EA SPORTS Active for Wii in stores now, taunting us with its toned abs
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 19th 2009 9:57AM
posted May 19th 2009 9:57AM
Well, we have to admit a certain principled aversion to any console game that involves jumping, the flailing of the arms, cardio-whatever... anything, really, that Richard Simmons might approve of. It's bad enough that we're being asked to turn in our traditional controllers in for a balance board, but are we really supposed to believe that Electronic Arts -- the company that single-handedly ruined our health during the 1980s as we stayed up for weeks at a time on the quest to save Skara Brae -- could, or should, present the world with a "personal trainer in a box?" Well, if you're one of those people, you'll be happy to know that EA SPORTS Active for Wii is now available in retail stores Stateside, with worldwide release slated for May 22. Video after the break.
I've always wanted my living room to smell more like a locker room....
I'm having issues with the video. Is this for the Wii? Seems like an obvious question, but it's not mentioned.
Yeah it's for the Wii. I hate to say it, but I think this actually looks kind of cool. I always felt that the Wii Fit wasn't active enough. A little too . . . slow calisthenic. This looks like it might actually be fun and aerobic at the same time.
To Ryan-
I'm with you... looks like it could be fun and I like the multiplayer "exercises" too
Me too. Pause it for a minute and it will be less choppy.
I hope you all know that the girl on the left is the infamous "wii fit hoola-hoop in her panties" chick. I saw it on Gametrailers TV. She pursued EA to give her a job after she got so many hits on YouTube and they ended up hiring her.
A videogame is not going to get you fit. I applaud companies for trying, but I think it's a marketing gimmick... "Sure, I'll buy a videogame console, heck it has WiiFit and EA Active on it so I can use it to lose weight."
[ 10 days and countless Ben & Jerry's pints later ]
"Wii Mario Kart is kinda like exercise..."
I've lost 25 pounds on Wii Fit.
Not using the excercises, they suck. But its much easier to track and manage a diet when you weigh in every morning. You get to see progress/regression on a daily basis. I'd love to see something with a real workout emerge, and if this is it, I'm on board.
> A videogame is not going to get you fit...
Obviously never tried out the simple "boxing" game that comes with Wii Sports.
"A videogame is not going to get you fit."
Brazell, that's a pretty pessimistic outlook. A video game won't *magically* give you toned abs once you hit the "power" button on the console, but I've met several people for whom Wii Fit has been a good help. Over on Neogaf (a gaming website), there's a running thread of people using this game as a tool to help them either lose weight or stay active, and there have been several ongoing success stories. Sparkpeople (a fitness website) has several people who use the Wii as part of their daily routine.
You're using an extremist argument that seems to imply every person who might be interested in improving their fitness binges on ungodly amounts of junk food all the time and has no serious interest in being in shape. This is simply not a universal truth.
(that said, Wii Sports Tennis while hula hooping is really fun!)
@Brazell
I see what your saying, but I think this has a lot more potential than Wii Fit. My wife does Palates and Yoga everyday off of a DVD that does not give any feedback and the reason it helps is she keeps with the routine. Wii Fit can be beneficial if it is done consistently. For Wii Fit she actually does the running on our treadmill so she gets good stretching and aerobic exercise. This game at least has the potential to give more feedback than a standard exercise DVD and can be more fun. So no its not for a hardcore exercise enthusiast, but for those looking to keep their body stretched and toned, this is a great way IMO. So if you actually take it seriously, yes this videogame could help you get fit. The same way that you can "cheat" every other wii game and sit on the couch to play, I am sure you can find a way to cheat this, but that is not the point is it?
I have to admit that when I decided to buy the Wii Fit on it's launch date, I got it because of the hype. I am not really expecting any health benefit but just silly fun with friends and family. But when I religiously used it for 2 weeks straight doing cardio, yoga and boxing, amazingly I lost 5lbs while keeping my current diet. But the sad part is I got bored after a while so unfortunately I gained back what I lost. Discipline is the key but that is easier said than done. Sigh!
I enjoy watching people overpay for the active/sports label. Heh
i belong to a ymca that has the FitLinxx system that tracks what you do and ymca staff monitors it and sends you messages on what to improve on. and ymca membership is at most 60 a month buck, i think thats more worth it than these workout games
yay
For kids who sit on the couch all day and play video games, Wii fit works nicely, at least help them circulate blood and some light cardio. As others have mentioned, the feedback you get from the game is the best part unlike watching boring Tae-bo DVD. Marketing gimmick? maybe, totall useless? no. (BTW, the girl on the right is cute)
BTW the girl on the right is probably 14
Everyone in my house had fun with the wii fit, when we bought it, and my wife actually got into a pretty regular morning work-out with it. But it is kind of a pain that it is only single player, and you have to switch profiles every time you want to switch players. That is biggest reason why we usually opt for different wii games when we're all playing together. This at least has the multi-player advantage. If they would have made it so you could use two balance boards at the same time, it would have been much better.
Available in Canada today too just FYI
Yup, saw this in Canada as well, at Wal Mart at least. It looks interesting, but I m leery that it would actually keep someone motivated for long.
apparently EA is "sponsoring" "articles" for Engadget.
if not, why wasn't PunchOut!!, or any other games for that matter, ever mentioned with their own articles?
I'm one of the original 12 30-day challengers using EA SPORTS Active. I've totally changed my lifestyle using this program and lost 15 lbs in the past month doing so. I encourage you to try one. It will surprise you how good of a workout you can get with virtual fitness, and this is like having your own personal trainer. Trainer in a box is the perfect description for this. If you want to read more about my personal testimony using this, check out my site, www.dadscenter.org. It's all there in black and white and pictures.
Congrats, Donny! I've been following along with you and the other 30-Day Challengers and it's been inspiring. I'm picking up an EA Active this weekend and will be doing my own 30-Day Challenge! For those who haven't seen what Donny and others have been up to for the past 30 days, take a look at the website - http://easportsactive.com/thirtyday.action
I doubt it first but you're absolutely right! You can already buy it online in Canada: http://wiionline.ca