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Wii Fit

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Wii Fit
Wii Fit PAL boxart
Developer(s)Nintendo
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
SeriesWii Series
EngineWii Sports (modified)
Platform(s)Wii
Release

Genre(s)Exergaming

Wii Fit is a video game developed by Nintendo for the Wii console. Previously revealed under the code name Wii Health Pack,[3] it was announced under its current title at Nintendo's E3 press conference on July 11 2007 by famed video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. At Nintendo's media briefing, it was demonstrated by Miyamoto himself, Reggie Fils-Aime and other participants. Like the rest of the Wii Series, Wii Fit integrates Miis into its presentation and gameplay.[4] The game is designed to function with the Wii Balance Board peripheral and is an example of exergaming.

Wii Fit was released in Japan on December 1 2007 and sold over a quarter of a million copies in its first week.[5] As of January 20 2008, Wii Fit has sold over 1.1 million copies in Japan.[6] The game is scheduled for release on April 25, 2008 in Europe; May 8, 2008 in Australia; and May 19, 2008 in the United States.

History

A Wii Fit demonstration booth at the Leipzig Games Convention in August of 2007

Wii Fit was first revealed as Wii Health Pack, by Shigeru Miyamoto, during a conference in mid-September of 2006.[7] Then described as a "way to help get families exercising together",[7] the game idea had first been included in Miyamoto's original design document for the whole Wii Series, the entirety of which was scribbled onto a sheet of paper.[7]

As with other games designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, such as Nintendogs, the design of Wii Fit was influenced by the activities in Miyamoto's daily life.[8] Miyamoto states that he and his family had become more health-conscious, going to the gym and tracking their weight.[8] He found that it had become "fun over time to talk about these things",[8] and as weighing yourself "didn't make much of a game",[8] they decided to build games around the idea to mesh with the concept.[8]

In an interview with Game Informer at E3 2007 Miyamoto revealed that Wii Fit had been developed with a "full-scale" team for a year at the time.[9] The Wii Balance Board had been worked on for "almost two years", and was inspired by sumo wrestlers' needing to weigh themselves with two scales.[9]

Gameplay

A Body Mass Index graph

Wii Fit uses a unique platform peripheral called the Wii Balance Board that can measure a user's weight and their center of gravity, and calculate their body mass index when told the user's height. The game has about 40 different activities,[10] including yoga poses, push ups, and other exercises.[4] Furthermore, Wii Fit allows its players to compare their fitness by using Wii Fit's own channel on the Wii Menu.[11]

In a similar manner to the "Brain Age" calculated within Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, Wii Fit also tracks a user's "Wii Fitness Age".[12]

According to Shigeru Miyamoto when speaking to IGN during an interview at E3 2007, there are currently no plans to integrate any WiiConnect24 functionality into Wii Fit.[13] He did note, however, that there could be possibilities to take advantage of the WiiConnect24 in the future, such as using the service to keep in contact with a doctor to help with rehabilitation, or with a fitness specialist to help with training exercises.[13]

Activities

Nintendo of Europe's E3 2007 page for the United Kingdom states that the training within Wii Fit will be divided into four categories: Aerobic exercise, Muscle Conditioning, Yoga Poses, and Balance Games, including ski-jumping.[12] These exercises will provide a "core workout", emphasizing slower, controlled motions.[12] Of these activities, the following were shown at E3 2007, in conjunction with Wii Fit's announcement.

  • Yoga exercises[4]
  • Push ups[4]
  • Step aerobics, including a game in which the player must step on and off the Wii Balance Board in rhythm to the background music[4]
  • Heading on-coming soccer balls and avoiding other objects by leaning forward and back[4]
  • A ball-rolling mini-game, where you use the wii balance board to roll a ball on a platform into a certain hole which allows you to advance to the next level. This is somewhat similar to a game in the fishing hut in Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [4]
  • Hula hooping[4]
  • Ski jumping, whereby the player squats as low as possible, whilst maintaining his or her balance, and then quickly stands as fast as possible in order to gain a good jump[14]
  • Jogging
  • Tightrope walking
  • Snowboarding

Reception

Wii Fit sold over a quarter of a million copies in its first week,[5] and despite not being released outside Japan, Wii Fit already passed the 1 million sales milestone in just one month since its December 1 2007 release.[15][16] As of January 20 2008, Wii Fit has sold 1,113,626 copies in Japan.[6]

1UP.com wrote a positive preview on Wii Fit stating that "there may be no easy route to fitness for me, but Wii Fit feels like something I could do several times a week. And it makes me smile."[17]

References

  1. ^ "Wii Get Fit in December".
  2. ^ a b ""Wii Fit set for April release in Europe"".
  3. ^ "E3 2007: Feet-on Wii Fit". IGN. 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "WiiFit gonna make you sweat". Joystiq. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  5. ^ a b "Wii Fit misses out on Japan number 1". GamesIndustry.biz. 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  6. ^ a b Anoop Gantayat (2008-01-22). "Five Million Wiis in Japan". IGN. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  7. ^ a b c Satoru Iwata. "Part 1 - A Truly Ground-breaking Collection of Games". Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
  8. ^ a b c d e Parish, Jeremy (2007-07-13). "Miyamoto Roundtable full transcription". Retrieved 2007-07-14.
  9. ^ a b Berghammer, Billy (2007-07-18). "Nintendo's Busiest Man: The Shigeru Miyamoto Interview". Game Informer. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  10. ^ "E3 2007: Nintendo E3 Media Briefing Live Blog". IGN. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Upcoming Wii game release dates". GoNintendo. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  12. ^ a b c "Nintendo E3 2007 - Wii - Wii Fitness". Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
  13. ^ a b Shigeru Miyamoto (Interviewed) (2007-07-12). E3 2007: Shigeru Miyamoto Video Interview. IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  14. ^ "Joystiq toes-on: Wii Fit". Joystiq. 2007-07-13. Retrieved 2007-07-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "JAPAN: Wii Fit sells one million". mcvuk.com. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  16. ^ "Wii Fit sells 1m in Japan". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  17. ^ "Wii Fit Preview". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2007-12-15.

Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata

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