18 April 2010

Walk It Out! isn't lame just because it isn't for you



One of the main reasons I subscribed to GameFly was to try out the various fitness and motion games for the Wii. They always seem to be unavailable at my local rental shop, and I found that they are pretty popular with the rent-by-mail crowd, too. It took me several months to get a fitness title, and it was Walk It Out! by Konami. There is an in-depth review at Wii Love It so I won't try to replicate it. Go read it!

I've read many disparaging comments about Walk It Out! online. More accurately, they were negative comments about the idea of walking indoors. Fans of Konami's Dance Dance Revolution franchise in particular bemoan the fact that the company released something they see as lame. The DDR games are big fun, but everyone doesn't have the coordination to handle all those complicated step combinations. Walk It Out! is great for an overweight 40-something who wants a simple start to an exercise program, like me.

I got the game last Monday and I managed to walk almost 15 miles by Saturday. Considering that in a good week on the treadmill I would only walk three miles, that in itself is a testament to the addictive nature of the game. There is no storyline or boss monster to beat at the end, but there is something about collecting every item in a game that appeals to me. If you have ever played a video game a little longer than you should to unlock one more item before bed, then Walk It Out! may be the game to get you off the couch.