I got EA Sports Active for myself (and not my wife, as some of you readers will probably recall) a while back and I’m ready to post my impressions. They are actually quite positive, as I’ve been getting a pretty good workout every day for about 25 minutes a day and definitely breaking a sweat. There are some negatives though, which I’ll detail below.
Here’s what I loved about it:
- 30 day fitness challenge with three difficulty levels, allowing you a continuous 25 minute workout each day with a structured exercise plan of working different parts of the body, etc. (unlike Wii Fit, where it’s “here’s a bunch of minigames, do whatever you want.”)
- It’s definitely a workout. While you only burn maybe 100-120 calories each workout, you will probably be sore the next day (and you’ll also sleep quite well that night after you work out). The jump lunges kicked my butt.
- Wiimote functionality works decently, with some exercises having you hold the remote in your right hand and the nunchuk in your left hand, and others having you put that nunchuk in the thigh holster that comes with the game.
What I didn’t quite like:
- Wii Fit board is pretty useless. It’s like the developers only put it in as an afterthought and to be honest, I will probably stop using it myself because the activities you do with it are few and stupid. It doesn’t even calculate your weight!
- While the Wiimote functionality works, it’s not super great at detection, so sometimes the trainer will think you didn’t finish a rep. Also, with it not being 100% accurate, it makes me wonder if I’m even doing some of these exercises correctly and would have liked more guidance. Sometimes I have to shake my Wii-mote & nunchuk for it to register that the rep is complete.
- The included resistance band that you are supposed to use to do shoulder presses, bicep curls, etc. is not very strong. By supplementing it with light free weights, I was able to get a much better workout. But for those that don’t have free weights, I don’t know if you’ll really tone much of your muscles with just the included resistance band.
Overall, I think it’s definitely worth buying for $60 if you just want a routine exercise program that you can work out to every day. I’ll probably be doing it for a while, and I’ll chart my weight progress as well. It’s the best “exercise game” out on the market right now, but there’s definitely room for improvement and I’m sure based on how well it is selling, sequels will be imminent.
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