“At first glance, it may seem gimmicky but once you get involved into the yoga, strength and balance training, you realized how the purchase of Wii Fit was so worth it!”

VIDEO GAME: Wii Fit

COMPANY: Nintendo

RATING: E (Everyone): Comic Mischief

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

KEY INFORMATION
Step onto the Wii Balance Board and into a fun way to get fit.

• Control on-screen action with your movements on the balance board as you work your way through a variety of challenges aimed at getting you off the couch and into the action. Check your Body Mass Index (BMI), see your Wii Fit Age and keep tabs on your daily progress towards a more fit you.
• Get fit with more than 40 activities and exercises, including strength training, aerobics, yoga and balance games. Whether you’re doing a yoga pose or snowboarding down a slalom course, there’s an activity for everyone.
• Challenge your family and friends to get in shape! Create your own personal profile and set goals, test your balance, track your progress with daily workouts and unlock new exercises and activities.

Create a Profile: Before you jump into doing exercises and activities, you’ll start by creating your own profile. Choose a Mii, enter your height and age information, and do a few quick tests:

• BMI Check: BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that is the standard used by agencies such as the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health. To check your BMI, you’ll enter your height then stand on the Wii Balance Board and let it read your weight.
• Wii Fit Age: After you’ve checked your BMI, you’ll do a basic balance test and find out your current Wii Fit Age. This basic balance test measures how well you can control your left and right balance. Based on the results, you’ll be assigned a Wii Fit Age.

Categories: Wii Fit features four main categories to choose from: Strength Training, Aerobics, Yoga and Balance Games. As you spend time exercising, you’ll earn Fit Credits that unlock additional exercises and activities within these categories. Wii Fit also tracks the activities you do the most and puts them into the Favorites category.

• Strength Training: Put your strength to the test with muscle-toning exercises like Single Leg Extension, Sideways Leg Lift, Arm and Leg Lift, Single-Arm Stand, Torso Twists, Rowing Squat, Single Leg Twist, Lunge, Push-Up and Side Plank, Jackknife, Plank and Tricep Extension. Challenges include Push-Up Challenge, Plank Challenge and Jackknife Challenge.
• Aerobics: Get your heart pumping with fun, interactive Aerobic exercises like Hula Hoop®, Basic Step, Basic Run, Super Hula Hoop, Advanced Step, 2-P Run, Rhythm Boxing, Free Step and Free Run.
• Yoga: Work on your balance and flexibility with Yoga poses and activities like Deep Breathing, Half-Moon, Dance, Cobra, Bridge, Spinal Twist, Shoulder Stand, Warrior, Tree, Sun Salutation, Standing Knee, Palm Tree, Chair, Triangle and Downward-Facing Dog.
• Balance Games: Get into the action with fun, balanced-based games like Soccer Heading, Ski Slalom, Ski Jump, Table Tilt, Tightrope Walk, Balance Bubble, Penguin Slide, Snowboard Slalom and Lotus Focus.

Tracking Results:

• Keep tabs on your daily progress with easy-to-understand graphs and charts. Using your personal profile, you can set goals, view a graph of your BMI results over time, see how many Fit Credits you’ve earned, check your Wii Fit Age and even enter exercise time you’ve done outside of Wii Fit. It’s all about coming back and exercising a little every day, and the personal profile makes tracking your daily progress simple and easy.
• You can quickly check your Wii Fit Age and BMI without even putting the game in the console by going directly to the Wii Fit Channel.
• Up to eight family members can create their own profiles in Wii Fit. On the profile-selection screen, everyone in the family can see each other’s recent BMI progress and Fit Credit total. This will allow families to have a friendly competition to exercise and get fit.

I have to admit that I’m enjoying the interactive nature of the Nintendo Wii. I’ve credited the console for helping me shed many pounds via Wii Sports and various other games.

So, when I first heard of Wii Fit, I wasn’t too sure. Mainly because I’ve bought so many Nintendo accessories such as the Power Glove all the way to the Wii Zapper and really, you never know what you’re going to get with these type of accessories and what seems very cool, ends up collecting dust the next day on.

But I’m going to say it right now, Wii Fit is one of the best things to come for the Nintendo Wii console and I would not be surprised if sales in America do quite well.

When opening the box, I was amazed how hefty and durable the board was. I figured that with the modification by Nintendo for the US market to take American body weight versus Japanese body weight in mind, they would have to create a device that would allow people a little over 300 pounds to take part in the workout. So, kudos to Nintendo for that.

Upon adding the four accessories to go underneath the board for thicker carpets, syncing the board to the Wii was quick and I had no problems.

You are then greeted by a animated Wii Fit board who takes you through the steps of adding your data. From there, the board starts to incorporate your Mii and through several tests, will pretty much tell you where you’re at (fit, overweight and obese) and also how you perform, what age you are performing at

The next step is by selecting a trainer. A man or a woman who will help guide you through your training, specifically yoga and strength training.

The first games I wanted to try is balance. Since I train on an Indo Board for surfing, I figured my balance should be good.

So, I did some of the skiing based workout games. One which you have to lean to the left and lean to the right on the Wii Fit board to go through the ski slalom. First time, I did miserable but afterwards, I started doing well. Almost had a 100 percent but first day, I got too confident and missed two. I’ll do better the next time.

The next was the ski jump. This was fun. You bend your knees while slightly moving forward. You see an indicator on the right showing a blue ball and a red ball which is your body placement. Move forward to get that red ball on the blue and you speed up. Right before you jump, you put your legs straight and then lead your body forward to get your score. You get two tries and on the first day, I fail one of the two by getting too confident and the other, I get around 159. So, first day for that was ok.

After spending 25 minutes with the ski-based games, I started messing around with soccer heading. Soccer players kicking a ball and you moving your body to the left and right by hitting the ball with your head.

So many balls and obstacles flying towards you that you have to dodge and I did well but this was a challenge.

The next was balancing on a tight rope which was easy. Lean your body left and right to move up on the tight rope and walking across to another building. There is an obstacle of a munching monster but you avoid it by bending your knees and then standing up to jump.

Next was going for a jog. No need for the Wii board for this one. Just put the wiimote in your pocket or hand and start jogging and the screen will show you jogging with a guide. This alone was pretty interesting because the jog was not very short. So, expect to get a good workout with this.

Then did some workouts with the yoga instructor and this was very neat as she goes through the process of communicating what the exercises do for your body and how to breathe and so forth. Very helpful and I did very well on the yoga and strength training.

And the better you do, you get time added to a bank. The time added will then open up more mini-games in the various sections and by an hour of working out, it told me to rest, get a drink of water and I felt I did a pretty good workout and actually felt refreshed after working out ala Wii Fit.

If there is one caveat I will mention is that the wii board does run on AAA batteries. Four of them. Reviews of the board have mentioned that the batteries do not last long.

Thus I purchased the Intec rechargeable battery pack and cable for $19.99. This is a third party device and so far the only rechargeable battery for the Wii board but it plugs in ala USB through the back of the console. Leave it on for six hours for the initial charge and four hours after. Unfortunately, there is no light indicating recharge is done.

Granted, not everyone is going to buy a device at $89.99 to work out. But I went to a local department store early in the morning and there was a line. Mainly adults who were buying it for the workout and they sold like more than half of their shipment within the first 15 minutes.

I was amazed and also found it pretty cool to see this. Typically when I’m in line for a video game, it’s a totally different demographic.

But after my first day and first hour on WiiFit, I feel good and full of energy and really enjoyed the overall experience.

This is not a gimmick device, this is actually a fun device similar to Wii Sports but more interactivity with working out.

I can see why this has done so well in Japan and I can see it doing well in America. Sure, it’s not for everyone but the benefits of helping people, training people and how fun it is with Wii Fit, its definitely worth owning and investing your $89.

There is a game called We Ski currently available for the Nintendo Wii for $29.99 which can also be used for the Wii Fit board but there is a lot of potential for Wii Fit.

Highly recommended!

+ A great interactive device for the Nintendo Wii

+ Durable and easy to set up

+ Many mini-games and easy instructions and information from the trainers

+ Very fun and a great workout

- $89.99 might be too expensive for some people and a game on working out may not be for everyone

Images and key information courtesy of Nintendo

“What could have been a fun Wii game with interesting and cute mini games gets lost in translation with the removal of two key single player modes for the US release.”

VIDEO GAME: Furu Furu Park

COMPANY: TAITO / Distributed by Majesco

RATING: E (Everyone) - Cartoon Violence

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Spin It! Shake It! Swing It! Even Rev it? Your Wii Remote is your golden ticket to the Furu Furu Park from retro Taito classics to quirky new experiences, this collection of ultra fun mini-games features outrageous characters and unique gameplay challenges that will keep you oving!

30 Mini-Games in All!

Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, Sonic Blastman, Pocky & Rocky, Pinch Hitter, Super Karate, Safe Cracker, Rev the Engine, Skateboarding, Camel Maze, Swan Runner and many more.

Compete against a friend in 3 different multiplayer modes, including the Love Challenge that lets you test your compatibility

At J!-ENT, we are typically fond of video games with a Tokyo flavor. The more Japanese games-style games that are over-the-top, we welcome them.

One such game that we had such high hopes for is “Furu Furu Park” a Wii spin-off of a Japanese arcade game titled “Mawasunda”.

“Mawasunda” was released on the Nintendo DS as “Turn It Around” and now we have “Furu Furu Park”, the US release to feature 30-mini games and for Taito fans, there are some classics that get the mini-game spin that we can’t help but be excited.

Unfortunately, our enthusiasm started to wane when we found out the “Ikemen Challenge” which was part of single mode in the Japanese version, where you had to wow a girl (ala dating sim) and win mini-games to win the girls affection. Of course, possibly to make things more politically correct, Majesco chose to remove that part of the game from the American version of “Furu Furu Park”.

For Okonomi mode in the Japanese version, you had 24-mini games which you would challenge yourself to open up the locked mini-games but for some reason, Majesco chose to remove that and just give you all 30-mini games to play.

So, all mini-games are opened up in single player mode (called “Free Play”) and what is left is you choosing a game and play for a minute or two and then go on to the next mini-game.

One thing we do like about the mini-games is that they are challenging and some games are so wacky and over-the-top, you can’t help but laugh or smile about it. Also, for Japanese pop culture fans, there is the inclusion of Japanese-style games such as the two sushi games, takoyaki game and more.

Another thing that I liked is the price point. $19.99 is pretty low for a Nintendo Wii game and also, some games are easy enough for toddlers and young children to learn and play.

There are some games that utilize the wii-mote and nunchuk really well but some games that you really want to play (especially games such as “Arkanoid”) are really hampered by terrible controls that the games are simply just not fun to play.

Now, of course there are other modes in single player such as “Challenge Mode” which you choose five games and impress the judge who will rate your style of gameplay.

For dual play mode, there are three choices. There is “Free Battle” (competing with another friend in playing any of the 30 mini games. “Love Challenge” is where you battle against a friend and play mini-games to test your compatibility in the eyes of Afro Love. “Panel Attack” where you face off against your opponent in split screen and turn-based competition.

So, there is somewhat a party game mentality with this game (although only two players) which is not bad. But I’m quite bummed that they really changed things with the first player mode.

Japanese pop culture fans will love the Japanese style of gaming and wackiness such as the sushi games which three people eating at a Zaiten-sushi (conveyor belt) want a certain sushi (sushi shows up on top of their head) and with the wii, you try to rotate the conveyor belt to give them what they want.

The Takoyaki cooking game is something that seems so “Cooking Mama” like but yet cool to play because it’s so easy and fun.

A wacky game titled “Hammer Throw” features three men with afro’s and your character must swing the afro men in a javelin-like competition and wherever the afro-sporting guys land, you get points. Get 200 points, you win.

Another game titled “Snow Cone” is where you motion your wiimote like a lever to make a lot of variations of shaved ice.

“Pocky and Rocky” features a NES style of game where you shoot enemies. “Bubble Bobble” is like the classic and “Dragonfly Hunter” features dragonflys which you use the Wiimote to make them dizzy and Afro dragonfly’s that you flick off.

And there are many other games that find a use for the Wiimote.

For me, the price point was low, the mini-games interesting and fun but some games just hampered by the janky control.

Also, the removal of the challenges and other single player modes that were on the Japanese version but removed from the US version is just not cool at all!

But you take what you can get and “Furu Furu Park” is not horrible. For it’s price, it’s a game with a lot of mini-games but the potential just lost because Majesco just removed the other single player modes. Why? Who knows…

Another thing that I didn’t like was that on free play, if you lost and want to retry, you are taken back to the main screen, selecting the game all over again and having to repeat each time you complete or lose a game. Why not just give an option to retry. For me, the time you waste having to go back to the main menu after each game, just to replay a game just totally blows.

But for those who enjoy games with Japanese culture elements, like we do…then the game can really be fun and at the price point it is right now, it is one of the cheaper WII games out there that utilizes the Wii mote in a variety of ways.

+ 30 cute, wacky and Japanese style mini-games with some Taito classics included

+ One of the cheaper Wii games at $19.99

+ Mini-games utilize the Wiimote in a variety of ways

- Removal of the Single Player Modes that were on the Japanese version, but eliminated for the US version.

- Bad controls for a number of the mini-games

- Other issues in the game that made us want to shut our Nintendo Wii off

“It has its quirks but ‘Victorious Boxers Revolution’ is a fun game on the Wii, especially for anime and manga fans who enjoyed ‘Hajime no Ippo” and the ‘Fighting Spirits’ video game series as well. Cool storyline and definitely for those wanting a great workout since Wii Sports Boxing!”

TITLE: VICTORIOUS BOXERS REVOLUTION

COMPANY: XSEED GAMES

CONSOLE: Nintendo Wii

RATING: TEEN - Blood, Cartoon Violence

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

I have been wanting to purchase “VICTORIOUS FIGHTERS REVOLUTION” for awhile now. I enjoy fighting video games and the same that goes with boxing video games.

I am fully aware that many video game reviewers didn’t like this game but because a lot of Japanese-based games, I’ve learned to experience the game myself, regardless of the bad review and of course, learn for myself.

Part of my wanting to play this video game is my appreciation for the anime and manga series of “Hajime no Ippo” or “Fighting Spirit”.

What VBR does unlike the previous VB games on the PlayStation 2 is to utilize the Wiimote and nunchuk for control. The lengthy storyline is a summarization of what happens in the anime and manga series and featured in a pretty cool manga-esque style with full voice acting (English dub only).

The storyline revolves around the character Makunouchi Ippo. A high school student that is bullied until one day he was rescued by a boxer and taken to Kamogawa Gym. And from there, the storyline of a young man inspired by his savior and wanting to become stronger and also become a boxer.

So, in storyline mode, the cutscenes are told by CG but the characters are drawn out ala manga form. The storyline starts from the beginning of Ippo’s career and you start from the beginning as you fight other fighters and then eventually start competing.

With each boxer you beat, you open that boxer and they get added into the character queue. There are a total of 25 different fighters with their own techniques and powerful special moves that one can master.

Of course, because it is going on a pre-determined storyline, there are some quirks such as beating someone but then in the storyline, you actually lost the match.

As for the fighting, I know a lot of reviewers had problems with the fighting mechanics. Especially the camera angles. There are times that the fighter just moves out of the screen but I looked at that as the fighter AI was just avoiding me by sidestepping and thus I had to adjust and move around so I can lay the final punch on the opponent. So, I know this was a major sore point for reviewers but for me, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the game. I looked at it as a challenge that sucker was too scared to fight and trying to evade my punches by sidestepping around me.

By playing this game, I didn’t come expecting “Fight Night” controls or mechanics, I came into this as an boxing game based on a anime and manga series that I enjoyed and just have an all out enjoyable boxing experience. I’m halfway through the game now and so far, I’m enjoying it.

As much as I enjoyed Wii Sports boxing and how challenging it gets as you progress, I found the variety of characters and their special boxing moves much more enjoyable to fight against. And I found the storyline to be really engaging and the English dub dialogue didn’t bother me as much as it did other reviewers.

For those who hate long cut scenes, you do have the option to press a button to skip forward.

As for our J!-ENT factor in this video game, there are no J-pop songs from what I heard. Unfortunately, there is no option to change to Japanese dialogue and have English subtitles.

I do like the manga-like hand drawn segments combine with the CG for the cut scenes.

Personally, one thing I loved about Wii Boxing is the workout. With VBR, after learning the moves from the tutorial and then going out and starting the game, the matches were pretty cool and you really get into it. A very good work out as you learn to throw jabs variety of punches, uppercuts, hooks and blocking. By day two, I was sore…but the Wii has been more to me than a console for gaming (and watching YouTube), it has been a console that has helped shed some pounds and just really getting involved with the overall boxing work out since Wii Sports Boxing.

And so far, VBR has really got me going and by day 2, I was feeling the pain (not as much as the pain I received when I trained for boxing for real and lasted only a day… but that’s another story) but ready to take on the game again!

And as you an tell from my first glance review, this is one is a positive one. I enjoyed the lengthy cut scenes and storyline, I didn’t mind the English dub and nor did I mind the the controls either. Sure, the controls had some quirks but not as much to prevent me from enjoying the game.

I enjoyed “VICTORIOUS BOXERS REVOLUTION” much more than I expected. A lot of fun so far!

So, would you like this game? I’d say give it a try now that you can find it cheaper these days or at least rent it.

+ Cool storyline and fans of “Hajime no Ippo” would definitely enjoy this game!

+ A game that really is a good workout!

+ Definite improvement over the past VB games in look and the interactivity with the Wiimote and nunchuk was pretty cool.

+ The variety of characters you go up against and unlock with their own special moves.

- Wish they offered the original Japanese language for those who prefer it with English subtitles.

- There are some control issues but not enough to hinder my enjoyability of the game.