Wii Fit: Basic Run review

I've been using Wii Fit for one week straight now, and one of my favorite activities so far is the Basic Run. This is the activity where I feel I am burning off the most calories.


See More Wii Fit Screenshots at IGN.com

I enjoy that they present you with a perspective that makes you feel like you are there running in their world. You get paired up with a different running partner every time. Your partner leads the way and turns around to wave at you for encouragement.

I have unlocked three distances so far... Short, Long, and Island Lap. Short lasts about 5 minutes. Long, about 10 minutes. And Island Lap about 18-20 minutes. I'm not sure yet if there are any that are longer than Island Lap. Each take you on a different pre-determined course. I haven't noticed any difference in running speed whether I run fast or slow. The only time I notice a difference in speed is if I happen to stop running for a second or two (leg cramp). When I stop for a short period of time, my runner in game speeds up rapidly for a few seconds before stopping. I haven't figured out what that's all about yet.

Great use of Mii characters!
I had a couple of friends create Mii characters on my Wii. I have found that this to be very beneficial in Wii Fit, especially in the Basic Run, because your friend's Mii characters exercise too. Every so often, I'll see my sister Sara run past me going the opposite direction, often smiling and waving as she passes. Or my friend Steve will run past me, encouraging me to run a little faster to catch up (which never happens). These Mii characters add a sense of familiarity and warmth to your exercising, rather than exercising with characters that you can't relate to on a personal level.

Things that need improvement:

- NEEDS MUSIC! All of the other Wii Fit exercises have music, but for some reason or another Nintendo removed all music from Basic Run. You see your character in the progress bar at the bottom of the screen with musical notes indicating music, but there is no music. The lack of music makes the run seem much longer than it actually is. I'll need to start listening to my iPod or play music from my computer while I run.

- The speed at which you run does not appear to influence the running speed in the game. In other words, if you push yourself to run harder/faster, it doesn't appear that you reach the finish line any faster.

Things I don't understand:

• There are Mario character icons scattered around the island. The manual says to try and locate them all, but I don't know what to do if I see them or why I am trying to find them. Rather than just trying to find them, they should let you capture/collect them, sort of like trophies. They don't seem to have a purpose as they are now.
• During my Island Lap run, a pack of dogs leaped off of a cliff which was at least 100 feet high. I saw that and it shocked me because it seemed like they were falling to their death. But they kept running on past me.
  

Tip!
If your floor has carpeting, you might want to invest in a rug or mat to run on. Running in one place every day can wear down the carpet in that location.