Wii Fit users expressed their opinions, Nintendo listened. Now, here’s Wii Fit Plus.
Written: Oct 26 '09 (Updated Nov 09 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun new activities, custom workouts, calorie tracker
Cons: Custom workouts somewhat limited, some new activities are only harder versions of old ones
The Bottom Line: Wii Fit Plus has what Wii Fit users have been wanting. It's worth it for the dedicated Wii Fit user.
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| ldon526's Full Review: Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board for Nintendo Wii |
** NOTE - This review is for the Wii Fit Plus game only. The Wii Fit Plus is being sold in two different ways. One is a bundle being sold with the balance board if you are not a previous Wii Fit owner. The game only version, which is this review, is for those that already own the Wii Fit. All aspects of the original Wii Fit are included and unchanged, and therefore I will only be touching upon the NEW aspects of Wii Fit Plus, and not going into detail about games and activities on the original Wii Fit.
Wii Fit was an instant hit when it was first released. Anxious consumers waited on lines early in the morning to get their own Wii Fit. Users loved it, but it had its share of complaints. Now it also has its share of competition. Recently the Wii Fit Plus was released with new activities and features.
Starting Wii Fit Plus
My Wii detected the Wii Fit Plus, and took steps to sync and import all the Mii characters and other information that was on our original Wii Fit. This process was quick and I was able to move onto using my Wii Fit Plus. The first time a Mii plays, explanations of the new features will be given.
What has not changed on Wii Fit Plus
The Body Test remains unchanged. You can still check your weight, center of balance, and BMI in the same manner. You can still do the body tests, set your goals and get your Wii Fit age. All Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance activities remain the same, and all of your previous stats are still recorded.
New Features on Wii Fit Plus
~ Training Plus ~
This new category has 15 new activities:
Perfect 10 - balance board. Shake your hips so your Mii can add up the numbers. Not only do you get to exercise your midsection, you've got to think quick too.
Island Cycling - balance board and remote. "Pedal" your way through town to find all the flags. This of course requires lots of legwork. A nice feature is that you will have to "pedal" harder to go uphill.
Rhythm Kung Fu - balance board, remote and nunchuk. Keep in time to the rhythm and follow the patterns using kung fu movements. One of my favorites, even though I can't always follow the pattern.
Golf - balance board and remote. Practice your golf swing and even see the movement of your center of balance and track your weight shift.
Segway Circuit - balance board and remote. Use your balance and the remote to race along the beach and get all the beach balls popped in a given time.
Bird's Eye Bulls Eye - balance board. Flap your arms like a bird, soar through the sky and land on your targets. This takes lots of arm work, balance and control.
Snowball Fight - balance board and remote. Hide behind the shield then aim at and hit your moving targets with snowballs.
Obstacle Course - balance board. Run and "jump" through a virtual obstacle course. This one takes timing and concentration. I'm not so crazy about this one because you are supposed to be running which you can't really do on the balance board.
Tilt City - balance board and remote. Use the remote and balance board to get the balls into the right bucket. This takes great eye/hand/feet coordination. This one is a challenge and takes some practice!
Rhythm Parade - balance board, remote and nunchuk. Use your sense of rhythm to lead a parade. This takes good coordination of hands and feet.
Big Top Juggle - balance board, remote and nunchuk. Practice your coordination and timing as you balance yourself on a ball and juggle in the circus. This is another one that takes a lot of concentration.
Skateboard Arena - balance board. Use the balance board to skateboard. This works on your balance and agility. Surprisingly, this one really gets my heart rate going. It's another one of my favorites.
Table Tilt Plus - balance board. This is an enhanced, more difficult version of the Table Tilt game on Wii Fit.
Balance Bubble Plus - balance board. This is an enhanced, more difficult version of the Bubble Balance game on Wii Fit.
Basic Run Plus - remote. An enhanced version of the Basic Run from the Wii Fit. You can now unlock new paths to run.
The new Training Plus games are very conducive for multi-player competition. They will get you up and moving and have a nice level of a physical challenge, and some of the activities that you least expect will get your heart rate moving. Many of the Training Plus games will make you think and work on your balance and coordination skills. It will develop your hand-eye coordination. Some activities also have more than two levels of difficulty.
Although I don't always feel as if I am doing fitness activities, I enjoy the new coordination games. You know the old question "Can you pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time?" This is what I feel like in Tilt City and the other coordination activities. I just can't seem to get my hands and feet to move in the right way. The new games add another level of challenge that were not in the original Wii Fit.
As usual, when doing activities that require using the remote and nunchuk, be careful with the connecting wire.
~ My Wii Fit Plus ~
My Wii Fit Plus is a section to create custom workouts, visit your favorites, or pick a pre-made routine that will focus on certain areas.
Wii Fit Plus Routines - Choose from one of four groups - Lifestyle, Health, Youth or Form. Within each group are three focus areas which then contain three exercises. For example, if you choose Form, you will then have three group options - arms, hips and figure. If you choose figure, you will get three exercises designed to work on your figure. There are a total of 12 groups of exercises which you can group together ahead of time and do the activities continuously.
My Routines - My Routines allows you to create your own custom workouts. Choose your activities and they will be saved for you as a custom workout. The workout will display the total time it will take to complete all of the activities of your choice, and they move seamlessly from one to the next without having to stop, grab the remote, and choose your next activity. This is a great new feature that works nicely, but it does have a flaw - you can only create workouts with Yoga and Strength Training. This was disappointing for me because I like to mix up my workouts. I mix my strength training in with my aerobic work so this is a feature that didn't quite work for me.
Favorites - Favorites will give you the option of seeing the top ten activities you do frequently, recently and rarely.
~ Other new features ~
When you first start Wii Fit Plus, you can now do a Simple Test, which is a much faster center of balance/weight/BMI test.
The Yoga section has three new yoga poses and there are three new Strength Training exercises. Some yoga poses and strength training exercises, including the new additions, are now identified as being for "advanced users".
You can now switch between Miis. After you have completed an activity, go to the button in the corner that says "switch", and you can change to any other Mii you have created, whether or not that Mii has been established within your Wii Fit. If the Mii you have chosen does not have a profile in Wii Fit, no data will be saved for that Mii. Having a multi-player function is a feature that users have been wanting. You can now easily compete with and challenge others.
Each new activity will show the METs. MET "represents how much exertion is required to perform a movement". The higher the MET, the more calories you can burn. Wii Fit Plus will explain METs in detail. Using the METs and your data, the Wii Fit Plus can estimate the calories burned during each activity. The calories are displayed after you complete an activity. There is also a graph that will show you how many calories you have burned in total. Tonight I did 31 minutes of activities and I burned a whopping 67 calories. Not the numbers I would have hoped for, but at least I was up moving and keeping my heart rate going.
As you begin each activity, there are now icons that indicate which accessory is needed for that activity. You will know right away if you need your balance board, remote, and nunchuk. This feature has also been added to all activities from the original Wii Fit.
You can weigh and keep track of babies and pets. I'm not quite sure why you would need this feature, but it's there.
Overall
I am having fun with the Training Plus activities, and it is fun being able to play with other family members. I was disappointed that the last three activities on Training Plus list are only enhanced versions of activities that can already be found on the Wii Fit. Why weren't they added as a harder level of the existing games? Although they are more challenging than the original games, and I feel like there really are only 12 new activities. I also would have liked additional levels on the existing games. I love the step activity in aerobics, but it would be nice to have some variety to it. But overall Wii Fit Plus has taken steps in the right direction and has added what Wii Fit users have been wanting.
The Game Only version of Wii Fit Plus is currently $19.99. Considering all of the new features and activities, I think that is a fair price and if you are a Wii Fit fan you will enjoy adding the new activities into your routine.
Other Wii Games
Active Life Outdoor Challenge
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum
We Ski
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ldon526
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Member: Lisa
Location: Long Island, NY
Reviews written: 113
Trusted by: 26 members
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