14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most unlikeable trends in the videogaming industry is for a successful game to spawn a host of clones, which can sometimes take the genre forward because, for most of the time, they're only copycat game mechanics with less than stellar results. It happened at the beginning of the RTS genre, when the mechanics of the Warcraft and Command & Conquer were copied by what felt like a gazillion games. And now it might be happening to the Wii Fit as well.
Namco Bandai is now announcing that it aims to create a fitness-oriented game, called Family Trainer, which aims to put the emphasis on physical interaction. The game will appeal to all ages and all categories of Wii gamers and will also feature a sort of mat controller, like the Balance Board but called Active Life, in conjunction with the Wiimote.
The activities that are available to the player are, apparently, more varied than the ones in Wii Fit. You'll get to skip the rope, jump over rolling logs and rafts on quick flowing rivers. The backgrounds are important, ranging from lush jungle forests to haunted mansions filled to the brim with zombies (which is a pretty strange choice for a fitness game, although you have to be fit to outrun those brain eaters). The developers did not say whether the game will feature a trainer or other activities than physical ones.
Electronic Arts has also recently announced plans to create a fitness game targeted for the Wii. As Peter Moore pointed out, the game seems to be more geared towards Western style exercises than the Wii Fit, which is more oriented towards Eastern type exercises. So, expect less yoga and more cardio on your Nintendo Wii.
The game from Namco Bandai comes with a release date for September, by which time we think that the Wii Fit will have completed its attempt at taking over the world.