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Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune

Wii Fit Plus
For: Nintendo Wii
From: Nintendo
ESRB Rating: Everyone (mild cartoon violence)

Nintendo lags behind convention when it comes to online content delivery, which is why "Wii Fit Plus" exists as a standalone disc only instead of a downloadable content pack for existing owners of the original "Fit."

This doesn't mean a whole lot of anything to those getting into "Fit" for the first time. "Plus" essentially replaces "Fit" on the marketplace: If you buy the $100 Wii Balance Board, this is what's bundled inside now. Everything that was in "Fit" is in "Plus," which is a standalone game despite some confusing language on the box that suggests you need both discs.

For those who already have "Fit," the transition to "Plus" is about as smooth as it should be, particularly because "Plus" reads and converts your saved data from "Fit" and doesn't make you start all over with new data. In another nice touch, the game also specially recognizes returning players by quickly pointing out the new features and otherwise letting them get on with their workout.

The additions to the base program aren't quite as extraordinary as one would hope from an additional 16-plus months of development time on Nintendo's part, but they do fall roughly in line with what one might expect the asking price ($20 for game without the board) to deliver.

Most essentially, "Plus" adds the capacity to create custom exercise routines rather than simply play one exercise at a time and continually bounce between menus while doing so. It's a pretty elegant system, too: The game's preset routines are organized by goals and needs rather than exercise types, and you can combine these routines to build your own without much work. The freeform routine creator is similarly easy to use, though it's not without limitations: You only can add strength and yoga exercises to this routine, and you can't save and switch between multiple routines. A favorites list, which provides single-menu access to your favorite (and, cleverly, least favorite) routines, makes a very welcome debut in this area as well.

The other interface enhancements run the gamut. A pass-the-Balance Board multiplayer mode (only one controller and one board necessary) adds a fun competitive element to the aerobic and balance mini-games. The calorie counter is a no-brainer: There's no way "Plus" can precisely gauge your caloric loss given the technology on hand, but a slightly imprecise measure of progress is a metric all the same. A feature that allows you to register and weigh babies and pets is a bit out of left field, but it works, and therefore has value to those who might wish or need to keep tabs on such things.

Predictably, "Plus" tops off the package with some exercises — only a few new strength and yoga exercises, but 15 new mini-games that include a Segway race, rhythmic Kung Fu, a snowball fight and a game that has you flying like a chicken. "Fit's" sense of humor was an essential ingredient of its accessibility, and "Plus" does a great job of carrying the torch in that regard.