Wii Fit – My First Impressions

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Well, I waited on line at Nintendo World in New York City for half an hour to buy Wii Fit, then I had to walk from around 50th street down to 33rd with that heavy box to catch my train home, but I finally got me a copy of the game, and I played over an hour’s worth.

First things first, like I mentioned, the box is heavy. Not so heavy that one can’t lift it, but heavy enough that if you have to walk quite a distance home after purchasing the game you may get a sore shoulder like I did, so take that into account when buying the game.

Anyway, back to the actual game… The game is fun, the exercises are tough, and if you had any doubts whether you can get a good workout out of this thing, well, rest assured that you will. Some exercises were easy but I could feel the results from them, some exercises had me on floor in pain because they were pretty tough. But when you get through them, and the trainer tells you that you did a great job, you can’t help but feel satisfied. I enjoyed everything and even had a few laughs when I strained my arms doing push-ups.

The screen shows your balance constantly allowing you to adjust it in order to make sure the exercise is being done properly. What made it even more great for me is that it kept me focused while doing the exercise, never allowing myself to get bored when I repeated the actions. Also, the game never takes itself seriously; you can workout at your own pace and not suffer any penalties. It’s relaxing and fun, and the real-time advice from the personal trainer is very helpful.

There is one problem with the game that I had and I’m sure others might as well: If you don’t have carpet or a mat in your room, some exercises can’t be done without getting hurt. I was thinking of placing a blanket on the floor next time I play the game to solve this problem. Also, remember to stretch before playing. Some exercises can get rough on the muscles that aren’t used to it.

Overall the game is great and I look forward to playing more. It accomplishes its goal of delivering exercises that are both fun and efficient. Whether you’re looking to stay in shape or are just looking for a unique and revolutionary playing experience, you can’t go wrong with Wii Fit.

I’ll add more to this discussion as I progress through the game. I’d like to hear from our European readers who already have this game whether they discovered any glitches or other technical problems so I can watch out for those. Everyone else, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

(If you’d like to email me please do so at [email protected] I love to hear from you guys)



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  • PaulT

    I was away on holiday last week, but I haven’t noticed any technical glitches during the week or so I’ve been using it regularly before that. An exercise mat is very useful to put under the board for some routines.

    I’ve found it very useful and a great motivator so far. My only complaint is that there’s no option to go through a set routine of exercises (e.g. set up a “playlist” or an automatically generated routine) so you have to waste a minute or 2 choosing the exercise each time, and it’s difficult to choose if you’re unfamiliar with them. Even so, I’ve noticed a lot more physical effects from this so far than with Wii Sports – I’ve never done yoga before so some of the exercises get to muscles I never used before!

  • pyroxide

    is there some reason for doing this barefoot as opposed to wearing socks?

  • Martin

    Nice review. Some questions:

    - How long do you have to play to have a good “workout”?
    - Will you actually sweat a lot so you need to put on your sport outfit?
    - I read that the board is a bit small.. I have large feet (47EUR, 12.5USA if my converter is correct :P ). Will this be a problem?
    - Is every game single player only? Or can you run with 2 players, since you don’t need the board for that.
    - Can you also see it as a game instead of calling it a workout, so you can play all day?
    - Won’t it get boring afther some weeks?

    Thanks in advance!
    Martin

  • PaulT

    @pyroxide: The board tell you to do use it barefoot. I’m going to guess it’s a safety precaution so that you don’t slip on the board while doing excercises on one leg, etc.

    @Martin, I can answer those, I think:

    - It usually takes me around 30 mins for a decent workout, but YMMV as I’m not the fittest person in the world to begin with – I found that jogging and some of the muscle exercises can take it out of me quite quickly for instance.

    - Comfortable clothes are a must, I usually wear t-shirt and shorts. Again, I tend to sweat a bit, but I don’t know how someone more used to the exercises would cope.

    - The board is a decent size for most people, you might find it a little small. Best thing would be to find a store that has a display model and check. I’m a size 44EUR and I’m fine with it, there’s no size limit listed on the board (though there’s a 150kg weight limit)

    - There’s a 2 player jogging option

    - Depends on you, and who you play with. Competing against another person is great for motivation. I can see it getting boring after a week or 2 on your own but if you’re competitive and you live with someone else who’s using it, you’ll keep motivated for a while even if it’s just to keep up with the other person’s achievements.

  • JoeR

    Exactly how much weight can the board support? I mean, I know there are a lot of fat Ninty fanboys out there who are wondering the same thing…

  • Martin

    Thanks PaulT!

  • JCostas

    -I use socks when I play and there is no problem. Like PaulT said, probably a safety issue. Just wear socks with a good grip.
    -I have a size 13 shoe size and my feet fit perfectly, but anything over a size 13 might cause problems. I’m thinking the limit is size 15 before the board becomes uncomfortable.

  • JCostas

    Also, Martin, there are some programs in Wii Fit that aren’t really exercises but are meant to be played as a game. One of my favorite games is where you have to this floating board and you have to tilt it in order to drop some balls into a hole. It’s fun and will take time to master, all the while improving your balance!

  • king

    While I think aerobics are fine, can any one tell me….

    Doesnt that Jogging exercise seem to hurt the knees over time, jogging in the same place seem to hurt the knees. I even heard treadmills after sometime hurt the knees

  • http://jenngrover.com The Zune Lune

    How is battery life? Have you purchased a Wii Fit rechargable battery pack? Also, can you play with other people without your weight or BMI being displayed?

  • Andrew

    Oh. That’s right. Wii Fit was just released in USA. I was slightly confused at first to see this post. Damn. It’s sold out over here, with no idea of next stock. And guess who hasn’t got it?

  • http://www.WiiNintendo.net JCostas

    “Also, can you play with other people without your weight or BMI being displayed?”

    You can password protect that info.

  • http://jenngrover.com The Zune Lune

    “Also, can you play with other people without your weight or BMI being displayed?”

    You can password protect that info.”

    Phewwwww! I bought my Wii for the Fit because I need to lose weight!

  • http://wiinintendo.net noodle

    Why is it that I post my first impressions 2 weeks before release yet no-one comments?

  • http://jenngrover.com The Zune Lune

    I got my Fit yesterday and I love it!!! I was afraid I would be disappointed, but I should have known better. The games are a total blast and I am sore today.

    It occurred to me that Nintendo could leverage the WiFi in the console and make the Fit interactive with a reputable diet program like Weight Watchers (online version). The integration options would be abundant. Your activities could be converted to Activity Points and you could enter your food journal online. Probably most importantly, your weight would be tracked regularly for Weight Watchers.

  • Morri

    From Europe here…Got the Wii Fit a few weeks ago (with much effort I might add, since the stores were short on them). I haven’t seen any technical glitches or problems so far. I only have 2 small niggles with it:

    - the lack of a party mode. Some of the games/exercises in Wii Fit would make excellent party games. You can make a new Mii for guests, or use the ‘Guest’ option, but you would still have to go back to the Wii Plaza screen to chose a different Mii. It was much easier in Wii Sports.

    - once you know how to do exercises, you want to go to the next exercise fast. Not possible. Your ‘trainer’ talks too much after an exercise and you can’t click through it fast. Added is the high score, which takes several seconds as well before you can click it away. This makes that a, say, exercise of 2 minutes effectively can take up to 4 or 5 minutes real time to complete, due to all the ‘fluf’. A daily 30 minute work out could easily end up taken an hour or more, for no reason at all.

    Love the Wii Fit though!

  • Team17dude

    I just purchased the game yesterday and I realized as soon as I had unpacked it from the box and had stepped upon the board that it was only JUST large enough to fit my feet I am 184 cm or a bit over 6 foot, and my feet are around size 15. So I was very relieved to see that I could just fit on the board, but for people with sizes above 15 I fear won’t have an enjoyable time on this board, It would be nice if Nintendo would make a slightly larger one for those of us with larger feet. And yes I would recommend stretching before starting this game, something of mine cracked yesterday.

    But I found the jogging activity awesome it worked better for me when I had the remote in my pocket, but I will have to purchase pants with deeper pockets or zipper pockets because the Wii remote is prone to falling out.

    Where else can you see Jackie Chan jogging? But in Wii Fit

    Great game so far, beats going to a gym.

  • http://www.yoga-clothing.com Manduka

    Haha ^^ nice, is there a section to follow the RSS feed

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