I can’t believe I spent £70 so my Wii can tell me I’m overweight. It is a known medical fact the colour of your Wii (ahem) is a good indication of your health so why the need for an expensive set of bathroom scales? Well don’t be fooled! The balance board and Wii Fit software combo is so much more than just that:
First Impressions:
Very strong and sturdy appearance in the traditional Wii White, the balance board does seem to be as robust as Nintendo initially claimed. Complete with non-slip top, it also has four adjustable feet underneath to ensure stability on even the deepest of carpets.
First use:
Initially, it takes you through what Wii fit can do for you and goes into detail about centre of gravity (COG). You then proceed to take your first Body test. It asks for your height and age/DOB and intends to find your COG. To get this, it takes you through a series of balance tests and concludes with, based on these tests, your height, age, date of birth and weight, your Body Mass Index (BMI). It then continues on to give your Wii Fit age. In my case I was overweight. Before you get time to be insulted though, your Mii pops up with a cute pot belly. Awwww bless. It carries on asking about your goals, but as younger and better looking weren’t any of the options I chose to lower my BMI.
Not sounding too interesting yet is it? Well to be honest, it isn’t all that so far. But really, all you have done so far is create a profile which appears in a brand new exclusive Wii Fit Plaza. Its from here you can perform the aforementioned body test, to see how much you have improved and to see how much closer to your goal you are, or you can go onto the main part of Wii Fit, the training section.
Training Section:
This is split into 4 categories.
Yoga
The aim of this section is to tone muscles and improve posture. Within this section you have simple breathing exercises up to all manner of positions the Karma sutra would be proud of.
Muscle Workout:
In this section you are presented with another 15 exercises to tighten up your muscles. Press ups and lunges are involved with this one, so warm up first. Remember to drink plenty of fluids and never ask a woman how much she weighs. Actually, that’s a good point; Wii Fit has a clever idea of Password protecting your data, so that no one else can see your BMI and weight etc. Pity the password protect doesn’t shield your eyes. Sort of gives the game away when you are in the same room as someone.
Aerobic Exercise:
9 exercises to burn your body can be found in here. This is where you get the old faithful a selection of Mii friendly mini games. Don’t be put off though. Mini games they might be, but they are still excellent workout exercises. The Hula hoop is great fun as is the traditional step aerobics. The latter very much a ‘dance mat’ style effort. Humorously enough in this section is a jogging exercise. It asks you to step off the board and put the wiimote in your pocket. The idea is that you jog on the spot and the movement of the wiimote in your pocket simulates the movements on the screen. Of course you can just hold the wiimote in your hand as it says as not everyone has pockets. Especially those of us who don’t wear trousers. Remember to close the curtains though, especially if you have neighbours like mine.
Balance Games:
As it says on the tin. A series of games to develop your ability to stand correctly. The famed footie game is in here where you have to dodge various items but head a football. You actually blink and move your head when a boot smacks you in the face – very entertaining. There are a couple of skiing games in here too, obviously a slalom one, and more interestingly a ski jump!! Bend your knees and lean forward at the correct time to maintain your speed and distance. There is also a human Mercury Meltdown style game where you must roll the balls into the appropriate holes. Very amusing and frustrating.
There are obviously more excursuses in the game but in order to play them, you have to spend a certain amount of time on the already unlocked ones. The idea being to keep you working out every day and finding new exercises as you go on.
Wii fit also has it own channel you can download to your main Wii menu so you can view your results so far and take a body test without putting the disc in.
So to summarise then:
Gameplay:
As probably know already, this is not a game as such. It is a good effort at getting us to be more aware of our lifestyle. I feel that the main aim of Wii Fit has been reached in this title. I have spent a couple of hours on it already and to be honest, it’s done what it said it will. I ache from not warming up properly and I’m actually tired from it!
The Balance board does its job. No connection issues, it’s not overly massive and doesn’t weight a ton. It’s just the right height for me to slide it under my sofa when not in use. The response to the Wii from the board is fantastic and is incredibly accurate.
Graphics:
What would you expect? It’s basic but that’s all it really needs to be. You are trying to get fitter not submerging yourself into a world of zombified villagers or fast cars and enemy shooting. The graphics are based around the usual Mii games: Wii play, Wii sports etc. so don’t expect to be blown away.
Innovation:
A great idea that has been executed very well. It’s not going to everyone’s cup of tea, but those of you who know what to expect will not be disappointed.
Longevity:
I can’t really say at the moment how long I will be trying to lower my BMI. Perhaps the novelty will wear off to some quite rapidly, but as it stands at the moment, if you want to keep fit, it will help you achieve it. We all know of people who join a gym but never go, I think there will be a lot of Wii Fit boards on EBay from people who didn’t realize it was more of a workout than a game they purchased!! If Nintendo bring out more games that are balance board compatible then the longevity will extend severely.
Value for money:
A tough one here. Ok it’s double the price of a standard game, but you are getting a game and nice bit of kit to go with it. As previously stated, if the games come out with compatibility then you will definitely get the value for money you deserve.
Overall:
It’s not a game!!!
It has a good go at keeping you fit.
It’s enjoyable on the way.
But:
It is a bit pricey
It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
You look very silly if people are watching you from outside.
Red Dazes Wii Fit First Play Review...............
I'm getting this asap.. I still have about £50 in saving for games alone, and only need about £30 to get this.. but as you know, moving soon so may wait a bit 
)
Shame on you! 
I was pleasantly surprised with my BMI actually though, I was only just over 25 whereas I thought I'd have been much higher!
Linear Mode
