The Biggest Loser

Score: 81%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Webfoot Tech.
Media: Cartridge/1
Players: 1
Genre: Health and Exercise/ Edutainment

Graphics & Sound:

While The Biggest Loser has no gameplay and, therefore, no playable "characters," it does feature the likenesses of some of the Biggest Loser contestants. Most of the graphics in The Biggest Loser are devoted to the user interface and are, in general, easy to see and read. The demonstrated exercises are shown as repeating animated sequences, typically two to four frames of animation each. These animations are very choppy, but aren't intended to be video; they simply illustrate the different positions that you will be in during an exercise to help teach the proper execution of the exercise.

There is a musical score that constantly loops in the background while in The Biggest Loser. This song is sort of an up-tempo elevator music sort of thing which is quite bearable, as looping game music goes, but sounds a bit like something that might play during an infomercial. If you don't like the music, however, you can always turn the sound off; there's nothing that you will hear that you can't read on-screen. There are some vocal clips that sound like they're from the show, at different places (such as during the weigh-off), but, again, you can follow the text prompts if you don't care to hear them.

During exercise routines, the music changes between different parts of the routine (such as Warmup, Exercise and Cooldown), changing to reflect the pace, if you will, of these different parts of the routine.

Gameplay:

The Biggest Loser is not really a game, per se; it's an application. Specifically, it's an application intended to help you lose weight through education, awareness and introspection. There are different types of activities in The Biggest Loser. The primary part of the game is the Biggest Loser Challenge, in which you select a 4, 8 or 12 week program and the program tracks your progress, including accomplishments such as "Lost a pound", "Completed a week of the challenge" or "Scored 10/10 on a quiz." Each time you log in, you are prompted to enter your weight.

You also get explanations for how to perform several exercises and the ability to select from pre-existing workout routines or even create your own exercise routines by mixing and matching exercises of different types (Warm-Up, Upper Body, Lower Body, Core, Cardio and Cooldown). This comes in handy, for example, if you are traveling and don't have access to exercise equipment; you can create a routine composed of exercises that don't require any equipment that you don't have.

The Biggest Loser also includes a Healthy Eating Handbook, which includes information on making healthy choices, quick tips from the contestants of The Biggest Loser, a cookbook, calculators for determining your Body Mass Index (BMI), Basal Metaboli Rate (BMR) and your suggested caloric intake), a calorie counter and quizzes to help sharpen your healthy eating information.

One of the features of The Biggest Loser which serves only as entertainment (and, in my opinion, only marginally) is where you can take a picture of yourself with the DSi's camera and use it to replace the face of one of the Biggest Loser contestants with your own. This isn't a game, but it can be amusing, I suppose. I might be more amused with this feature if I was a bigger fan of The Biggest Loser.

Difficulty:

Using The Biggest Loser isn't hard at all. Remembering to enter what you eat each meal and to weigh yourself each time you log-in to the challenge is a bit more of a challenge. But then, that's really what The Biggest Loser is all about: challenging yourself.

The exercises can be taxing, but the idea is to push yourself. There are lots of different ways to customize the difficulty of your workouts, such as by creating your own workout routines and editing the length, number of reps and the number of sets. If you find that you can't complete a routine, you can sit out a bit, then rejoin your routine, or you can tailor the routine to suit you. The main idea is to increase your amount of activity and lose the weight.

Game Mechanics:

The Biggest Loser provides some useful tools and information to assist in weight loss. The only "game" aspects of The Biggest Loser would have to be the quizzes (which would be considered "edutainment") and the weigh-offs, which help you keep track of your progress, but treat it almost as a game, putting your progress up against that of other Biggest Loser contestants from a previous series. Luckily, if you come in last place, you're not voted off; you simply vote off the contestant who had the next lowest weight loss.

The Biggest Loser packs some useful tools into a single application for the DSi. You could find some of the same sort of functionality free online at various websites, but The Biggest Loser packs these into a simple-to-use package that you can slip into your pocket and take with you without needing an internet connection. If you're looking to lose a few pounds and you're the kind of person who constantly carries their DSi around with them, then The Biggest Loser is a no-brainer. You can use the Calorie Counter to help keep track of your caloric intake throughout the day, track your weight loss and calculate your BMI on demand. When bored, you can play Quizzes or Choices (like quizzes, but specifically about which food choice is healthier). That's if you always keep your DSi with you. If not, it may be harder to remember to record what you've eaten, but keeping your DSi somewhere you can get to it in the morning to record your weight and reading some of the Quick Tips can help you make smarter eating choices and if you eat healthier, you'll lose weight.

-Geck0, GameVortex Communications
AKA Robert Perkins

The Biggest Loser

Graphics & Sound:

Gameplay:

Difficulty:

Game Mechanics:

Related Links: