I am VERY disappointed in this product. I was so excited when I saw that Jillian Michaels was coming out with a fitness "game" for the Wii platform. I think she is a great trainer and couldn't wait to get my copy. To begin with there are only like four or five different characters to represent you, and there are only minimal customization choices for these. Each exercise has it's own background or "stage". And it is just like a stage, because there is no change to the background unless you are running, then it is a path through the woods, with the same scenery over and over again. We could not get the music to change from the default random. We did not find the music inspiring in the least. It does not give you much feedback during or after exercise either, only showing top scores, like a game. Okay, I can overlook this, I bought this for the fitness aspect anyway, right? All of the diet tips and fitness tips are locked and you must reach certain levels within the exercises to unlock them. After 4 weeks of daily playing, we unlocked 2 diet tips and 1 fitness tip. I did not find this helpful. When you are first starting out, you need all the tips you can get! Some of the controls are counter intuitive and most are very hard to follow and master. For example - When "running" you stand on the balance board that comes with the Wii Fit and lift only your heels. Four different people could not get the character to punch or kick the punching bag. It took 4 weeks to figure out how to do this, and still only one of us can do it. When walking on the log, yes, they call this an exercise, you are supposed to hold the Wii remote in one hand and the nunchuck in the other and spread your arms out to the side. You cannot do this since the cable between the two controllers is not long enough. Now you need a second controller or a wireless nunchuck just to do this one exercise. When performing the paint grenade exercise, all you do is squat or bend down and pick up the grenade, then throw it at targets. The grenades are very hard to see, due to the darkness of the background and the grenades themselves. The screenshots shown on this site are accurate, it is that dark on the television too. I actually wrote to the manufacturer and asked for my money back, then, when I got no response, I gave it away. Am extremely disappointed and will just stick with the Wii Fit, which I have been very happy with.
Overall rating
1/ 5
Gameplay
1/ 5
Graphics
1/ 5
Sound
1/ 5
sistawood
Don't waste your money!
PostedNovember 25, 2008
Got this for my birthday, the day after the release date. I was so excited and was looking forward to working out. I tried it and was so disappointed! The graphics are horrible, the Wii Fit is so much better. When you run you see the same thing "the top of trees and yourself running down a dirt path." It is boring and the remote doesn't work well with some of the programs, there is a delay and it can become very frustrating! The music is not all that great and I'll say it again "the graphics are really bad". Some of the workouts are challenging but if you compare it to the Wii Fit it gets a major thumbs down. She shouldn't have put her name on it, I tried it twice and returned it back to the store a day later. It was a waste of money and I was not thrilled with the result!
Overall rating
1/ 5
Gameplay
1/ 5
Graphics
1/ 5
Sound
2/ 5
Looking for Alternatives in Athens NY
Pretty Bad Game
PostedNovember 22, 2008
Don't waste your Money. I'm returning it today. I don't care about the graphics or the music people have been complaining about, but the overall game is one of the most poorly written I have ever seen. She should not have put her name on this thing before trying it out. EA Sports in coming out with a game for the balance Board in the spring, so I suggest waiting for that. It looks good. I have been able to work up a sweat if I select 45-60 minutes. For anyone who says they are actually getting exercise from this, they should have got off the chair years ago and I suggest they get their doctor to give them a stress test. Really, you may have some sort of heart problem or stop smoking. I'm 50LBs overweight and I'm not breathing hard or my heart rate doesn't even come close to Aerobic. Again, if you still want to check it out, rent it or buy it used at EB. Better off using the Wii Fit game for now until something better comes along.
Overall rating
4/ 5
Gameplay
4/ 5
Graphics
3/ 5
Sound
3/ 5
LadyDarkLuna
A real work out, not just a game
PostedNovember 14, 2008
First off, let's get the bad out of the way... The graphics are pretty lame and the sound is repetitive and definitely not the reason to buy the game. BUT if you are looking for an interactive Jillian Michael's work out, then this is definitely why to buy the game. Jillian obviously took the time to really work WITH the Wii to figure out how to make the game only work if you are doing the work outs correctly. Any one who has played the Fit knows that there are ways to "cheat" and just get through the workout without having to actually learn proper form and push past the wall of "I can't". Jillian's work out forces you to actually use your mind to figure out how to work your body and truly do the exercises correctly. 10 minutes on this the first day left my legs screaming the next day. This tells me that I actually WORKED OUT, and didn't just "play a game". It's hard, it's frustrating, and at times you want to throw the remote at Jillian... exactly how I am sure she wants you to feel. Bottom line, if you are not seriously looking to WORK out and SWEAT and HURT, then do not buy this game. If you are only interested in pretty graphics and cool sound effects, do not buy this game. If you truly know who Jillian is, what she stands for, and what you want is for her to make you work your hind end off, then buy the game.
