A Wii fitness title which provides an impressive set of calisthenic moves and accurately captures the spirit and entertainment value of the TV show.
Reviewer: Nutwiisystem
October 14, 2009

So, it was only a matter of time before a Biggest Loser Video Game for the Wii came out. Now, I admit I was a bit skeptical at this one. Typically when game publishers buy rights to great brand names and trademarks, the games they create are anything but great. From Daisy Fuentes Pilates to Jillian Michael’s own Fitness Ultimatum 2009, game publishers often get lazy knowing that the brand name will guarantee them a certain number of sales regardless of the quality of their game. And so they get sloppy with the game design or the quality assurance.
I’m happy to say that The Biggest Loser bucks this trend. It’s a very solid fitness title for the Wii. I don’t use the word “game” because it’s not exactly fun like a game. It’s more like an interactive fitness video. In fact, it reminds me most of Ubisoft’s My Fitness Coach in that way, but they’ve come a long way since My Fitness Coach (so much so that The Biggest Loser has officially bumped My Fitness Coach out of our Top 10 list of best Wii Fitness games).
The core of The Biggest Loser is its very comprehensive list of dozens and dozens of Single Exercises, which are essentially calisthenic exercises (i.e. exercises that don’t use weights or equipment). They really hit a home run with these. Every calisthenic exercise you can think of is included, including exercises for a cardio workout; for working out the upper body, core, and lower body; and even yoga poses. Each exercise ranges from light, moderate, challenging, hard, and intense. Each one is identified by an icon (color-coded by intensity). As you select each icon in the menu, there’s even a figure telling you exactly what muscle groups you’re working out.
When you start each exercise, an on-screen figure will show you very clearly how to do the exercise, including the correct posture, moves, and timing. You basically follow along. The exercises typically use the Wii-mote and/or the Balance Board passively to “check” your progress. For example, when you choose the jump rope exercise, you hold the Wii-mote like the handle of a jump rope and make small circles with it. When you choose “tire drills”, you put the Wii-mote in your pocket and run in place, simulating the kinds of drills that football players do when they run through tires. Similarly, “fast skaters” is an exercise where you simulate a speed skater waving his or her arms. There are a number of exercises which use the balance board such as the “plank” (where you press both hands against the balance board), a “T-Raise” (where one hand is on the balance board and the other is stretched out). Some exercises will be very familiar (jumping jacks, push ups), but even the ones that aren’t familiar are very intuitive once you watch the on-screen character doing them.
I should note that for the most part, you’re on the “honor system” as to how closely you follow the on-screen examples. Even if you get a little sloppy in your form or don’t do the exercise properly, more often than not it’ll still register and Bob or Jillian will continue to shout out praise and encouragement. That said, when you do it exactly right, you’ll usually see confirmation on-screen.
You can do each of the exercises a la carte, but more likely you’ll want to choose Exercise Routines, which combine multiple single exercises into comprehensive pre-designed programs to work out your full body, upper body, core, lower body or do yoga exercises. You can also create a custom routine, made up of your favorite single exercises. As with single exercises, you can choose anything from light to intense exercise.
Sample Exercise Routine, Part 1
Sample Exercise Routine, Part 2
And of course, you can choose the full Fitness Program. You enter your name, sex, birthday, height and weight (conveniently, you can use your Balance Board to measure your weight, both your initial weight and in your very own “weigh ins”). Then, you pick your favorite real-life Biggest Loser contestant to play as, whether it be Matt Hoover from Season 2, Ali Vincent from Season 5, Michelle Aguilar from Season 6, or from a list of five others. You can customize the color of the T-Shirt your character wears, and then you pick whether you want to hear Bob Harper or Jillian Michaels as “your trainer”. From there, you can pick a personal goal: whether you want to simply maintain your current weight and improve your health, lose a little weight, or lose a lot of weight. You’ll also pick a skill level and a program length. Based on all the things you enter, the system will calculate a specific exercise regiment for you, complete with dates. If you’re really committed, you can also input the number of calories you eat every day, as well as log any additional training you do outside of the program (such as walking, running or biking outside), and the program will adjust itself accordingly.
Challenge Event: Skate or Splash
Challenge Event: Highflyers
2 Comments
Anonymous
Nov 29, 2009 9:13 amthe beginner workout wasn't very intense, but the light cycle challenge was a killer. I had to rest between the challenges. I was getting very winded and now I have to wash my hair too. It really made me sweat.