‘Wii Fit’ great for exercise, fun

• By JOSHUA WASCOM
• Special to 2theadvocate.com
• Published: Jun 11, 2008 - UPDATED: 3:10 p.m.

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As the latest entry in Nintendo’s games for non-gamers, “Wii Fit” stands out as much as “Wii Sports” did before it. The basics are simple -- the game uses Nintendo’s latest peripheral, the Balance Board (and sometimes the Wiimote), to track the player’s movement and center of balance. It then uses this data to track performance through a combination of aerobics, yoga, strength exercises and balance games.

“Wii Fit” operates in three distinct spheres. It attempts to function as a tool for improving health, as a generally fun game and as a showcase for the potential of the Balance Board, which is packed with the game and brings the price tag up to a somewhat daunting $90.

It succeeds, to varying degrees, in all of these categories.

“Wii Fit’s” role as fitness promoter seems to be primary goal and also the area where its effectiveness is hardest to judge.

“Wii Fit” stresses the importance of being at an appropriate weight and being well-toned and being well-balanced.

“Wii Fit” is really big on balance.

In fact, this seems almost like a tangent, at first. However, beyond any actual benefit that having good posture gives you, the balance tracking serves as a good default scoring mechanism. There’s no good way to track how high you lift your leg in a Single Leg Twist, and no way to tell whether your Downward Facing Dog is actually facing down, but they can certainly track how well you hold your balance while doing the exercises. It actually works really well as a distraction for the player -- you lose yourself attempting to maintain a steady balance and hardly notice how much work you’re actually doing until your muscles start to burn.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of “Wii Fit” as a fitness tool comes down to the player. If you think all it would take to get you on a regular exercise regimen is a little nudging, “Wii Fit” is nearly perfect. For those who need more of a rough shoving, the game has no problem labeling you obese, and it does not take muscle-mass into consideration when determining your body mass index (BMI).

The daily tracking really helps keep you engaged in your progress, and the bluntness of the whole system will be more than enough to keep you honest.

A few things are obviously missing. For instance, the ability to create custom playlists of routines to speed up the process. It’s really easy to play for an hour and only get half an hour of actual game time logged, because you’re navigating through the game trying to find the right exercise.

At times, the game will actually suggest regimens for you, and tell you when you’ve completed them. Unfortunately, the game gives you absolutely no help in moving from one part of the regimen to the next.

As a game, “Wii Fit” also functions well. No individual games or exercises are really powerhouses of replayability on their own, but as a whole, there’s usually enough to catch your attention for a half-hour or so. As with “Wii Sports,” the fun really ramps up when you get a group together.

Each game and exercise tracks the top 10 scores. Trying to outdo your family and friends can easily add another level of interest to any workout. However, the real fun is in alternating between trying to set the high score on the Hula Hoop mini-game and making fun of the person trying to set the high score on the Hula Hoop mini-game. If you thought playing with the Wiimote made you look like an idiot, wait until you’re standing on the Balance Board gyrating wildly with a look of deadly intensity on your face as you yell at your loved ones to be quiet.