Since the release of Wii Fit there have been many
fitness-based video-games released. Sadly most of these games rehash the same
modes that Wii Fit contains without adding anything else. The newest fitness
game released is entitled The Biggest Loser, and sadly this game follows the
same trend. Unfortunately, this game will not help players lose a lot of weight,
but it will help people kickstart into an exercise routine that will eventually
help them in the long run.
When players first load The Biggest Loser they
will create a custom fitness program. It starts off by asking players to input
their name, age, height, and weight. Next players will have to choose a previous
Biggest Loser contestant to characterize them on the game (more on this later),
and finally choose the personal trainer they want: Bob Harper or Jillian
Michaels. After inputting this information, players must then choose what they
want the fitness program to do – improve their health, lose a little or a lot of
weight. Then players will choose between which type of exercise program they
want to participate in: beginner, intermediate, and expert, which is designed to
push players by lengthening the time and intensity of each exercise.
Once the mandatory game setup is complete, the
game opens up. Players will be able to view their personal fitness program
duration and adjusting it from a full 12-week program to a smaller four week
program. They will also be able to view a calendar that will track the progress
players have made thus far. It contains a daily calorie log that shows how many
calories gamers have eaten and how it compares with what they should have eaten
under their recommended plan. This section will allow players to log additional
exercises they have done throughout the day.
As mentioned earlier, when players start the game
they will choose an onscreen avatar chosen from contestants of previous seasons.
What makes this unique is that each avatar is the size they were at the
beginning of the show. As players progress through the game, their avatar will
start to show signs of weight loss and begin to look more fit and toned. The
harder players work out the better the avatars will look at the end of their
program. This is a neat extra incentive to continue to play this game.
One of the few things unique about this game is
the recipe guide. Under the health and lifestyles section there is a section
called Healthy Recipes. This section has more than 50 different healthy recipes
that will fit into any lifestyle. Each recipe will show the ingredients, cooking
instructions and the nutritional information on that particular item from the
calories down to the sodium of each item. This is a great way to learn how to
eat healthier, even if it is a small thing such as a snack or even a dessert.
This is something that everyone can benefit from. Too bad there isn’t a way to
select a printer so people can make hard copies instead of having to turn on the
game to write them all down.
Another helpful tool in this game is the calorie
counter. This will allow people to input their gender, height, age, and weight
to define what is a good average calorie intake. To make this even better there
are predefined goals such as lose a little weight, lose a lot of weight, or
improve your overall health. Once the information is entered, players hit the
calculate button and it will give them a general calorie intake number that they
need to try to stick to. This calculator is fairly accurate and can give players
a good starting point at where they need to be at to reach a certain goal.
The biggest complaint that players will have
about this game is a lack of understanding on how to do each exercise. Unlike
many other exercise games on the market, The Biggest Loser never gives clear
instructions on how to perform each exercise. Many times players will do the
motions of the exercise and score the points they need, but they will never do
the exercise correctly. This is a huge flaw in a fitness game. Players need to
have a very in-depth understanding of how to do each exercise. The only thing
that this game really tells players is to make sure the wrist band is firmly
around player’s wrists.
When the actual exercise comes up players have to
follow Bob or Jillian do the exercise, and most times it will not work. After
doing the same exercise multiple times players will understand how to do it, but
this is completely unacceptable. An exercise game should take players
step-by-step on how to properly do the exercise so they will get the most from
it. Other games on the market really excel at that feature because what is the
point of doing an exercise if they do not get the payoff?
The Biggest Loser is rated for everyone.
Review Scoring Details for The Biggest Loser |
Gameplay: 5.9
The workouts are decent, but it never causes average-size players to really
turn the heat on. It is very rare that players will actually start sweating
while doing any of these exercises. Another bad thing about this game is the
lack of a clear explanation on how to do the exercises. Unlike other games on
the market, this game is truly about trial and error, and this is not something
an exercise game should be about.
Graphics: 7.2
The graphics for this game are decent, but not outstanding. Of course the
character models for Bob and Jillian are really good, but the on-screen avatars
are severely lacking in the details. It is hard to see the difference between
any of the avatars besides the race and gender.
Sound: 7.6
The voice-over work is done really well. The music is very generic, players
will want to mute the songs featured here and turn on their own tunes while they
workout.
Difficulty: Easy
Concept: 6.0
This game is an obvious attempt to cash in on the name “The Biggest Loser.”
The neatest thing about this game is the recipes that it gives players, but in
terms of the exercises it is more of the same with very little variation. Also
seeing your on-screen avatar lose weight is interesting but not a big enough
motivation to actually keep playing.
Multiplayer: N/A
At the time of this review I did not get a chance to test out the
multiplayer.
Overall: 6.4
The Biggest Loser is a sub-par entry into the world of fitness video-games.
Players can be assured that as long as the fitness game trend keeps up that a
sequel to this game will be released. Hopefully the next game in the series will
correct some of the serious oversights that this game contains, such as better
instructions to each exercise. EA Sports Active and Wii Fit do a very good job
at this, so it is possible to show players how to do an exercise instead of
leaving players wondering if they are doing each exercise correctly. Unless you
are a die-hard The Biggest Loser fan, I would avoid this game or get it just as
a rental.
