"The fun way to get fit!"

As you may know, this game had been hyped for months before it was released. It was just what was needed to combat obesity and being unfit. Then, when it was finally released, it took a while to find a copy, since it was selling so well. We eventually found the game, and I thought to myself: ‘This had better be good'. And it was!

Graphics: 6/10
Well, since the object of the game is to get a healthier body, you don't really need flashy graphics. As long as everything in the game is recognisable, then that's fine for most people, including me. It does not have a whole lot of detail to it, but the graphics are far from being awful.

Sound: 6/10
The music in this game is a mixed bag. Some of the tunes are somewhat annoying, while the others were actually quite catchy. The sound effects are pretty good. They generally fit the theme very well, and sound pretty realistic. The voices, however, are not so good. The trainers' voices are bearable, but the voice that will really irritate you is from the Wii Balance Board. Occasionally, it will say something like ‘Keep still!' when you fidget, or ‘Ouch!' when you step on it. The problem is that the voice sounds like a six-year-old boy on helium. Seriously, it's so irritating. Fortunately, you won't hear this voice too much.

Gameplay: 8/10
Essentially, this is yet another compilation of mini-games for the Wii. However, this time there's an actual purpose: to get fitter. You start off by registering your character, and then you take a Body Test. Basically, you stand on the Wii Balance Board, and it measures your centre of gravity and your BMI. You then take two Balance tests, and it tells you our Wii fit age. After that, you go to do some games in the Training section to try and get fitter. Throughout the game, you utilise a Wii Balance Board, which contains scales and sensors for all your needs. It's a nifty piece of equipment, and one which is used very effectively.

These games can be arranged into four categories: Yoga poses, muscle workouts, aerobic exercises and balance games. At the start, the selection is somewhat limited, but after a while you start to unlock more and more exercises, and eventually you have almost 50 different exercises, which is not too shabby. Also, you are given a choice of two trainers: male and female. The one you pick does not matter; either way they actually motivate you quite well, which is one of the things the game is supposed to do.

With the yoga poses, basically you are given a pose, shown how to do it, and then you have to do it. This helps your sense of balance and also tones your muscles. With the muscle workouts, you are given a bunch of exercises which will help tighten and strengthen your muscles. With the aerobic exercises, you have to do some sort of activity to burn off body fat. These activities include hula hoping, step exercises and jogging. Finally, you have the balance games, which help your sense of balance (how come you already knew that?). But it does this in humorous ways such as balancing on a tightrope, heading footballs and doing a ski jump. During this time, you can keep track of your exercise time, your Wii fit age, and your BMI. What I really like about this game is that it concentrates on other things instead of burning fat when it comes to exercising. Also, every now and then it gives you a fitness tip, which is actually very useful.

This is not to say the game is perfect, however. For a start, a number of people who want to lose weight won't even be able to play it, because the weight limit of the Wii Balance Board is 330lbs. Obviously there has to be some sort of weight limit, but it still means a reasonable portion of the people who would want to play it are unable to. Also, the BMI seems to rate you differently depending on who you are. For instance, if you get a BMI of, say, 18.6, it will say you're in the middle of the ideal section, when actually it is at the bottom end. For one person, a BMI of 24 may be ideal, for another it might list you as overweight. It isn't very reliable in that respect. The final flaw is the price tag. Now naturally it's going to be more expensive than other games, but this game is twice the price of an ordinary game. Here in the UK, a copy of this costs twice as much as an ordinary game. Over in the USA, I think it costs about $90. So you have to make sure that you truly do want this before you pay a large amount of money for it.

However, despite these flaws, it is a fun, engaging and effective way of gaining better balance and improving posture, among other things, whether you are on your own or with your friends.

Replay Value: 9/10
Well, in order to get any decent results you have to play it for a significant amount of time, so basically if you wanted this game for its intended purpose, you will need to play for a while to get any decent results.

Pros:
Neat sound effects.
Lots of different exercises.
Surprisingly good fun.
Works effectively.
The Wii Balance Board is cool.
Get fit with your family and friends!
Graphs to track your progress.
Lots of variety.
Useful fitness tips.
A useful motivational tool.

Cons:
Very expensive.
Strange BMI listings.
The Balance Board's horrible voice.
Some of the music is sort of annoying.
Weight limit of 330lbs. If you've over that, tough luck.

Buy, rent or avoid: If you want a fun way to get a workout, then by all means get it. If, however, you are confident you are perfectly fit and healthy, then although this game could be quite fun, you probably would not want to pay the full price tag for it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/08, Updated 06/19/08

Game Release: Wii Fit (EU, 04/25/08)