It’s easy to overlook the Wii Fit franchise when faced with such Nintendo favorites as Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. The publisher’s exercise series has only been around since 2007 in Japan but managed to achieve more than 40 million copies sold worldwide. Not only does that make it one of the best-selling IPs of all time, but it also shows how many people are into fitness. That said, Wii Fit U is on the way for the company’s Wii U console.
Slated to arrive holiday 2013, this brand-new sequel incorporates plenty of content from the first two Wii releases, primarily strength-training and yoga, while at the same time introducing new features that should be a hit with workout junkies everywhere.
Yes, the balance board makes a return, but you’ll also be able to play mini-games and exercises on the Wii U GamePad, eliminating the need to even glance at the television. In fact, there are well over 20 new activities that somehow utilize both the balance board and/or the controller, including bobsledding and rowing.
In addition, the GamePad will display your progress along with other key stats, the most important of which is current weight. That’s right, you won’t need to display your weight on TV for all to see; this is perhaps one of the few video games that can tout privacy as a key feature.
The most important aspect to the game, though, is the Wii Fit Meter, a tiny pedometer that records your daily activity. Bundled with the game, the device will track the number of steps taken per day and how high you’ve climbed. From there, you’re able to sync this data with the system.
Finally, gamers who played Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus can transfer their data to Wii Fit U, which avoids having to restart from the beginning.
Taking all of this into account, it appears Nintendo has another potential hit with Wii Fit U, and we look forward to breaking a sweat when the game finally hits shelves this December. We’ll post tips for its mini-games shortly after release.
