Wii Fit Backlash

"It does work, if you're willing to stick with it"

Nobody uses Wii Fit, eh? So said a Forbes article we reprinted last week, which quoted notable video game blogger Brian Crecente as saying, "I don't know a single person who has bought the game who uses it routinely after a month."

Crecente apparently doesn't know very many of our readers, who responded to the article in substantial numbers both to set us straight about their Wii Fit habits, and to offer advice about how to get the most out of Nintendo's ground-breaking fitness game.

Here's a taste -- and believe us, we really do mean a taste -- of the comments we received.

Wii Fit proves useful at a Los Angeles children's hospital.
"If you ask us here at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, we can get kids who normally won't participate in physical therapy to really gain motivation and anticipate their therapy if it involves the Wii and Wii Fit. This interactive movement and coordination is great for us and we document the improvement using the Wii.

Maybe you can suggest an article on the Wii's effective use in pediatric physical therapy?"

Wal-Mart manager drops pounds
"I am a Department Manager at Wal-Mart and every morning Wal-Mart has a morning meeting. We have put the Wii Fitness to the test to see if it works. One of our Assistant Managers has been using it faithfully for, I believe, 2 months (at least 1 month), and she has lost weight in doing so. Before the Wii she did not exercise, and she smoked. She stopped smoking and has been faithful to the Wii Fit. She is raving about the Wii Fit and and seems more energetic."

More workout games needed?
"This is in regards to the article about the Wii Fit. The article was about people who had purchased the game and in a couple of weeks stopped using it. Was this a true case of actually working hard and doing exercise, or sheer boredom? Why couldn't the Wii people make up new exercises for the Wii Fit, or make a bigger board for running/walking in place as well as push-ups and more strength exercises? Have they ever thought of releasing 3 or 4 games with a bunch of different workout programs on them? Just a suggestion."

"Wii does work if you are willing to stick with it"
"As an obese female (BMI 40) I was excited when Wii Fit came out. I started using Wii Fit about one month ago. Truthfully, I'm now addicted. I started playing only 15-30 minutes every other day or so, but now do about 2 hours daily. I have seen a dramatic drop in my weight and a huge increase in my stamina. It even inspired me to buy some free weights, which I have incorporated into my routine. You are right when you suggest that you only get out of it what you put in...but Wii Fit does work if you are willing to stick with it."

"Most ridiculous article I have read all year"
"This is the most ridiculous article I have read all year. Instead of applauding Nintendo for attempting to get us off the couch, you lambaste them and blame them for our inherent laziness! Maybe you should also criticize the manufacturer of every piece of fitness equipment ever sold, like the ever popular Stair-Stepper coat rack, or maybe the weight-set door stops?"

Woman loses 40 pounds to Wii Fit habit
"I just read the article regarding the lack of use of Wii Fit. Ha!!! My husband bought me the game in September, and I am using it 6-7 days a week. I have lost 40 pounds since using Wii Fit. I still find the advanced hula hoop to be a killer. I have done yoga, balance games, and aerobics. I have also done some strength exercises. I love Wii Fit."

Gamestop manager: Wii Fit "was successful long before it even released in the US"
"As a GameStop store manager, I have to agree/disagree with a lot of the content in the recent article about Wii Fit. First...the article focused solely on the American market, but is stated as though this applies to everyone. The article basically says that most Wii Fits sold are collecting dust and no one is getting in shape. Wikipedia says Wii Fit has sold 14 million copies as of December 2008 but maybe only a million in the US. That means only 1 in every 14 bought were by Americans. And we already know the decidedly 'American' trend in regards to physical fitness, with the USA easily being the fattest country. I don't even need to cite a source (which the article never does) in regards to fitness trends in the US because it is widely accepted that there are numerous products that prey on people looking to get in shape with no effort. However...this game was successful long before it even released in the US."

Parent grounds son from video games...except Wii Fit
"Due to recent school grades, my 11-year-old son was grounded from computer and TV activities. A light bulb went off in my head yesterday and I modified his restrictions to allow him to only play the Wii Fit game (after his homework was done, of course). He and his sister have been competitive in their scores so far. Hopefully this tactic will stick with him after he regains his privileges; if not, I will need to find other ways to get him to continuing playing. I have played Wii Fit a few times but prefer the high-cardio, sweaty workout I get from my DVD 'Yoga For Dummies'." By Mike Smith

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10 Great Wii Party Games

Wii Sports, the engaging party game bundled with every Wii that flies off store shelves, recently shouldered its way into the top spot as the best-selling game of all time. Wii owners around the world have enjoyed the game, but may not know where to turn when smacking virtual tennis and golf balls starts to feel stale. Here are ten party-friendly games that'll keep your Wii from gathering dust.

1. Wii Play
Wii Play picks up where Wii Sports left off, adding new game modes like table tennis, billiards, fishing, and skeet shooting. Smooth integration of the Wii Remote makes the action intuitive, and your customizable "Mii" avatars take center stage on the playing field.

2. Tetris Party
Putting a multiplayer twist on a timeless classic, Tetris Party expands on the traditional gameplay with numerous competitive and cooperative modes. In addition to the basic mode we all know and love, there are offbeat contests like "Field Climber," "Shadow," and "Stage Racer" -- taking those familiar colored blocks into strange new places.

3. Boom Blox
Steven Spielberg's foray into the Wii marketplace got less success than it deserved. The physics-intensive, tower-toppling gameplay lets players knock down elaborate structures and experience the sheer glee of destruction in a non-threatening, family-friendly environment.

4. Lego Batman/Star Wars/Indiana Jones
Classic movie franchises turn terminally cute in these popular platform/puzzle titles. Whichever game you choose, you'll find engaging co-op gameplay interspersed with amusing cutscenes that reinterpret the source material, Lego-style.

5. Rock Band 2
If you haven't heard of the Rock Band games, we're wondering how you get Internet access in your cave. If you have heard of them, then what are you waiting for? The party-game phenomenon of the new millennium is just as much fun on the Wii as it is on its other platforms.

6. Wii Music
For a more free-form, kid-friendly music game, try Nintendo's own Wii Music. Though it initially met with a befuddled response from critics, this easy-going title -- which allows you to engage in open-ended jams while playing dozens of different instruments -- has started to catch on, to the point where you may even see it showing up in music classrooms.

7. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
This collection of 50 offbeat minigames -- from "beastie boarding" to zombie-hunting to weed-killing -- is tied together by zany, outrageously humorous presentation. Kids and adults alike will be rolling with laughter at the Rabbids' bizarre antics.

8. Guinness World Records
This game is about as fun as watching fingernails grow -- which, as it turns out, is more fun than you'd think. Guinness has you seeking fame and fortune (or at least a laudatory paragraph buried in a thick book) by the aforementioned fingernail-growing, or building the tallest skyscraper, or getting to the center of a Tootsie Pop in the fewest licks. If you want minigames whose sheer strangeness is a conversation-starter, Guinness is the way to go.

9. Mario Party 8
The parade of minigames continues with Mario Party 8, which features simple contests for up to four players -- Wii-remote-friendly tasks like shaking soda cans, hammering nails, and swinging at baseballs all feature. The game's simplicity and recognizable characters make it a natural choice for younger Wii fans.

10. Smarty Pants
Trivia is a natural choice for a party game, and the Wii has that base covered with the elegant and straightforward Smarty Pants. Not a lot of bells and whistles here -- just 20,000 multiple choice questions spread across multiple game modes, giving you and your friends plenty of opportunities to show off your fact-filled brains.

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Where To Ditch Old Videogames

GameStop has long been the king of the used games market, but other options are cropping up.

Videogames may offer one of the best entertainment propositions for the dollar, but with titles for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ringing in a penny shy of $60 at retail, they aren't cheap. Amid a recession, there's good news for the cost-conscious gamer. There is an increasing number of ways to convert old games gathering dust into cash or new titles.

The most popular option is to sell unwanted titles back to the store. It is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to get credit for old games, but it is not exactly the most lucrative option. If you decide a brand-new title like "Gears of War 2" is not worth hanging on to, you can trade it into GameStop for its current in-store credit value of $25.

GameStop then turns around and resells the game for $54.99. Sales of secondhand games accounted for nearly $1.6 billion, or some 22%, of GameStop's revenues for its last fiscal year.

"For the lazy shopper, [GameStop] is the easiest and quickest alternative," says David Abrams, owner of videogame deal tracker CheapAssGamer.com. "It is not going to give you your highest return, but it's your fastest return and easiest return. You walk in with your pile and walk out with store credit."

Other shops, from Hollywood Video's Game Crazy to the game-by-mail service GameFly, are also happy to sell game players' shopworn titles.

Most value-conscious sellers turn to eBay. Demand for blockbuster titles can often drive auctions near (or even over) the original retail price for the game. But with eBay comes the hassle of listing and seller fees, collecting payment and shipping out games. And there is always the risk that the game won't sell, or will sell for less than hoped.

For those with a specific price in mind, eBay's Half.com, which lets sellers set a fixed price for their used titles, is a favorite. Amazon.com allows individuals to list items on its product pages in exchange for a commission on each sale. And, of course, there is always local dealing on Craigslist.

If you're willing to be a bit more adventurous, several game-trading sites have popped up in an attempt to capitalize on the growing market for used games. Sites like TradeGamesNow.com, GameTZ.com and various forum communities, from neoGAF.com to IGN.com, offer ways for players to find other gamers willing to buy or swap used titles. CheapAssGamers also hosts a robust community of game traders, and Abrams says the site will soon be rolling out its own automated system to make matching game traders easier. Of course, with these one-on-one deals, gamers need to be willing to risk getting very little money for their games, or even getting stiffed.

Out of the various trading posts, Goozex is a preferred option, says Abrams. The site was started in 2006 after its founder, Jon Atham Dugan, took a stack of games to GameStop and received a mere $35--not even enough to cover the new game he was buying. Dugan realized there had to be other game players who had experienced a similar bad trade with the retailer, so he decided to turn each household into its own GameStop.

His trading house helps gamers get reasonable prices for their games by hooking them up with buyers. The service fee is only $1, but the catch is that Goozex does not allow gamers to exchange cash directly. Instead, they trade in points--a virtual currency purchased from Goozex. Dugan says the site averages 20,000 completed trades a month.

Abrams says Goozex is the most successful game-trading site he's seen, but he cautions that it hasn't reached a critical level of success. The game-savvy are comfortable with collecting points in exchange for their games (which they can then use to buy other secondhand titles), but it is a difficult concept for mainstream consumers to understand. Nevertheless, other sites are surviving by using the same virtual coin model, including SaySwap.com and PlaySwitch.com.

"Gaming-specific auction sites spring up from time to time, but none are ever successful," Abrams says. "They are a tiny, tiny fraction of insignificant buyers. I'll never make as much money on other auction sites as I will on eBay." The potential buying audience, he adds, is just too small.

So despite other specialists trying to edge out a slice of GameStop's turf, your easiest outlet is still GameStop. Just remember, you can get a better deal if you're willing to put in the effort to shop around. Mary Jane Irwin, Forbes

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Is the Wii failing to meet its potential?

Console overwhelmed with "crappy games," says publisher.There are too many crappy games on the Wii.

So says the global boss of 2K Games, Christoph Hartmann, and at least in the opinion of video game critics, he's on to something. Using figures from review aggregation site Metacritic.com, almost half of Wii games released since the console launched in 2006 have scored below 65%, compared with about a third of Xbox 360 and PS3 titles. And 65% is a pretty crappy aggregate score, considering that many game review sites rarely score below 50%.

Raise the bar to 85%, and the difference is even more pronounced: the percentage of Xbox 360 games scoring above that mark is double that of Wii games, while the PS3 nearly triples Nintendo's score.

Broadly, this problem isn't Nintendo's fault. In fact, without sterling first-party games like Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Wii's situation would be far worse. Nintendo-developed games, with the possible exception of Wii Music, are a beacon of quality in a sea of, as Hartmann so indelicately puts it, crap.

Fortunately, this situation isn't lost on most consumers. According to game sales authority NPD Group, the top ten best-selling Wii games -- titles like Mario Kart, Wii Fit, and last year's number one game, Wii Play -- accounted for about 44% of all Wii game purchases in 2008. The remaining 56% spanned over 400 other titles.

That's not the worst of it. Sales of Wii games that reviewed poorly (including 2K Games' own Carnival Games, which aggregated a dismal 56%) eclipse those of many of the Wii's real gems, including the breathtaking Okami, the superb Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and even the lighthearted, family-friendly Steven Spielberg project Boom Blox, which should have been a perfect fit for the Wii's unprecedentedly broad audience. The Wii has a curious ability to make big hits out of low-scoring games.

Perhaps it's the critics' fault. Do video game reviewers, who typically boast decades of gaming experience and a deep affinity for the integrity of video games as a serious pursuit, miss the point of casual-friendly Wii sales hits like Carnival Games? Perhaps, but the connection isn't as tempting as it might appear. Because Roger Ebert lists La Dolce Vita and Aguirre: Wrath of God among his top-ten films, should we assume, when he slams Bride Wars, he's doing it because he's elitist and doesn't understand movie consumers? Or maybe he just knows what makes a crap movie.

By and large, consumers do, too. Who, once burnt by a tempting but terrible Wii game like Ford Racing Off-Road or Jenga: World Tour, would not be hesitant to take a chance on a genuinely outstanding title like Zack & Wiki or Boom Blox? If they buy games at all, consumers will limit their picks to reliable names, while the delightful upstart games to which the Wii is so suited will sink beneath the tide of crap. At worst, they'll be so disgruntled that they'll shelve the Wii altogether, relegated to a dust-gathering embarrassment that's pulled out for a token Wii Sports or Wii Fit session once every few months.

So what can you do about it? Get educated. Without good resources, your odds of dodging bad games are not favorable. Sites like metacritic.com and gamerankings.com both provide great jumping-off points for research. Best of all, take a web-enabled phone with you to the store and you can look them up right before you buy. Although it's true that some reviewers miss the point of broad-appeal titles like Tetris Party or Monopoly, the majority will at least help you dodge the crap. Mike Smith

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The Truth About Wii Fit And Weight Loss

Fitness videogames might be able to keep players in shape--but not if they don't play them.

Nintendo's exercise game Wii Fit is still flying off retail shelves eight months after its U.S. release last May. The all-in-one instructional tool, weight tracker and fitness coach advertises itself as a painless way for the whole family to get healthy thanks to the game's "balance board," which measures players' movement. Offering a selection of activities--from running to push-ups to yoga--Wii Fit is now in almost 1.5 million homes across the country. But is anyone actually using it?

Not really, says Brian Crecente, managing editor of the popular gaming blog Kotaku. Despite optimistic predictions that Nintendo had unleashed a new era of videogames, Crecente calls Wii Fit little more than an exercise fad that's bound to come and go like any other. "I don't know a single person who has bought the game who uses it routinely after a month," he claims, stressing that getting results from the game requires dedication and real physical exertion. "What Nintendo did is they tapped into that desire people have to be healthier... Everyone wants to work out, but nobody really wants to put the effort into it."

One of the things that's made Wii Fit so popular is the excitement Nintendo has stirred up with people who don't normally play. For Crecente, that excitement--and the let down that often comes with it--hit home. "My mom and step dad both tried Wii Fit before it came out," he says, "and like every other middle-aged American, they loved it." In fact, they loved it so much they went out and bought a Wii of their own. Months later, though, when Crecente stopped by for a visit, he didn't need to ask if they'd set foot on their balance board. Their Wii had never even been set up. So much for physical fitness.

Don't blame Nintendo for people's sloth, observers say. The company has marketed its new cash cow brilliantly, and it's not responsible for whether consumers play the game or not. Nintendo declined to comment for this article, but Wii Fit creator Shigeru Miyamoto has previously gone on record and said that the game is less about people losing weight and more about broadening the videogame market. Still, it seems a little disingenuous for Nintendo to heavily market a fitness tool that's sitting in more than a million American living rooms collecting dust.

That's not to say Wii Fit doesn't work--if you play it. Brian Ashcraft, another Kotaku editor, tried the game out faithfully for a month when it was first released in order to review it. The results: He enjoyed the yoga, and started to feel more in shape. But the novelty wore off, and Ashcraft admits he hasn't picked up the game in a long, long time.

Not everyone, however, is prepared to give up on Wii Fit. Instead of relying on anecdotal evidence, Scott Owens, a professor of exercise science at the University of Mississippi, has started a six-month study to uncover whether placing Wii Fit in a home will actually improve a family's physical fitness. By donating the game to local participants for three months at a time, then taking it away for another three months, Owens will be able to observe how the game impacts cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and balance. How often families use Wii Fit will be up to them.

Of course, the overall goal of Owens' study isn't to question Wii Fit's effectiveness--it's to provide more insight into the American obesity epidemic. Right now, Owens speculates that playing traditional videogames might be a contributing factor because it's a sedentary activity. Results of his study are expected to come out this June.

In the meantime, gamers like Crecente remain skeptical about the Wii Fit hype, predicting that this, too, will pass into fitness fad history. When a neighbor mentioned heading out to buy a Wii Fit recently, Crecente's advice was simple: Don't do it. "I have to keep reminding people," he sighs, "even though it's a videogame, it's still exercise. It might be fun a little bit, but it's work." Bonnie Ruberg, Forbes

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