Wii Fit

Hey you! Get up off that couch and lets get in shape! While those words may be something that gamers don't want to hear and would have spelled disaster for a game a few years ago, Nintendo is hoping to change the way people look at games with their upcoming Wii Fit. Already a hit in Japan, Wii Fit will help gamers in their quest to get their bodies in shape and be more fit. An English translated build of Wii Fit was shown at GDC 08 and the game is shaping up to get you in shape!

Wii Fit begins by having players stand on the balance board, that ships with Wii Fit, and it will measure your BMI, let you know how you carry your weight, and have you input information like age, date of birth, etc. It is as simple as getting off your couch and following the instructions. Once this information is gathered and received, Wii Fit will then assist you in coming up with goals and help monitor your progress. While this game alone probably won't get anyone in shape or help lead to massive weight loss, it can assist players in their weekly work-out schedules and tie everything neatly to their Mii. Now if only I could get my Mii to get some muscles...

Players will be able to choose from an assortment of different exercises to help achieve goals. These include various balance games, yoga, and actual exercises that Wii Fit will monitor you completing. And don't even think about trying to cheat. The balance board is extremely sophisticated and it will know if you are cheating. With a piece of hardware that knows what we are doing, what is next for Nintendo--a big brother mirror to make sure we aren't doing anything else wrong? While that may not be seen until Wii 2, the balance board is definitely a great piece of technology. The only problem is that it limits users to 300 pounds of less. I guess Nintendo feels like they will never be able to get fit.

As players progress with spending time in the game and completing events, they will unlock hidden activities and new exercises. In addition to this, like in Brain Age, players will continually lower their Wii Fit age as they get healthier and healthier.

Wii Fit is almost guaranteed to become one of the biggest selling games of the year. With a huge installed base for the Wii and a ton of gamers looking for the next big casual game, Wii Fit should appeal to the audience nicely. While the game could potentially succeed on other platforms, past games similar to Wii Fit have all been ignored by all users. However, on May 19, 2008, expect to start getting in shape and for the the Wii to give Wii Sports owners something else "hip and cool" to play.