Archive for February, 2008

In January Nintendo announced that Wii Fit would see a European release in June, but the date announced by [tag]Nintendo[/tag] of Europe is a lot better than June. [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] will see a european release the 25th of April, the American releasedate is May 19th. Nintendo hasn’t announced a price indication for the Wii Fit bundle with the [tag]Wii Balance Board[/tag] yet. Play-Asia will open its pre-orders for the US version of Wii Fit soon.

During another issue of the ‘Iwata Asks’ interviews, Wii Fit-creator [tag]Shigeru Miyamoto[/tag] talked about a [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] snowboarding game. Among the Wii Fit minigames there is one game called Snowboard Slalom. Shigeru would like to make an extended version of this minigame or something like a [tag]1080° Balance Boarding[/tag] game for the [tag]Wii[/tag] and [tag]Wii Balance Board[/tag]. Nintendo is also planning on releasing WiiWare-games that use the Wii Balance Board.

Source: Wacka Gameblog

[tag]Shigeru Miyamoto[/tag] wanted to create a game that would attract both young and old people and it looks like [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] and the [tag]Wii Balance Board[/tag] are fun for anyone! When you see pictures of people playing [tag]Wii Fit[/tag], you never see them alone but most of them hang around in their living room with a couple of friends and family and play some [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] together. Some people even let their pets play some [tag]Wii[/tag] Fit!

Read the rest of this entry »

[tag]Wii Fit[/tag] is still selling extremely well in Japan with over 1,3 million [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] with Balance Board bundles sold and a 5th place in the software charts. Some folks like jeffus are lucky enough to get their feet on the [tag]Wii Balance Board[/tag] even before the American or European launch of the game. We’ll probably have to wait some longer before the game comes out in the US, but in the meanwhile we might as well have a look at some pictures of Japanese [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] users.

Read the rest of this entry »

Forum member jeffus had some time with [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] and the [tag]Wii Balance Board[/tag] from Japan and was so kind to share his impressions with us on the WiiHealthy forums. Jeff isn’t a hardcore gamer, but he got the Wii because he wanted to prepare for the release of [tag]Wii Fit[/tag] in the US. WiiHealthy thanks jeffus for sharing his opinion with us!

---

A friend just came back from Japan, and he had purchased a [tag]Wii[/tag] console and Wii Fit. I Went over to his house last night and played for a while, and it is awesome! I had sent my Mii to his console the day before, so on his console I was able to configure my height and it told me my BMI. I am 6′ 1″ and around 190 lbs, BMI just barely under 25. I was then able to program in my desired BMI and would be able to track my progress toward that goal.

I’m not really a game player. At 41 years old I grew up on pong and pinball, but never really got into gaming - maybe a little Leisure Suit Larry a long time ago. My wife and I bought our console in December because we heard about the Fit and wanted to be ready. We rarely play the sports game, and while I bought Zelda:TP, I have only played it twice - I would rather read a good book or surf the web for technology news than play a game.

But I am crazy for the Fit after last night! First tried downhill skiing. It took several tries to get the hang of it, and quickly caught on to how sensitive the pad is and how little pressure needs to be applied. Just some gentle swaying was all that was needed, but if I got off course I could lean back quickly and cut a sharp edge to turn abruptly. I’ve only skied once in my life, so I don’t know if it is accurate in any way, but I was able to go through all gates in the beginner course and finish in 30 seconds (first place on their console). My friend showed me the advanced course, and it was much longer and more interesting.

The ski jump was more difficult, I could not quite get the secret to a long jump, some sort of finesse is needed I think. The hula-hoop was exhausting, requiring lots of leg and hip action. Their version of DDR (dance-dance revolution) was neat, but not very interesting at the beginner level. The jogging was pretty darn cute - you don’t use the pad, but instead the wii-mote in your hand and it can sense how fast you are jogging. The marble-on-platform game was one of my favorites - very challenging and really works the calfs. Tightrope walking was also cool, and gets harder the better you get.

There is just so much to this game - I am amazed! There is also yoga and strength training that I didn’t try, and locked levels I did not see, and advanced courses that I would have to earn my way up to. I can see this as a game that does not collect dust in my house.

One other note to mention: there is a lot of text and dialog that will have to be localized into other languages. Lots and lots of introductory explanations and warnings and speeches by trainers. Instead of just translating the text, they will have to make it more colloquial for each culture. Watching Japanese people respond to the instructions (actually giving verbal responses) drove home yet another cultural difference. I think that they need to take their time and really do this part well.

Wii Fit impressions written by jeffus from the WiiHealthy forums.