GENRE
	Fitness
	DEVELOPER
	Nintendo
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	No
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Last year Nintendo released Wii Fit, the game that was made to get gamers off their couches and moving around. The game had some fun workouts, but most players played for a week or a month and then put it aside, letting their balance boards gather dust in the corner. But Nintendo has not forgotten its little white board and has released an update to the game with its requisite "Plus" modifier. The game has some fun new features, but it won't cause lapsed "Wii Fitters" to get back into the groove.

The basic Wii Fit idea has not changed with the new iteration. Wii Fit Plus uses the balance board to track players' weight and then sets goals for those players using BMI of how much weight they want to lose. The game has some fun mini-games, yoga poses and muscle exercises, and it constantly encourages players to better themselves. That means it's up to the new features to justify the $20 upgrade.

The game has some impressive new stat tracking options. As well as measuring how much time players spend doing the fitness games, the game tracks how many calories that players exert playing the different games or doing exercises. The game does so by assigning a MET rating to every activity in the game that uses a math formula to determine how many calories a person burns depending on his or her weight. It is a welcome change from measuring success by BMI which does not take into account lean muscle. Unfortunately BMI has not been completely removed from the game, but the inclusion of a calorie tracker is definitely a step in the right direction. Players are also able to track their waist size and, for the truly dedicated, how many steps they've taken in a day.

Another major improvement to the game is the ability to set up a workout queue of strength exercises and yoga routines. If they don't want to come up with a routine of their own, players can have Wii Fit Plus set up workout sessions for them based on how much time they want to spend or what parts of the body they want to work on. For the most part, once a routine has been started it flows from one exercise to the next without requiring players to press any buttons. The workout queue manages to fix one of the biggest flaws with the first game, and for anyone who is still doing a daily Wii Fit workout this feature more than justifies the / price. Even for those who have lapsed, the workout queue is definitely a big reason to come back as there is much less downtime between exercises.

Wii Fit Plus also adds 21 new exercises-- mostly new balance games. Table Tilt, Running and Balance Bubble have all been given new courses, and the game also features fun new games such as Skateboard Arena, Snowball Fight, Birds-Eye Bulls-Eye and Obstacle Course. Most of the new games are fun and, unlike the original Wii Fit, Plus has all the games unlocked from the get go-- that includes older games as well. While a few of the games might be considered clunkers, most of the additions are fun and entertaining. There is literally at least one new game that will appeal to any player.

For players who enjoyed Wii Fit and are still using it, Wii Fit Plus is worth the upgrade: it surpasses the original game in every way. However, the game will not compel players to keep up their routines. Only plan on adding this Plus to your collection if you are into the whole fitness game genre.

8.0/10