ExerBeat

by Namco

Product Features

• Something for everyone - Friends and family members can find something they like with 155 exercises covering 8 categories of popular exercise routines. There are even Party Fitness exercises for the kids!
• Easy and accessible workouts - Players can enjoy each exercise by following easy-to-understand instructions as they move their body and Wii Remote to the rhythm.
• Dedicated instructors - The instructors give helpful insight and exercise tips, making you feel like you're working out with a real live trainer!
• Fun for the whole family! - Friends and family members can compete for the highest score per exercise, whether by simultaneously playing side-by-side, or comparing results on ranking boards.
• Fun fitness everyday - With a variety of menu options including one-day only exercise challenges, Around the World mode and Weekly Challenges, keeping up a healthy lifestyle has never been more fun!

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004M4IO08
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 7.5 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 17, 2011
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #10 in Video Games > Wii > Rhythm > Dancing
  • #44 in Video Games > Wii > All Games
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Away with Gyms and exercising alone...now you and the whole family can get fit together! View larger.

Bring the Fitness Club to Your Living Room!
Ever used the following excuses? “I’m too busy to go to the gym!” “How can I find time to work out when I have kids?” “I hate dieting!” “If only I could have fun working out with my family at home.” ExerBeat is a rhythm-based fun fitness game for people of all ages who want to stay in good health. With 155 exercises and a variety of menu options, ExerBeat makes working out easy and fun!

Key Game Features

• Something for everyone – Friends and family members can find something they like with 155 exercises covering 8 categories of popular exercise routines including: Hip Hop, Latin Dance, Aerobics, Boxercising, Karate, Karate Forms, Yoga/Pilates and Stretching. There are even Party Fitness exercises for the kids!
• Easy and accessible workouts – Players can enjoy each exercise by following easy-to-understand instructions as they move their body and Wii Remote™ to the rhythm. The number of calories burned as well as METs (intensity of the workout) are displayed for each exercise. Players can even create a personal workout program instantly by specifying “problem areas” to work on, and setting the length of their workouts and workout goals.
• Dedicated instructors – The instructors give helpful insight and exercise tips, making you feel like you’re working out with a real live trainer!
• Fun for the whole family! – Friends and family members can compete for the highest score per exercise, whether by simultaneously playing side-by-side, or comparing results on ranking boards. For long-term competitive play, there’s the race to complete Around the World mode (where your Mii™ travels around the globe based on your workout progress) as well as comprehensive graphs and calendars to keep track of the entire family’s progress! There’s even a special set of kid-oriented exercises in Party Fitness to get the youngest of players involved!
• Fun fitness everyday – With a variety of menu options including one-day only exercise challenges, Around the World mode and Weekly Challenges, keeping up a healthy lifestyle has never been more fun!

Additional Screenshots:

Over 150 fun and challenging exercises to choose from!

Work on your problem areas to get the best workout for you!

See how far you can travel around the world based on your progress!

Feel good by working out and having fun while doing it!

Product Description

Bring the Fitness Club to Your Living Room! Ever used the following excuses? "I'm too busy to go to the gym!" "How can I find time to work out when I have kids?" "I hate dieting!" "If only I could have fun working out with my family at home." ExerBeat is a rhythm-based fun fitness game for people of all ages who want to stay in good health. With 155 exercises and a variety of menu options, ExerBeat makes working out easy and fun!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

158 of 161 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get up off the couch and lose some inches!, May 19, 2011

By 

PT Cruiser "PT Cruiser" (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ExerBeat (Video Game)

I have to admit, when I saw this game at such a reasonable price (not that I'm complaining!), I wondered, "Just how good can it be?" Thank goodness I didn't put off buying it. It's a wonderful exercise game and a huge bargain! Namco has done it again. I've been their biggest fan of their We Cheer and We Cheer 2 games and now they've added a game with some of the same features, like the circles and other shapes showing arm or body movements, with that familiar little "Bling!" when you get it right and earn points. This is a high energy set of workouts and games with something for everyone. I love the dance aerobics which includes Latin Dance and Hip Hop and aerobics. And this game includes the best yoga instruction that I've seen so far on any Wii game. The instructors and clear and easy to follow and the graphics show exactly how to do the exercises. It's like being in an actual yoga class. And the Wiimote lets you know if you're doing the poses correctly.

You can use one or two Wiimotes although I highly recommend using two. If you've played We Cheer or We Cheer 2, you'll know what I mean. There are also exercises that use the balance board, although not as many as I might have wished for.

So, here are the details:

When you launch the game the first thing it asks is to create a new avatar or use your existing Mii. I chose my Mii and then you see a little musical note avatar, very reminiscent of the Wii Balance board that you see in Wii Fit. He talks to you, calling you by name (Don't you just love that?) and he asks for all your info like birth date, weight, and dominant hand for playing the games. Then he asks if you'd like to see a short tutorial on how to play the game. It's not too long and I recommend watching it. You can skip any parts you might already know by pressing the + button and holding it down. There's a short practice aerobics exercise in the tutorial to give you the feel of how it works. You can see on the screen the current workout time, points and the remaining time of the workout. (I love this feature!)

Now you're ready to go. Choose the one or two player mode and tell it if you're using one Wiimote or two. It also asks again for your dominant hand. The next thing you see is the main menu so you can choose what type of workout you want to do. Here are the categories:

Dance Exercises - When you click this you have a choice of 3 different categories: Aerobics, Hip Hop and Latin Dance. Each of those categories has 20 different exercises. There are 5 open to start and more open as you play and gain points. The only ones that use the balance board are 10 of the Latin Dance exercises. All of these that I tried so far are high energy and fun. It's like a dancercise class with great instruction and the graphics are clear and easy to follow.

Martial Arts Exercises - You have your choice of Boxing, Karate and Karate Forms. There are 5 open under each to start and more open as you gain points. Boxing and Karate each have 20 exercises and Karate Forms has 10. Great instruction and a good workout.

Body Conditioning - The categories are Yoga/Pilates which has 20 exercises and Stretching which has 10. This is the best Yoga instruction that I've seen on any Wii game. 6 exercises are open to start on the yoga and 5 on the stretching.

After you finish your workouts the results screen appears showing your Rhythm Points, Success Rates and other stats. You can press the A button to see your workout time, calories an history so far. Players with a high number of points make it onto the ranking board where you can win bronze, silver or gold medals. After seeing your ranking, you go to an Around the World screen which shows your progress based on your workouts and weekly challenges. Any Mii that completes their journey around the world appears with a crown on their head and it displays the number of trips around the world. So there's always something new to strive for.

Party Games - There are 5 really fun games included which sort of remind me of the games on Wii Fit. They are: Swimming, Dance Fever, Pizza Toss, Wall Smasher and Pirate Attack. Pirate attack uses the Motion Plus and Balance Board for the Wii.

There is also a My Exercises tab where you can set up your own routine for a personalized workout program. Nice touch!

I love this game! The controls are very responsive, the menus move quickly and efficiently and it has so many nice features and exercises that I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. Namco has done it again!

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GET FIT TO THE BEAT!, May 20, 2011

By 

NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: ExerBeat (Video Game)

After more than a year of using the Wii Fit Plus, my wife was looking for a new Wii exergame. Zumba Fitness is a nice fun diversion but it offers little in the area of structured aerobics and calorie control. In contrast, ExerBeat seems to be the perfect blend of new activities and a fitness program.

A PERFECT COMBINATION
More than 150 exergames, including yoga/pilates, karate forms, boxercising and dance-exercise (aerobics, hip-hop & latin). Only some of them are unlocked from the very beginning, the others become available as you progress, as is your personal trainer So, not only you get having fun with dancing aerobics (something missing from Wii FIT PLUS) but you also get to monitor your progress, intensity of workout and calories burned (something ZUMBA FITNESS is lacking). Your routines are customizable and can be focused on problem areas. What is more, to keep things interesting, you are presented with daily and weekly exercise challenges that are not considered successfully completed unless you score 70% or better.
Moreover, whereas in the Wii FIT PLUS you had to set your own stretching through yoga exercises, ExerBeat comes with its own stretching routines to keep your joints and muscles safe from stains.

CONTROL(LER) ISSUES
The game can be played in its entirety with a single controller (Wiimote), the game will be asking you which hand you are favoring. Although two controllers are recommended for more precise results, they are not required. Similarly, up to two persons can join simultaneously, each with either one or two controllers. Just remember to setup the game accordingly.
The WiiMotion Plus and the Balance Board accessories are required for a number (but not all of the exergames). Moreover, there is a non-competitive video mode where you try to match what is on the screen without having to carry the controller.

AT THE HEART OF IT ALL
Before actually starting a cartoon music note, named Rhythm, asks about your age, weight and dominant hand. Later on you will be asked whether you will be using one or two controllers. Since one needs to monitor his or her heart rate in order to reap the most benefits out of aerobic exercises, the game reminds you of this - but offers no way of actually measuring or calculating it. You can use an electronic heart-rate monitor or can measure and calculate it using a stopwatch. For some of the yoga/pilates exercises you may also need an exercise mat.

WALK THE EARTH
I appreciated the game developers' retro humor, because this motivational gimmick reminded me of a childhood TV-series, Kung Fu, where David Carradine did exactly that: he walked the earth enforcing his morality code with his martial arts skills. No morality code enforcing here but your cumulative efforts (workout time + rhythm points) are translated in distance covered ...walking the earth. Whenever landmarks are reached new exercises are unlocked, to give you a visual sense of accomplishment.

PARTY GAMES THAT BURN
My favorite is the Pirate Attack, where you get to swing your sword (...Wiimote) in the correct angle and direction in order to fend off pirate attacks. You get so into it you forget you are playing until your shoulder muscles burn. As will with Swimming and Pizza Toss. There is also Wall Smasher (a boxing game) and Dance fever (dancing face off).

The Nintendo Wii is the gaming system that was designed from start to finish keeping in mind that the person using it should be having fun. Otherwise, why bother? Sure, getting fit for the beach or loosing those extra pounds, leftover from the winter indulgences, should be equally important motivation - but who are we kidding right? It is so much easier to get into your workout outfit and sweat yourself to better fitness when you know you will be having fun.

And EXERBEAT excels in this.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely gets you moving!!..., May 19, 2011

By 

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ExerBeat (Video Game)

As a 30 year old SAHM mom who's looking to tone up some 'soft' areas, I always keep my eyes out for Wii games that incorporate exercise. As soon as I saw this, I pre-ordered it (I've been waiting over a month for it!). I love the Wii Fit Plus games as well as the dance games, and ExerBeat seems to be a hybrid of those two games. You've got party games, dancing, karate, yoga, pilates and stretching. There's really something for everyone here. I will say though, this game is pretty much ALL ABOUT exercise, so your kids probably won't like it very much (unless they're looking to get fit). The games are more about moving around than really trying to achieve some goal.

Getting started is quick and easy and if you have a Mii already set up, then you're half-way there. Just put in weight and what hand is your dominant and you're finished. You can play this game with one controller, two controllers, or none. I played using 2, so that's all I can comment on. There are some exercises that utilize the Wii balance board, but you don't HAVE to have one to do those sections. It will ask you before you start if you want to use the board or not.

The only thing about this game that I'm not too crazy is the 'Around-the-World' section. I think it's a cute feature, but I wish you had the option to turn it off. I also don't like how some of the trainers can get a bit chatty at the end of your workout. I found this most noticeable in the Stretching section. After each segment there was about 30 seconds of her saying things like 'Great job, you doing really well', then she'd go on about the benefits of stretching. I didn't mind at first, but by the third or fourth segment, I just wanted to get on with the game. Especially since I knew the 'Around-the-World' still followed (that pops up after each segment you complete).

Once you spend about 15-20 minutes playing the game, you start to unlock more and more things. After about 10 minutes I unlocked the 'Daily Challenge'. Each day you get a new challenge that you need to complete at least 70% of. Today it was 3 different dance warm-ups. There's a personal calender that is VERY much like the calendar on Wii Fit Plus (there's even a stamp for each day), and the score board of each game is almost identical to WFP as well.

Overall, I really like this game! I spent about 45 minutes playing it today, and I think it's something I'll turn on at least 4 days a week. I'm not sweating too much now since I'm still in the beginner stages of most things, but some of those dance sections (like Latin) really get you moving! Once you unlock the personal trainer (took me about 15 minutes) you can skip the little individual segments and do a full, uninterrupted workout. If you click the trainer button it will ask you to set the length of time you want to workout. I did 10 minutes just to see how it works, and I really liked it. It incorporated some aerobics, karate, and dancing in my workout (I chose Random, you can choose to work on specific areas of your body, or specific exercises). I really think this is a great mix of exercises and dancing, and if you're looking to get your butt off the couch and get moving, then this is as good a place as any to start as far as Wii exercise games go!