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Radioactive IT Hands On: Wii Fit Plus
Radioactive IT Hands On: Wii Fit Plus | Hands On: Wii Fit Plus |
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| by Mike Bantick | |
| Friday, 16 October 2009 | |
  
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Wii Fit Plus has been launched, and replaces the original title packaged with the Balance Board peripheral, and is also a nicely priced (AU$30) stand alone disc for those folks who already own the original. All the original’s data will transfer over to the new game and the fifteen new mini-games/exercises now include nine that are two-player with the whole experience now having a more non-solo feel, a criticism levelled at the original release. The quick player change, ghost opponent option (where one player has a go at a game, and then their ghost goes up against the following player), inclusion of pets/babies as ‘weighable’ partners and routines (set up an group of exercises to do in a sequence, instead of the original games one at a time) are all improvements that greatly enhance the Wii Fit experience. At the launch party, and admittedly near the end of an evening that included one or two beverages, iTWire was able to get some ‘feet time’ with some of the new mini-games. There is definitely some cross-over here with Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, as some of the new activities include a golfing range and cycling and even a type of Super Monkey Ball as players jog over a floating, ever shifting course of ramps while giant wrecking balls, rolling logs and other obstacles must be manoeuvred around.  Indeed Nintendo has lost a little inhibition with the use of the balance board, requiring players to ‘bounce’ a little more robustly than in previous titles. The baby steps jogging required on the balance board for some of the games is in contrast to the original games non-balance-board jogging game. It is also funny to watch. We tried Tilt City; a coordination game requiring the player to hold the Wii-mote horizontally as a top platform coloured balls will drop onto, from there they will fall to further platforms below and into colour coded pipes. The lower platforms are controlled by shifting weight on the balance board. The game becomes an ever increasing complex head-pat-tummy-rub exercise. Skateboarding is a natural pick-up and play title, a typical hallmark game-play creation from Nintendo. And whilst it is similar to the Snowboarding of the original, gives players another chance to utilise the Balance Board in a different fashion. Perfect 10 got the buttocks moving as bumpers must be hit to light up numbers adding up to, you guessed it, 10. This title provides one of the more robust work-outs in the new series of games, which all-in-all do feel more like a Wii Sports Resort add on than any serious personal training. Take the Segway(r) game for instance, here players jump on a virtual version of the commuting device that was to revolutionise our travelling habits. Zipping around the beach popping balloons, and avoiding moles seemed like a game more akin to activities on Wuhu Island. Wii Fit Plus is a great fun update to Wii Fit, with the emphasis on the fun. From a fitness perspective, the ability to customise, and work through a full routine is the single best improvement to this title. But from a reality perspective, where the Wii is a focal point of family living room entertainment, there have been a number of improvements to the multiplayer playability of Wii Fit as a game, and these are welcomed.  |
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