5/5
The latest EA Active game provides a personal trainer and a fitness program for in the house.
The Wii version comes with an arm strap that is a fully functioning blood presure monitor and a leg strap that works as a sensor. It also comes with a resistant band which is used for a varity of muscle workouts. The majoity of the workouts do not require the wii remote to be held while exercising.
Unlike Wii Fit and Wii Fit+ the Wii Balance Board is not required, although it can be used with some exercises if you want to.
The arm and leg bands track whole body motions and after using the game for 4 weeks I have experienced no problems with movement detection. In fact it is very impressive how it can track all your movement with only 2 bands and no cameras as is used on the Xbox 360 Kinnect.
The game provides a number of fitness options; you can select a training session as or when you want, or you can set up a 9 week program with a personal trainer of different levels. You also have a journal in which you can track your eating habits, enjoyment and effort put into your workout and enter the amount and type of other exercises you have done each day. EA Active 2 provides tip, hints and useful information based on your data provided. It also has a database of useful facts and knowledge. The thing I most liked about it is the nutrition information section that gives you a list of good, okay and bad food for each food group. I have changed my diet based on this information and have noticed a possitive difference in my health.
One niggle about the game is that the resistant band is a little strange, and not right for everyone. The resistance of your band depends on your height and how you tie it, as you attach the band to the handles yourself, and also my knots have come undone a number of times. The game allows you to use weights instead of a band, although you must get your own weights as there are no Wii specific weights. However this sounds like a good feature as you can customise your choice of weights to your ability by buying them yourselves, and you simple tell the game how heavy they are and it adjusts the workout accordingly.
Overall this is one of the best fitness games I have experience. I particularly like that it does not require a wii fit board or the wii remote to be held as it gives you much more freedom of movement. Secondly the best feature I like is that it incorporates real sports and sports training into the game so you do feel like you are working out for a sport, and if you do participate in a particular sport you can specifically train for it at home.
The fitness program can be personalised, such as you can choose your rest and workout days and the difficulty. Also you are not compelled to take on a program, you can simply choose a 10-30 minute workout when and as often as you see fit.
You can also workout with a friend if they have their own arm bands and in an online group of friends.
I do not like the gym and EA Active 2 gives me a gym workout level in the comfort of my private home. With over 70 workouts and many added little features an all round perfect fitness game.
