The original Wii Fit hit the stores in time for Christmas 2007, and to be honest, was a tidge bit boring. Although it uses some of the Wii accessories like the balance board, the two minute exercise intervals were either insanely difficult or too easy and the wait in between workouts was annoying. Plus, the only fun things were the games, which you had to suffer through the exercise to unlock.
Not so the Wii Fit Plus, which is the newest edition of the Wii Fit line. A vast improvement over the original Wii Fit, Nintendo actually listened to users and made changes that fit the way real people use their Balance Boards and workout time.
For example, the Wii Fit Plus even has an option that lets you weigh your dog or cat. Now, unless you’re really talking to users and listening to feedback, no exercise and fitness software maker would think to include that in a fitness program!
An important feature of the Wii Fit Plus is that you can customize, customize, customize. You can customize your workout length, what area you want to work on, what exercises you want to do, what games you want to play while exercising…everything is customizable in the new Locker Room. There are more yoga and strength training exercises and lots of new balance games. The various exercises you choose for your workout flow seamlessly from one to another (no more annoying waits while the next segment loads).
Other Wii workout games have their advantages and disadvantages too, as compared to the Wii Fit Plus. My Fitness Coach, for example, is a virtual personal trainer that is about as close as you can get to a real, live personal trainer without actually hiring one. Some of the features, like music type and workout environment, are customizable, but mostly the Coach is in charge and you do what you’re told. Some people need that in order to accomplish their goals.
EA Sports Active includes a personal trainer, a variety of resistance training activities, and the ability to exercise with multiple players at the same time, something Wii Fit Plus does not offer. It can’t be customized as much as Wii Fit Plus though, so there is a trade-off.
The Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout is another personal trainer type of workout program, with goal tracking and exercises that increase in intensity as your fitness level increases. It gets really good reviews for people who actually enjoy working out, but it’s not very customizable and the “fun” level is somewhat lacking for the reluctant exerciser.
In summary, for people who need to have fun while working out and control as much of it as possible, the Wii Fit Plus is the answer. Users enjoy it so much, they tend to forget they’re exercising! But for workout enthusiasts, who need that endorphin high and derive a sense of satisfaction from seeing how hard they can push themselves, the other Wii fitness and exercise games would be better. And if you want to work out with a partner, consider the EA Sports Active game. And do splurge on some Wii fit accessories, they will make your workouts more enjoyable and effective.
