Get Pumped For EA's New Wii Fitness Game
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By Jennifer Bosavage, ChannelWeb
10:16 AM EST Thu. Nov. 13, 2008
Electronic Arts has jumped on the Wii Fit bandwagon—or is that treadmill?—with its new EA Sports Active title, available in spring 2009.
Aimed specifically at women seeking a simple and inexpensive way to achieve a healthy lifestyle, the product is the first in a line of products aimed at this goal. Currently, EA is widely known for its blockbuster gaming titles such as the Madden football franchise.
A far cry from the Jane Fonda workout videos of yesteryear, EA Sports Active supports two "players," which lets family or friends to get fit together through a wide variety of interactive activities. The fitness regimen targets the upper and lower body as well as cardio. On-screen, realtime feedback on workout—such as calories burned—offers motivation, as does a virtual trainer. The trainer is part of the game's "30-Day Challenge," a fitness road map that also provides a new, 20-minute workout every time a player exercises.
Nintendo's own fitness product for its Wii system is not a particularly rigorous workout and offers more of an Eastern attitude (i.e., yoga). EA Sports appears to be stepping up the action by offering a more strenuous program.
"EA Sports Active costs less than a gym membership; it provides a variety of exercises unlike a one-dimensional in-home fitness contraption, and it delivers an interactive experience that you don't get from a DVD," said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports, in a statement. "This is a true fitness revolution and a space in which we intend to be leaders."