Review: Wii Fit Plus

Nintendo has been hounding us to get off our butts and get active ever since the company first first launched the Wii. Motion control was supposed to change everything. Gamers would become more active, and they would lose weight. The future looked bright. Then the coach potatoes figured out they could play games by just flicking their wiimotes with their wrists while lounging on the sofa. Yes, it kind of defeated the purpose. That all changed when the Wii Fit was released, a small collection of exercises and balance games to be performed on a balance board. Now, more than one year after its initial release, Nintendo has followed up with Wii Fit Plus, a new collection of exercises and games. How does it compare to the first. Let’s just say moms everywhere will be pleased.

The Concept

Like its predecessor, Wii Fit Plus focuses on encouraging users to get more active and improve their overall lifestyle.  This is done through numerous activities from cardio, and strength training to yoga & balance exercises. Most of the activities are done right on the balance board but a few of them require you to step off.

This time around you will also have to change the position of the Wii Fit Balance Board on the floor for some of the activities. Take skateboarding for example. You’ll have to rotate the balance board 90 degrees, essentially turning it into a skateboard where you can use your foot to push off the floor as if it were a real skateboard.

The Activities

Wii Fit Plus has all of the original activities that were included in the original game, with 15 new ones. Oh and let’s not forget 3 new yoga and strength training exercises. Lets take a look at each one shall we…

Perfect 10
You are surrounded by numbers! It’s your goal to bump the numbers with your hips that add up to the number 10. In this activity you’ll be swinging your hips in all directions trying to hit the numbers while at the same time trying to do math quickly in your head. The clock is ticking and you have to be fast. In all honestly this one isn’t much of a workout for the body, more of a workout for your brain, but fun none the less.

Bump the numbers that add up to ten

Obstacle Course
This activity will have you stepping on the balance board to get your Mii running through an obstacle course. Run past swinging balls, and jump over pits. You’ll have to be careful not to run or jump on the balance board as it’s not equipped to handle the excess weight. A new take on the old jogging minigame.

Bird’s Eye Bulls-Eye
This activity focuses on upper body strength. You’ll have to flap your arms like a bird as you make your way through an aerial course. You’ll have to stop flapping to land on designated pads to score points, then it’s up into the air once again. This is one of those activities you’ll want to do when you’re alone! You look and feel like a complete fool flapping your wings like a chicken. It doesn’t help that your Mii is dressed in a chicken costume! Yes, your arms do get tired in this one, although not sure how much muscle you’re building by flailing your arms wildly.

Driving Range
Just like Wii golf, but with no course. At the driving range you can practice your swing and see how far you can drive that ball! Practice your approach, swings your irons, or stick with your driver, the choice is yours. This one actually makes you feel like you’re at the driving range, just not as frustrating. I didn’t find myself slicing many balls here! Easy on the swing, I found myself putting a bit too much power into my drives to see how far I could send the ball. Not a good idea. Let’s just say drive enough balls and your arms will be plenty sore the next day.

Skateboard Arena
Rotate the balance board and you’ve got yourself a skateboard! You’ll even have to push off the ground to get yourself moving in this one! The key to skateboarding is balance. Shift your weight left or right to navigate through the course and score points. You can even hit the half pipe and catch some air. This one was actually quite fun and gave the calves a good workout.

Turn your Balance Board into a skateboard

Snowball fight
Fun, but not much of a workout at all. Use the Wiimote to aim and throw snowballs at your competitors. You don’t have to make a throwing motion with your arm in this one, just a push of a button will send a snowball flying, which is too bad. Having to physically throw a snowball would have made this activity much more engaging. The only work you have to do is shift your weight left and right to dodge incoming snowballs. Fun yes! A workout? Hardly.

Rhythm Kung Fu
Remember the step aerobics from the first Wii Fit? This one is similar, with arm movements thrown in. Using the wiimote and nunchuk, you’ll have to perform various Marshall Arts moves in rhythm with the rest of the class. This one doesn’t get the heart pumping to fast, but is is a nice warm up.

Island Cycling
probably one of the best cardio workouts in this game. Taking steps on the Wii balance board will get your Mii to peddle his or her bike. The faster you step, the faster he or she will travel. Participate in a timed race, or simply tour around the island finding flags as the clock ticks!

Segway Circuit
My calves are still barking at me after this one. Just like a real Segway you must lean forward to move forward, and lean back to move back. The objective here is to pop a series of beach balls on a course. The catch? The beach balls appear and disappear as pesky moles pop up all over the course and move them around. Sounds pretty easy, but take it from me, leaning forward on the Wii balance board as you chase down moles does a good job on the calves. You’ll feel this one the next day!

Tilt City
More of a brain teaser than workout, but very fun! Colored balls drop from the top of the screen and make their way towards the bottom.  Your job is to get the colored balls into the tubes of the same color on the bottom of the screen by manipulating a series of tilting platforms. Leaning right will cause the platforms to tilt right, leaning left…well you get the picture. This one focuses on improving your balance more than anything.

Rhythm Parade
This one is all about timing. You have to march to the beat of a marching band and flail your arms in the air on cue. If you’ve ever played Samba De Amigo you know exactly what to expect out of this one.

Big Top Juggling
Its juggling on the Wii. Roll back and forth on the balance board as you balance yourself on a ball while juggling up to 5 balls at a time. The actual juggling is done with the wiimote and nunchuk by simply making a juggling motion with your hands. Harder than it sounds! Once again this one focuses on balance.

Table Tilt Plus
An updated version on the Table Tilt game in the original Wii Fit. You have to get balls through holes in platforms. Instead of controlling the balls, you actually control the platform itself. Leaning on the balance board will cause the platform to shift on screen. Get the balls through as many levels as you can. If you thought the original was challenging, just wait until you try this one. Right off the bat, it’s tough!

Balance Bubble Plus
Maneuver a bubble down a river without touching the banks or any obstacle that you may encounter along the way! Sound familiar? Yup, this too was in the original Wii Fit game package. This course is much more difficult and will once again put your balance skills to the test.

Balance Bubble returns, only this times it's harder!

Basic Run Plus
This activity doesn’t use the balance board at all. You simply put the wiimote in your pocket and run on the spot as your Mii travels along a jogging path. Be prepared! At the end of the course you will be quizzed on what you saw. How many dogs did I pass again? Hmmm.

As mentioned, besides the new balance games, there are also 3 new Yoga moves (spine extension, gate and grounded V) and 3 new strength training exercises (balance bridge, side lunge and single-leg reach) to try out as well.

Added Features
The biggest problem with the original Wii Fit was that every time you completed an exercise you had to go back to the main screen and select another activity to take part in. It really broke up your workout. This time around Nintendo decided to let you create your own workout routine, by selecting activities you want to do  back to back. This is a welcome change. Pretty hard to keep your heart rate up doing cardio when every two minutes you have to stop what you’re doing and set up another activity!

Another nice addition is the calorie counter. Now after each exercise or activity you complete, the Wii will tell you how many calories you just burned. True, it’s a great addition, but it does make you realize just how few calories you’re actually burning off playing this game. Most activities result in burning only 2 – 5 calories! Be prepared to spend a lot of time on the balance board if you want to lose some serious weight!

MultiPlayer

Yes, Wii Fit Plus has multiplayer mode! Now you can take turns exercising and playing balance games with other members of your family. Most of the mini games are actually quite fun so it makes sense Nintendo added this mode to allow everyone to play them together.

The Bottom Line

Wii Fit Plus will be a welcome addition to anyone who owns the Wii balance board. The minigames are fun, and the new exercises add some flavor to what has become an all too familiar routine for avid Wii Fit users. In all honestly, I doubt anyone will lose a ton of weight playing this game, but it does encourage you to get off your butt and have some fun while doing it. You can’t flaw a game for that. Pull out your legwarmers and slip on your sweats, Wii Fit Plus has arrived!

The Good
Fun new activities
Plan your own routines
New calorie counter
The price! $20 for the game, $99 for the bundle

The Bad
Doubt anyone will lose serious weight playing this game
Ability to track your pets weight…seriously?
More of a “second edition” rather than a true sequel