While the list below isn't a rundown of all of the reviews that ran this year on Kotaku, it is a fairly strong sampling. Use it to help you decide what you should and shouldn't get.

Which games make your list for wishlist or gift list?

A Boy and His Blob

Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Platformer
Subject Matter:A Boy and His Blob is a platform game in which the titular duo use their wits and the Blob's transformative powers to overcome obstacles as they try to save the planet from an evil alien overlord.
Value: Moderately lengthy for a platformer, A Boy and His Blob's main draw is it's combination of platforming and puzzle-solving, using the unique morphing blob mechanic to create ladders, holes, trampolines and more to help traverse increasingly hostile environments. The graphics are gorgeous and the presentation is charmingly bare. It's almost artistic.
Buy it for: fans of the original game and people with a strong bond to their pets
Read the Full Review

Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Marble-shooting, creature-battling action game.
Subject Matter: Based on the wildly popular collectible toy game and cartoon series, Bakugan follows in the footsteps of Pokemon but adds transforming marbles to the mix. The game does a good job of capturing the essence of the franchise.
Value: With a relatively robust single-player campaign and ability to battle up to three friends on one television in a slew of interactive arenas, this game is a pretty good deal.
Buy it for:fans of Bakugan and maybe even curious fans of Pokemon.
Read the Full Review

The Beatles: Rock Band
Price: The stand-alone game sells for $59.99, the Limited Edition Premium Bundle sell for $249.99, the Rickenbacker 325 Standalone Guitar and the Gretsch Duo Jet Standalone Guitar sells for $99.99.
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm music game
Subject Matter: The Beatles: Rock Band is a musical journey through the history of one of the world's most popular bands.
Value: For those new to the Rock Band phenomenon and fans of The Beatles, this 45-track game is well worth a purchase because this is the only way you'll play The Beatles music in a Rock Band game. If you're not into the band, give this a pass.
Buy it for: huge Beatles fans.
Read the Full Review

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Subject Matter: The Call of Duty series jumps from old school wars to modern combat in an edgy politically-charged tale of nuclear warfare.
Value: With Wii shooters few and far between, this is a must-have for FPS fans.
Buy it for: FPS fans who also happen to be Wii owners. Or your grandma, if you're trying to get un-invited to the family reunion.
Read the Full Review

Contra ReBirth

Price: $10.00 (WiiWare)
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action
Subject Matter: A new entry in the Contra series in glorious, Super Nintendo-era 2D.
Value: It's short and hard, like a body-building elf. ReBirth takes the classic 2D run-and-gun gameplay of the Contra series and...doesn't do all that much with it. It's a new game with an old look.
Read the Full Review

Dead Space Extraction
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: Dynamic on-rails first-person shooter.
Subject Matter: Sci-fi horror prequel to 2008's Dead Space, featuring survivors on the run from alien horrors.
Value: A short Wii game, but one of the best-looking and most exciting ones in recent memory.
Buy it for: Fans of the Dead Space series and Wii gamers looking for a game targeted to an older crowd; this one's too profane for kids.
Read the Full Review

DJ Hero
Price: $119.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: DJ Hero is a rhythm game featuring a replica DJ turntable so players can mix and scratch to the beat of original music mash-ups.
Value: DJ Hero features upwards fo 100 different DJ-driven mash-ups featuring songs from the 70's on up to present-day hits. Unlike the latest Guitar Hero or Rock Band games, however, it's only good for one or two players, so the party element just isn't there. The innovative turntable-based gameplay makes it a breath of fresh air in the currently band-centric music genre, but it certainly isn't as social.
Buy it for: Fans of eclectic music mixes and lonely Guitar Hero fans.
Read the Full Review

Excitebike: World Rally

Price: $10 (download only)
Genre: Arcade racer
Subject Matter: An update to the classic Nintendo racer Excitebike, with a few minor gameplay tweaks and a revised link.
Value: A touch pricey for what is essentially a modern day port of a classic racer, but I suppose nostalgia has no price.
Buy it for: fans of classic Nintendo games and pick up and play gaming.
Read the Full Review

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A Darklord

Price: $10 (download only)
Rating: E10+
Genre: Tower Defense
Subject Matter: In an twist on the genre, evil princess gets to stack one tower against invaders.
Value: Lots of levels, but the creators charge extra for a lot of the cooler items and features.
Buy it for: Tower defense fans who want a major change to the traditional formula
Read the Full Review

Ju-on: The Grudge

Price: $29.99
Rating: M
Genre: Horror, Action
Subject Matter: Relive the eeriness of the Japanese horror sensation in this "haunted house simulator."
Value: With a second Wii Remote, you can randomly inflict scary "haunting" moments on the person playing the game by mashing A.
Buy it for: Japanese horror film fans and anybody you secretly hate but don't dare give lumps of coal to.
Read the Full Review

LEGO Rock Band

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: It's the family version of Rock Band, with adorable LEGO characters.
Value:The value in LEGO Rock Band comes mainly from knowing your children won't be exposed to any suggestive lyrics or imagery, so if you're the type of parent/aunt/uncle that actually worries about such things, then there you are. Otherwise, you get somewhere around 44 songs that will just be released as downloadable content for the main game anyway.
Buy it for: Younger fans of good music who already have access to Rock Band instruments.
Read the Full Review

Little King's Story

Price: $49.99
Rating: T
Genre: Role-playing game mixed with empire-building
Subject Matter: A fairy-tale-style king at odds with increasingly clever and culturally-interesting enemies tribes and kings.
Value: High. Lengthy, imaginative single-player quest.
Buy it for: Wii owners who want a game that will last; fans of quirky, more artsy video games.
Read the Full Review

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias

Price: 1000 Wii Points
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Platform
Subject Matter: It's the sequel to 2008's LostWinds with the new ability to switch between seasons (winter and summer).
Value: Small touches, like the character being realistically refracted when standing behind ice, made us forget this is not a packaged retail release. The graphics and music are both deliver — as does the Wii Remote gameplay.
Buy it for: Gamers looking for a breezy and cute platformer.
Read the Full Review

Marvel Super Hero Squad
Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone 10+
Genre: Beat-em Up
Subject Matter: A standard tale of good versus evil told with tiny, superdeformed Marvel characters
Value: While the adventure mode will only last a couple of hours, Marvel Super Hero Squad features a Battle Mode that lets your kids fight against each other using iconic Marvel Comics characters, so there is some lasting value there, if only for the youngins'.
Buy it for: kids old enough to enjoy Marvel Characters but not old enough to handle Captain America getting shot and killed
Read the Full Review

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Price: $49.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action RPG
Subject Matter: A highly Japanese hack and slash RPG with very striking 2D visuals.
Value:A gorgeous single-player action RPG, Muramasa has a great deal of gameplay but very little in the way of story development. Lots of over-the-top action and some very impressive boss fights make up for the overall lack of depth.
Buy it for: Japanese RPG and anime fans.
Read the Full Review

MySims Agents

Price: $49.99
Rating: E
Genre: Action/Adventure
Subject Matter: Make your MySim into the ultimate secret agent by unraveling a huge mystery.
Value: Lots of customizable costumes and outfits, plus a secret alternate ending and bonus puzzles lend the game replay value.
Buy it for: Your kids and play it when they aren't looking.
Read the Full Review

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Side-scrolling, nostalgia-tugging platformer
Subject Matter: New Super Mario Bros. Wii doesn't explore any new narratives, you're still Mario who is still trying to save the princess, but this time around you can play with three friends, and the game is there to help you when you get stuck.
Value: New Super Mario Bros. Wii feels like two games in one, and there are several mulitplayer modes to add to the fun after you've beaten the game.
Buy it for: Anyone with a Wii, anyone considering a Wii.
Read the Full Review

Rabbids Go Home
Price: $49.99
Rating: E10+
Genre: Comedy platformer
Subject Matter: Three manic rabbit-like creatures and their shopping cart put to task to rob humanity of its junk in order to build a pile and pathway to the moon. Plus, the Rabbids can and must yell the clothes off ridiculous people.
Value: A pleasant and funny adventure that will last a weekend, but longer for those who want to collect 100%.
Buy it for: Gamers who want a game that makes them laugh out loud; fans of platforming looking for a Mario alternative; people looking for the Rabbids to finally star in something that isn't a mini-game compilation.
Read the Full Review

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: On-rails shooter, Resident Evil retrospective
Subject Matter: Single-player or co-op light gun shooter takes on Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica, wrapped up in a short, new pre-Resident-Evil-4 campaign, all presented with RE's mix of horror and cheese (though this one isn't scary).
Value: Light gun games are usually very short, but this one has three campaigns and enough unlockables to offer at least nine hours of first-time play.
Buy it for: Resident Evil fans; people looking for a less innovative Wii light gun game than Dead Space Extraction and a less outrageous one than House of the Dead: Overkill, but, of the three, the one with the most content. A solid game.
Read the Full Review

Spyborgs

Price: $19.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Beat-em Up
Subject Matter: Spyborgs is a simple arcade-style beat-em up with cartoon tendencies.
Buy it for: Young children and early teens who've yet to develop discerning tastes.
Value: $19.99 could very well translate into keeping your kids quiet (or at least only yelling at each other) for a few hours, or some quality parent-child bonding time. It's not particularly exciting, but it'll do in a pinch.
Read the Full Review

Sword & Soldiers

Price: $10 (download only)
Rating: E10+
Genre: Side-scrolling real-time-strategy game.
Subject Matter: Vikings vs. ninjas vs. Aztecs
Value: High, given the amount of levels, the gleefully violent cartoon visuals and the creative campaign.
Buy it for: Fans looking for cartoon violence on the Wii and fans of Patapon the only game remotely like this.
Read the Full Review

Wii Energizer 4X Charging Station

Price: $49.99
Rating: N/A
Genre: N/A
Subject Matter:An induction panel that charges up to four remotes at a time.
Value: With four rechargeable battery packs included with the induction panel, this seems like a fairly good deal.
Buy it for:Wii owners sick of burning through batteries and people who have their console set up in a place where space is at a premium.
Read the Full Review

Wii Fit Plus

Price: $19.99 (game only), $99.99 (with Balance Board)
Rating: E
Genre: Fitness, Sports
Subject Matter: A slew of next mini-games and a handful of new exercises round out Nintendo's home fitness tool.
Value: With a new multiplayer function and the ability to weigh your cat, baby or dog, Wii Fit Plus pushes its fun on the whole family.
Buy it for: Yourself because you're too lazy to go to the gym, your grandparents who need help getting over last year's hip surgery, or your brother-in-law who should really be watching his weight.
Read the Full Review

Wii Sports Resort

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Casual sports
Subject Matter: Wii Sports Resort drops you on an island with a dozen sports to attempt using the Wii's new, more accurate MotionPlus device.
Value: Packed with a MotionPlus remote add-on and a hefty collection of sports, this is a must have for Wii owners.
Buy it for: Fans of Wii Sports, casual gamers, anyone looking for some family time on their Wii.
Read the Full Review

As president of Sports Authority, Campisi runs the largest sports goods retailer in the country. His wife, Beci Campisi, runs a garage gym based on the grueling fitness methodology of CrossFit which uses medicine balls, weights and nonstop exercise to mold "the quintessential athlete."

But when he first heard of Nintendo's part-game, part-exercise Wii Fit and Balance Board, he knew he had to get one. More importantly, he knew that he had to start selling it in his chain of stores, among the dumbbells, the rowing machines, the treadmills and the basketballs.

"When Nintendo first came out with Wii Fit I knew we could sell that product in our stores," Campisi told Kotaku. "I paid some guy on eBay $180 for a Wii Fit because you couldn't buy it in stores."

That was in 2008, last week, with the blessing of Nintendo, Campisi launched his campaign to sell Wii Fit and the Wii as exercise equipment in Sports Authority stores nationwide.

Sports Authority kicked off the movement to blend gaming and sports good with an event at their Torrance, Calif. store. Fitness guru Jillian Michaels was on hand to lead 100 people through exercise routines on balance board with the help of the Wii in what was believe to be the largest demonstration of Wii Fit in the world.

"Although individual retailers might do their own independent promotions from time to time, this is the first time Nintendo has officially partnered with a major sports retailer," said Marc Franklin, Nintendo of America's director of public relations. "Wii Fit has already sold more than 8 million units in the United States, making it one of the best-selling games of this generation, surpassing even some of the industry's most well-known franchises. Our partnership with The Sports Authority expands on the exergaming trend of Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus. Now we're reaching out to fitness fans in new ways, showing them that video games can be a part of their everyday fitness routines."

Instead of just dropping Wii consoles and games into their store, Campisi knew that his stores had to treat the game and its equipment the same as any other piece of exercise equipment.

So he had the stores carrying the equipment set up special Wii Fit areas and train some of their employees to explain and demonstrate the gaming equipment.

"They typically train people on weights and treadmills and now they're showing people how to use the Wii Fit," he said.

Mike Gabriela, manager of the Sports Authority in Littleton, Colorado, said news that the retailer would be carrying the video games was a "welcome surprise."

The equipment for the Wii Experience landed in their store on a Friday and they had it up and running that Saturday morning.

Gabriela says they trained employees using a Nintendo-provided video and tried out Wii Fit themselves.

"It's absolutely exercise," he said. "You do a couple of those programs and it is very difficult."

The customers who so far seem most intrigued by the console and its fitness games seem to be women who do Yoga and aerobics, he said.

"We sold our first (Wii) within 20 minutes of being open," Gabriela said.

While Sports Authority and Campisi seem to be putting a lot of support behind the Wii Fit, it doesn't mean that they believe it will replace more traditional forms of exercise.

"I don't believe that," Campisi said. "My wife would kill me if I believe that. I don't think this is a shift away from traditional exercise, it's just another way to get fit.

"There are a lot of people who don't want to get off their couch, but this is fun. Everyone is moving at 100 miles an hour, maybe this can get them to slow down."

The Wii Fit and the Wii's driving concept also seem to connect with Sports Authority on another level. Where Nintendo is using the Wii to expand its audience to more casual gamers, Sports Authority has long used backyard and youth sports to connect with children at a younger age.

The two coming together to expand each of its audiences seems like a good idea.

Nintendo's Franklin wasn't willing to yet say how important the Sports Authority deal would be in helping to expand Nintendo's reach.

"That remains to be seen," he said. "But we're always looking for ways to get video games into the hands – or under the feet – of people who have never played them before. Nintendo has the most diverse group of fans of any video game company, and it's important for us to reach out to where those fans are.

"We're always looking to bring the world of video games to new audiences. I'm sure there are plenty of people who visit The Sports Authority who don't have an interest in video games. Seeing Wii and Wii Fit Plus in the same context as some of their favorite fitness products will undoubtedly pique some people's interest and make them consider video games in a whole new light."

And for Sports Authority there's also a very practical reason to get into the Wii Fit business. Not everyone has the room for the larger exercise equipment the retailer sells.

"There are lots of people who can't afford a treadmill and we have stores in cities like New York where people can't fit that equipment in their lofts and apartments," Campisi said.

Though, it is still just one of many things the retailer carries, Campisi reminds.

"Fitness equipment and sports equipment is what we do," he said. "In our fitness department we carry a lot of equipment. There are many, many ways to get fit and exercise, this is just one additional opportunity. And for sporting goods its a huge opportunity, it's fun."

Well Played is a weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

The Mall Experience is intended to make "it easier than ever for holiday consumers to sample the year's most sought-after games" for the Wii and DS/DSi. Demo stations will be set up at 35 malls all over the country starting next week to let people play games like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (which will be hot stuff which won't be available 'til it goes on sale Dec. 7), Style Savvy (whose ads on MTV cause me physical pain), Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (yay!), New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus.

Hm. I hope they're set up next to the food court.

Here's the list of malls they're hitting up between Nov. 23 and Dec. 20:

• Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz.
• Westfield Culver City in Culver City, Calif.
• Westfield Parkway in El Cajon, Calif.
• Ontario Mills in Ontario, Calif.
• Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco
• Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Conn.
• Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, Fla.
• Florida Mall in Orlando, Fla.
• Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Lenox Square in Atlanta
• River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Ill.
• Greenwood Park in Greenwood, Ind.
• Arundel Mills in Hanover, Md.
• South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Mass.
• Burlington Mall in Burlington, Mass.
• Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
• Southdale Center in Edina, Minn.
• Deptford Mall in Deptford, N.J.
• Queens Center in Elmhurst, N.Y.
• Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y.
• Galleria of White Plains in White Plains, N.Y.
• The Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, Ohio
• Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City
• Franklin Mills in Philadelphia
• Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis, Tenn.
• Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, Texas
• Irving Mall in Irving, Texas
• Ingram Park Mall in San Antonio
• Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake, Va.
• Virginia Center Commons in Glen Allen, Va.
• Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va.
• Potomac Mills in Prince William, Va.
• Northgate Mall in Seattle
• Westfield Southcenter in Seattle
• Southridge Mall in Greendale, Wisc.

Image Cred — and I so wanted that game for Hanukkah as a kid!

While the national sports retailer won't be officially announcing the Wii push at their stores until Thursday, some of the chain's locations started getting their Wii on last weekend.

The Colorado store pictured here received their equipment on Friday, setting up the training area and merchandise that night for a launch Saturday.

Store manager Mike Gabriela told Kotaku today that they trained a number of their employees to explain how the Wii and Wii Fit work, something they've also to educated customers about other sports equipment from skis to treadmills.

Gabriela says that the weekend drew crowds around the console set-up and that the store, which sells the console and an eclectic mix of games, saw brisk sales for everything from accessories to copies of Cabela's Big Game Hunter.

Sports Authority president David Campisi says that the Colorado company, which operated about 450 stores, has been working on the deal for about half a year, but that he was interested in selling the fitness-themed games since Wii Fit first hit stores in 2008.

"This is about getting the nation fit," Campisi told Kotaku. "This could be really, really game changing."

The chain started a soft roll-out of the Wii Fit Experience earlier this month with 102 stores selling the Wii, Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, accessories and other sports and fitness-themed games, Campisi said. The experience is set up along side the chain's more traditional exercise equipment like weights and treadmills.

"On Saturday I had people from 30 stores sending me pictures of kids on the Wii Fit board all day," he said.

The official announcement of Sports Authority's deal with Nintendo to sell their console and games will come this Thursday with the help of fitness expert Jillian Michaels, star of The Biggest Loser and her own Wii game Wii Fitness Ultimatum.

Campisi says that Thursday's event at their Torrance, California store will include more than 100 Wii boards and an attempt to host the world's largest Wii Fit Plus workout.

"In our fitness departments we carry a lot of equipment," Campisi said. "There are many, many ways to get fit and exercise, this is just one additional opportunity."

Says Miyamoto: "I've always enjoyed guessing the lengths of objects, which is why I carry a measuring tape around with me." To which Iwata replies: "Really? That one's new to me too!"

Continues Shiggy:

For instance, I might guess that the table in front of us is about 1.2 metres long. Then I'd actually measure it with the measuring tape to check. If I got it right, I'd think: "I'm on form today!" But if I missed the mark by a long way, I'd think: "I've been slipping a bit recently!" ... And it's not just length: I also really enjoy predicting the weight and other measurements of things. So for instance, I'd pick up a chair and think: "I wonder how many kilos this weighs." Or I'd wonder how many grams a weekly manga magazine weighs.

Iwata says he'd need a set of scales to satisfy that curiosity, not as portable as a tape measure. Miyamoto agrees:

That's why I've always thought that using the Wii Balance Board to play a weight-guessing game would be great. For instance, we could make it like a school sports day. Get ten people together and hand out cards to each person. Then for instance, Iwata-san, you might get a card that reads "12 kilos" and I might get a card that reads "3 kilos". Then we'd all split up and go around the school …

Iwata: … And we'd each have to bring back something which weighed that much.

Miyamoto: We'd each put the object on the scales and the person who got closest to their target weight would be the winner! (laughs) Doing something like that would be great fun, wouldn't it? You don't think it would be fun?

Iwata: Um … Sure!

And thus, "while it's not exactly the same," that's why a similar weight-guessing game is included in Wii Fit Plus, Miyamoto says.

Iwata Asks: Wii Fit Plus [Wii.com via CVG]

Wii Fit Plus is an enhanced version of the game that saw people who normally wouldn't be caught dead in a video game store flocking to them in droves. Along with all of the original game's content, Plus adds 15 new balance board activities, strength training and yoga, a calorie counter, workout planning, and the ability to make profiles for your pets. Add in streamlined navigation and Nintendo has a recipe for further success on their hands.

Right, assembled video game critics?

GayGamer
Basically, your mileage with Wii Fit Plus will vary depending on how you reacted to the first. If you already have and enjoy Wii Fit, this is kind of a no-brainer, as the additional games are well worth the $20 price tag for just the disc. If you tried Wii Fit, but found it lacking as an exercise program, you might want to check this one out as it is a little more focused, and you've already got the Balance Board. On the other hand, if you never bought Wii Fit, well, this is the game that will now come bundled with the Balance Board, so you don't even have to worry about the first game. Oh, and it should go without saying that if you really hated Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus is probably not going to change your mind.

GamePro
The body test has been modified to include one standard fitness test, and another that taxes your brain alongside your bulk, so that your Wii Fit Age represents your mind and body, instead of just the latter. There are three additional yoga and strength exercises each, and all of them are among the most strenuous activities in the game. Can you make your body into a V shape while sitting on the balance board or lay your body completely flat two feet above the ground while supporting your body with only one foot? Wii Fit Plus will test your body a lot more than the original did.

IGN
One of my favorite enhancements in Plus is its calorie counter. Every action in the game has been assigned a metabolic equivalent of task (or METS) number. A lot of the mini-games feature METS ratings of 2, which isn't much — about the same as going for the easiest walk you've ever taken, but some, like push-ups, rate higher. In Plus, calories are counted by multiplying your weight times your METS. And after every exercise, whether yoga, aerobics or strength, and after every balance board game, you'll see the calories you've burned, which is both encouraging and discouraging; the former because you can visualize some scientific representation of your workouts and discouraging because the calories don't usually come off in triple or double digits, but single.

GameDaily
Not only will you receive the previous balance games, but also 15 new Training Plus activities designed to put some fun into working out. Rhythm Kung-Fu, one of our favorites, incorporates the remote, nunchuk and balance board, as players punch and kick with the beat. Meanwhile, Obstacle Course plays like Super Mario Bros., with gamers jumping over logs and dodging objects, except they physically perform those actions with the balance board. We're also fans of Bird's-Eye Bull's-Eye, a game where players flap their arms to control a Mii dressed as a bird, the goal to land on targets and score the most points.

1UP
Wii Fit Plus is a better product, but keep in mind that it's not a sequel. Like the second edition of a book, it looks and feels exactly the same as before, but the additions effectively make the previous version obsolete. And it's $20 by itself, which helps even more if you still have a Balance Board lying around. Still, things have changed in the year since the first Wii Fit, with multiple exercise games that just keep coming, and are more targeted at people who want nothing but to lose weight. Games like EA Sports Active are made by Americans and likely with Americans in mind, whereas Wii Fit Plus tries to go for a culturally-neutral — though still Japanese-leaning — approach, where traditional ideas of exercise seemingly clash with the practical (not that flapping away like a chicken to land on targets isn't appealing). In short, there still isn't much more focus or guidance in Wii Fit Plus, but the ease of use and greater number of enjoyable, not so "exercisey" games within, make it worth it.

Kotaku
Nintendo has been very careful to call Wii Fit a fitness "tool" not a fitness "solution" for obvious legal reasons. Neither Wii Fit nor its successor, Wii Fit Plus, will magically make you thinner or more easily able to resist tasty food. However, there's a lot to be said for a game that makes the very idea of fitness fun. It takes your mind off the anxieties about health we have in this country and reshapes your expectations of your body to something more positive than "Will I fit in my skinny jeans tonight?" With the multiplayer element and new games that Wii Fit Plus adds to the experience, I have to say, I've been converted from a skeptic to a believer. A believer with a 14 pound cat and a high score on the Obstacle Course.
If the Wii Fits...

Couple all of that with the pathological need among my gender to be slimmer, stronger and sexier than the next chick and it's no wonder 10 million women develop an eating disorder and a love-hate relationship with the gym.

Buying Wii Fit Plus won't fix any of that, sadly. But it's a giant leap in the right direction.

Loved
Stat Tracking For The Whole Family: The original Wii Fit allows you to track an approximation of your weight, body mass index and calories burned per day. Wii Fit Plus lets you to do the same for toddlers and pets, extending the appeal of the game to the whole family. True, your pets and toddlers can't do any exercises to improve their weight. But it is a way to get youngsters started on healthy attitudes toward their bodies and a good way to annoy your animal, since you have to hold them while they're being measured.

Fun Games For Multiplayer: Wii Fit Plus adds a ton of new games to the original line-up that challenge your heart rate, balance and coordination. What makes these games even more fun is the multiplayer mode Plus includes in your Wii Fit experience. For one thing, it that eliminates the back-out-choose-new-profile step you had to go through in the original game. For another, it turns all of the games like Super Hula Hoop and Tilt City into competitive smackdowns instead of weird ways to lose weight by flailing around in your living room.

The Obstacle Course: The Obstacle Course is exactly what it sounds like: a course loaded with obstacles that you've got to run your Mii through using the Balance Board to track sprints, jumps and mad flailing if you get too close to an edge. At the Beginner level, the obstacle course looks like an early Mario 64 level with big Chain Chomp-looking balls swinging in your path and grassy fields to sprint across. At the Advanced level, it starts to look like a Bowser boss fight with moving platforms and shifting ice planes to navigate on your way to the finish. Honestly, re-skin the whole thing and you could have an actual 3D Super Mario Bros. game.

Hated
Repetitive: I absolutely hate having the Balance Board or the Virtual Trainer say the exact same thing over and over again during an exercise. Yes, Virtual Person, I know the triceps extension tones your upper arms. That's why I'm doing it, so STFU and let me get on with it!

Finicky On Some Balance Issues: In games like Rhythm Kung-Fu, Perfect 10 and the Obstacle Course, timing is everything. Which is why it's so frustrating when you pick up your left foot exactly when you're supposed to and the Balance Board doesn't track it. Or when you practically throw your back out trying to jut your hips forward to tag a mushroom in Perfect 10 and somehow the Balance Board thinks you went backwards. So frustrating!

Wii Fit Age Measurements: Each day, Wii Fit asks you to complete a body test that measures your weight and BMI. It also subjects you to balance and quick-thinking tests that are supposed to measure your "age" in the way that Brain Age does. However, the balance and logic games that the test subjects you to are ones that you're probably not familiar with, so you're bound to mess them up on the first try, netting you a Wii Fit Age at least 10 years beyond what you actually are. It'd be nice if there were a way to access the games from the Training menu so at least you could get a feel for what the test will throw at you.

Nintendo has been very careful to call Wii Fit a fitness "tool" not a fitness "solution" for obvious legal reasons. Neither Wii Fit nor its successor, Wii Fit Plus, will magically make you thinner or more easily able to resist tasty food.

However, there's a lot to be said for a game that makes the very idea of fitness fun. It takes your mind off the anxieties about health we have in this country and reshapes your expectations of your body to something more positive than "Will I fit in my skinny jeans tonight?" With the multiplayer element and new games that Wii Fit Plus adds to the experience, I have to say, I've been converted from a skeptic to a believer. A believer with a 14 pound cat and a high score on the Obstacle Course.

Wii Fit Plus was developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Wii on October 4. The full kit with the Balance Board costs $100, but if you already own the Balance Board, you can get the box copy for $20. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played all of the games and tried all of the exercises in Strength and Yoga marked "New."

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The last time we saw her in a Nintendo ad — no, the last time we remember seeing her in a Nintendo ad was for New Super Mario Bros. Hey, it's a memorable ad, full of innuendo.

Her latest ad for the new Wii Fit game is largely innuendo free, but there's stretching. In the golf clip, there's noise making. Yes, noise making!

Nanako Matsushima is our favorite Japanese corporate shill.

I've never given Wii Fit all that much though until I gave my brother and his wife a Wii for their wedding present last year. Then my sister-in-law was all "Wii Fit" this and "weight loss" that. I guess she didn't see any of the initial press around the system calling seven-year-olds obese and Nintendo officially stating that the game doesn't make you lose weight, it just makes you more aware of your body and so forth.

But, undaunted, she's still on her pro-Wii Fit campaign and I decided to give its new iteration, Wii Fit Plus, a go. Socks off, of course.

What Is It?
Wii Fit Plus is essentially Wii Fit with new features added, plus an actual multiplayer function. The game gets you "aware of your body" by giving you a weight and body mass index measurement to track over time and then inviting you to play a bunch of games that make you move your body in weird and healthy ways. There're also actual exercise routines in the game that are divided up by Yoga (stretching) and Strength (which includes endurance exercises).

What We Saw
I borrowed a developer's profile to play through the following modes: Perfect 10, Obstacle Course, Birds' Eye Bullseye, Tilt City and Rhythm Kung-Fu.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is out October 4.

What Needs Improvement?
Hey! I'm Walking Here! The Obstacle Course game has players running in place, stopping, jumping and then running again to avoid giant swinging balls, rolling logs and giant gaps. The timing was a little tricky and the Balance Board wasn't as responsive to coming to complete stops as it is to other kinds of motion. This gets frustrating, because while you can't run off a cliff in the Obstacle Course, you can smack right into a swinging ball that you were trying to stop just shy of.

Blasted Math: Perfect 10 is a game where your Mii stands between several numbered mushrooms and tries to whack them with their hips to add (or subtract) the numbers to reach 10. You have a top-down view of them and are able to control their hips – bouncing left, right, forward or back. Now, I'm an amateur belly dancer, so I have excellent control of my hips. But I had a hell of time convincing the Balance Board that I had in fact bounced right and not left. I had an even harder time convincing it that I was thrusting my hips forward – so it's not that the board is too sensitive. It's just that you have to come back to dead center and pause before moving in the next direction – which goes against your instincts because the whole game is timed and it's asking you to do math.

What Should Stay The Same?
Calorie Tracker: The game keeps track of approximately how many calories you burn per exercise, game or routine. To put it all in perspective, it gives you the approximate calorie count in every day foods. So you can set yourself a goal of burning 70 calories – and then see that that's equivalent to, like, one slice of American cheese and an ounce of avocado.

Routine Setting: You can now customize a workout just for yourself either by picking out different exercises to chain together in a seamless routine that doesn't require any menu navigating once you get going (max workout time is 60 minutes). You can also tell the Wii how long you want to work out for and what kind of exercises you like (Yoga, Strength or both) and how long you want to work out for and it'll generate a routine for you.

Actual Multiplayer: This game can get really competitive. For example, I lost my first run in the Obstacle Course, but then the Nintendo rep told me that nobody on their entire press tour had been able to beat it – so I just had to give it a second go and take the top spot. Also, I totally beat Russ Frushtick's high score in Birds' Eye Bullseye by about 20 points in only one try (take that MTV Multiplayer!). To better facilitate this competitive attitude, Wii Fit Plus introduces a multiplayer mode where you can add up to eight players to a game – you just select Multiplayer Mode from the main menu, choose an exercise or game and when you're done, the game asks you if you want to add another Mii. Once you tell it "no," after adding all your friends, the game remembers how many of you there are and cycles between you accordingly.

It's Fun: Folks, it's no accident that Wii Fit sold so well. It may not melt the pounds off in and of itself (as that jackass on the BART pointed out), but it's fun to play to the point where the weight doesn't really matter. At least not to me – what I care about is being the only games journalist to beat the Obstacle Course on Nintendo's press tour. That's probably what separates me from my sister-in-law as far as the "gamer" label goes.

I Can Weigh My Cat Or Baby: But sadly I can't make her do the exercises. They do get their own icon on the Fit Plaza screen, though, and you can track their weight the same as your own. As long as they pet or baby doesn't mind being held still while the Balance Board measures you both.

Final Thoughts
Seriously – Wii Belly Dance – get on it, Nintendo!

I was standing on the Powell Street station platform when I noticed a man staring at the box. The thing's as big as a suitcase, so I assumed he was just trying to figure out what it was. But then, he gets on the same BART train car as me and spends the whole ride back to MacArthur station staring. Finally, as I'm getting off the BART, he blurts out, "You know that thing won't make you lose weight, right?"

Jeez. Next time I have a Nintendo appointment, I'll just drive. Stay tuned to find out how fat my cat is with Plus's new weigh-your-pet-and/or-baby feature!

Nintendo's top-selling Wii is getting a price drop of $50 to $200 starting this Sunday, something Nintendo hopes will drive gaming fence sitters to the mass-appeal console.

"Our research shows that 50 million people in the U.S. are considering getting involved with video games, but need a good reason," Kaigler told Kotaku in an email interview. "We feel that this price reduction, occurring during the time frame in which Wii Fit Plus is launched, will give many of them that reason. Generating increased consumer demand just before the holiday season is beneficial not only to Nintendo but our many publishing and retailer business partners."

The announcement of the new price landed during the middle of Sony's keynote at this year's Tokyo Game show. Kaigler said that that the timing of the coordinated Japan and U.S. announcement was the result of many factors, but in the end it was a date and time that "worked well for both of our regions."

Kaigler added that the price drop wasn't spurred by slow sales of Nintendo's console earlier this year, something she feels was more about game releases than console pricing.

"As we've stated before, this year's most anticipated releases for Wii come during the second half of the year. Last year, they arrived in the first half. That's the main reason for somewhat slower hardware sales this year," she said. "Of course, a lower price brings the system into consideration for many more people. But I'd like to ask your readers to not lose sight of what's involved in the comparison. Last year Wii set the record for the highest number of hardware sales for any system in U.S. history. Wii has consistently sold at least 250,000 units since it launched 34 months ago, setting another record for any home console."

The new price, Kaigler says, could also help attract a broader demographic to their console.

"I think the new price, combined with the inherent value of the Wii package, will make the system more attractive to consumers of all kinds, including passionate gamers and people who are still trying to decide whether they should get into video games," she said. "Our research shows that there are several different kinds of prospective buyers. The greatest number includes those who consider themselves possible video game players-they say they're just waiting for the right incentive. We've got a three-part program this holiday season to reach these people: a lower suggested price; hit new software, including both Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii; and an aggressive sampling tour that we expect will reach approximately 1 million people. This will provide a lot of incentive. "

While the $200 price tag makes the Wii the same price as Microsoft's entry-level Xbox 360 Arcade, Kaigler says that the experience out of the box for the Wii makes it a better value.

"The key component is value. Right out of the box, Wii owners receive unique motion control with the Wii Remote, and the groundbreaking Wii Sports," she said. "This experience isn't available anywhere else at any price-but now it's available from Nintendo at a more affordable price."

While Nintendo says the price drop was timed to the upcoming release of Wii Fit Plus, Nintendo currently has no plans to bundle that or any other additional game with the console.

"When we have something to announce, we will be sure to let your readers know," she said. She also said that the company currently has no news on the possibility of adding a service that would allow Wii owners to buy or rent videos through the Wii, something both the PS3 and Xbox 360 support.

And what about that rumored Wii 2?

"Our development teams are always working on new possibilities for future hardware and software, but we have nothing to announce at this time," she said.

Kaigler said that there is still plenty of room for the Wii to grow. Especially, she notes, in the realm of the console's WiiWare download only titles which haven't yet reached their full potential.

"This is a service that provides the highest possible range of creativity for the lowest developer investment. And creativity knows no boundaries," she said. "In the grand scheme of things, WiiWare is still a relatively new service. I think the reception so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Games like World of Goo have no doubt inspired other indie developers to say "I want to try that." We've seen a great deal of diversity in the types of games and developers on WiiWare but there is much more to come."

The bundle - which is the Wii Balance Board and a copy of Wii Fit Plus - will retail for $100. Those who already have the Balance Board can opt for just Wii Fit Plus on a standalone disc, which is only $20. Both those will be out on October 4.

The Gamescom demo featured nine of the fifteen mini-games promised for Wii Fit Plus, six of which we got to try, thanks to attendees showing far more interest in things that weren't Wii Fit related at the show. Coincidentally, five of the mini-games we played were already previewed by Totilo at a Nintendo event in New York. We gave Snowball Fight, Bird's Eye Bull's Eye, Tilt City, Obstacle Course and Segway Circuit a go. Another, Perfect 10, we played for the first time.

That mini-game, pictured above, asks Wii Fit Plus players to do a little math while also shaking their hips. Direct your hindquarters toward the bumpers that will add up to 10 with a little hip-check or butt thrust. Not the most intensive of workouts.

What was intensive was Obstacle Course, a platformer that's about as close to a Super Mario Bros. game as Wii Fit will likely ever get. It requires regular "running" and "jumping"—squats, really—to hop across platforms and avoid swinging balls and rolling logs.

Almost equally straining was Bird's Eye Bull's Eye, mini-game that puts your Mii in a chicken suit and requires serious arm-flapping. It's exhausting. It's also a little harder to control than your average Wii Fit mini-game, probably the most frustrating of Wii Fit Plus' offerings.

Segway Circuit was about as physically demanding as riding a Segway. One really needs to lean forward or backward, tilting the Wii Remote side-to-side to steer. It's a bit of work on the calves, but not much. But it does feature the Frisbee catching dog from Wii Sports Resort and a character that looks a lot like Monty Mole from Super Mario World.

The easiest of the work outs was Tilt City, a mini-game that's really not much fun and does little to work the legs. The same for Snowball Fight, Wii Fit's answer to a first-person shooter.

Wii Fit Plus' mini-games are less recognizable than what Nintendo offered in the original—not unlike Wii Sports Resort's collection of games—but a little more inventive. Some offer serious sweat opportunities, particularly Bird's Eye Bull's Eye and Obstacle Course. If you're looking for something to mix up your Wii Fit workout, it may fit the bill.

"When I was in Best Buy the other day and saw the huge EA Sports Active displays it felt like we'd hit saturation but until we have Richard Simmons Wii Workout I don't think we've reached it,"says Ben Sawyer, who co-founded of the Serious Games Initiative and heads up the Games for Health initiative. "Famous last words, right?"

EA has been capitalizing in the last couple of months on the fitness game craze with half-a-million-plus seller EA Sports Active, but Nintendo lead the re-newed interest in "exergames" with Wii Sports and Wii Fit. In 2007, Nintendo was coming off its smash-hit Wii Remote and Wii Sports one-two-punch. Those successes laid the groundwork for Wii Fit: players got up off the couch, moved around, swung their arms. There was an audience for this — but there had always been. Thing is, it was a largely untapped audience.

During the early 1980s, the VCR revolution brought exercise into the home with Oscar-winning-actress Jane Fonda telling folks to "go for the burn" with her 1982 exercise debut Jane Fonda's Workout. The tapes sold millions and made millions. The same year computer maker Amiga released the Joyboard, a peripheral on which players would stand and use their body weight to play a slalom skiing game. It was a failure, and the two follow-up titles to support the peripheral were never released. Ditto for an Atari exercise-controlled bike that never found its way out of the concept stage. The exercise bike game would later be realized in 1996 by Namco with Prop Cycle.

There was a market that could be tapped, but it needed someone to do it. And do it right. Enter Nintendo.

The Kyoto-based game company brought the Power Pad to home consoles in 1988, letting kids jog in place on a mat marked with giant buttons. The next year, Namco followed up with Dance Aerobics for Nintendo Entertainment System, foreshadowing the deluge of rhythm dancing games released in the following decades.

While they were developing Konami's Dance Dance Revolution, Konami's own staffers were reporting weight loss. Same for players when it was finally released in the late 1990s. Konami continued to release updated versions of DDR with increasingly complicated steps. The home versions were more forgiving, but the arcade ones were not. In Japan, Konami has even introduced DDR exercise routines into its health club chain called "Groove Motion DDR". Group classes use digital projector screens showing DDR patterns, mats and motion sensor belts.

Nintendo has struck gaming gold with Wii Fit, selling over 18 million copies of the game. The follow-up, Wii Fit Plus, goes on sale later this year.

"When we first announced the Wii Balance Board, people were skeptical," recalls Denise Kaigler, Nintendo of America's vice president of Corporate Affairs. "But consumers responded quickly and told their friends about it. Now when a new fitness game like Wii Fit Plus is announced, no one bats an eye. Fitness games are now an accepted part of the video game landscape." Not only that — but the larger cultural landscape. In 2008, Nintendo teamed up with Westin Hotels to offer Wii Sports and Wii Fit as part of the hotel's fitness program.

Get up off your ass, sure, but why not get out of your house? Go take a walk. Jog. Trend or no trend, what's the point of exercising with a game indoors? Explains Nintendo's Kaigler, "Legendary Nintendo video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who led the Wii Fit team, is fond of saying, 'If it's sunny, go outside and play.'" Sometimes that's not always possible, she continues. "Sometimes it's because of the seasons or inclement weather. Other times it's situational: Some people come home late from work, while others can't leave the house because they can't leave the kids alone."

The medical profession has started latching onto these exergames. Geraldine O'Shea, D.O., an osteopathic physician and Chair of the American Osteopathic Association's Bureau on Scientific Affairs and Public Health, first began looking at the impact of video games as physical activity in 2007. "What might appear as nothing more than another entertaining game was revealed as a tool for not just activity but directed physical therapy," explains O'Shea.

Around the same time, researchers began using Wii Sports in physical therapy. O'Shea has spearheaded a measure by the American Osteopathic Association to support video games as part of a patient's fitness and therapeutic program. "Because I believe any activity is better than no activity," she adds, "I have become a convert."

"Wii gaming actually turns over more energy than sedentary gaming, but not as much as authentic sports," said Gareth Stratton, a co-author of British study on Wii Sports health benefits. "While it's not going to replace the real thing," Stratton told The New York Times, "it's certainly moving in the right direction." Several researchers conclude that Wii Fit does not replace regular exercise, but concede that the game has done something key: raised fitness awareness.

"I think it's more important to realize now that with Wii Fit and EA Active Sports we may be beyond this being a trend," says Sawyer. "We might really begin to see a genre emerge and stay."

• August 6: Color Changing Tingle's Love Balloon Trip
• September 17: Forever Blue 2: The Call of the Sea
• September 3: Sloan and MacHale's Mysterious Story 2
• October 1: Inazuma Eleven 2: The Miracle of the Invader (This is is the second version of Inazuma Eleven 2.)
• October 1: Wii Fit Plus (Stand alone software is priced at a mere ¥2,000 or US$21!)

Wii Fit Plus 発売日決定 [Rambling Man]

Almost as an afterthought I agreed to sample Wii Fit Plus last night during my visit with Nintendo reps in New York City. I learned that it is not as much a sequel to Wii Fit as a replacement for the original in the market. But I'm in good shape. I don't need this game. Maybe its new balance games would make me want it?

Here's what I tried:

Snowball Fight: Stand on the Balance Board and lean left or right to emerge from cover. Point a Wii Remote at opposing Miis who are doing the same. With the press of a button, toss snowballs at them.

Obstacle Course: Run in place on the Balance Board or pretend-jump (keep those feet on the board) to make the Mii leap. I didn't get far before getting knocked off the floating obstacle course by swinging wrecking balls.

Segway Circuit: Hold a Wii remote horizontally while standing on the Balance Board to simulate using a Segway. Then drive over a beach taken from Wii Sports Resort to collect balloons and chase moles.

Tilt City: Balls roll in from a ramp on the top right corner of the screen and descend to one of three chutes at the bottom of the screen. Three flippers that the player controls determine their path. The top flipper is a big Wii Remote. The bottom two flippers, aligned in a row, are Balance Boards. The three chutes are below, each color-coded for the balls of the appropriate hue. The trick is to tilt the proper flippers to guide the balls the right way. The better you do, the faster this all happens.

Birdseye Bullseye: Stand on the Balance Board and flap your arms frantically to make a chicken fly. Lean forward to make him fly toward platforms dotting the sea. Land on them for points and to add time extensions.

There were more, but those are what I tried. None seemed deep, but all were intuitive and easy. They didn't have the immediate appeal of Wii Fit's ski-jump nor the innate do-it-again challenge of the first game's slalom. But they played well enough to provide a nice dessert to an evening of Nintendo gaming. No main course, but a fine extra.

And while, yes, this reporter has in the tradition of either Woodward or Bernstein, donned a giant Pong paddle on his head to play a game of sonic Pong, done forward rolls on concrete at the behest of a lady dressed as Lara Croft and been strapped to a ceiling while dressed as Super Mario …. I still want that video of me flapping my arms playing Birdseye Bullseye. Not that I would destroy it or anything.

Another rumored announcement made real at Nintendo's 2009 E3 press conference, Wii Fit Plus is basically an update to the original Wii Fit, featuring six new training exercises and fifteen new balance board mini-games, including juggling, skateboarding, and running activities. This time around, users will be able to set up routines that tone particular parts of their bodies.

Wii Fit Plus will be released both in Balance Board bundles and as a standalone game. Way to bring the crowd down from the big Mario announcement, Nintendo!

According to the report, the follow up to the 18 million unit selling Wii Fit will come with online functionality, allowing Wii Fit Plus users to compete with friends and family. We'll presume that means sharing your Wii Fit Plus work out data across the internet, as opposed to being stored locally only.

The Nikkei also makes mention of more accurate measurements in Wii Fit Plus, which could possibly come from the addition of Nintendo's new and similarly named Wii MotionPlus controller accessory.

More vaguely, the Nikkei writes that Nintendo has plans to release a new Mario title by the end of the year. That might not come as a surprise, as Nintendo head honcho Satoru Iwata dropped word at last year's E3 that the Mario and Zelda development teams were hard at work on new Wii games.

Whether that will be a marquee title on par with Super Mario Galaxy or something in which Mario doesn't play a starring role, we'll likely find out on Tuesday when Nintendo holds its E3 press conference.

Nintendo Releasing New Wii Fit This Fall [Nikkei - subscription required]