There's a new fitness game in town and it's ready to work you out and make you sweat. Your Shape ($69), a new Wii game by Ubisoft, makes Jenny McCarthy your workout coach and training buddy so you don't have to sweat it out alone.
The game comes with a camera that you perch on your TV; it captures your image and plays it on your TV so you move with a reflection of yourself, like looking in a mirror. The camera also monitors your movements, and if you slack off, Jenny will let you know — she also gives you praise when you make a correction. Who couldn't use an ego boost mid-workout?
To learn more about the game, continue reading.
Aside from exercising next to the perky animated McCarthy, the game tailors workouts to you in type, length, and difficulty level. The game includes 400 exercises, so your workouts are never the same, which keeps you on your toes and busts the boredom common to home workouts. You can select to focus on cardio, strength training, or toning exercises, and focus on a specific body part. I selected a 15-minute burn, aka cardio, focusing on my backside. After a five-minute warmup, I did many lunges and kicks peppered with some old-school aerobics moves. When my grapevine turned sloppy, Jenny chimed in, "Please follow me." When I corrected my footwork she gave a "Fantastic!" You can also have the game add in exercises with equipment you already own, like an exercise ball, hand weights, or an aerobic step. Unlike many Wii Fit games, Your Shape creates a continuous workout and you can sweat it out for 45 minutes nonstop.
You begin playing the game with a fitness test, and every nine workouts you take the test again to assess your improvement. You can compete with other users registered to your game — up to four. The game drops Nov. 24, and will be available at Amazon, Target, Walmart, and other large retailers. If you're more of a mobile game player (or your kids hog the TV or the Wii), a PC version of the game, also $69, will be available for purchase in early December. This version comes with the camera as well so you can work out with Jenny anywhere.
Check out more images of the game.
Rebecca
Butterfly
Chevignon
This sounds neat. Was there any time delay between your actual movements and the video image of yourself?
1this looks pretty cool.
i notice on the picture it shows the calorie burn of the workout. how does the game know? do you have to wear a special attachment or does your own heart rate monitor sync with the game?
2I would caution people here from buying this. Wii is notorious for junkware, and celebrity exercise games have been the worst offenders lately.
What do you think is more likely - that the company developing this spent the money to make the camera interpret gestures correctly, something Microsoft's multi-million dollar project Natal MIGHT accomplish in a few years? Or that it's just a cheap piece of software with Jenny's name on it and a camera that doesn't work?
I love Jenny, but unless the reviews are stellar, it's safe to assume this game sucks.
3I disagree that it's junkware. I don't think this is the ONLY workout regime anyone should have- and in general with these games you have to know good form- but it's better than sitting on the couch and playing games, which is still what most people do.
I'm not sure I'd be buying this game. It sounds fun, but I hate that every game that comes out come with some attachment that you have to pay extra $$ for. The games are expensive enough as is for $50. Maybe I'll consider after the price drops. It seems sort of similar to EA sports active in terms of giving you a good workout...
4EA Sports was an awesome aberration, though the bands that came with it were garbage.
I'm not saying definitively that it's junkware, I'm saying it's probably junkware. I think we'll have to read some reviews to know for sure. Still - the industry tends to poo on any game that's female friendly. What a shocker since the reviewers are almost always men.
I'm willing to withhold judgement - but if the camera works well, I'll eat my hat.
5Yogaforlife,
6There wasn't a delay in the imaging. The calorie count on the screen is an estimate of calories burned based on your weight. The game is not compatible with heart rate monitors.
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