I try my best to never start out a review on the negative points of a game, but in the case of Gold's Gym Cardio Workout I feel that it's a necessity. The first thing you do when you load up the game is create a profile. This includes entering your height and weight in order to get your BMI number. Now, here is the biggest problem that I have with GGCW. A person's BMI can not be found solely on height and weight alone. Just entering your weight does not take your body composition into account. For example; a 6 foot, 200 pound body builder will have a totally different body composition than that of someone who is the same height and weight but never gets off their rump to do a single exercise. In other words, take the BMI that you get from GGCW with a grain of salt. If you really want to know your BMI then you need to go out a buy yourself a manual or electronic body fat caliper.
I have an advantage in reviewing Gold's Gym Cardio Workout in that I do not own or have ever played any other fitness title. This allows me to review the game just in the terms of how good or bad a workout it provides. It should also be noted that I exercise on a daily basis and have been doing so for years now, quite intensively so your mileage may vary depending on what kind of shape you're already in. That being said, I'm quite pleased in the quality of the workout you can get. Every time you start GGCW you're greeted by the trainer of your choosing. Then, you're offered the choice of doing a prepared workout or doing your own thing by going a'la carte.
The game's menu offers you the choice of three different workout options. Shape Boxing offers up a choice of three difficulty levels initially, with the final one opened up after you clear all of the workouts in the Advanced level. Routines here can last anywhere from six minutes to 20 depending on if you've chosen a warm-up, a full routine, and what difficulty level. Boxing Examination serves as a test on all the punches and moves you've learned while playing. Each of six exams open one at a time after clearing the previous one. Finally, Exercise offers a selection of mini-games that you can participate in should like to do so for fun and to burn a few extra calories. You can use the Wii Balance Board here, which opens up additional mini-games designed to make use of it.
You're given a choice of control types when you first make your profile. You may use the Wiimote and Nun chuck or two Wiimotes. If you've got two Wiimotes, I highly recommend you use that option as it provides a great increase in punch registry and your arms won't be tethered together. I am very impressed with how well GGCW receives punch and movement information. The game plays like a rhythm game. Think Guitar Hero with punches and dodging. A bar scrolls up the screen and you move according to your trainer's cues. Doing so with proper timing nets you a higher score and the better your results at the end of your workout, the higher your reward of Gold will be which is used to buy items like new clothes from the in game store. Timing plays a major role here and for the most part the two Wiimotes work very well. Timing on weaving can be tricky and will require some practice on your part.
The simply done characters and workout areas get the job done. It's very easy to see what your trainer is doing and mirror him or her if you wish. The backgrounds are simple and non-distracting, which is a design choice I'm sure. There isn't much character customization to be found and the characters do look rather blocky. But, you're "playing" for a workout, not to ogle over the visuals. The soundtrack does have well known tracks like Eye of the Tiger. But, you're going to be disappointed because they're all nothing more than midi. Not licensed songs. They work, but licensed tracks would have been great.
I found myself going straight to the Advanced level on the second day of working out with GGCW. I worked up a great sweat and I found that the routines are pretty fun. It's very easy to forget that you're working out and you'll feel like time has flown by on the longer workouts. This is a good thing as you may find yourself wanting to do more than one routine a day. Often, I would pick the one warm up that offered the highest calorie burn and two main routines. For someone in fairly good condition, you'll probably not find yourself out of breathe. For everyone else, you may want to progress slowly through the levels and work your way up so you don't feel overwhelmed. Overall, you get out what you put in. Throw your punches like you mean it and you'll find yourself a bit sore in the shoulders the next day. Sling your arms around lazily and you're just wasting your time. Is it a complete workout solution? No, you'll not find enough strength training here for that but it does provide most people with a fun option for their cardio.
DHGF: These days I limit myself to a total of twenty physical copies of games per system. Yet for the past two console generations, I’ve have a hard time finding enough games to reach my maximum of twenty per system. That’s where you, the reader come in. With each column, I’ll give you my list of games I’ve found worth keeping along with a list of games I’ve reviewed for the system. Then begins what I hope to be an in-depth dialogue with multiple readers. You can name games you think I’d like that might make my permanent collection. You might suggest losing Game A in my collection for Game B that I haven’t played as well. It gives you a chance to say what games you would keep if you had to pare down your collection. It lets you get a better look at my preferences and tastes. Most of all, lets you recommend things to me instead of the other way around. After nine years of me reviewing hundreds of games, this might be a bit of fresh air for all of us. Let’s see what happens.
The only game on Wii that worth anything to my family is Wii Sports Resort and that's because my wife and boys love frisbee golf. If it wasn't for that, I doubt we'd turn on the Wii, honestly.
In a slightly more nonsensical addition to the (No)Nonsense Corner, Nate Largent of Nonsense Gamer writes:
"Christmas is over and you have a fat wallet thanks to the cash you received from family and from returning that copy of Rogue Warrior that Santa brought you.
What do you do what all of those dollars?
Let Uncle Nate tell you what to buy and what to stay away from…."
This week only Best Buy is having a sale on variety of Nintendo Wii games that utilize Wii Balance Board. List of games on sale include EA Sports Active, Gold's Gym Cardio Workout Jillian Michaelas Fitness Ultimatum 2010 and many more.
