At long last, Wii Fit hit shelves in the U.S. this week, bringing with it the sleek new Balance Board. Seldom have I been so interested in a game; usually, one has something of an idea what to expect. But trying Wii Fit is an experience that videos just can't quite get across. How does it feel? What's it like to really stand there on the board? After lingering over the unboxing -- which you can check out in the gallery below -- it was time to readjust the living room and get in the game. The baby daddy decided to play along, and serve as guinea pig and unboxing assistant. After a little time with the title, a few things became abundantly clear ....
1. People with big feet are screwed
I have pretty big feet for a chick -- size ten -- but they're by no means the biggest feet around, so it was shocking to find that the board just about fit my feet. I can't imagine a guy in a size thirteen being comfortable on it!
2. Being hit in the head with hula hoops by two friends is awesome
The presence in Wii Fit of the other Miis in your Mii Plaza is just delightful. Your friends turn up at random moments as participants, and in the hula hooping minigame, they throw hoops at you. If you miss, it bashes right into your noggin. Classic. if you happen to have celebrity Miis in your Plaza, then one of the tenets of Wii Sports carries over here: it's pretty cool to see your celebrity Miis in action. I got to spend part of my evening stepping in time with Stephen Colbert and our own JC Fletcher. How many people can say that, huh? Take that, other-console-fanboys!
3. Look out for Wii Fit 2
A few quick things here:
- It's lame that lots of the content here is locked.
- There's a lot to do!
- But for all of that, there isn't a lot of depth. There looked to be only about fifteen yoga poses, for instance.
4. Wii Fit is definitely a game
So many people have argued against Wii Fit's classification as a game, but it can't possibly be considered anything but. There are goals and challenges just as with any other game, and even experience points of a sort. If it happens to also offer some health benefit, however slight, that's just a bonus. This is meant to be fun. How can you tell? Well ....
5. Watching someone else play Wii Fit is hilarious
If your friends and family have fun with games like Wii Sports and WarioWare, then expect this to be a hit. There's nothing quite like watching someone gyrate and fumble their way through a new game ... and when the fumbling wears off, the competition for records begins. Any and all fitness benefits aside, Wii Fit will be a great addition to silly afternoons of multiplayer, even if it doesn't actually have multiplayer modes.
Also, it is imperative that you play or somehow reproduce music from Rocky while playing with others. Trust.
