Wii Fit U?
Well there’s no Wii U launch title for a Wii Fit game, so Ubisoft have done the next best thing and brought its Your Shape series to the console. Now before you decide if you want to pick it up, keep in mind you will still need a standard Wii Remote to do the exercises…
The Gamepad becomes more of an organiser tool for your exercises, as well as being there to select options through the menu. The game will begin and the Gamepad will let you make your profile and it tracks your progress throughout, you can also earn Awards for your efforts which are the in-game version of achievements, if only you could properly share them online. Hopefully one day Nintendo will see the light and add a patch for such a feature.
The exercises consist of your typical workouts, but you can also dance to background music for songs like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” in a setup that looks very much like Just Dance, which is another game that will probably get the Wii U treatment in due time. I can’t say I’m much of a fitness freak and I can’t say that I’m physically designed for some of the exercises included, but there’s a nice mixture for everyone to get sweaty with.
The interface is simple and easy to use thanks to the Gamepad, but remember that Wii Remote! If you don’t have one, you won’t be able to play…it’s as simple as that. The boxart is a bit misleading as it doesn’t show a single Wii Remote until you flip it over to the back and even then the “Required” section is very small, so chances are some will miss that. It’s weird when you compare it to things like the “Kinect/Move required” labels that go on boxes now, really strange. The visuals are strong, although a bit simplistic in its design. The trainers are useful and will offer good tips on getting fit, although overall the Kinect experience of Your Shape is still stronger overall.
The Verdict
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013 is a great fitness launch title for the Wii U, it makes good use of the Gamepad but focuses more on still using the Wii Remote. If you want to lose some weight after the holidays then this might be just the title for you, just make sure to grab a Wii Remote!
