E3 2009: Hands-on: Wii Fit Plus - News

by Gabriel Franco , posted on 17 June 2009 / 4,290 Views

Nintendo announced during their E3 conference a brand new Wii Fit, christened with the name Wii Fit Plus. New game modes and somewhat improved graphics are some of the novelties we will discover in the Wii Fit Plus. The game will of course also use the balance board and will sport new Yoga, Fitness, and Training exercises. It will also enjoy more precise training routines for each player and will keep better track of our daily progress. It will include 6 new yoga and strength exercises, but the key seems to be the option of mixing different exercise types to create more professional routines.

Despite being centered on fitness, this new installment doesn’t forget about the entertainment component and will include 15 new games (of which only nine where available for trial at the E3).

During our visit to the Nintendo booth we had the chance to try out these three new minigames:

Wii Fit Plus: Flying Mini-Game:

The Flying Minigame is a very simple concept, but not such an easy one to execute in reality. For starters, you have to flap your arms as if about to fly away…

The Wii Balance board then captures the slight variations in the distribution of your body weight and transforms them into virtual wing flapping motions of your Mii on screen. Then you have to shift your body weight in the direction you want to go; if you shift forward your Mii will accelerate, if you shift backwards it will slow down, and if you move to a side it will turn. The objective is to reach a series of platforms spread throughout your route; a few seconds will be added to your timer every time you reach one. Your final goal is to be able to keep the timer going long enough to reach the finish line.

It’s amazing how well the blance board manages to recognize our moves and properly translate them into the game; if you stop flapping, so will your Mii. Just one word of advice, when playing this make sure that the vicinity is clear of objects or people…during my E3 trial someone carelessly strayed to close to me resulting in one of my flaps accidentally transforming into a slap in the poor fellow’s face.

Wii Fit Plus: Perfect 10

The next mini-game we tried had a very basic core concept, but just as before, one not so easily performed in reality. The objective was to add up random numbers that total up to 10. Your Mii is portrayed from above on screen surrounded by circles that represent numbers. Your mission is to move your hips in the direction of the needed numbers that would add up to ten. For example, if given a 4 you could look for a 3 and another 3.

For some strange reason the game had a hard time capturing my movements to the right, so I was unable to get to the end of the level, but I still acknowledge it’s a fun and simple way of simultaneously exercising both mind and body.

Wii Fit Plus: Obstacle Course

Finally, we tried out the Obstacle Course; where you have to traverse danger filled areas that somewhat remind us of a Mario adventure. Here we have to walk, run and jump from platform to platform till we reach a finish line, all the while clearing a series of obstacles that dot the whole way. This is all done in a very natural feeling manner; with a rapid foot motion over the balance board can make your Mii walk or run, while bending your knees and then suddenly jerking them straight again (without actually jumping) will cause your Mii to jump onscreen. Some of the obstacles along the way include rolling logs, cannonballs that rock back and forth, and moving platforms.

This was easily one of my favorite moments at E3, not only because of the adrenalin rush felt while evading the obstacles, but also because of the ease and responsiveness of movements and the opportunity of feeling, even if only for a few seconds, what it is like to be in the shoes of Mario.

Wii Fit Plus will be available for sale both with and without the balance board, and promises many hours of fun and healthy exercise routines. Prepare to receive this game during the fall season this year…

Bonus Coverage! by Keith Jackson

In addition to the Obstacle Course (which was both fun and difficult!) I got to try out two other minigames - Segway Circuit and Tilt World.

Segway Circuit actually licenses out a real Segway and has you ride it around a beach, using the Wii Remote to steer while leaning forward or backward on the Balance Board to move...well, forward or backward. A similar mini-game called Island Cycling has the same gameplay, but uses the Balance Board to simulate pedaling a bicycle around the island instead.

Tilt World was an interesting mind-bender of a mini-game. You're faced with three platforms, one on top in the middle and two on the bottom side-by-side, one each below either end of the top platform. There are three buckets below the platforms - one to the left of the left-bottom platform, one between the two bottom platforms, and one on the far right. Each bucket has a color, and the object of the game is to guide colored balls from the top of the screen into the appropriate bucket. The catch is that you tilt the Wii Remote to tilt the top platform, and lean left or right to tilt both bottom platforms, giving you some coordination issues to sort through as you try and guide the balls to the correct bucket.

There's 15 new Balance Board games in total in Wii Fit Plus, so we didn't get to try all of them out. In addition to the six mentioned here, there's also Snowball Fight (which has you use the Balance Board to hide behind pillars and then throw a snowball by pointing at the screen with the Wii Remote and pressing the "A" button), and more games we haven't yet gotten any details about (including Juggling, Skateboarding, Rythym Kung-Fun, and Rythym Parade). That still leaves three more for which I haven't even been able to find the name!

15 Comments

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assclown (on 24 June 2009)

i dont get it! does it mean they will release a new balance board to replace the actual one?

or it will be same board but pack with different better mini game!

thx for how ever can help me out (if ever you found like for info post it )

code.samurai (on 21 June 2009)

I'll probably get this too. As a side note the model for Wii Fit is quite pretty

DKII (on 18 June 2009)

Had to take of shoes, kept socks on.

dark_gh0st_b0y (on 18 June 2009)

can't wait for this!! (seriously)

Pyramid Head (on 18 June 2009)

prolly gonna grab this

i loved wii fit, but man ea active just murders it, and me lol

but yeh this is almost a for sure pick up

lazyrider (on 18 June 2009)

stupid question: did everyone have to take off shoes and socks to try Wii Fit Plus at E3?

tolu619 (on 18 June 2009)

Now I'm so happy I didn't buy the original wii fit.I'll just buy this instead!Kunkras,what do you mean too pricey?You can buy it without the balance board!

DKII (on 17 June 2009)

Updated the article with my own impressions on a couple other mini-games.

Madanial (on 17 June 2009)

( A_A) I really want to play it now.

Soma (on 17 June 2009)

Damn! That Mario Minigame looks really fun! Nintendo should had put some goombas there :(

forest-spirit (on 17 June 2009)

Scary thing is, I'm starting to feel that buying Wii fit may not be such a bad idea...
I haven't moved my body in 10 years, Nintendo, what are you doing to me!?