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Active Life trailer: enjoy it with your family
We think we've figured out Active Life: Outdoor Challenge's niche. We know it differs from the 800-pound gorilla of Wii exercise games, Wii Fit, in that it's more game-based and less pure exercise activities. It also has a bit of an "adventure" setting. It also features activities like jumping that don't show up in Wii Fit, which may be better for aerobic exercise. Also it looks cute and fun.But more important than any of that is the fact that, starting next week, Active Life will distinguish itself from Wii Fit in that you'll be able to find it in a store. Enjoy the latest trailer, which is one of the most toy-commercial-like of any game trailer we've seen. We think it's the narration.%Gallery-26977%
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/30-7/6
The first thing we noticed upon scanning through last week's top thirty games was that Shiren the Wanderer 3 was missing, to our disappointment. The second thing we noticed was that Tales of Symphonia dropped 100,000 copies from its debut week's sales. While the top thirty software chart definitely looks promising for the Wii at a glance, we can't really feel good about placements in light of such details. As for what Wii game topped the rest? Look up and take a guess.On the hardware front, the Wii stayed put in third behind the handhelds:Since hardware is only half the fun, though, check out the software numbers too after the break.
Watch this Active Life trailer from your desk chair
Commercials that show people having fun while playing the Wii are a dime a dozen, so this Active Life: Outdoor Challenge trailer doesn't score any points with us in terms of creativity. We also think the narrator sounds as excited for the game as she would about an enema (fake enthusiasm is fake), but that's neither here nor there. Yet the game itself -- dare we say it -- looks pretty interesting.Don't take "interesting" to mean "good," but we can't help but be intrigued by some of the activities and the use of the mat. Granted, the last thing we need is yet another peripheral in our households, which will probably be enough to keep us away from Active Life. If Nintendo doesn't have its Wii Fit stock act together by the fall, though, we wonder if people will turn to Active Life instead. Granted, this game won't have even half of the hype that surrounded Wii Fit, but the situation does present an opportunity for Namco Bandai. Who knows, families might even buy into the whole "working out together" angle.On the other hand, there's yet another obstacle in the way of Active Life. It looks to us at least that if you're going to go with a game with a mat, DDR would probably offer a better workout. But what do you lovely readers think? Does Active Life: Outdoor Challenge have a place in the current gaming market? Gallery: Active Life: Outdoor Challenge
Active Life screens for the whole family except Dad
Hey, don't feel too bad. Just because you haven't heard of Active Life: Outdoor Challenge is no reason to shed those tears. Wii Fit is great and all, but you need something more. Something to do with a big island of fun, apparently. With a bunch of games and a new mat, it's pretty obvious that peripheral-crazy Wii gamers will dig this latest installment into no holds barred gaming fun. It's your fun-loving responsibility to check out the new official gallery with the latest and greatest in Active Life images. Hit the link below for river-rafting, see-saws, and a traditional mine cart ride. Despite the notable lack of Short Round on this ride, the characters are stumpy enough to be somewhat passable. %Gallery-26977%[Via press release]
New Active Life screens leap, skip, and kayak our way
We found little in the latest batch of Active Life: Outdoor Challenge screens that was new to us, though they are the first English language shots (not that the game was packed with mountains of kanji in the first place). It's the usual mix of runaway minecarts, kayaking, and jumping over logs -- increasingly, this is looking less like an exercise game (and thus a competitor to Wii Fit) and more like a light-hearted selection of minigames bundled with a potentially fun peripheral; we could never imagine Active Life: Outdoor Challenge calling us fat, for example.More screens and (terribly lifestyle) boxart follow the break.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/16-6/22
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Well, except for the PSP, that is. Sony's handheld is still as mighty as ever. Even so, the Wii toppled all the other home consoles once again last week, reclaiming its second-place spot: The new Wii kid on the block in the charts is Mario Super Sluggers, which didn't sell as well as we thought it would, considering that it's a baseball game -- one published by Nintendo, no less. That's why we love Japanese sales so much, though. Just when we think we have the country all figured out, it goes and surprises us again.Everything else Wii related is pretty much just business as usual, but check past the break to see where the games ranked in the top thirty and how much the top tenners sold.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/9-6/15
Last week in Japan was all about Sony dominance, as Metal Gear Solid 4 rocketed the PS3 into first. The Wii still did pretty well for itself, though, nabbing the third spot in hardware and nine of the top thirty in software:Shiren the Wanderer 3 managed to remain in the top ten despite the Metal Gear bullying, but everything else was as we expected. Just click past the break if you want to check out the software rankings and sales numbers.
Active Life: Indoor Mat Interview
MTV Multiplayer's interview with Active Life: Outdoor Challenge producer Yusuke Sasaki barely touches on Active Life: Outdoor Challenge at all, and instead focuses on the really attention-getting part of the package: the new Family Trainer mat!Apparently, compared to the NES mat, the technology has been refreshed a bit. No specifics were given, but perhaps the Family Trainer is something more than buttons inside soft plastic? Or perhaps the years of Dance Dance Revolution mat testing undergone around the world has helped hardware designers make more robust mat controllers. As far as tangible changes, "The Active Life mat actually has more buttons in a unique configuration that works well with different types of games as well as multiplayer gameplay on a single mat."Sasaki also reaffirmed Namco Bandai's intention to create more games that use the mat. Dance Aerobics seems ripe for remaking, if they want the Wii Fit crowd.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/2-6/8
The top Wii game last week wasn't Mario Kart, or even Wii Fit. Rather, beloved roguelike Shiren got the coveted title, as Shiren the Wanderer 3 debuted in second behind the PS3's new Dragon Ball Z. The previously mentioned Nintendo games did show up in the top ten, though, along with Family Trainer. We're happy to see both Smash Bros. Brawl and Battalion Wars 2 hanging tough in the top thirty; the previous week had us a bit worried. In hardware, though, the Wii remains sandwiched between the PSP and the DS:Just click on past the break if you'd like to see how Wii software fared.
Family Trampoline
Namco Bandai's Family Trainer (or Active Life: Outdoor Challenge here) may not gauge your weight or balance like Wii Fit does, but you can jump for real. Instead of absentmindedly jumping in the middle of the tightrope game and being admonished for it, Family Trainer lets you take off. It's one of the advantages of the low-tech controller. Along with floppiness. Is that an advantage? It sure seems like one.This ability means that Family Trainer can feature a trampoline game like the one in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, with the addition of real jumping. Like the Olympic trampoline event, sequential jumps increase in height, allowing the player to score points with controller motions while airborne. Jumping looks like a lot more fun when you're ... jumping.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/26-6/1
Wii Fit gained some competition last week, as Family Trainer finally made its debut in Japan. Even so, Namco Bandai's game couldn't overtake Nintendo's six-month-old fitness title. Many Wii games were also pushed to the bottom of the top thirty in this week's chart, with Smash Bros. Brawl in danger of falling off completely. Despite less than stellar software sales, Wii hardware performed well. Yet, once again, the Wii fell behind the currently dominating PSP:The software figures are located after the break, so click on.
Active Screens: Outdoor Challenge
We kind of wonder if the Wii Fit hype will help or hurt Namco Bandai's Active Life: Outdoor Challenge. People may become interested in exercise games in general as a result of Nintendo's entry into the genre, or they may feel that their foot-based gaming needs are met sufficiently by Wii Fit, with no need for other games or peripherals.Regardless of whether or not it's good business to release a fitness game with its own peripheral after Wii Fit, we can't help but think that Active Life looks like fun. Not "fun for an exercise game," but fun. Just looking at this speed skating screenshot (which doesn't look particularly outdoor to us) makes us want to try it. Looks like we'll have to make room for another peripheral!
'Family Trainer' is more Power Pad than Balance Board
Little known fact: Bandai's NES "Power Pad" was known as "Family Trainer" in Japan. And so old is new again, as Atari has announced the European release of Namco Bandai's thoughtfully named Family Trainer for September (it's called Active Life in the US and hasn't been dated). These days, names like Family Trainer and Active Life certainly conjure a connection to Wii Fit, a "knockoff" if you will, though the new Family Trainer is more a resurrection of that mat from the 80s than another way to get weighed on your Wii.This "new" Power Pad is bundled with zany feats, forgoing the track and field games that were packaged with the original peripheral for things like log jumping and mine karting in jungles and haunted mansions. Missing the mark? We think so. Price this pad at half the cost of Wii Fit, toss in a Pilates program, and Family Trainer will go platinum, like day one.[Via Engadget]
Europeans can train their families in September
Many of you folks in Europe have probably already decided whether Wii Fit interests you, but those of you paying attention know that there's another exercise game for the Wii that's aiming to compete with Nintendo's software. Yes, we're talking about Athletic World: Family Trainer (aka Active Life: Outdoor Challenge in U.S. markets).Perhaps you prefer video game exercise on a mat rather than a Balance Board, or perhaps there's room for two fitness-based games in your life; if either of these conditions apply, though, you'll have to wait a few months to pick up this title. Atari recently announced that the game will reach Europe in September, which is just enough time to make it useless for bathing suit season -- alas.[Via press release]
Atari takes on Wii Fit with floor mat-based Family Trainer game
It looks like Atari is taking a few cues from Nintendo's past in order to take on the hot-selling Wii Fit, with the company's new Family Trainer game employing a Power Pad-style (or DDR-style for you young 'uns) mat controller to give you a workout. That'll apparently let you run and jump your way through more than a dozen mini-games designed to get your heart rate going, including log jumping, rope skipping and water rafting, each of which also make use of the Wiimote for some upper-body action. No word on a price just yet, but it'll apparently be landing in Europe first this September before it (presumably) makes its way over here.[Via TG Daily]
Active Life: Online Preview
1UP checked out Active Life: Outdoor Challenge, Bandai Namco's alternate-universe, nostalgic take on Wii Fit, at yesterday's Bandai Namco press event. As producer Daisuke Uchiyama explained to the site, the game is less about scientific measurement and management of fitness, and more about being active and having fun.The preview did indeed seem fun, especially the mine-car event -- though there was some difficulty coordinating two players. "The entire experience actually felt like "controlling" a Disneyland coaster like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or the Matterhorn Bobsleds," 1UP's Andrew Fitch said.If Outdoor Challenge takes off, more games using the Family Trainer mat could be on the way. Apparently the company will conduct surveys to determine the kinds of things that different regions would want to control by stomping.
Breaking sweat with more Family Trainer shots
GAME Watch has posted new shots for Bandai Namco's Athletic World: Family Trainer (known in the U.S. by the far blander -- not to mention inaccurate -- moniker of Active Life: Outdoor Challenge), as well as lots of snaps featuring people jumping on, crawling across, and twisting on the Power Pad Family Trainer mat that ships with the game. Oh, and leaning, obviously. We hope it's sturdily constructed!If you've been keeping up with our coverage, you'll have already acquainted yourself with the events on display, but hit the "Read" link below to gawk at plenty of new screenage.[Via Jeux France]
Family See-saw Fighting Trainer
Namco Bandai has released new screens of the events in Athletic World: Family Trainer, including a couple of new games that weren't covered in the last roundup. "Kenken Step" involves dodging stone idols that move toward the player (we think), and "See-saw Fight" is actually a kind of Twister/Simon/DDR thing in which players hit a specific spot on the Family Trainer mat in response to onscreen cues, with see-saw level representing performance.Amazon now has a boxart for the American version of the game, called Active Life: Outdoor Challenge, as well as a potential September 20th release date and a $60 price. Since it's impossible to talk about this game without comparing its sales potential to Wii Fit, we'll say this: ironically, this game's game-ness may be its biggest liability. Wii Fit makes a concerted effort to be an exercise program with some little minigames in it, focusing on things like weight tracking and exercise training and such. Outdoor Challenge is a video game that requires movement. The "expanded audience" will be more interested in the "serious" exercise tool, and gamers will still find Outdoor Challenge too non-game-like. But on the other hand, $60 is probably less than Nintendo will charge for Wii Fit.
Updates on Namco Bandai's whole clan of 'Family' games
Namco Bandai has a big series of Family (activity) games coming to Wii in Japan soon, including the wacky Athletic World (which comes with the Family Trainer mat) and Family Ski. There are new details on both of these games as well as screens of both Family Jockey and the latest in the long-running Family Stadium baseball series. GAME Watch introduces a couple of Family Ski's minigames, including a game in which you rescue skiers in trouble by stopping near them and performing a series of motions with the Wiimote and Nunchuk, and a "Find Mr. X!" game in which you hit the slopes in search of a specific skier in a crowd. Good luck distinguishing between people in cold weather gear!The Athletic World page includes the first real screenshots of the game we've seen, and shows off a bunch of adorable games to be played by stomping. Canoe Kawa Kudari (Downstream Canoeing) involves using the Wiimote and Nunchuk as oars and balancing with the mat to keep your boat afloat. Mountain Slider is a sort of snowboard thing in which you ride down a mountain and do tricks under, over, and around wooden structures. Mogura Panic is a Whack-a-Mole game played with your feet, which sounds really fun for some reason. Torokko Adventure (Train Car Adventure) is the mine-cart game seen in the previous video. Taki Nobori (Waterfall Climbing) involves one player hopping up and down on the mat, and another directing movement with the Wiimote. In Maruta Kawashi, two players jump to avoid rolling logs.The strangest thing about this series to us is that Namco Bandai uses two peripherals to do the same thing in different series: Athletic World has snowboarding, and leaning-based games, but doesn't support the Balance Board. Family Ski doesn't support the Family Trainer. The two teams should really talk.Read -- Family JockeyRead -- Family SkiRead -- Family StadiumRead -- Athletic World
Virtually Overlooked: The Power Pad games
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.When the exciting (to us, and ironically so) news of a Wii version of the Family Trainer and Athletic World appeared, our thoughts turned toward the past. That's sort of our thing, you know? New games make us think about old games, old games make us think about old games-- sometimes snack foods make us think of old games.But we have plenty of reason to look back here: the new Family Trainer is a functional duplicate of the original Family Trainer/Power Pad, and Athletic World is a sequel of sorts to one of the few Power Pad games. We doubt it will work out this tidily, but it's possible that the new Family Trainer will be able to work as a Power Pad for NES games on the Virtual Console. So, let's look at the lineup and see if there's anything worth laying a mat out for! (Hint: kind of?)
