Wii Fit Plus Targets Target Parking Lots [Marketing]

Nintendo is rolling out the Wii Fit Plus Experience at select Target store parking lots in California, Georgia, and Texas over the next three weeks, with a $15 gift card for those willing to get there exercise on in public. Nine Target stores across the three states will be hosting Wii Fit Plus demos in their parking lots starting this weekend, with eight kiosks giving shoppers a chance to try out the new mini-games in the updated version of Nintendo’s balance board fitness app. While normally I’d steer clear of such public displays of my out-of-shapedness, a $15 gift card (while supplies last) is nothing to sneeze at. That’s a lot of Choxie right there. “If you’re just embarking on your New Year’s resolutions (or have already abandoned them), the Wii Fit Plus Experience at Target stores will show you how you can have fun and stay active,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Wii Fit Plus has so many customizable options, it’s easy to stay motivated and energized all year long.” Best of all, there’s one right down the street from my apartment, which is the sort of convenience those of us in the Atlanta area generally miss out on. Go Georgia! Here’s a list of stores participating in the Wii Fit Plus Jan. 16-17 2705 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 3201 Preston Rd Frisco, TX 75034 1525 Market Place Blvd. Cumming, GA 30041 Jan. 23-24 1800 W. Empire Ave. Burbank, CA 91504 2200 Dallas Parkway Plano, TX 75093 15005 SW 88th St. Miami, FL 33196 Jan. 30-31 24425 Magic Mountain Parkway Valencia, CA 91355 25901 Highway 290 Cypress, TX 77429 100 Perimeter Center Place Atlanta, GA 30346

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Wii Fit Plus Targets Target Parking Lots [Marketing]

Wii Fitness Shares Store With Dumbbells, Treadmills [Well Played]

David Campisi’s life is all about exercise and sports. As president of Sports Authority , Campisi runs the largest sports good retailer in the country. His wife, Beci Campisi, runs a garage gym based on the grueling fitness methodology of CrossFit which uses medicine balls, weights and nonstop exercise to mold “the quintessential athlete.” But when he first heard of Nintendo’s part-game, part-exercise Wii Fit and Balance Board , he knew he had to get one. More importantly, he knew that he had to start selling it in his chain of stores, among the dumbbells, the rowing machines, the treadmills and the basketballs. “When Nintendo first came out with Wii Fit I knew we could sell that product in our stores,” Campisi told Kotaku. “I paid some guy on eBay $180 for a Wii Fit because you couldn’t buy it in stores.” That was in 2008, last week, with the blessing of Nintendo, Campisi launched his campaign to sell Wii Fit and the Wii as exercise equipment in Sports Authority stores nationwide. Sports Authority kicked off the movement to blend gaming and sports good with an event at their Torrance, Calif. store. Fitness guru Jillian Michaels was on hand to lead 100 people through exercise routines on balance board with the help of the Wii in what was believe to be the largest demonstration of Wii Fit in the world. “Although individual retailers might do their own independent promotions from time to time, this is the first time Nintendo has officially partnered with a major sports retailer,” said Marc Fanklink, Nintendo of America’s director of public relations. “Wii Fit has already sold more than 8 million units in the United States, making it one of the best-selling games of this generation, surpassing even some of the industry’s most well-known franchises. Our partnership with The Sports Authority expands on the exergaming trend of Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus . Now we’re reaching out to fitness fans in new ways, showing them that video games can be a part of their everyday fitness routines.” Instead of just dropping Wii consoles and games into their store, Campisi knew that his stores had to treat the game and it’s equipment the same as any other piece of exercise equipment. So he had the stores carrying the equipment set up special Wii Fit areas and train some of their employees to explain and demonstrate the gaming equipment. “They typically train people on weights and treadmills and now they’re showing people how to use the Wii Fit,” he said. Mike Gabriela, manager of the Sports Authority in Littleton, Colorado, said news that the retailer would be carrying the video games was a “welcome surprise.” The equipment for the Wii Experience landed in their store on a Friday and they had it up and running that Saturday morning. Gabriela says they trained employees using a Nintendo-provided video and tried out Wii Fit themselves. “It’s absolutely exercise,” he said. “You do a couple of those programs and it is very difficult.” The customers who so far seem most intrigued by the console and it’s fitness games seem to be women who do Yoga and aerobics, he said. “We sold our first (Wii) within 20 minutes of being open,” Gabriela said. While Sports Authority and Campisi seem to be putting a lot of support behind the Wii Fit, it doesn’t mean that they believe it will replace more traditional forms of exercise. “I don’t believe that,” Campisi said. “My wife would kill me if I believe that. I don’t think this is a shift away from traditional exercise, it’s just another way to get fit. “There are a lot of people who don’t want to get off their couch, but this is fun. Everyone is moving at 100 miles an hour, maybe this can get them to slow down.” The Wii Fit and the Wii’s driving concept also seem to connect with Sports Authority on another level. Where Nintendo is using the Wii to expand their audience to more casual gamers, Sports Authority has long used backyard and youth sports to connect with children at a younger age. The two coming together to expand each of their audiences seems like a good idea. Nintendo’s Franklin wasn’t willing to yet say how important the Sports Authority deal would be in helping to expand Nintendo’s reach. “That remains to be seen,” he said. “But we’re always looking for ways to get video games into the hands – or under the feet – of people who have never played them before. Nintendo has the most diverse group of fans of any video game company, and it’s important for us to reach out to where those fans are. “We’re always looking to bring the world of video games to new audiences. I’m sure there are plenty of people who visit The Sports Authority who don’t have an interest in video games. Seeing Wii and Wii Fit Plus in the same context as some of their favorite fitness products will undoubtedly pique some people’s interest and make them consider video games in a whole new light.” And for Sports Authority there’s also a very practical reason to get into the Wii Fit business. Not everyone has the room for the larger exercise equipment the retailer sells. “There are lots of people who can’t afford a treadmill and we have stores in cities like New York where people can’t fit that equipment in their lofts and apartments,” Campisi said. Though, it is still just one of many things the retailer carries, Campisi reminds. “Fitness equipment and sports equipment is what we do,” he said. “In our fitness department we carry a lot of equipment. There are many, many ways to get fit and exercise, this is just one additional opportunity. And for sporting goods its a huge opportunity it’s fun.”

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Wii Fitness Shares Store With Dumbbells, Treadmills [Well Played]

Nintendo Takes Over Malls Across America [Holiday Shopping]

As if the mall couldn’t be any scarier this holiday season, Nintendo is setting a Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience for shoppers to try out mid-mad dash. The Mall Experience is intended to make “it easier than ever for holiday consumers to sample the year’s most sought-after games” for the Wii and DS/DSi. Demo stations will be set up at 35 malls all over the country starting next week to let people play games like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (which will be hot stuff ’til it goes on sale Dec. 7), Style Savvy (whose ads on MTV cause me physical pain), Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (yay!), New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus . Hm. I hope they’re set up next to the food court. Here’s the list of malls they’re hitting up between Nov. 23 and Dec. 20: • Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz. • Westfield Culver City in Culver City, Calif. • Westfield Parkway in El Cajon, Calif. • Ontario Mills in Ontario, Calif. • Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco • Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Conn. • Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, Fla. • Florida Mall in Orlando, Fla. • Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg, Fla. • Lenox Square in Atlanta • River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Ill. • Greenwood Park in Greenwood, Ind. • Arundel Mills in Hanover, Md. • South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Mass. • Burlington Mall in Burlington, Mass. • Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. • Southdale Center in Edina, Minn. • Deptford Mall in Deptford, N.J. • Queens Center in Elmhurst, N.Y. • Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y. • Galleria of White Plains in White Plains, N.Y. • The Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, Ohio • Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City • Franklin Mills in Philadelphia • Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis, Tenn. • Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, Texas • Irving Mall in Irving, Texas • Ingram Park Mall in San Antonio • Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake, Va. • Virginia Center Commons in Glen Allen, Va. • Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va. • Potomac Mills in Prince William, Va. • Northgate Mall in Seattle • Westfield Southcenter in Seattle • Southridge Mall in Greendale, Wisc. Image Cred — and I so wanted that game for Hanukkah as a kid!

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Nintendo Takes Over Malls Across America [Holiday Shopping]

Nintendo Takes Over Malls Across American [Holiday Shopping]

As if the mall couldn’t be any scarier this holiday season, Nintendo is setting a Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience for shoppers to try out mid-mad dash. The Mall Experience is intended to make “it easier than ever for holiday consumers to sample the year’s most sought-after games” for the Wii and DS/DSi. Demo stations will be set up at 35 malls all over the country starting next week to let people play games like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (which will be hot stuff ’til it goes on sale Dec. 7), Style Savvy (whose ads on MTV cause me physical pain), Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (yay!), New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus . Hm. I hope they’re set up next to the food court. Here’s the list of malls they’re hitting up between Nov. 23 and Dec. 20: • Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz. • Westfield Culver City in Culver City, Calif. • Westfield Parkway in El Cajon, Calif. • Ontario Mills in Ontario, Calif. • Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco • Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Conn. • Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, Fla. • Florida Mall in Orlando, Fla. • Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg, Fla. • Lenox Square in Atlanta • River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Ill. • Greenwood Park in Greenwood, Ind. • Arundel Mills in Hanover, Md. • South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Mass. • Burlington Mall in Burlington, Mass. • Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. • Southdale Center in Edina, Minn. • Deptford Mall in Deptford, N.J. • Queens Center in Elmhurst, N.Y. • Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y. • Galleria of White Plains in White Plains, N.Y. • The Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, Ohio • Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City • Franklin Mills in Philadelphia • Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis, Tenn. • Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, Texas • Irving Mall in Irving, Texas • Ingram Park Mall in San Antonio • Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake, Va. • Virginia Center Commons in Glen Allen, Va. • Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va. • Potomac Mills in Prince William, Va. • Northgate Mall in Seattle • Westfield Southcenter in Seattle • Southridge Mall in Greendale, Wisc. Image Cred — and I so wanted that game for Hanukkah as a kid!

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Nintendo Takes Over Malls Across American [Holiday Shopping]

Nintendo Takes Over Malls Across American [Holiday Shopping]

As if the mall couldn’t be any scarier this holiday season, Nintendo is setting a Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience for shoppers to try out mid-mad dash. The Mall Experience is intended to make “it easier than ever for holiday consumers to sample the year’s most sought-after games” for the Wii and DS/DSi. Demo stations will be set up at 35 malls all over the country starting next week to let people play games like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (which will be hot stuff ’til it goes on sale Dec. 7), Style Savvy (whose ads on MTV cause me physical pain), Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (yay!), New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus . Hm. I hope they’re set up next to the food court. Here’s the list of malls they’re hitting up between Nov. 23 and Dec. 20: • Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz. • Westfield Culver City in Culver City, Calif. • Westfield Parkway in El Cajon, Calif. • Ontario Mills in Ontario, Calif. • Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco • Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Conn. • Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, Fla. • Florida Mall in Orlando, Fla. • Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg, Fla. • Lenox Square in Atlanta • River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Ill. • Greenwood Park in Greenwood, Ind. • Arundel Mills in Hanover, Md. • South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Mass. • Burlington Mall in Burlington, Mass. • Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. • Southdale Center in Edina, Minn. • Deptford Mall in Deptford, N.J. • Queens Center in Elmhurst, N.Y. • Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y. • Galleria of White Plains in White Plains, N.Y. • The Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, Ohio • Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City • Franklin Mills in Philadelphia • Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis, Tenn. • Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, Texas • Irving Mall in Irving, Texas • Ingram Park Mall in San Antonio • Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake, Va. • Virginia Center Commons in Glen Allen, Va. • Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va. • Potomac Mills in Prince William, Va. • Northgate Mall in Seattle • Westfield Southcenter in Seattle • Southridge Mall in Greendale, Wisc. Image Cred — and I so wanted that game for Hanukkah as a kid!

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Nintendo Takes Over Malls Across American [Holiday Shopping]

Sports Authority Fitness Retailer Inks Deal to Sell Wii [Wii]

Starting this month, Nintendo’s Wii gets its own section and pitch people at The Sports Authority stores nationwide, part of a movement to help make the country more fit, the fitness chain’s president told Kotaku this morning. Sports Authority president David Campisi says that the Colorado company, which operated about 450 stores, has been working on the deal for about half a year, but that he was interested in selling the fitness-themed games since Wii Fit first hit stores in 2008. “This is about getting the nation fit,” Campisi told Kotaku. “This could be really, really game changing.” The chain started a soft roll-out of the Wii Fit Experience earlier this month with 102 stores selling the Wii, Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus , accessories and other sports and fitness-themed games, Campisi said. The experience is set up along side the chain’s more traditional exercise equipment like weights and treadmills. “On Saturday I had people from 30 stores sending me pictures of kids on the Wii Fit board all day,” he said. The official announcement of Sports Authority’s deal with Nintendo to sell their console and games will come this Thursday with the help of fitness expert Jillian Michaels , star of The Biggest Loser and her own Wii game Wii Fitness Ultimatum. Campisi says that Thursday’s event at their Torrance, California store will include more than 100 Wii boards and an attempt to host the world’s largest Wii Fit Plus workout. “In our fitness departments we carry a lot of equipment,” Campisi said. “There are many, many ways to get fit and exercise, this is just one additional opportunity.”

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Sports Authority Fitness Retailer Inks Deal to Sell Wii [Wii]

Surprise: People Prefer Wii Sports Resort To Wii Fit Plus [Screengrab]

As seen on Coffee With Games via the Go Nintendo blog. Me, I’m loving Wii Fit Plus — but I don’t own Sports Resort and I have a virtual crush on my virtual Wii Fit Plus trainer.

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Surprise: People Prefer Wii Sports Resort To Wii Fit Plus [Screengrab]

Frankenreview: Wii Fit Plus [Round Up]

Everybody back on the balance board! Wii fit is back and packed with so much additional content that Nintendo had to add a Plus to the end of the title. Wii Fit Plus is an enhanced version of the game that saw people who normally wouldn’t be caught dead in a video game store flocking to them in droves. Along with all of the original game’s content, Plus adds 15 new balance board activities, strength training and yoga, a calorie counter, workout planning, and the ability to make profiles for your pets. Add in streamlined navigation and Nintendo has a recipe for further success on their hands. Right, assembled video game critics? GayGamer Basically, your mileage with Wii Fit Plus will vary depending on how you reacted to the first. If you already have and enjoy Wii Fit, this is kind of a no-brainer, as the additional games are well worth the $20 price tag for just the disc. If you tried Wii Fit, but found it lacking as an exercise program, you might want to check this one out as it is a little more focused, and you’ve already got the Balance Board. On the other hand, if you never bought Wii Fit, well, this is the game that will now come bundled with the Balance Board, so you don’t even have to worry about the first game. Oh, and it should go without saying that if you really hated Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus is probably not going to change your mind. GamePro The body test has been modified to include one standard fitness test, and another that taxes your brain alongside your bulk, so that your Wii Fit Age represents your mind and body, instead of just the latter. There are three additional yoga and strength exercises each, and all of them are among the most strenuous activities in the game. Can you make your body into a V shape while sitting on the balance board or lay your body completely flat two feet above the ground while supporting your body with only one foot? Wii Fit Plus will test your body a lot more than the original did. IGN One of my favorite enhancements in Plus is its calorie counter. Every action in the game has been assigned a metabolic equivalent of task (or METS) number. A lot of the mini-games feature METS ratings of 2, which isn’t much — about the same as going for the easiest walk you’ve ever taken, but some, like push-ups, rate higher. In Plus, calories are counted by multiplying your weight times your METS. And after every exercise, whether yoga, aerobics or strength, and after every balance board game, you’ll see the calories you’ve burned, which is both encouraging and discouraging; the former because you can visualize some scientific representation of your workouts and discouraging because the calories don’t usually come off in triple or double digits, but single. GameDaily Not only will you receive the previous balance games, but also 15 new Training Plus activities designed to put some fun into working out. Rhythm Kung-Fu, one of our favorites, incorporates the remote, nunchuk and balance board, as players punch and kick with the beat. Meanwhile, Obstacle Course plays like Super Mario Bros., with gamers jumping over logs and dodging objects, except they physically perform those actions with the balance board. We’re also fans of Bird’s-Eye Bull’s-Eye, a game where players flap their arms to control a Mii dressed as a bird, the goal to land on targets and score the most points. 1UP Wii Fit Plus is a better product, but keep in mind that it’s not a sequel. Like the second edition of a book, it looks and feels exactly the same as before, but the additions effectively make the previous version obsolete. And it’s $20 by itself, which helps even more if you still have a Balance Board lying around. Still, things have changed in the year since the first Wii Fit, with multiple exercise games that just keep coming, and are more targeted at people who want nothing but to lose weight. Games like EA Sports Active are made by Americans and likely with Americans in mind, whereas Wii Fit Plus tries to go for a culturally-neutral — though still Japanese-leaning — approach, where traditional ideas of exercise seemingly clash with the practical (not that flapping away like a chicken to land on targets isn’t appealing). In short, there still isn’t much more focus or guidance in Wii Fit Plus, but the ease of use and greater number of enjoyable, not so “exercisey” games within, make it worth it. Kotaku Nintendo has been very careful to call Wii Fit a fitness “tool” not a fitness “solution” for obvious legal reasons. Neither Wii Fit nor its successor, Wii Fit Plus, will magically make you thinner or more easily able to resist tasty food. However, there’s a lot to be said for a game that makes the very idea of fitness fun. It takes your mind off the anxieties about health we have in this country and reshapes your expectations of your body to something more positive than “Will I fit in my skinny jeans tonight?” With the multiplayer element and new games that Wii Fit Plus adds to the experience, I have to say, I’ve been converted from a skeptic to a believer. A believer with a 14 pound cat and a high score on the Obstacle Course. If the Wii Fits…

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Frankenreview: Wii Fit Plus [Round Up]

Frankenreview: Wii Fit Plus [Round Up]

Everybody back on the balance board! Wii fit is back and packed with so much additional content that Nintendo had to add a Plus to the end of the title. Wii Fit Plus is an enhanced version of the game that saw people who normally wouldn’t be caught dead in a video game store flocking to them in droves. Along with all of the original game’s content, Plus adds 15 new balance board activities, strength training and yoga, a calorie counter, workout planning, and the ability to make profiles for your pets. Add in streamlined navigation and Nintendo has a recipe for further success on their hands. Right, assembled video game critics? GayGamer Basically, your mileage with Wii Fit Plus will vary depending on how you reacted to the first. If you already have and enjoy Wii Fit, this is kind of a no-brainer, as the additional games are well worth the $20 price tag for just the disc. If you tried Wii Fit, but found it lacking as an exercise program, you might want to check this one out as it is a little more focused, and you’ve already got the Balance Board. On the other hand, if you never bought Wii Fit, well, this is the game that will now come bundled with the Balance Board, so you don’t even have to worry about the first game. Oh, and it should go without saying that if you really hated Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus is probably not going to change your mind. GamePro The body test has been modified to include one standard fitness test, and another that taxes your brain alongside your bulk, so that your Wii Fit Age represents your mind and body, instead of just the latter. There are three additional yoga and strength exercises each, and all of them are among the most strenuous activities in the game. Can you make your body into a V shape while sitting on the balance board or lay your body completely flat two feet above the ground while supporting your body with only one foot? Wii Fit Plus will test your body a lot more than the original did. IGN One of my favorite enhancements in Plus is its calorie counter. Every action in the game has been assigned a metabolic equivalent of task (or METS) number. A lot of the mini-games feature METS ratings of 2, which isn’t much — about the same as going for the easiest walk you’ve ever taken, but some, like push-ups, rate higher. In Plus, calories are counted by multiplying your weight times your METS. And after every exercise, whether yoga, aerobics or strength, and after every balance board game, you’ll see the calories you’ve burned, which is both encouraging and discouraging; the former because you can visualize some scientific representation of your workouts and discouraging because the calories don’t usually come off in triple or double digits, but single. GameDaily Not only will you receive the previous balance games, but also 15 new Training Plus activities designed to put some fun into working out. Rhythm Kung-Fu, one of our favorites, incorporates the remote, nunchuk and balance board, as players punch and kick with the beat. Meanwhile, Obstacle Course plays like Super Mario Bros., with gamers jumping over logs and dodging objects, except they physically perform those actions with the balance board. We’re also fans of Bird’s-Eye Bull’s-Eye, a game where players flap their arms to control a Mii dressed as a bird, the goal to land on targets and score the most points. 1UP Wii Fit Plus is a better product, but keep in mind that it’s not a sequel. Like the second edition of a book, it looks and feels exactly the same as before, but the additions effectively make the previous version obsolete. And it’s $20 by itself, which helps even more if you still have a Balance Board lying around. Still, things have changed in the year since the first Wii Fit, with multiple exercise games that just keep coming, and are more targeted at people who want nothing but to lose weight. Games like EA Sports Active are made by Americans and likely with Americans in mind, whereas Wii Fit Plus tries to go for a culturally-neutral — though still Japanese-leaning — approach, where traditional ideas of exercise seemingly clash with the practical (not that flapping away like a chicken to land on targets isn’t appealing). In short, there still isn’t much more focus or guidance in Wii Fit Plus, but the ease of use and greater number of enjoyable, not so “exercisey” games within, make it worth it. Kotaku Nintendo has been very careful to call Wii Fit a fitness “tool” not a fitness “solution” for obvious legal reasons. Neither Wii Fit nor its successor, Wii Fit Plus, will magically make you thinner or more easily able to resist tasty food. However, there’s a lot to be said for a game that makes the very idea of fitness fun. It takes your mind off the anxieties about health we have in this country and reshapes your expectations of your body to something more positive than “Will I fit in my skinny jeans tonight?” With the multiplayer element and new games that Wii Fit Plus adds to the experience, I have to say, I’ve been converted from a skeptic to a believer. A believer with a 14 pound cat and a high score on the Obstacle Course. If the Wii Fits…

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Frankenreview: Wii Fit Plus [Round Up]

Wii Fit Plus Review: Now I’m A Believer [Review]

People in this country have it tough on the health front between unrealistic body image expectations and amazing food we’re expected to avoid for the sake of our figures. Couple all of that with the pathological need among my gender to be slimmer, stronger and sexier than the next chick and it’s no wonder 10 million women develop an eating disorder and a love-hate relationship with the gym. Buying Wii Fit Plus won’t fix any of that, sadly. But it’s a giant leap in the right direction. Loved Stat Tracking For The Whole Family: The original Wii Fit allows you to track an approximation of your weight, body mass index and calories burned per day. Wii Fit Plus lets you to do the same for toddlers and pets, extending the appeal of the game to the whole family. True, your pets and toddlers can’t do any exercises to improve their weight. But it is a way to get youngsters started on healthy attitudes toward their bodies and a good way to annoy your animal, since you have to hold them while they’re being measured. Fun Games For Multiplayer: Wii Fit Plus adds a ton of new games to the original line-up that challenge your heart rate, balance and coordination. What makes these games even more fun is the multiplayer mode Plus includes in your Wii Fit experience. For one thing, it that eliminates the back-out-choose-new-profile step you had to go through in the original game. For another, it turns all of the games like Super Hula Hoop and Tilt City into competitive smackdowns instead of weird ways to lose weight by flailing around in your living room. The Obstacle Course: The Obstacle Course is exactly what it sounds like: a course loaded with obstacles that you’ve got to run your Mii through using the Balance Board to track sprints, jumps and mad flailing if you get too close to an edge. At the Beginner level, the obstacle course looks like an early Mario 64 level with big Chain Chomp-looking balls swinging in your path and grassy fields to sprint across. At the Advanced level, it starts to look like a Bowser boss fight with moving platforms and shifting ice planes to navigate on your way to the finish. Honestly, re-skin the whole thing and you could have an actual 3D Super Mario Bros. game. Hated Repetitive: I absolutely hate having the Balance Board or the Virtual Trainer say the exact same thing over and over again during an exercise. Yes, Virtual Person, I know the triceps extension tones your upper arms. That’s why I’m doing it, so STFU and let me get on with it! Finicky On Some Balance Issues: In games like Rhythm Kung-Fu, Perfect 10 and the Obstacle Course, timing is everything. Which is why it’s so frustrating when you pick up your left foot exactly when you’re supposed to and the Balance Board doesn’t track it. Or when you practically throw your back out trying to jut your hips forward to tag a mushroom in Perfect 10 and somehow the Balance Board thinks you went backwards. So frustrating! Wii Fit Age Measurements: Each day, Wii Fit asks you to complete a body test that measures your weight and BMI. It also subjects you to balance and quick-thinking tests that are supposed to measure your “age” in the way that Brain Age does. However, the balance and logic games that the test subjects you to are ones that you’re probably not familiar with, so you’re bound to mess them up on the first try, netting you a Wii Fit Age at least 10 years beyond what you actually are. It’d be nice if there were a way to access the games from the Training menu so at least you could get a feel for what the test will throw at you. Nintendo has been very careful to call Wii Fit a fitness “tool” not a fitness “solution” for obvious legal reasons. Neither Wii Fit nor its successor, Wii Fit Plus, will magically make you thinner or more easily able to resist tasty food. However, there’s a lot to be said for a game that makes the very idea of fitness fun. It takes your mind off the anxieties about health we have in this country and reshapes your expectations of your body to something more positive than “Will I fit in my skinny jeans tonight?” With the multiplayer element and new games that Wii Fit Plus adds to the experience, I have to say, I’ve been converted from a skeptic to a believer. A believer with a 14 pound cat and a high score on the Obstacle Course. Wii Fit Plus was developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Wii on October 4. The full kit with the Balance Board costs $100, but if you already own the Balance Board, you can get the box copy for $20. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played all of the games and tried all of the exercises in Strength and Yoga marked “New.” Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ .

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Wii Fit Plus Review: Now I’m A Believer [Review]

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