Who would’ve thought that an exercise video game would sell 20+ million copies worldwide in less than two years? While Nintendo didn’t invent the health & fitness genre its Wii Fit certainly eclipsed the competition. The intuitive and fun presentation of the game coupled with a clever bit of hardware really gained mass appeal and pulled couch potatoes off their backsides and fitness freaks out of the gyms.

Up-sized Wii Fit

The launch of a sequel should come as no surprise then, with the Wii Fit Plus now available. The title is rather apt, as you get exactly the same game as before plus six new exercises and 15 balance games, a nifty calorie tracker, the ability to build customised exercise programmes and a multiplayer mode. We have excluded the feature which allows you to weigh your pets from the list of additions as it is just a waste of time and pure gimmick.

The fitness game

The game still offers you a Wii Fit Age based primarily on BMI during the initial setup. If you have an existing Wii Fit profile, Plus will import all your data. While the BMI focus is not entirely accurate, considered unreliable by health professionals, the game will get you working up a sweat in the strength and yoga exercises – though the original exercises are still the game’s more impressive offerings. Some of the balance games like Snowball Fight and Big Top Juggling aren’t really going to assist you in losing weight or improving your fitness even though they’re fun to play. The calorie tracker and METs (metabolic equivalents) data is very handy though, providing more in-depth data. 

The added functionality of building your own fitness regimes via My Wii Fit Plus is also welcome, but the routine setup is limited to the strength and yoga exercises which means that you can’t throw in a few balance games for fun. The multiplayer mode, while a great addition, is also limited to just nine activities and there is still no online play.

Building on a solid offering the Wii Fit Plus is a good follow up, but more content would have been nice and a better solution to providing more reliable workout feedback. The game is sold separately for R249 or with a balance board for R1299. The balance boards shipped with the original Wii Fit are compatible with the Wii Fit Plus.