Wii Fit - Feet On Preview

While Nintendo's Wii Fit is due for a Christmas release over in Japan, European press outlets are still very much in the dark about the game. Details regarding the Wii Fit game itself and accompanying balance board peripheral are certainly thin on the ground but, luckily for you loyal TVG readers, we've had the chance to get a look at Nintendo's software/hardware at certain gaming conventions this year. As always, we're ready and willing to let you guys in on the secret.

For those who aren't aware of anything called Wii Fit or what it is, here's a brief description: firstly, there's the Wii Fit game itself, which encapsulates more than 40 mini-games. However, before any of these games make sense, the accompanying balance board peripheral requires a little description. It looks a bit like a weighing machine really, which is unsurprising given that the main function of the board is to measure your weight distribution across pressure sensitive panels on its top side. This peripheral is then incorporated into the variety of mini-games on offer. Of course, given the wide ranging appeal of these mini-games, the ways in which you interact with the balance board are equally varied.

There are, for example, a number of sports mini-games that bear more than a slight resemblance to Wii Sports. We got a chance to go hands-on (or should that be feet-on) with the ski-jumping and football heading games. Ski-jumping sees you putting as much weight as possible on the heels of your feet as you hurtle down the slope, before quickly redistributing your weight onto the tips of your toes at the precise moment that you fly off the jump's edge. The football heading mini-game places you behind a stationary footballer who has to lean from side to side in order to header footballs that are kicked at him. Fairly onviously, your weight distribution from one side to the other moves the footballer's head. Watch out for the odd football boot that will come flying at you though.

There are also some neat puzzle mini-games. Our feet-on experience in this area took the form of an oldie but a goodie. Basically, you play through varying platforms with holes in them. On top of the platforms are a variety of balls (some of which need to go down the holes, some of which don't), and your challenge is to make that happen. This is done by altering the tilt of the platform, which in turn is altered by your weight distribution across the pressure sensitive pads.

Obviously, these only cover a few of the extensive 40 games on offer, so what else is there? I hear you ask. Well, we all know how Nintendo are now appealing to the whole family with the Wii and DS, as well as the games for these consoles. In fact, this market tactic has been hugely successful. So, they've included a wide range of serious, adult applications for the balance board. Many of these do straddle the boundaries between a game and an exercise tool, but they're probably going to be a lot of fun so are worth knowing about.

There are a variety of balance board related exercise applications on offer, for example. From what we could see, there were press-ups (literally hands-on this time) and a wide variety of aerobic styled workouts that pandered to the more physically fit gamers (we weren't aware they existed).You'll also find accompanying muscle stretching exercises and balance tests to check your physical abiltities via the balance board. Yoga is also on offer for the more spiritually inclined Wii owners.

Another mini-game we saw that will fit Nintendo's family appeal strategy well is the hula-hoop game. It revolves around (pardon the pun) the usual hula-hoop aims of making the hoop spin around your waist for as much time as possible before it drops lifelessly to the ground. Kids will love it because what kid doesn't love hula-hoops, while parents/grandparents will also get a kick out of it as it will bring back memories of their deprived childhoods: "You're very lucky! When I was a kid, we had to make our own hula-hoops," is what they'll doubtlessly say. Nevertheless, it does beg the question: why not just by an actual hula-hoop for 50p?

So, that's basically the intel. we've managed to garner from our various Nintendo related foraging. We we're also pleased to hear this week about the logical extension of Nintendo's balance board. News from Japan is suggesting that the first third-party game to incorporate the peripheral will be Namco Bandai's Family Ski. The incorporation of the board should be fairly obvious, given the importance of balance in the sport of skiing. Nevertheless, when you think about the wide range of ways that a balance board could be incorporated into various other games (skateboarding, for example), it certainly is an exciting prospect.

All we can do is play a patient waiting game until Wii Fit eventually wings its way to European territories. Freighter aircraft could even use it to weigh packages that are also being delivered across Asia so, please Nintendo, heed our desires for Wii Fit and get it over here before next Christmas.