Wii Fit Review

Wii Fit is not a new game, in fact it has been out for quite a few months. The biggest question mark with the game, however, was not it’s immediate appeal, but the lasting impact it would have on those who rushed to buy it upon release. After owning the game for a couple months, I can fairly assess the game’s value to those who are still on the fence.

Gameplay – 6.7 – Wii Fit is composed of a variety of different mini-games and exercises. The mini-games, highlighted by the excellent balance games, are, for the most part, very good. Using the Balance Board as a snowboard or to walk a tightrope feels natural and plays well. These games also fit into the percieved goal of the game, to make exercising fun in an effort to get more active gamers.

On that note, I feel that many of the Strength Training and Yoga exercises fail in the “fun” aspect of the game. While the exercises are fundamentally sound, one could easily do push-ups without the aid of a balance board and a virtual trainer telling he/she to do so. Why not turn these basic exercises into game variations? Surely the creative team at Nintendo could have thought of a better presentation than a bright blue and white room and a no-face trainer.

And that really is my biggest gripe with this game. The exercises and aerobics in the game are not sufficient enough to get anyone into excellent shape. And once a person chooses to replace the game with actual exercise (which they eventually should), the game becomes somewhat useless. I haven’t booted up the game for two months now, despite using it nonstop for the first month to six weeks after purchase.

Presentation – 7.5 - As a whole, the game looks very polished and neat. I am a big fan of incorporating Mii’s into games, so the game earns points for allowing players to use their own faces while doing aerobics and mini-games. As mentioned above, however, I would have liked to seen  something different in the actual exercise sections of the game. Using familiar Mario characters is never a bad concept for a Nintendo cornerstone game, as I see Wii Fit as being. Admit it, how much more motivated would you have been to win if Wario was challenging/goading you to a push-up contest rather than your virtual trainer?

Lasting Appeal – 8.0 – This score may seem weird considering my gripes listed above, but the truth is, despite the faults with the actual game, there is serious potential for the Balance Board that comes with Wii Fit. Snowboarding, skiing, and skateboarding games all seem like matches made in heaven for the board. Anyone looking for another new way to experience gaming will eventually need to own the Board that comes with this game. Once you start thinking of Wii Fit as a launch title, much like Wii Sports was for the Wii console, for the board, the problems with the game become more acceptable.

Overall Rating – 7.5 – The game is definately worth trying out for anyone who owns a Wii, and the Balance Board should continue to prove itself as a good investment as more games are developed for it.