WiiWorlduk.co.uk

Electronic Arts has put an end to the ongoing speculation regarding the company’s own Wii Fit rival by unveiling the firm’s newest title, EA Sports Active.EA Sports Active, scheduled for release Spring 2009, will come bundled with a number of peripherals – or sports equipment – such as a set of two leg straps, a resistance band, as well as a health book. EA says the entire product will sell for $59.99.

EA’s fitness proposal is markedly different to Nintendo’s. Sports Active is designed to burn calories and build tone and strength. It does this with around 20 dynamic exercises, such as running, bicep curls, shoulder presses, cardio boxing and squats.

In line with EA’s purpose of aiming the product at the female market, the software itself will have its own personal trainer in the guise of a virtual Bob Greene (Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer and exercise physiologist) who will offer feedback on the user’s performance.

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Hardcore gamers are split on “Wii Music.”

It’s not “Rock Band” or “Guitar Hero” — it’s something entirely different. Given the accessibility of “Wii Music,” however, it seems especially designed to engage the younger crowd.

A few weeks ago, I was speaking with Nintendo Treehouse employee JC Rodrigo, who was demoing “Wii Music” all day. He’d recently attended the Austin City Limits music festival in Texas and spent several hours with kids checking out “Wii Music.”

What kind of music did kids create with their Wiimotes?

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Wii Sports Resort is a new collection of fun sports games that anyone can pick up and play.• This sequel to the popular Wii Sports™ makes use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which gives players the most responsive and realistic experience possible. The Wii MotionPlus accessory, which is included with Wii Sports Resort, plugs into the base of the Wii Remote™ controller and, combined with the accelerometer and sensor bar, provides an experience that gives players an even greater sense of immersion.

• Just as with Wii Sports, people will love competing against friends and family. As the competition heats up, Wii Sports Resort is as much fun to watch as it is to play. First-time players will find it easy to pick up a Wii Remote and jump into the action.

I like the concept of granting players a taste of the connection created when you play music with another person, but the lack of a discernable goal in what I played did feel slightly aimless, at least in the jam mode. Sure I could see where I was supposed to play, but wasn’t really penalized (even in terms of sounding all that bad) if I just rocked out in my own world arms flaying wildly.

 Over 60 instruments will be available: A vast variety of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion options; the piano, too. For instance, the Nunchuk and Wii remote let you glide an invisible bow back and forth at your shoulder to play violin, strum invisible space to play guitar, or rattle away when you play tambourine. Various buttons perform a range of flourishes, both visual and musical.

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