This update to Wii Fit offers enough new additions to make it worth its standalone or bundled price.

Game Summary

Popzara Rating

Packaged both as a Balance Board bundle and standalone title, Wii Fit Plus piggybacks onto what the original offered adding lots of new features. Touch-ups to the backgrounds are evident with the new color schemes and use of flashing plus signs. It still looks like the old Wii Fit but newer, fresher. The competition has upped the ante and Wii Fit Plus has matched their chips. This was a great update for Wii Fit with many fun new activities and more detailed tracking. For those new to the experience, it is all that the original was and more. For previous owners, the $19.99 price of entry makes it a worthwhile expansion. Like as with Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus continues the legacy of its originator. Release Date: October 4, 2009 ESRB Rating: E Publisher: Nintendo

Written by John Lucas

One and a half years ago, Nintendo changed the gaming world with the introduction of Wii Fit. Despite its $89.99 price, customers bought enough Wii Fits to make it (as of this writing) one among the top 10 best-selling videogames of all time. As it became the #3 best-selling non-pack-in game in history, numerous followers have offered their answer to the Balance Board blockbuster like Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009, Daisy Fuentes Pilates, Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout, and EA Sports Active among countless others. Now in the wake of a genre reawakened, Nintendo delivers the follow-up to their fitness gaming phenomenon, appropriately titled Wii Fit Plus.

Packaged both as a Balance Board bundle and standalone title, Wii Fit Plus piggybacks onto what the original offered adding lots of new features. Touch-ups to the backgrounds are evident with the new color schemes and use of flashing plus signs. It still looks like the old Wii Fit but newer, fresher. For new owners who skipped the first, you get initiated into the system (just like the original) by who I call ‘Li’l Boardie’, the cute little speaking Balance Board-shaped guide (he’s everywhere on these games). For owners of the original, Wii Fit Plus reads the information from old Wii Fit and automatically transfers your whole history to the new one. You continue right where you left off updated with all the new features.

What are those features? Well now you have the ability to register your baby into the system and have their weight counted when you stand on the Board (carry baby in your arms; don’t place baby directly on board). When the baby becomes 3 years old, the full stats and activities become available. The game grows with your family. Also, you can register your family pet (dog or cat) and weigh him/her on the board (hopefully the pet can be carried in your arms or is well-trained). You can detail pet characteristics to have it better represent look of your pet.

The Body Test, which is a routine that measures your weight, body mass index, and center of balance while doing random body control tests to give you a Wii Fit Age, now has a Simple Test option. In the Simple Test, you get to just measure your weight, BMI, and center of balance only when time’s even too short for the Body Test. Also there are new Body Control tests as well as Mind tests which add more complexity to determining your Wii Fit Age.

As for the Training exercises, added to the categories of Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance Games is Training Plus. Training Plus consists of a grab bag of 12 diverse activities and 3 updated versions of activities from the original.

Perfect 10 works your mind as well as your body by asking you to add sums bumping your hips left, right, front, back to get the answer. Island Cycling has you hold your Wii remote like handlebars while you step on the Board to pedal your bike around the town’s obstacle course in search of flags. Rhythm Kung-Fu takes up where Rhythm Boxing left off with a fun musical dojo exhibition that involves more than just your hands. Driving Range makes a better golfer out of you than ever as it measures your swings for accuracy and balance (Wii is the golfing MACHINE!).

Segway Circuit has you lean around on those cool Segway bikes to pop balloons at the beach avoiding mischievous moles (with help from a doggie friend if you’re lucky). Bird’s Eye Bulls-Eye is silliness in action that has you flap your arms around in a chicken suit while leaning on Board to fly to targets for points. Snowball Fight has you leaning quickly behind a wall left or right to hit with and avoid snowballs to and from opponents. Obstacle Course gives you a taste of what Mario goes through trying to save the Princess as you step, squat, and tiptoe on board to reach the end of a platform game-like setting. Tilt City works your hand-eye coordination by having you tilt Wii remote and lean on board to get colored balls into appropriate containers.

Rhythm Parade makes you the leader of a marching band as you step to the music and point your batons on cue to the rhythm. Big Top Juggling makes you a circus performer who must master coordination by balancing on a big ball and juggling little balls in your hands. Skateboard Arena turns your Balance Board to the side to live out your Tony Hawk dreams with jumps, tricks, and half-pipes. Table Tilt Plus, Balance Bubble Plus, and Basic Run Plus have new courses updating these activities from the first Wii Fit.

Also, there are new “For Advanced Users Only” activities in Yoga and Strength Training. In Yoga, there’s Spine Extension, Gate, and Grounded V. In Strength Training, there’s Balance Bridge, Single-Leg Extension, Side Lunge. Trust me. Get your Icy Hot for these. They can be backbreakers! Some of the older activities (like Shoulder Stand) have now gotten the Advanced label too (NOW you tell me!).

The new My Wii Fit Plus feature allows you organize customizable routines for your specific needs. Unlike the old one, you don’t have to have a break between activities resulting in a seamless time-able workout session. There are preset workouts in Wii Fit Plus Routines centered around lifestyles, health, youth, and form. You can create your own in My Routines or even tap Li’l Boardie to set a random one. Also your Favorites list is in here better tracking your favorite activities.

Wii Fit Plus now tracks calories and METs (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) so now you can see how much you’re burning off and how intense your activity is. Even to use the Calorie Check option in My Wii Fit Plus to see the food equivalent of calories lost to set goals. You can also input your Waist size and Steps taken by pedometer into the game for long-term tracking. And for those short on time, there’s the new Wii Fit Plus Channel to allow you to do Body Tests and stat tracking without having to put in disc.

More. You can change the time date change is counted in User Settings. There’s a new secret activity when you tap Li’l Boardie in the Training Menu room. And Multiplayer allows family and friends to challenge each other as they take turns trying to best another on the exercises.

The competition has upped the ante and Wii Fit Plus has matched their chips. This was a great update for Wii Fit with many fun new activities and more detailed tracking. For those new to the experience, it is all that the original was and more. For previous owners, the $19.99 price of entry makes it a worthwhile expansion. Like as with Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus continues the legacy of its originator.