Hello, my name is Dali Dimovski and I am slightly overweight. I play video games, work in front of a computer for 6-8 hours a day, and don’t get nearly enough sleep. I have a gym membership which I haven’t utilized since March and a work-out room at the office that I use once a week (or so). I blame my lack of physical fitness recently on my lack of time: busy lifestyle, trying to keep a full-time job, building a family, etc. I’m quite possibly a prime candidate for exer-gaming.
On Tuesday, September 1st, I completed my 30-Day Challenge in EA Sports Active for the Wii.
My issue with exercising is that making it a habit can be tedious. My schedule doesn’t always allow for me to hit the gym on the way home from work, and I simply don’t have all the equipment in my abode to make a dent. That, and I’m lazy. And while I’m rarely in front of my TV apart from playing video games, I tend to “fool” myself into thinking that exer-gaming might be an option. I have seen seemingly endless amounts of fitness games come and go. However, none of them have appealed to me because they tend to be geared towards the female demographic. EA Sports Active seemed like a decent gender-neutral fit when it was released, and picking it up in August I can confirm that it made me sweat–A LOT.
The best way to review any game in this genre probably is to utilize it in the way it is intended; in this case to go through the 30-day challenge and mark my results, and whether I enjoyed the ride or not.
Starting weight: 200 lbs.
Likes
– 30-day Challenge: This is the way to do an exercise game; people don’t use exer-gaming like they use the gym. That is, when I go to the gym it’s to maintain my health at a regular pace and with specific workouts. Because this is still a video game, it needs to be goal-oriented. Every day, for 30 days, Active creates a specific workout routine lasting 30 minutes or so. The 30-day goal, once completed, made me feel like I had accomplished something… like I had beaten a game. The preset workout presentation is excellent, as the experience was like having a personal trainer guiding me along the way. The calendar and journal system allowed me to keep track of my activity through the day, although it would have been nicer (and easier) with some online integration allowing me to do it from my iPhone or computer while at work.
– Workout intensity: Some of the workouts weren’t just strenuous, they were down-right brutal. Jumping from a lunge position to jumping side-to-side to running with high kicks all in a span of 10 minutes left my knees feeling like butter. Every workout left me sweating like Roger Ebert on crack… and I loved it. Sweating lets me know that I’m doing well during a workout. The variety and mix of exercises in each workout kept my highs and lows working overtime.
– Presentation: Active‘s presentation was great, with videos preceding exercises new to a routine. The ease of navigation helped plan workouts. And with minimal interface with the system (its a personal trainer, after all… he tells you what to do), it made for an easy “anyone can do it” play. The realistic visuals help solidify the exercise experience, as I can relate my actions to life-like characters more than to Miis. Focusing on calorie-burning as opposed to weight loss was much more pleasant and made the goals feel achievable.
– Achievements: The increasing trend to include achievements in Wii games has been prolonging my play of them, and no more apparent than in EA Sports Active. Receiving trophies for doing 500 punches or 10 days of exercise or for running a set number of laps around the track is a welcome carrot to chase. Now if only I could share them with friends…
Dislikes
– Bland visuals: Although the overall presentation is nice, the visuals aren’t anything to write home (or anywhere else, for that matter) about. While this is meant to appeal to everyone and offend no one, EA can surely create a little more sizzle. Some of the exercises had nearly static scenes with only the character moving. The character models are overly simple as well; understanding that the “Wii can’t do high-def graphics” doesn’t mean that we accept boring, generic characters.
– Motion issues: On several occasions I noticed my controller either misjudging my movement or not picking it up at all. Motion Plus is needed badly, Mr. EA. Plus, adding one-to-one character animation instead of canned ones would help me visually gauge if I’m doing an exercise move correctly.
– NON-line: There is no online component in EA Sports Active. Now I’m not asking for player vs player, but it would have been nice if I could have tracked my workout and the in-game journal from any computer. If Guitar Hero 3 could do it, EA surely can. Apparently EA is ACTIVEly examining how to bring this feature to the game down the line.
– Repetitious execrises: There are a lot of lunge- and bicep curl-based exercises in the game, to the point where they tend to be overkill. A little more variety, such as adding in crunches, pushups, and other core exercises, would have made for a fresh workout each time.
Weight after 30 Days: 193 lbs.
This is the first time that I’ve felt that exercising in video games is a worthwhile experience. WiiFit, although fun, lost its luster fairly quickly and didn’t offer many sweat-filled workouts. EA Active takes the knowledge of a personal trainer and adds in a goal-oriented system that makes exer-gaming more like real gaming, but with aches, pains, and a (hopefully) tighter tummy. With the exception of a few quirks, the software is worth every penny, and anyone with a Wii who is remotely interested in fitness would find it an enjoyable and worthwhile purchase.
Notes
System: Nintendo Wii
Released: May 2009
Players: 2
Peripherals: Thigh strap and resistance band (both included), Wii balance board (not included)
[Images courtesy EA Sports]
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