Upon it's release a couple years back, I was pretty intrigued with Wii Fit.  In the companys continued effort to get gamers off the couch and become more active, Nintendo had stuck its neck out a bit and introduced a product specifically targeted at improving balance, body weight, and general overall health.  Previous entries in this genre had only been met with limited success.  The NES Power Pad, the Sega Activator, and a slew of other forgotten peripherals immediately spring to mind.  So why was the company once again going back to a well that had never reaped the kind of profits one would expect.

Two words:  Balance Board.

Simple in design and so intuitive a small child can figure it out fairly quickly, this peripheral (along with the entire motion controlled nature of the Wii) is undoubtedly the catalyst for the success of Wii Fit.  On sight, it looks like a "step" not much different than one would find in the fitness department at Kmart.  The difference is the tech that lurks underneath.  It's not just a step for performing physical movements, but it also measures weight and balance, along with minute shifts in both.  It is fairly accurate at calculating even the slightest differences in movement.  By design, this nearly forces the user to maintain correct posture, positioning, and weight distribution when performing the various games and exercises included in Wii Fit.  How do I know if I'm doing something right or wrong?  On-screen indicators tell me with easy to understand visual cues.  It couldn't get anymore simpler than that.

So the technology definitely works, it fits in with Nintendo's push for motion control this generation, and the game/device combo is still flying off the shelves at stores everywhere.  From that standpoint it is an undeniable success.  However, the more pertinent question for the inactive or overweight individual considering a purchase is "does it work?"  A secondary question may be "is it fun?"  By the end of this review, hopefully I'll have answered both.

The Game

At its core, Wii Fit embraces that unmistakable charm that many Nintendo titles do.  Although Mario and Luigi are no where to be found (save for 8-bit NES representations that occasionally pop up on walls and other areas), that intangible Nintendo magic is alive and well in Wii Fit.  Its representation occurs more in the games character than it does in its playability though.  From that standpoint, this is definitely a Nintendo product in spirit.

But make no mistakes though, the game portion has a much heavier emphasis on working out and moving about as opposed to typical gamer fun like running, jumping, blowing stuff up, etc.  By no means is this part of the product meant to match or compete with something like Wii Sports Resort, let alone more dedicated games like New Super Mario Bros. or Lord forbid, Gears of War.  While I won't get into each and every activity and exercise routine, as there are nearly a hundred to choose from, they all lean towards varying degrees of physicality, exertion, and working out.  In the case of the Yoga, Strength Training, and Aerobics categories, much more.  As for the Balance Games and Training Plus sections, somewhat less.  Wii Fit can certainly be a fun game at times, but definitely not in the traditional sense.  The working out and striving to do better aspects are what effectively make Wii Fit fun.

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