Gold's Gym Cardio Workout (Wii) Review

Posted by Jacob Lopez on 06.27.2009

Jay is too lazy to review the game himself and *gasp* workout, so he gets his girlfriend to do it for him. What does she think of Gold's Gym Cardio Workout for the Wii? Read on...



Title: Gold's Gym Cardio Workout
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Type: Fitness
Players: 1
Rated: E

A little story for you: The 411 games crew consists mostly of individuals such as myself. Lazy-azz gamers. The game launched a while back, and our fearless leader, Ramon, could not find someone fit enough to review it.

Then, for whatever reason, Ramon figured he could get me to do it. I am the laziest mofo on the website. I really am. Luckily for me, my girlfriend was willing and able to play the game. Since she fits into Ubisoft's category of the ideal buyer of their fitness game, I figured, “Eh, why not?”

Which is why I present to you, Gold's Gym Cardio Workout reviewed by the game's target audience!
This is how it works: Lisa plays the game, then, I ask her what she thinks and how she scores it.

Jay: Let's start with the easy stuff. What did you like about the game?

Lisa: For the workout aspect, I like that it's cardio-friendly -- I enjoy a good cardio workout. It's good for slimming down that waistline while toning your body.

For the gaming aspect, I like knowing that I have to strive, and keep working, to unlock that CUTE panda costume for my character! Who wouldn't like to see a boxing panda?

Another thing I like about the game is that you can change the music. Depending on how you feel, you can change it, some go faster, some go slower, some make you want to work harder.

I also enjoyed that the game actually made me sore after some of the workouts. Push-ups and some of the leg lifts come to mind. It wasn't like stepping into the ring with Joe Frazier sore, but I did feel it the next morning.

It is more of a workout than Wii Fit. Since most of those buying this game probably also have Wii Fit, think of it this way: Wii Fit is the warm up. Gold's Gym is the workout.




Jay: What did you dislike about the game?

Lisa: Back to Wii Fit being the warm up...I didn't like that I couldn't control the speed of the rhythm boxing—not that I saw, at least—and sometimes that is what I want for a warm up.

I also don't like that a lot of it is unresponsive. I'll be there bustin' my butt and sometimes the thing won't read.

Also, and I understand that it is a videogame, it has its limits...I know that, but I don't like that it doesn't tell you when you are doing something wrong. You can just swing the Wii Remotes around and it will see it as a punch. Many times, it would not read my hooks. If someone is doing things incorrectly, they can actually hurt themselves. I things can (and will) get a lot better with Wii Motion Plus, because it can read your form better. I know Ubisoft also has that other game with the camera (she is talking about Your Shape for the Wii) which might make things a bit more accurate.

I can't get over how funny I may look trying Natal though, (at this point she mimicked a steering motion and said the following in a goofy voice) “Look! I'm driving a car!” Unless maybe you are drunk and having a party.




Jay: How well did it implement the Wii's controls and the Balance Board?

Lisa: Controls could be better, even though it says that the best way to do it is to use two Wii Remotes, it feels like the nunchuck works just fine. I am just wasting two sets of batteries instead of one. Either way, the hooks were always a pain, and didn't seem to work correctly unless I totally exaggerated the motion.

As far as the Balance Board goes, I like the implementation, but if I didn't have one all of the good exercises go to waste. It doesn't tell you how much you are missing without the Balance Board—a lot of really good exercises.



Jay: What did it do better than other fitness games?

Lisa: In comparison to Wii Fit, Gold's Gym is really focused on keeping you moving. While Wii Fit requires you to be more stationary...you always have to keep your center of balance. With Gold's Gym, I am more focused on keeping my body in motion rather than trying to be still and stay within my center of balance. (Jay's note: I still love ya, Miyamoto! Don't listen to my girlfriend!) [Side note from Lisa; Jay loves Miyamoto more than Lisa...]


Jay: What did it not do better than other fitness games?

Lisa: It's lacking in the variety, and for your personalized workout menus, it only gives you 'light' and 'regular' as far as I know.

I do think that Wii Fit reads the Balance Board stuff, like the squats, and the push-ups, etc., better. Because Wii Fit is almost all Balance Board, and Gold's Gym is about a third balance board.

This game also allows you to cheat. You can simply decide to just put in your own weight. Then again, that might be a good thing for some people...



Jay: Do you feel that there is a lot of replay value in this game?

Lisa: I'm gonna keep doing it until I get the Panda suit, and if it lets me get more of those type costumes, I will work on those. Most likely, I will work with a combination of this, Wii Fit and—fingers crossed—EA Sports Active...If I can pick up that one sometime.


Jay: How did you feel on the variety of exercises available?

Lisa: That was one of the downsides. Most of the workouts are just variations of boxing exercises: punch, dodge, duck..that stuff. The Balance Board brings more to the table, but as I mentioned, if you don't have it, you are missing out on a lot of good exercises.

Jay: Was the game a workout?
Lisa: Yes, at times. Like I said before, some of the exercises actually made me sore.

The 411

Well. It looks like Lisa enjoyed the game enough to keep playing it for a while. If anything to get the panda costume. She says it's a go for anyone into the fitness games.

Thanks, Lisa!







Now, I will let Lisa score the game as she pleases.

Graphics	8.5	They're good for what they are, but the trainer's hands shouldn't be bigger than her (explitive deleted) head. She looks like the screwed up love child of Goofy and Sora.
Gameplay	8.5	It would have been higher had the game actually read my squats and hooks. Some things just weren't as responsive as I would have liked.
Sound	8.0	I am not too fond of 'Muzak'. They are just cheesy rip-offs of real music. Eye of the Tiger is the real recognizable song, and it's missing the lyrics.
Lasting Appeal	9.0	Because, not only do I want the panda suit, but it makes me feel like I have done a workout rather than just stretch. The game motivates me with little extra unlockable stuff.
Fun Factor	8.0	It's fun for those who really do enjoy working out. It still needs work, but it is headed in the right direction. I would still rather be playing Paper Mario. :)
Overall	8.0   [ Very Good ]