Developer Namco Bandai’s new release ExerBeat offers a new interactive fitness experience in your home. While utilizing the Wii Remote, players can work out to a beat and perform more than 150 simple yet challenging exercises. With a wealth of activities, in-game personal trainers, customizable programs and data for calories burned, ExerBeat offers a robust virtual workout studio for the whole family.
The exercise games vary from slow yoga/pilates stretches, karate and boxing work outs, as well as dance-exercises which include aerobics, hip-hop & Latin dance. There is only a limited amount of excises available from the start as the others become available as you progress through the game. Not only do you get to have fun with dancing aerobics but you also get to monitor your progress, intensity of workout and calories burned. Your routines are fully customizable and can be focused on problem areas. To keep things interesting you are presented with daily and weekly exercise challenges that are not considered successfully completed unless you score 70% or better.
Exerbeat can be played in its entirety with a single standard Wii controller, as the game will be asking you what hand you prefer to use. Although two controllers are recommended for more precise results, they are not required. Similarly up to two persons can join simultaneously each with either one or two controllers; just remember to setup the game accordingly. *Wii Motion + and the Balance Board accessories are required for a number of exercises but not all.
When you first start up Exerbeat you are greeted to a cartoon music note named Rhythm, who asks for some basic stats about yourself, including your age, weight and dominant hand. Later on you will be asked whether you will be using one or two Wii controllers. The player needs to monitor his or her heart rate in order to reap the most benefits out of the aerobic exercises The game reminds you of this but offers no way of actually measuring or calculating it. You can use an electronic heart-rate monitor or can measure and calculate it using a stopwatch. For some of the yoga/pilates exercises you may also need an exercise mat.
On completing an exercise in the game you will gain workout time and rhythm points. Exerbeat converts your points into miles allowing your Mii to travel the earth; a feature that adds an extra level of accomplishment. Whenever your Mii lands on a landmark Exerbeat will open up new exercises and will give you some general information regarding the place your Mii has landed upon.
Exerbeat comes with some party games my favourite has to be Pirate Attack where you get to swing your sword in the correct angle and direction in order to fend off pirate attacks. You get so into it that you forget you are playing until your shoulder muscles start to burn, same with the Swimming and Pizza Toss party games. There is also “Wall Smasher” a boxing game and “Dance fever” dancing face off.
Exerbeat gives you a large selection of exercises to choose from these include:
Dance Exercises:
Aerobics – 20 exercises.
Hip Hop – 20 exercises.
Latin Dance – 20 exercises
Martial Arts Exercises:
Boxing – 20 exercises.
Karate – 20 exercises.
Karate Forms – 10 exercises.
Body Condition:
Yoga / Pilates – 20 exercises.
Stretching – 10 exercises.
Party games:
Swimming.
Dance Fever .
Pizza Toss.
Wall Smasher .
Pirate Attack.
Overall Exerbeat gives you a large selection of exercises to choose from however, if Namco Bandia released a Collections pack which included a heart monitor and yoga mat then this would be a perfect game for players that want to excise in the comfort of their own home.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
