Just in time for those New Year’s
resolutions, Yourself!Fitness promises to be an interesting entry into
the emerging health and exercise field available on interactive entertainment
systems. A physical workout program with an interactive personal trainer at the
core, this ain’t your Mom’s Sweatin’ to the Oldies, but is rather a slickly
produced program that is geared toward the younger game geek who likes gadgets
and is interested in health issues, as well.
Kidding aside (Sweatin’ to the
Oldies is a tough workout!), Yourself!Fitness takes the interactive
features of computerized gaming systems and combines them with tried-and-true
workout methods that have been around on video for years. The difference here is
that the program allows for flexibility and change in the material presented,
unlike a film that is unchangeable once filming is stopped.
On first starting up the program,
Maya, the program’s personal trainer, walks participants through a profile
set-up. Here, players will enter their personal information such as height,
weight, age and lifestyle, then participate in a few simple physical tests to
determine their beginning fitness levels. Players will perform jumping jacks,
crunches, squats, and push-ups, then enter the number performed and/or the
accompanying pulse rate. Once a fitness threshold is established, Maya will
recommend an overall goal and design a weekly workout program designed to
concentrate on this goal. The daily workouts will also have a smaller focus on
other areas of fitness that will vary from day to day.
In the beginning, players can choose
one of two locations to conduct their workout in; after more participation with
the program, more locations will become available. There are five in all. The
same is true with the music, which at first is available in three styles, with
three more unlocked after a certain amount of player participation.
The workouts are presented very
well, with the type of movements, the time left in the workout, the level of
difficulty and other information presented in a bottom of the screen menu that
can be seen through. A tutorial and pause choice is also included at the bottom.
The camera viewpoint of the workout can be moved around while the session is in
progress, with a good range of top-to-bottom and side-to-side viewpoints. Maya’s
moves are amazingly realistic for a computer bot, and she can really get down to
the music tempo! However, her lip synching, while not bad, will remind players
that this isn’t a real person, after all.
The interface is fairly easy to
navigate for the most part, but the buttons on the main menu could be a little
clearer as to their function. For instance, the meal plans and recipes are found
by choosing the commitment button, which no one is going to know unless they
test each button out.
Maya will also integrate a viewer’s
personal fitness equipment into the workout, which will incorporate a range of
weight-training exercises, pilates, and even a little yoga. The emphasis is
mostly on an aerobic-style workout, however, but with added exercises.
There are also lots and lots of
yummy, practical recipes tailored to fit into a limited calorie day. These
recipes are presented in a chatty, personalized tone as if submitted by various
people, and don’t feature ingredients that will break someone’s wallet.
Obviously, the people from Good Morning America’s unintentionally amusing
"living on a shoestring" segments where their "budget" clothing items are
compared to "designer" duds, weren’t involved in the recipe choices. But I
digress.
The player’s progress is charted
with more physical tests, self-ratings and questions every so often to keep the
workouts tailored to the specific needs of each person. While these routines
have been put together already, players can change the routines and also the
difficulty levels themselves, if they feel a change is needed.
I was very interested in this
program, as my college freshman daughter is into various methods of working out,
loves sports, and "attempts" to eat healthy. So far, I’ve been pretty impressed
with the versatility and practicality of the program, and really enjoy the
control a computer program gives participants, as compared to a video. However,
despite the impressive animation and programming of Maya, she’s still not real,
and can’t compare to the warmth and personality of a real person on a video, or
TV show. But this is a small trade-off when consideration is given to the
interactivity and fluidity of a program like this, which can be changed in a
myriad of ways to suit an individual’s needs.
While the program I reviewed is a PC
program, it is also available for the XBox and PS2 console systems. As these are
usually hooked up to TV screens which are larger and more on an eye level with
viewers, many people may prefer a console version over the PC version, unless
their PC is hooked to the TV. I exercised with my computer screen with no
problems, but have to admit I would have enjoyed it more on the TV screen.
On the whole, this is a good fitness
program which promises to give lots of value for the money, as it can be used
for a very long time after the purchase. With the multiple profiles and
individualized routines, this is definitely a worthwhile purchase for anyone
interested in getting in shape, whether single or in a family.
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Gameplay: 7.5
This program isn’t for entertainment purposes, but is a utilitarian program. As
such, it does the job nicely. The interface is easily navigable, but some
functions are unclear.
Graphics: 7
The graphics are good, but nothing really spectacular. Maya, the personal
trainer, looks and moves awesomely, but the backgrounds and other objects are
pretty ordinary.
Sound: 8
The music is great, and there are lots of tunes to choose from. I didn’t see a
function for importing music, which would have been neat, but probably was not
considered because of Maya not being able to exercise with the tempo of an
unknown song.
Difficulty: Easy
Concept: 8
It’s a great concept to have an interactive exercise program that will adapt to
each user on an ongoing basis! This is a burgeoning market, as I’ve recently
seen news stories about health and exercise programs on console systems that are
geared toward getting kids moving and active. I believe this is an up-and-coming
market trend.
Overall: 7.8
This is a versatile exercise and fitness program that really does the job it is
designed to do. I believe that people will become fitter and more healthy if
they use the program in the way it is intended. However, it’s rather an
impersonal type of program, despite the efforts of the design team to make Maya
as human as possible. The price is a little high, in my opinion, but the value
is still good, as it can be used for a very long time amongst many people.
