Product Description

Utilizes the Wii Remote, Nanchuk and Balance Board. Features 8 of your favorite former contestants from past seasons

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31 in Video Games
• Brand: THQ
• Model: 30249
• Published on: 2009-09-30
• Released on: 2009-10-06
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Nintendo Wii
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .36 pounds

Features

• Extensive workout customization, a daily calendar for day planning and 50 healthy recipes from The Biggest Loser Cookbook.
• A complete workout containing over 88 exercises, including upper and lower body, core, cardio and yoga.
• Select from a 4, 8 or 12 week program and compete with contestants from the prior seasons of The Biggest Loser.
• Multiplayer functionality allows you to train with a friend and compete in weekly challenges to see who really is The Biggest Loser.
• Wii Balance Board compatible with 66 of the included exercises utilizing the Wii Balance Board, including squats, knee lifts, lunges and much, much, more.

Amazon.com Product Description

Now you can become "The Biggest Loser" in the comforts of your own home. Shape and tone your body, either by yourself or with a friend, with this interactive fitness video game for the Wii. Choose a 4, 8 or 12 week program and The Biggest Loser fitness game will build a workout and nutrition plan for you so you can reach your fitness goals. You can take advantage of the expert advice and unique motivational styles of the amazing trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels to help guide you along with the way. Wii Balance Board support. View larger. Customizable workouts. View larger. Play as former contestants. View larger. Progress tracking functionality. View larger. Put Wii to Work for Your Health We know what you’re thinking – "The Wii?? Isn’t that for kids and gamers?" Not anymore. The Biggest Loser is an interactive fitness program that emulates the competitive and training elements of the hit NBC show. Just like the show, your goal is to accomplish weight loss milestones through weekly training and exercise challenges. If you succeed in obtaining your weight loss goal, you’ll become the "Biggest Loser". Lose weight, win challenges and stay above the yellow line. Sign on to Your Virtual Gym Getting started reaching your fitness goals with The Biggest Loser is as easy as grabbing your Wii Remote. If you got the Wii Balance Board, bring that along too. These will be your tools of the trade. There's no need to worry about strapping on awkward devices or using complicated exercise equipment, you’ll be up and sweating in minutes. So, how does it work? The game includes 4 tools to reach your goal: Fitness Program - This is where you establish your goals, make a plan and compete for the title of The Biggest Loser. Pick a 4, 8 or 12 week program and start sweating. Health and Lifestyle Tool - In this component you’ll find encouragement and tips from former Biggest Loser contestants and trainers, and some of the best recipes from the Biggest Loser cookbooks. Exercise Routines - This section allows you to select from a collection of routines that match your skill level and let you focus on every part of your body. Through it you can also create your own routine that fits your schedule and focuses on your favorite exercises. Challenge Events - In Challenges you’ll take the exercises you’ve learned and put them to the test in a series of fun but competitive events against some of the former contestants that you’ve seen on The Biggest Loser show. In Single Exercises, you can find your weakest exercise and conquer it or refine your technique to get the most out of your time. Multiplayer Support Dedicated to helping users attain their weight loss goals by all means necessary, The Biggest Loser allows for the power moral support and companionship of having a friend at your side. To that end two players can train together, pushing each other when they need to and providing healthy competition as they engage in weekly challenges to see who really is The Biggest Loser. Wii Balance Board Integration Although the Wii Balance Board is an optional accessory, The Biggest Loser offers numerous interactive features which fully employ the innovative, sensor-driven hardware that only Wii currently offers. Use the Wii Balance Board in over 66 of the Biggest Loser's 88 exercises, including squats, lunges and knee lifts to name a few. As you mirror your trainer’s movements Wii will monitor your movements to help you become more efficient at each exercise. Whether its cardio, upper and lower body workouts or even yoga, you’ll learn proper form and technique in no time. Wii technology, combined with The Biggest Loser comprehensive workout and diet programs, will help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle and to feeling great about yourself. And you may even have fun along the way too. Key Game Features Join The Biggest Loser Challenge - Select from a 4, 8 or 12 week program and compete with contestants from the prior seasons of The Biggest Loser. Personalize your Program - Choose your challenge length and difficulty level, your personal goal, your trainer, customize routines and even pick your team color. Health & Lifestyle Tips and Information - Includes healthy recipes from The Biggest Loser Cookbook, a calorie counter and healthy tips and suggestions from Bob and Jillian, chefs and contestants. Train with a Friend - Two players can train together and compete in weekly challenges to see who really is The Biggest Loser. A Complete Workout - Over 88 exercises, including upper and lower body, core, cardio and yoga. Wii Balance Board Compatible - Use the Wii Balance Board for squats, knee lifts, lunges and much, much, more.

Customer Reviews

Best there is...
I was skeptical about this game at first...there was always something missing from all the other exercising games on the wii. Although wii fit plus is sooo much fun...They REALLY packed this game with everything that I thought was missing from all the others. You can customize a routine...(by the way there are tons of exercises to choose from) or choose a daily workout they prepare for you. The balance board option is sooo responsive...you don't need the balance board...but it does enhance the game quite a bit. I was so impressed with it...and the pacing is great. They don't OVER explain everything...You don't have to tool with gadgets as in ea active...it's really just so fast paced, like a real work out should be.
Added extras...you can weigh yourself daily pitting yourself against the other losers...,
There's a cookbook...everything is all ready for you...don't need to waste time unlocking things that should be there...because your main purpose is to work out!
There's even cool down and stretching options, yoga as well...
It counts your caloric intake and daily burns!
Now I'm just being nit picky now...but the only gripe I have about this game is that you can't put your scores online, pitting yourself against friends.
They do however, have multiplayer...

Fantastic job with this game...

Get up off the couch and over to the Biggest Loser Ranch!
Want a workout like you see on the Biggest Loser show? Bob and Jillian are at the Biggest Loser Ranch just waiting to whip you into shape. I've always been a fan of the show, especially seeing the results. This game is probably the closest you're going to get, in the privacy of your own home, of actually being there. Actually, this is even better because, honestly, would you want to be standing on a scale in those skimpy workout clothes, in front of 50 million viewers, when you have all those little rolls of fat hanging out on your thighs and midsection?

The balance board is optional, but it can be used in 66 or the 88 exercises and I found it to be very responsive and it gives great feedback. So if you have a balance board, definitely use it. The only other exercise equipment you'll need are your wiimote and nunchuk. It's great not having to worry about strapping contraptions onto your thighs or anything like that.

When you first arrive at the ranch you have the choice when you start of starting up a new game or challenge. You can also choose the Quick Play to just get an idea of the routines and to do a workout. You can try the different challenge events, there are 4, each with 2 different versions. You can also try doing just exercises of your choice. If you choose to do a fitness program you'll see the other 8 contestants from previous seasons on the show and although you put in your stats, you'll choose one of the 8 to be your contestant that represents you and that you see doing the exercises along with your trainer. You enter your birth date, weight, height and decide whether you want to do a light, intermediate or intense program. I have only about 14 pounds left to lose and I haven't been very good about anything other than walking, so I chose light. You pick a 4, 8 or 12 week program and the Biggest Loser game will build a program to help you reach your goals for both diet and exercise. I chose the 8 week program. You also get to choose between Bob or Jillian as your trainer. I chose Jillian. I found that so far, Bob does most of the explaining of the exercises and Jillian does mostly encouragement and comments while you're working out. I was a little disappointed that she didn't use any of the blanked-out expletives but I guess they had to go for a family rating on the game. I did notice a little sarcasm here and there in her remarks like you see on the show.

There is a daily log that keeps track of your weight (If you use the balance board it weighs you) and your calories, day's training and challenge events. You can also log in additional exercise that you do on your own or with other Wii games by the minutes involved and the intensity. Once you've set your goal it can't be changed so you have to work hard to achieve it. One thing I noticed is that even though I have only 14 pounds to lose, my contestant looks much heavier. Apparently the contestants get thinner as the game goes on.

The graphics are beautiful! It's just like being there right down to the motivational posters on the gym wall. Some of the exercises are done around the pool and some in the gym. The wiimote and balance board were VERY responsive. You can see a little meter while you do the exercises showing how much time is left, another what the following exercise will be and another that shows how well you're doing the exercise, from feedback from the wiimote and balance board. The first workout didn't involve the nunchuk. It also shows how many calories you're burning. The feedback on this thing is great!

The first workout in the beginner's was 20 minutes long with the warmup and an 8 minute cool down workout which involved a lot of stretches. The regular workout included a lot of lunges and lower body exercise. You can watch Jillian and your contestant do the exercises. The explanations of how to do them are excellent and not too long so you aren't standing there waiting for the exercise to start, you just keep moving. There was a break for a sip of water about halfway through and you can always pause if you want to when it tells you to go from the balance board to the floor and push the A button. I just kept pushing it through and kept moving throughout the workout at a good pace. I bet my legs are going to be sore tomorrow from all those lunges! I can't even imagine what the Intense workout must be like.

I just got this game today so I haven't gone through all the features but from what I've seen so far I'm finding it soooo motivating! I've been disappointed in the past with many other Wii exercise games that either didn't track movement very well, were cumbersome to use, having to go through a lot of menus to actually get to any action and some that were just plain lame. This one is different. This is the real thing, especially if you're a big fan of the show like I am. You'll work hard but the challenges are fun and you have that camaraderie and competition of the other contestants. And just "being at the ranch" is very cool. They did a great job with the graphics so it looks like you're really there. I'll be posting updates as the weeks go on to let you know my progress and other features of the game that only become evident as you play them through, like the eliminations. (You can't get eliminated from your own game, can you? Yikes! I better get moving!)

Solid exercise game for the Wii with a focus on "old school" calisthenics
The core of this game is its very comprehensive list of dozens and dozens of "Single Exercises", which are essentially old-school calisthenic exercises (i.e. exercises that don't use weights or equipment). Every exercise imaginable is included, including exercises for cardio, upper and lower body, core, and even yoga poses. Each is clearly identified by an icon and color-coded by intensity (light, moderate, challenging, hard, and intense). As you select each exercise, there's even a diagram telling you exactly what muscle groups you're working out.

During each exercise, an on-screen figure will demonstrate to you very clearly how to do it, including the correct posture, moves, and timing. The exercises typically use the Wii-mote and/or the Balance Board to passively "check" your progress in different ways. For example, when you choose the jump rope exercise, you hold the Wii-mote like a jump rope and make small circles with it. With "tire drills", you put your Wii-mote in your pocket and the system registers the vibrations as you run in place rapidly. There are a number of exercises which use the balance board such as the "plank" (where you press both hands against the balance board) and the "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.

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. You can also create custom routines.

You can also choose the full "Fitness Program". You enter your vital information (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 from a list of eight past contestants. You can pick whether you want 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 what you enter, the system will calculate a specific exercise regimen 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.

An interesting part of this title is a menu option called "Health and Lifestyle". Here, you'll find a large number of recipes straight out of The Biggest Loser Cookbooks. Under this menu option you'll also find a large number of "quick tips" from past Biggest Loser participants, including short video clips from Bob and Jillian themselves. Finally, there's an extremely useful feature called the "Calorie Counter", which calculates the daily calorie intake recommend specifically for you based on your weight, age, and goals.

The most interesting part of The Biggest Loser for Wii are what they call "Challenge Events". Here, your on-screen character will compete in a number of interesting events, the types of which you'd see on the show. As on the show, you start out competing with 7 personalities from the show, and after each round one is eliminated. You don't actually simulate the movements of the character on screen, but instead you perform "single exercises", and your character does his task only if you do the exercises precisely and timed correctly. I found this by far the most effective part of the game, because my instincts to compete far exceeded any resistance to exercise.

There are a couple minor annoyances. If your balance board power goes out, the game is completely hung up until you turn it back on. The controllers are passive, meaning that instead of actively tracking your movements accurately, it'll just check whether you come close to making the on-screen movements. Sometimes the controllers will not register properly, and in many cases, 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, Bob or Jillian may continue to shout out praise and encouragement). One thing to keep in mind is that you need a LOT of room to move around. And I admit I was a little disappointed that most of the activities didn't take advantage of the unique capabilities of the Wii and its controllers in the same innovative ways that Wii Fit Plus does--at the end of the day it's really not much more than a glorified exercise video.

But still the bottom line is, they have an impressive number of fundamental exercises to work out all different areas of your body. When I choose "intense" level in particular, it really does make my heart pound and gives me a great workout that rivaled any kind of workout I'd get at the gym, for a fraction of the price. And fans of the TV show will appreciate the details like the voice talent, the familiar settings, Bob and Jillian's coaching, and the recipes and tips.

Bottom line, if you're looking for something along the lines of a more traditional exercise video, or you're a die-hard fan of the show, you won't be disappointed. If you're looking for something that's a game first and exercise second, try something else like Wii Fit Plus or Dance Dance Revolution.