EA Sports Active Reviews

5 Comments

1. L. Gary says:

   August 3, 2010 at 9:31 pm

   Review by L. Gary for EA Sports Active
   Rating:
   Initial Impression
   
   Wii Active is AWESOME! AWESOME!! I was holding out big hopes for this game because while I love wii fit, golds gym coach and my fitness coach, this game offers full use of the wii motion controls and balance board for feedback. If you do not have the balance board, the game is just as useful.The balance board makes some exercises more “total body” and intense but the game was designed to be used without it. This game is honestly what I thought I was getting when I bought the wii fit! This game is more of a gym style workout consisting of strength exercises with resistance, cardio, and sports drills. There is no yoga in this game nor is there any abdominal work (which I find kind of strange because they were pretty thorough with everything else).

   Intensity/Sports Drills
   
   I just finished my second full 40 minute workout and it was great! I feel like I just came back from the gym. I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the sports drills.I dont enjoy the tennis or baseball on wii sports. But the sports drills on Active are really intense, you actually have to jump to do volleyball serves and the motions are exactly as they are when you play the game.

   Sports included are Baseball (pitching and batting and catching), volleyball (serving, bumping and setting), Basketball (so far I’ve just seen shooting and passing), Skating (with leg lifts), Tennis (serving, fore-shots, volleying,backshots). Basketball shooting involves twisting to grab a ball and then making a jump shot. It really gives a virtual reality feel to sports exercises. During kickboxing you are able to use the balance board to kick the heavy bag and do knee ups which really got my heart rate up. During running exercises, you are placed on a track and the game has you alternate between running, walking, knee ups, and kick ups. I really felt as though I had a coach with me. I used to work out with a personal trainer and this really had the same feel.

   Balance Board Use
   
   You ARE able to use the balance board with this game. For the sports drills it made me (uncoordinated as I am) less accurate but it did incorporate more total body usage. For instance, in baseball when you catch you do a side lunge before you reach up or out to catch the ball. There is an option to use the balance board with all the sports drills. I havent seen any resistance exercises that used the balance board though.

   High Intensity Exercises
   
   There are some hi-intensity or slightly more advanced strength exercises included such as jumping lunges, jumping squats, squat and hold, side to side jumps, bicep curl with shoulder press, bicep curl with kickback, lateral raise with row, etc.

   Setup
   
   After setting up the resistance band and leg strap (easy, took 2 minutes tops) I had to set up a profile. There was great variety on how personalized you can make your avatar look with very cool outfits to choose from. It doesnt let you really change the height of your avatar or age (in appearance) so when I set up avatars for my kids, they looked like adults. You set your goals such as how many calories you want to burn over a period of x number of days, how many workouts you want to complete per week or month, and how many hours you want to workout per week or month. I was surprised it didnt include weight loss goals but then I guess it would have to assume you have the balance board and it tries to stay away from that.

   30 Day Challenge
   
   I chose the 30 day challenge simply because it seemed like the quickest way to get started. The range of activities was really astounding and I enjoyed the entire workout. It was great to have the game give feedback on form. Before you do every exercise the first time, it automatically shows you a video on proper form. While I was familiar with most of the exercises, the videos are useful because it shows you how to hold the remote for each exercise. You can skip them if you really want. After you watch them the first time, you don’t have to see it again. The exercises included cardio, sports drills, resistance upper and lower exercises and track. Even if you choose the 30 day challenge, you can still just select individual workouts as well, but I found the challenge to be a great motivator because it will take me through all of the exercises…not just my favorites.

   Pre-Set/Customized Programs
   
   You can also choose from more than 50 pre-set programs such as 30 minute lower body, 20 minute sports drills, 40 minute whole body, 60 minute upper body hard or easy, 40 minute cardio only, athletic exercises, 30 minute low-impact, 50 minute hi-impact and many others. Literally, I don’t see potential for getting bored with your exercise routine anytime soon with this game. You can also create your own program by just picking the exercises you like. You can customize it further in that you can choose the duration and intensity for each individual exercise, and intensity and length of total time that you would like to work out for. It sounds like a lot of choices, but it was very simple and I created a very kid-friendly program in about 4 minutes.

   Multi-Player Mode
   
   The multi-player mode works really well also. It is best to have the additional player accessory kit but I found that most of the sport drills and upper body strength exercises only require that the second player have a remote and nunchuk anyway so even without it, my kids and husband are able to work out with me. My husband said he would work out with me with the Active because it looks like a real workout (He thought my wii fit and my fitness coach were cute). He was especially impressed with the sports drills.

   Bad Knees/Problem areas
   
   The great thing about it is that if you have a weak area or injury, such as bad knees, you are able to see all the exercises you will do in either 30-day challenge mode or pre-set mode and if you can’t do those exercises, you can simply uncheck them. I have bad knees and so I uncheck some of the jumping exercises. It would have been nice if you could set that up in your profile and it simply took those exercises out of your program but being able to select or deselect them day-by-day is probably more flexible.

   Age-Appropriate
   
   For those of you who wonder if small children would like it, my kids (age 3 and 5) were able to do the sports drills with me like tennis and baseball very easily (they don’t fare so well with the wii sports version). Since the game is not trying to simulate actual playing, all they had to do was swing the remotes at the right time. They didnt have to worry too much about moving to be in the right place.

   Final Anaylsis
   
   I honestly am in Love with this product! Of course I could make suggestions for improvements, (everything can be improved on), but I really think they did an superb job with this. This is what I thought the wii fit game was going to be from the beginning! Since this game focuses more on a gym-style workout, combining it with the balance, core and strength exercises from wii fit and the yoga and variety from my fitness coach really enables me to get a full and varied workout.
   
   However, if you don’t own the other games, honestly I would recommend getting this one. It just gives me a more realistic workout feel.

   Tips
   
   1. the resistance band that comes with the game is either light or medium. For those of you who would like to increase this, just purchase stronger resistance bands and use those instead. This really increased the intensity of my workout.
   
   2. Make sure you insert the nunchuck in the holder face down toward the floor or else your mii positioning will be backwards (ie your mii will be squatting down when you are standing upright)
   
   3. It takes some getting used to positioning the remote and nuncheck in the right way for each exercise so that it can properly evaluate your movements….watching the videos, even if you know how to maintain proper form in the gym, is recommended. Dont get frustrated, the game has been pretty accurate as far as I have seen, you just have to make sure you hold the remotes as they tell you to.
   
   4. Those of you who would like to work out with weights or cords versus bands can incorporate that for certain exercises on your own (the game doesnt say anything about this…this is just what I noticed while working out). Things like shoulder presses, bicep curls and squats with ankle weights would work fine with this game.
2. Southernbooklady says:

   August 3, 2010 at 9:36 pm

   Review by Southernbooklady for EA Sports Active
   Rating:
   Ok, so I was hesitant about spending $60 on a workout game when I already owned three of them – all exclusively for the Wii. After my first 50 minute workout though I can truthfully say that this trumps all of them. It is like Gold’s Gym, the Wii Fit, and My Fitness Coach all rolled into one. After my workout, which included everything from boxing to dancing to running to shooting hoops, I was sweating profusely and feeling great!

   What I liked:
   
   - Like the Wii Fit, it incorporates the Balance Board.
   
   - I get to pick my exercises – unlike on the My Fitness Coach
   
   - The graphics were good, the track, courts, etc. actually made me feel a little like I was actually there.
   
   - The running was everything the Wii Fit running was not. It counted my calories and seemed a little more responsive that the Fit.
   
   - I appreciated the feedback I received when doing the stretching exercises… This I missed in the My Fitness Coach- there was no sensor to tell me if I was squatting to high, not jumping in the right rhythm, etc. With EA SA the control that was strapped to my thigh was able to tell the game when I was not doing something right – giving me the opportunity to correct my form.

   - I also like the fact that you can work out with a friend.

   Cons:
   
   The resistant band is weak – for me anyway but that can be easily corrected with a inexpensive trip to Wal-mart.

   I discovered that I may also be buying a wireless nunchuck… the wire was constantly in my way.

   It doesn’t track my weight loss.

   It’s not really a con but I wish there were step aerobics. It could have easily been worked in.

   Overall impression: I’m glad I broke down and paid the $$$ for this game. It far surpasses My Fitness Coach, the Wii Fit, and Gold’s Gym (though I will probably continue to use Gold’s Gym for the boxing routines and the wii fit to track my weight loss). It’s hard core, but I feel it will definitely give me my desired results.
3. Kurt A. Boyer says:

   August 3, 2010 at 10:08 pm

   Review by Kurt A. Boyer for EA Sports Active
   Rating:
   I had my EA Active delivered today and I was itching to try it out because I quickly became bored with the Wii Fit games that focused mainly on balance and weight.

   It was very easy to get set up. I configured my workout person to look a little bit like me although I hope I am a bit cuter. I kind of wish that they had child avatars for my kids who will play this soon, but that isn’t my biggest need.

   I chose to work out on a medium skill level for the 30 day challenge. I’m not ultra fit by any means, but I’d like to think that I could run a mile or two if someone was chasing me. At the beginning of my workout, I started to think that I wasn’t being pushed enough, but by the end, I was sweating like a big dog — which was great. I believe my perception was caused by learning each movement before I started which gave me rest time. At the middle of my workout, some of the prior activities came up again and I was able to go right from exercise to exercise and that’s what I like. This is so much better than the Wii Fit.

   I did the running, punching, inline skating (super fun and a killer), side lunges, squats and front shoulder raises for my first workout. Every exercise was entertaining. It did take me a little bit to get used to how you hold the remote, but now I’m a pro. I did do the “couch test” where I placed the remote on the couch to see if the avatar would do the exercise anyway — which it didn’t — unlike some other fitness titles. It really does mimic your movements, which I like.

   Time for a shower and I can’t wait for day two of my challenge. I can assure you that you’ll like this game if you put the work into it. The couch won’t do it for you.
4. Jacques Strap says:

   August 3, 2010 at 10:12 pm

   Review by Jacques Strap for EA Sports Active
   Rating:
   I read a bunch of the reviews about this feeling more like a “real workout” than Wii Fit, and was sold enough to give it a shot – after two extended periods working with it, I’m going to be retiring it – it’s just very frustrating and feels like it’s “forcing a square peg into a round hole” – it’s not intuitive and natural to work out like this…it’s very awkward and I feel like it’s probably a slightly damaging too – certainly to form. Mainly I’ll be echoing some of the other middle-of-the-road reviews – with a few additional comments from my personal experience.

   Pros:
   
   1. It is nice to be able to dial up a full routine rather than like on Wii Fit, where you have to constantly be selecting new exercises.

   2. The lower-body exercises aren’t as clunky as the upper-body ones, and you can get a pretty good leg workout if you follow along.

   Cons:
   
   1. If the resistance that the game comes with isn’t enough for you, using real resistance bands while also having to hold the controller/nunchuk in your hands is extremely awkward – and when you hold them in a way that the Wii accepts your movements, it really messes up your form and is very uncomfortable.

   2. I’m not a large person (5’10″, 175) – but some of the exercises just don’t make sense while holding the controllers – like doing shoulder presses…the nunchuk cord is constantly slapping you in the face and threatening to choke you…it just feels unnatural and it’s not a lot of fun. I also feel like I’m going to break the controllers while having them in the middle of a grip and doing bicep curls – that doesn’t feel like something that could be sustained long term…and I also constantly feel like I’m going to pull the nunchuk cable out.

   3. The vocal feedback from the game is extremely repetitive and annoying, and has nothing to do with what you’re doing. There are about 10 phrases (max) that keep getting repeated, and even if you’re struggling with trying to keep the leg band on (to echo another review – it either feels like a tourniquet or it falls off constantly) and aren’t doing anything but adjusting it, you’ll be getting perky positive feedback!

   4. You have to do weird movements with the controllers to signify to the Wii that you’ve completed a rep – and it takes a while to figure out what you’re doing wrong and why nothing is registering. Then you’re like “oh, it’s because I have to do this little wrist flip at the end of this movement” – which has nothing to do with the exercise itself…very annoying.

   5. Sometimes as a result of #4 but sometimes not, you get feedback that doesn’t make any sense…I dare you to try doing jump lunges without constantly getting feedback to “slow down”. My wife and I tried this relentlessly, and short of being in “The Matrix”, we can’t fathom how we’d be able to jump any “slower”.

   I could go on but won’t – there are a lot of glowing reviews here and I’m sure that if you’re not super serious and want to get into a regular routine of some low to medium impact workouts this is a pretty decent tool. But there need to be a few more voices of reason on here setting the proper expectations for this package.

   Until the Wii really catches up, I think I’m gonna lace up the ol’ sneakers and head out for a run. =)
5. M. Leingang says:

   August 3, 2010 at 11:08 pm

   Review by M. Leingang for EA Sports Active
   Rating:
   I do like how EA Active is setup, the exercises are plentiful and give you a good workout. I was definitely sweating after my first workout. I give props to EA for creating a fitness game with some good value.

   Have the workout programs are nice and you will get tired by the end of the workout. Damn there are many sets of lunges

   Kickboxing is fun.. Did I mention lunges suck

   It is nice to have the 30 day program with different exercises each day you are not resting. It fights off boredom of doing the same thing everday.

   The things I do not like.
   
   1. The workout/resistance band is a joke. There is hardly any resistance. Luckily I already have resistance bands and used them. The one I recommend you buy is one with multiple removable bands. That way you can adjust your resistancance accordingly.

   2. The leg strap is always falling down on my leg during the running no matter how tight I make it. It was almost tight enough to cut off circualtion It is very annoying as I have to try to hold it up with my left hand. I have it high on my leg yet it slips unless I make the strap cut off my circulation

   3. It does not keep track of your weight. I have the board from the wii fit and registered it with EA Sports active; however, EA did not program it to record your weight progess. This is a big miss in my mind. I realize EA designed Active to mostly work without a board so the wii fit board provides little value to EA Sports active.

   4. The MII gets out of sync sometimes. I could already be back in the standing position after a lunge yet my character is still down. Yes it is annoying. The main reason for getting out of sync is the position of the remotes; however, it is over sensitive.

   I would recommed EA Sports active but it is not perfect; however, it will get you to sweat and any exercise is better then no exercise. I realize I highlight the negatives more but I felt it was important to put them out there. I would rate EA Sports Active 3 1/2 stars but you cannot do that with Amazon’s ratings. I amazed how many 5 ratings there are because in my mind it should be almost perfect.

   Personally I believe some of reviewers bashing the Wii Fit in their reviews are EA cronies because I get just as good as a workout with the wii fit you just do not get work programs. I enjoy both. The Wii fit is more fun, while EA Sports active is defintely more structured. Definitely get both

   Final, Final thoughts. The one big issue with having a virtual trainer, a person has a greater chance for injury because of bad form during expercise. The videos can only do so much.

   If you have any questions please post a comment I will try to answer it.
   
   ..