"Your Shape: Fitness Evolved" raises the bar for fitness games, becoming a great part of your workout regimen.
Upon launching the software, you'll begin with a short fitness quiz. Don't worry, there's no studying or memorization involved. Just a few short exercise routines to see where you are, physically. They are followed up by some questions to determine where you see yourself going. For example, do you want to bulk up, tone your body, etc.? Using this information, "Fitness Evolved" suggests workout routines that will help you toward your goal. These routines have been constructed with the help of "Men's/Women's Health" magazines, so rest assured that you're dealing with experts.
You have three ways to play, as it were. "Personal Trainer" will work with you towards your selected goals. The game recommends workout routines based on your responses to the fitness quiz, and shows you the approximate time for completing the session. Some sessions advise using hand-weights to augment the exercises, but this is totally optional.
"Fitness Classes" will train you in the gentle, flowing art of tai chi or the high-energy world of cardio boxing. As you play, you unlock more advanced classes, ultimately unlocking single, long classes that incorporate all the previous lessons. As before, the game shows you how long each session will take.
"Gym Games," the final section, pays tribute to one of my favorite real-life components of a good gym class: fun and games. It's all good to exercise, but if your exercise has you swirling a virtual hula-hoop or balancing virtual blocks, that's the makings for a fun time.
Graphically, the game is simplistic, but nonetheless beautiful. Ubisoft wisely chose to not mimic "Wii Fit" and use the Xbox 360 avatars, instead using a much more accurate rendition ... your own image. You'll see yourself following along with the on-screen trainers, either as a silhouette bathed in color or a somewhat more photo-realistic version. The settings vary based on your game mode. For example, the tai chi classes feature a majestic mountain in the background, and even occasional falling rain, while the cardio boxing class takes place on a rooftop overlooking a bustling city. Similarly, the music, while breaking no new ground, is more than appropriate for the activities, and a pleasant female voice provides guidance and support.
The control scheme is the same as other Kinect games--you hover your hand in space over an icon for a few moments--but because you actually see yourself on screen, the selections are a bit easier than manipulating a hand-shaped cursor. Some options are selected by similar virtual buttons at your feet. In-game, timing is everything. As you exercise, the game expects you to keep in rhythm with the coach, matching their movements as best as you can. It will offer advice on how to improve your motion and, thus, get more benefit from the exercise. "Fitness Evolved" uses Kinect's skeletal tracking in concert with its own proprietary tracking system, highlighting body parts in green to let you know when you're properly positioned. The exercise games give you a percentage score based on how you performed each repetition in a given set. It's here that the game stumbles a little.
While the fitness quiz does illustrate motions at first, the fitness classes (especially tai chi and cardio box) don't really give you any tutorial on how to do the given motions before you're doing the exercise. It's like throwing a non-swimmer into a pool and expecting them to swim immediately. In other words, expect your first couple of outings in the classes to generate low scores, either because you're figuring out the motions or you fall out-of-sync with the trainer (shown by the playspace outline changing from green to gray). However, the game is remarkably forgiving and never insulting, even cheering you on when you get back in gear. Further, the score isn't that critical to your overall progress in the game; you can get low scores and still unlock new things as you go, and the game's never-say-die attitude keeps you motivated to try again and get better.
"Fitness Evolved" adds some additional online features to the mix. It's one of the first to support UPlay, Ubisoft's online community. Also, you can join the game's own website and set up challenges for other players.
Should "Your Shape: Fitness Evolved" be one of your first Kinect purchases? If you like to exercise, and also show off what Kinect is capable of, it makes an excellent starter title. Someone said the game had a holodeck-like feel, adding to the "wow" factor. The metaphor fits, because "Fitness Evolved" truly is the next generation of workout games.