There are rumours and leaked press releases of this new Wii Fit Plus coming to market soon. It is rumoured to incorporate more ‘hard core’ exercises as well as exercises for the elderly.

THE BIG QUESTION: This new game is replacing the current Wii Fit, meaning that you have to purchase a new game AND new balance board, rendering the old one obselete. IS THIS FAIR, OR ARE YOU OUTRAGED?

Tell me your thoughts below, and I will publish them in a new article very soon.

Cheers! Jodie

Wii Nintendo Games Console

If you have family or friends that pile in to your house every week, a Wii is a great source of entertainment and great on rainy days. The best Wii games for family fun are Wii Sports, Rayman and the Raving Rabbids 1,2 and 3, and Family Ski.

There is a cunning way to set up your Wii to the Internet so that you can use it as an Internet Browser and check your emails. You can even plug your USB Keyboard into the Wii Games Console so that you can write your Wii emails with ease. Who needs a computer hey?!

And of course there is the innovative and fun Wii Fit. The Wii Fit and balance board has to be the best investment that I personally made in 2008. I use it all the time! Not only does the Wii Fit get your heart pumping, your muscles toned, your balance centered and then chills you out with Wii Yoga; you also get regular updates on your Wii weight loss goals and BMI so that you know your ‘hard work’ (or should I say hard play) is paying off! I guarantee that you will have heaps of fun using your Wii.

There are tons of Wii Balance Board games on the market now, so you can get extra use out of the fantastic Wii Balance Board. Remember to buy Rayman Rabbids TV Party to play your game with your Butt!

Invest in a Wii and Wii Fit this year. You won’t regret it!

Like the previous game, We Ski and Snowboard features a series of challenges spread out along different mountain slopes and areas that you can participate in, and you can win different outfits, accessories and new ski or snowboard gear for your character. As the game begins, you’ll pick a character, either creating one using the cutesy avatar selections that the game provides or implementing your own Mii character, which is handled quite well. From there, you’ll pick your snow-carving device of choice, and you’ll be taken to the main menu, where you pick from a few modes, including the addition of two new mountain areas to explore, a free play mode, and a pretty lengthy, but much-needed, tutorial mode.

Having not played much of the original title (I didn’t have the Balance Board at the time), I was surprised at how similar this title felt, since I was definitely expecting larger changes across the board. I immediately gravitated toward using the snowboard, as I’ve always found that to be more entertaining than skiing, but I was pretty disappointed to find that there wasn’t a big difference between the two control methods. They control mostly the same, and the only real difference is that you’ll position the Balance Board so that you’re facing sideways away from the TV instead of head-on, like you would do with the ski controls.

We Ski and Snowboard uses a combination of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in addition to the Balance Board, so you’ll need to keep in mind that you’ll have a fair amount of controls to remember, which can be off-putting to players who expected a more casual approach to their Wii games, especially the crowd who bought into Wii Fit in the first place (and this is nothing like the downhill ski in Wii Fit).

Once you’ve had the Balance Board calibrated properly with the game, you’ll start out on the menu and check out the tutorial. At first, it seems to be pretty basic, but as it introduces concepts of short turns and acceleration methods, the tutorial can be quite a bit to remember. Braking is handled by pressing back on the analog stick, speeding up is done by turning the Wiimote and Nunchuk on their sides and facing outward, and just getting your character to move down the hill is done by waving the remote down, allowing you to get started on your run. There are also a lot of other small things to remember, like recovering from a fall by alternating up and down movements of the Wiimote and Nunchuk, or recovering your balance in a similar fashion. Combine that with trying to focus on keeping your balance so that you can maintain a straight line downhill, and the end result is a little confusing to newcomers.

Once you get the hang of the controls, they’re pretty responsive. I had some issues when it came to accelerating, the game picking up on when the Remote and Nunchuk were being held sideways, and recuperating from a fall wasn’t nearly as quick as I expected, especially for such a simple movement. Using the Balance Board does a great deal when it comes to immersing you into the game, and after a while, controlling your direction and turns with the help of the board really feels natural, and it’s a pretty great experience once everything clicks together.

The other thing I like about We Ski and Snowboard is the fact that just about every gameplay feature is unlocked from the start. The game features a multiplayer function that lets you play with up to four players, and while it’s not online, it’s still nice to jump into a game with friends and not have to worry about unlocking 90 percent of the content, as in other titles. Some might say this takes away from the motivation to play the game, but there are plenty of other unlockables that you can try to get if you’re looking to give yourself some kind of goal. If you’re picking this up to play with friends, keep in mind that using the Wii Balance Board will take up two slots, so you’ll only be able to play with two additional people if you use the Balance Board during the game.

The additional mountain slopes don’t seem to add a lot to the game, aside from being new areas to explore. The need to check out the mountains in detail is somewhat removed with this title, as most of the people you need to interact with to perform challenges can be found together in one spot, and while this cuts down on the unnecessary bouncing back and forth between locations, it also eliminates the need to check out the areas before competitions, which can actually make events like the slalom run more difficult, since you’ll be less familiar with the area around you.

Also, while the snowboard offers up different tricks, it really feels like a re-skin of the skis. Not only are the controls the same, but the actual physics behind using the board also feel exactly the same. When you’re performing tricks or doing jumps, there’s no real discernable change in how the game plays, and it’s disappointing to see that you’ll get the same effect out of using either device. If there were a little more variety between the two control schemes, I could see the use in checking out both of them, but there’s really little reason to play the entire game with both, unless you just like the look of them. I’ll say that the board and ski unlockables are pretty crazy, and they at least do a good job of spicing up an otherwise bland presentation.

Visually, We Ski and Snowboard isn’t super impressive, but it does a good job with the cartoon-style artwork that was established in the previous game. The characters you create – or your Mii – can be outfitted in a variety of costumes and various gear, so you can come up with some pretty crazy designs if you want. The slopes are well-designed, and while a course covered in snow doesn’t offer up a lot of impressive vistas, the small obstacles, trees and other things that pop up are rendered well enough.

The sound, on the other hand, is largely disappointing, mostly due to the missing tunes from other Namco titles, which the prior title had. I’m not sure why these tunes were omitted this time out, but I was really disappointed to see them gone, and while I’m hoping it could be an unlockable that I’m just missing at this point, I doubt that they’re actually present. The default soundtrack is really boring and sounds out of place with the environments, and the limited voice acting isn’t really worth mentioning either.

If you’ve been dying for something to use your Balance Board with on the Wii, you can’t go too wrong with We Ski and Snowboard. In my opinion, it’s not enough change to warrant a purchase if you already own We Ski, but if you’ve played that game to death, I’d at least give this a rental and see if any of the small additions grab you. Don’t go into this expecting a vastly different game from the original, and you won’t end up being too disappointed with the final product.

Article Source

‘Wii Fit Positive Feedback’ by Lynne Little

I have been reading some articles lately that have downplayed the Wii Fit and it’s ability to help people get in shape. One Yahoo! article from Forbes pointed out how a lot of people seem to play the game for a few days and then do not touch it again. Since the article was posted, there have been much praise lefts in comments from people who are using Wii Fit to get into shape.

Wii Fit is being used as part of children’s therapy at hospitals and to motivate employees to exercise. Some people have reported losing weight – double digits even – after they started a workout regime using Wii Fit. I love the one comment from a mom who grounded her son from all his video games except the Wii Fit. Now he’s playing it more than ever and she is hoping to keep him interested in it.

Wii Fit is a fun game and a great way to get moving in the comfort of your home. I do feel better when I play Wii Fit because I feel like I’m doing something for myself which in turn will benefit my family since I will be in better shape. The problem with Wii Fit is that it’s like any other exercise program – you have to make time to do it. For me, it means clearing off a spot to put down the balance board and have room to move. It’s not so easy in our small living room. But there are always excuses when you don’t want to leave your comfort zone.

It is good to read that so many people are not only enjoying Wii Fit but are losing weight and getting shape by playing the game.

Source

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Wii-habilitation ‘could prevent elderly from falls’

By Anouk Lorie

“It really spans all ages, although my great-grandson knocked me out twice,” the former bricklayer said.

LONDON, England (CNN) — Playing the Nintendo Wii Fit could improve balance and help avoid falls in seniors, researchers taking part in a new study suggest.

Researchers in Aberdeen think playing Wii Fit may improve the elderly’s balance and lower risks of falling.

The University of Aberdeen, Scotland and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) have embarked on a four month study on people over 70 to observe any changes in balance after regular use of the Wii Fit.

The video game, which offers such sports as virtual golf, tennis and tenpin bowling, relies on players mimicking the games’ physical actions, which are then played out on screen.

The Wii Fit includes a balance board that records movements and gives feedback on performance.

Dr Marie Fraser, a specialist registrar at Woodend Hospital in Scotland, UK, is carrying out the research.

She told CNN: “Falls are the most common cause of accidental injury in older people and the most common cause of accidental deaths in 75-year-olds and over.”

It is hoped that using the Wii Fit’s balance board can improve elderly people’s balance and confidence.

Vital Signs
Each month CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta brings viewers health stories from around the world.

Dr Alison Stewart, who devised the study said she came up with the idea while working in the Osteoporosis department at the University of Aberdeen, after seeing a large number of fractures in old people who had fallen.

Stewart, a commercial research manager with the NHS, said she then decided to research how to improve older people’s balance.

She told CNN: “There exists a medical fitness device that improves balance, but it is expensive and I could not get the funding.

“That’s when I looked up the Wii and discovered it is very similar to the other equipment, but less expensive.

“What is great about the Wii is it also has an entertainment value. The fact that it is enjoyable also makes the compliance rate higher.”

The latest study comes as another pilot study at Southern Cross University, Australia looked at the benefits of using the Wii to help Parkinson’s sufferers.

A group of seven older people with and without the degenerative condition took part in the pilot project, and were put through an almost daily regime of playing the Nintendo Wii.

Associate Professor Rick van der Zwan who led the research said initial results were “positive.” They ultimately hope to determine the effectiveness of computer games in developing muscle strength and co-ordination and reducing the risk of falls for people with Parkinson’s.

“People generally start to develop the disease in their 50s or 60s. It leads to inertia and people become unstable on their feet,” said Van der Zwan in a media statement.

“What we are trying to do is reduce the risk of serious harm. These people are nine times more likely to fall over than someone without the disease and falls in this older age group can be very serious.”

Van der Zwan now wants to recruit 15 more research participants to broaden the study.

Since its launch in 2006 the Nintendo Wii has seen a huge rise in the number of elderly players. At one senior citizen home in north-east England, staff introduced the popular games console at Christmas in all five of its homes.

“Everyone loves it and we noticed it has improved the physical fitness of residents who play,” Rachel Todd of McArdle Care told CNN.

Todd believes the device’s entertainment value not only improves residents’ fitness levels, but also their mental fitness.

Among the Wii Fit fans at the home are 74-year-old Ian Fisher and 86-year-old Betty Dennis.

“I always loved sports, particularly football” Dennis told CNN. “But I had a stroke six months ago and am now in a wheelchair.”

“Since the Wii I really feel movement in my right arm has improved, which is all I need to play skittles.”

Her bowling partner Fisher told CNN he recently played the boxing game on Wii Fit with his four-year-old great-grandson.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Wii-Habilitation Comes To HAH by Mary Galer

The latest in video game technology has also become one of the newest trends in physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Just two weeks ago, Teamwork Rehab, the physical therapy department at Hillsboro Area Hospital, acquired its newest piece of equipment, a Nintendo Wii video gaming system.

“It’s definitely becoming a trend,” said Director of Rehabilitation Chris Whitten. “Several physical therapy departments and nursing homes are using them as part of their rehabilitation programs.”

What sets the Wii system apart from other gaming systems is not the games themselves, like tennis, bowling or golf, but rather the way they are played. Wii uses a wireless controller, the player uses the same arm motion as if he or she were really playing the sport, such as swinging a bat or rolling a bowling ball.

In many cases, it’s the same motion already being used in physical therapy.

“Not only does it help our patients to become more active, but they are also really enjoying it and having fun,” Whitten said.

Lloyd Whitworth, age 78, of Hillsboro, spent three to four weeks in a hospital bed recovering from back surgery, and when he first started therapy at Teamwork Rehab, he came in a wheelchair.

“They’re trying to get me back on my feet,” he said.

Whitworth started his physical therapy about a month ago, using various machines in the rehab room, doing stretching and balancing exercises, and he even worked his way up to walking around the track.

But the most fun of his exercises is his competition with Whitten at Wii bowling. In order to swing, patients must be able to step forward and stand balanced.

“I think it’s helped me get a better sense of balance,” Whitworth said. “It’s a lot more fun than the sitting down and standing up exercises.”

His personal best score is 146, though his ultimate goal is to beat Whitten.

“I wish you could have seen him when he first came in,” Whitten said. “He came in his wheelchair, and now is standing and driving himself to therapy.”

Whitten said in addition to the balance it takes to stand and bowl, it also increases Whitworth’s stamina, since he has to stand around 10 or 15 minutes to play.

For games like tennis, boxing and baseball, patients are not only able to improve their balance, but their range of motion as well.

“We’ve seen increases in balance, strength and stamina for our patients,” Whitten said. “We can’t attribute all of that to the Wii, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.”

In addition to the Wii Sports, the hospital also has Wii Fit, which provides additional activities. It has many balance games that are good for weight shifting, weight transfer and generally maintaining center of gravity.

Whitten said the Wii also provides a good motivator for patients to complete their regular rehab sessions so they can play a game before heading for home. Teamwork Rehab is also beginning to use the Wii with stroke patients.

The hospital has only had the Wii gaming system for a few weeks, so Teamwork Rehab staff members are still getting to learn the games it offers.

“We like to call it research,” Whitten said.

Staff members challenge each other in various games, as well as competing against patients. Ski jumping is the favorite among the staff.

“So far the benefits are endless,” Whitten said. “The trend toward technology in all aspects of health care are great. While we have used many balance devices in the past like a maze game or sounds, nothing has compared to what the Wii has done for both the patient and the therapist.”

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

‘Wii Fit helped me to walk again’

Thursday, 22 January 2009

A young Irish girl has learned to walk again thanks to her doctors — and a computer game.

Nicole Cahill (10) from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, took her first steps in four years years at a New York hospital late last year.

Since returning home on December 14, Nicole has stunned family and friends with her progress and is now expected to walk unaided by the end of the year.

Nicole’s mum, Mairead, said: “She’s doing really well. She’s in therapy nearly six days a week now,” says Mairead.

“At home she’s not using the walking frame and she leaves it at the side of the wall in school.

“We’ll have to wait and see but we think she’s doing so well that she’ll be walking [unaided] sooner than we think.”

Meanwhile, Nicole’s parents no longer have to pay for private therapy sessions since a Wexford hotel gave Nicole a year’s membership in their leisure centre for free.

“Ferrycarraig Hotel gave her membership for a year and she’s going to be starting her hydrotherapy with them,” said a delighted Mairead.

The hotel’s instructors will be looking after Nicole from now on, and in between therapy she uses one of her most prized Christmas presents to keep strengthening her muscles.

“The Wii Fit has really helped. It’s great because there are so many balancing and stretching exercises on it.

“I also do yoga with her at home, and she does exercises on a ball. The Wii has taken an awful lot of pressure off her as well.”

Nicole also got an electric reclining chair as a donation from Enniscorthy businesses to help her unwind after the day.

“People have been great to her,” says Mairead.

Nicole spent six months in a New York rehabilitation hospital to get back on her feet after a virus left her paralysed at only six years of age.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

The best place to start was with Wii Sports. My Mum and my Aunt had so much fun with Wii Sports Bowling and Wii sports Tennis, whilst my husband and I ended up peeling all of the veg for the Christmas dinner. What a sight to see! They got the hang of it pretty quickly, and we had a lot of fun watching. We did have to keep reminding them to not get to close to the TV though as they were really “getting into the game”!

My Aunt, a professional Yoga Trainer, was intrigued at the idea of using the Wii Fit and Balance Board for Yoga poses. She had a little taster, and was very impressed. The acuracy needed to get the poses perfect is very challenging, and she found the direct feedback of her balance on the Balance Board to be very useful. She wants to come to my place for a Wiikend soon!

Our closest friend have also now bought thier own Wii, and so last nights New Years celebration was a sight to see. The four of us had a real laugh playing all of his new Wii games! We even missed the countdown to midnight as we were having so much fun!

I hope you got your very own Wii for Christmas!

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

White, Phelps spin Olympic gold into videogames

Thu Dec 18, 2008, By John Gaudiosi

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) – After scoring big wins in the Olympics snowboarder Shaun White and swimmer Michael Phelps have set their sights on another prize — videogames.

The Gold medalists are parlaying their prowess on the slopes and in the pool into sports games that feature their likeness and promote active lifestyles.

White has completed “Shaun White Snowboarding,” with Ubisoft while Phelps has partnered with start-up game publisher 505 Games for a series of videogames for iPhone and consoles. The first game is due hit stores in the spring 2010.

“I believe this will be a tremendous opportunity to help continue my quest to raise the profile for the sport of swimming,” Phelps, a 14-time Olympic gold medalist, said in a statement.

Although both are famous sportsmen tying a superstar athlete to developing a game for phenomenal athletes consoles like Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 can be risky.

“Phelps is the most phenomenal athlete I’ve ever seen, but as someone who actually was a world class swimmer, I can’t think of anything more boring than a swimming videogames,” said Michael Pachter, videogame analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Activision’s Tony Hawk skateboarding franchise, which has generated over $1 billion since launching in 1999, is the only current game that carries the name of a single athlete.

White, who’s a mainstream brand thanks to his exploits in both skateboarding and snowboarding in the X-Games, has spent the past two years working with Ubisoft’s acclaimed Montreal development studio on his new snowboarding game.

“I was sitting in a board room with all of these programmers and game designers and I was trying to convey to them what it feels like to actually ride and what my goals were with the game,” said White, who’s an avid gamer.

Although all of the new games feature White’s motion-captured moves and voice acting, the Wii game, “Shaun White Snowboarding Road Trip,” takes advantage of Nintendo’s Wii Fit balance board to allow players to steer the on-screen action with their body.

“Obviously, it’s easier to replicate the sensation of boarding on the Wii because we have the balance board, but with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 there’s a whole culture behind our sport and you can see that in the amount of clothes and boards and customization options in the game.”

While White is the driving force behind the development and marketing of the game, players won’t take control of his avatar in the game. White wanted players to be able to express themselves as individuals in the game, including being able to download their own music for the soundtrack.

John Taylor, videogame analyst, Arcadia Research, said “Shaun White Snowboarding” sold 259,000 copies in the U.S. in November and generated $13.6 million for Ubisoft with 40 percent of those sales for the Wii console.

With the success of the first game, White said he’s already started working on the sequel.

“Now that I have the knowledge and I can speak to programmers better and I understand a lot more about what’s possible and what’s not possible, this will all help with the next game,” said White.

Game publishers are hoping that fans of White and Phelps with turn to games featuring their idols, just as they have for Hawk.