Blog Archives
Roundup of current exergaming deals
Take a chance on Tony Hawk Shred at Big Lots
Sometimes a good price cut can nudge me to try a game, and sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised (such as High School Musical for PS2). Here are a few current deals, some of which I can vouch for, others, well, read the reviews first…
- Big Lots is advertising Tony Hawk Shred in a bundle with skateboard controller, for $20 on all platforms (Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360). Reviews on Amazon are basically, “It’s fun if you’re lucky enough to get it to work!” I might spring for the Xbox 360 version.
- Also for $20 at some Target stores, is a bundle of EA Sports Active 2 for Wii, along with a “Target exclusive” of 2 extra bands. Amazon reviews are mixed; again, most complaints seem to stem from hardware problems rather than the game itself.
- Dance Dance Revolution Universe, the first DDR game for Xbox 360, has appeared at Five Below stores for $5. Note that it is the game only, not a mat bundle. If you need a cheap Xbox 360 mat, then here you go…
- High School Musical Senior Year Dance plus mat for Xbox 360 is $11.49 as of this writing at Amazon. (The price fluctuates; I snagged it a couple weeks ago for $8.99.) I haven’t tried the game yet, but it seems similar to HSM for PS2 and gets generally good reviews. But I found the mat to work very well with DDR Universe. And since DDR Universe has doubles, I may just get a second HSM just for the mat!
Amazon reviewer falls out of love with NFL Training Camp for Wii
NFL Training Camp, courtesy Gameinformer.com
The reviews at Amazon are a great resource for seeing what regular consumers think of a game, and since they can be edited and updated, they can be even more useful for seeing how well games work over the long term. Take this review of NFL Training Camp for Wii, which turned into a sort of mini-blog that chronicles one user’s journey from rave to rant.
The writer, who like many of us just wanted to lose a few pounds, first “recommended” and then “highly recommended” the game after finding he could stick to the program after a few initial glitches. But a month later, the honeymoon turned sour as online problems occurred (server went down, data was lost) and it got worse as the reviewer had customer service and support problems with EA. Then came the final insult:
UPDATE 03/03/2011
Now it’s $40?!? I feel robbed EA. I pay $100 end of November, and 3 months later it’s at bargain basement prices? Not cool at all, and it’s made me incredibly unmotivated to use this, as I feel I have been scammed.
Indeed, EA has drastically cut the prices of NFL on Wii, and Active 2 on all platforms, from $100 to under $40. (At this writing NFL is $32.60.) That’s not-too-bad news for tightwads like me, but at the same time, I feel for the early adopters, and honestly I’d rather see better service and support than a bottom-feeder price. Especially with a health and fitness product, where support and motivation are key. EA needs to recover this fumble and step up their game before I’ll consider buying.
Kinect fitness reviews are rolling in
The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout for Xbox 360 Kinect
Now that Kinect fitness launch games Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, EA Sports Active 2, Zumba Fitness and Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout have been out for awhile, and people have had a chance to actually crack them open for Resolution Month, there are some reviews and comparisons coming in.
I like to look to the “real people” reviews on Amazon to get an idea of what games are like in the real world, and so far it looks as if Your Shape is the biggest winner. I’ve only tried the demo included with Kinect Adventures, in which you punch and kick flying cubes, but it seems to work well and I can see myself working out with this game. There are some complaints about lack of variety, but downloadable workouts are offered. Your Shape is also on sale for $34, making it the best buy of the bunch at the moment.
The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout is getting rather mixed reviews. I guess you have to be a fan of the show to “enjoy” it as it were, but I rented the Wii version and wasn’t all that excited about it. TBL tries to be a “total package” with recipes and motivation in addition to workouts, which may appeal to beginners looking for a fitness launching pad. They also offer online play with 2 additional players (Kinect only allows 2 simultaneous players in person).
It looks as if the biggest losers are Zumba Fitness and EA Sports Active 2. They’re both getting lots of complaints about unresponsive controls and general bugginess (game stalling or shutting down). EASA2 is now reduced to $60, which isn’t making the people who shelled out $100 happy campers.
Game Informer, on New Years Day yet, posted a comparison of all but Biggest Loser. It may have been written before EASA2’s bugs came to the forefront, but it’s a good rundown of the different features of each game.
Arrow Dynamic Mom 