the gym. If you just want another collection of Wii-specific mini-games tangentially related to fitness, a la Wii Sports? Buy Wii Fit, but don't expect anything out of it.
Tom Chick on Wii Fit [Quarter to Three]
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EyeToy Kinetix on the PS2 is actually quite good for that whole routine thing. I'm not sure whether it's available in the US though.
That all pretty much matches my expectations.
That said, I want them to become fantastically popular so someone takes the time to release a snowboarding game with steering controlled by the balance board. I probably still wouldn't buy the board just to use with one game, but if some company could make such a game for one of my friends to buy -- probably at a horrifying loss, true -- that'd be great.
LOL at the 7-9 game rating scale, because it's so true.
On the other hand, _any_ activity is probably an improvement over what usually happens when the TV gets turned on...
As a counterpoint, the guy who ran the Wii Fit Experiment (http://www.4colorrebellion.com/wii-fit/) did it for 7 weeks rather than under one week, and reported very different results, across fitness level, weight loss, and enjoyment factor.
So obviously, one's mileage may vary. I'm looking forward to trying it out, myself.
Come to think of it, the Wii can lead to people getting serious excercise.
At a games night a little while ago, a lapsed but still keen tennis player friend had a go at Wii Tennis, which we were projecting onto a 2m*3m screen.
Not being big on computer games, she didn't realise that the side-to-side movement was automatic; naturally we decided to take the slightly funnier course of not telling her. She spent a good part of the evening lunging right and left across the room to catch shots. She eventually emerged as the triumphant champion of an impromptu tournament (well, we had to keep her playing somehow) exhausted and absolutely drenched with sweat.
So I maintain that the Wii can have genuine health benefits, provided that the players are very gullible and their friends are very cruel.
@Frankstendal
Agreed. That attitude toward Wii Fit is a little unfair. I don't think anybody seriously expects it to be a total home fitness solution. Yes, "go the the gym" is the ideal solution but let's maybe be a little more realistic.
Most people aren't going to go to the gym. For most people, exercise sucks. It's hard and the rewards are few and far between. By making fitness into a game - and allowing people to enjoy it in the privacy of their homes - you can lower the barrier to entry. And maybe, just maybe, it will teach people tricks to learn to enjoy fitness so that when they decide to take it to the next level they won't get burnt out.
So sorry, Mister I'm-Already-Fit, but the game wasn't designed for you. Turns out there are a lot of people who could use some exercise - any exercise - but don't want to be the only obese person in a gym full of health nuts. As a health professional I see this a lot, so if Wii Fit helps even a few people learn to enjoy exercise and get *any* level of activity or confidence into their lives then I can't be quite so snarky.
It's hard to take Tom Chick's comments seriously when he states up front that he's not the intended audience for the Wii Fit. I probably am - 50ish and somewhere between couch potato and good shape. I've had the Wii Fit a couple of days now (thanks Amazon!), and being able to exercise in my living room while getting feedback about my performance and having some fun with it is perfect for me.
It's done in the Wii style (a mutant alien baby voice tells you when to step on the board when you start an activity), but for me, the fact that it lets me select what I want to work on and it rewards me for spending more time with it are good design features, not deficiencies. I didn't expect a personal trainer in a box. I did expect something that would be fun, easy and motivating to get me focused on my fitness, and Nintendo has delivered that.
As #5 posted, I was following the 4CR poster's progress, and liked what I saw. I'm trying to lose weight for my wedding, and generally just develop a fitness routine, so I got Wii Fit. Gyms don't work for me due to self-consciousness and commute issues, and my neighborhood just isn't the best place for running. Particularly with an iPod, my constant companion.
Wii Fit is decent, but it does need a method to string exercises together. I'll say that much even after my brief introductory session with it. Being kicked back to the menu after each activity breaks the flow of the exercises. If a $30 sequel (or advanced version) is released in six months, I'll be all over it. But for the moment it seems like it meets my requirements.
I have had Wii-Fit for 2 weeks now. I'm an average worker outerer. Go to the gym twice a week and play touch football. Since starting Wii Fit I have lost 3 kilos and improved on all my personal bests at the Gym this morning.
It gets my thumbs up. Sure fitness freaks won't get anything from it, but, as stated by others, its not made for them.
#9 I agree. It also needs to give you a warm up routine as well, most users wouldn't know how to warm up properly (I just do a run and then hit the yoga before doing the muscle work outs).
Over all its a good start and i look forward to further releases that utilise the board.