I was recently congratulated by an anthropomorphic Wii accessory, telling me I'd reached my 500th day of Wii Fit. I don't think it's been exactly 500 days—there's been a number of missed days here and there and I think it's been smoothing that over for me in its counting—but it has certainly been a long time since I originally picked it up shortly after launch, and I'm at least a little proud that I've still stuck with it.
I don't use Wii Fit to lose weight. Oh, I've been shedding pounds, but Fit's role has not been so much in the shedding as the tracking—complemented by a more competent weight charting application that doesn't bitch when my weight varies upward more than a pound. But I have been using the Yoga and Strength Training exercises to help combat sedentary desk job-itis, and I've been rather pleased with the results. The problem has been how long those daily routines can take, in particular as I navigate from exercise to exercise. I got Fit Plus in part for the added exercises and claimed improvements, but mostly for the promise of being able to hammer through routines a little bit faster in those precious morning hours.
But there was also a little something else I wasn't expecting. Something that I'd noticed with the original Fit, but kept to myself... it's a little change, but it opens up Fit Plus in an interesting way.
Back to the original point a moment, first: yes, Fit Plus is definitely more efficient. The exercises themselves aren't sped up as far as I can tell, but there's a quick Body Test option available immediately that cuts out every last bit of chatter and several "press A to continue" moments right off the bat—this probably saved me two minutes on its own. Following, I went into My Wii Fit Plus to set up a routine (there are presets, too, but they're all short and uninteresting to me, so I went straight for the custom.) There appears to be only one save slot per user for this, but it's so quick and easy to change I don't see any problem.
The best part is that once I kicked off my routine, I could put the Remote down and leave it on the credenza until I was done. The pace felt so much more efficient, kind of like Brain Age Express with the unlockable "shut the polygonal doctor up" option. I'm not sure of the actual time savings, but even with setup and confirming a few things for this article before I signed off I was done with everything over five minutes faster. It doesn't sound like much, but bright and early in the morning, it feels like an eternity.
But yes, the most interesting aspect of Fit Plus—the one I wasn't expecting—has more to do with a surprising aspect of the original Fit than any brand-new development in Fit Plus, though. The original had, of course, the high score tables for each activity that pitted you against the other members of your family or household, but that was the extent of multiplayer. The competition had a sort of detachment to it, as you never really could get together and go up against each other. It was an odd fit considering the one-on-one excitement introduced by Wii Sports.
Wii Fit Plus rectifies this twofold. First, for a handful of balance games—including our immediate favorite, the platforming game—you can play them in a new multiplayer mode that doesn't require people to register, get a BMI, or the like. You just pick a Mii and go. When you're done with your turn, try again, or pick another Mii. High scores are tracked for the session, but not stored (that I can tell) nor is time added to your Fit Credits. It was a great way to get all three of us—my wife, my daughter and I—playing together.
Even if we don't go explicitly into multiplayer, there's a Quick Switch option on several of the exercise select screens that can be used to let anyone take over, even if they aren't registered with Fit Plus (they just won't get tracking if they're not.) It looks like it'd be perfect for those times you see someone getting a high score on a balance game and want to challenge them.
Wii Fit Plus is a $20 upgrade for those who bought the original Wii Fit and thus already own a Balance Board. This isn't my final word by any stretch, of course—look for a more in-depth review after I've had a few weeks to put it through the rest of its paces—but for me, the time savings alone look like they're going to be worth it, and those other improvements I wasn't expecting are just icing on the cake.
I don't use Wii Fit to lose weight. Oh, I've been shedding pounds, but Fit's role has not been so much in the shedding as the tracking—complemented by a more competent weight charting application that doesn't bitch when my weight varies upward more than a pound. But I have been using the Yoga and Strength Training exercises to help combat sedentary desk job-itis, and I've been rather pleased with the results. The problem has been how long those daily routines can take, in particular as I navigate from exercise to exercise. I got Fit Plus in part for the added exercises and claimed improvements, but mostly for the promise of being able to hammer through routines a little bit faster in those precious morning hours.
But there was also a little something else I wasn't expecting. Something that I'd noticed with the original Fit, but kept to myself... it's a little change, but it opens up Fit Plus in an interesting way.
Back to the original point a moment, first: yes, Fit Plus is definitely more efficient. The exercises themselves aren't sped up as far as I can tell, but there's a quick Body Test option available immediately that cuts out every last bit of chatter and several "press A to continue" moments right off the bat—this probably saved me two minutes on its own. Following, I went into My Wii Fit Plus to set up a routine (there are presets, too, but they're all short and uninteresting to me, so I went straight for the custom.) There appears to be only one save slot per user for this, but it's so quick and easy to change I don't see any problem.
The best part is that once I kicked off my routine, I could put the Remote down and leave it on the credenza until I was done. The pace felt so much more efficient, kind of like Brain Age Express with the unlockable "shut the polygonal doctor up" option. I'm not sure of the actual time savings, but even with setup and confirming a few things for this article before I signed off I was done with everything over five minutes faster. It doesn't sound like much, but bright and early in the morning, it feels like an eternity.
But yes, the most interesting aspect of Fit Plus—the one I wasn't expecting—has more to do with a surprising aspect of the original Fit than any brand-new development in Fit Plus, though. The original had, of course, the high score tables for each activity that pitted you against the other members of your family or household, but that was the extent of multiplayer. The competition had a sort of detachment to it, as you never really could get together and go up against each other. It was an odd fit considering the one-on-one excitement introduced by Wii Sports.
Wii Fit Plus rectifies this twofold. First, for a handful of balance games—including our immediate favorite, the platforming game—you can play them in a new multiplayer mode that doesn't require people to register, get a BMI, or the like. You just pick a Mii and go. When you're done with your turn, try again, or pick another Mii. High scores are tracked for the session, but not stored (that I can tell) nor is time added to your Fit Credits. It was a great way to get all three of us—my wife, my daughter and I—playing together.
Even if we don't go explicitly into multiplayer, there's a Quick Switch option on several of the exercise select screens that can be used to let anyone take over, even if they aren't registered with Fit Plus (they just won't get tracking if they're not.) It looks like it'd be perfect for those times you see someone getting a high score on a balance game and want to challenge them.
Wii Fit Plus is a $20 upgrade for those who bought the original Wii Fit and thus already own a Balance Board. This isn't my final word by any stretch, of course—look for a more in-depth review after I've had a few weeks to put it through the rest of its paces—but for me, the time savings alone look like they're going to be worth it, and those other improvements I wasn't expecting are just icing on the cake.