Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2011

by D3 Publisher

• All-new Mission Mode makes fitness immersive as players smash walls, navigate warehouses, and more in a story that combines action and exercise
• New High Intensity workouts deliver the most advanced training in the series
• Engage one-on-one with Jillian as she becomes your personal coach
• The only official series designed by Jillian Michaels, featuring her voice and likeness in-game
• 14 new exercises augment Fitness Ultimatum?s signature experience. Performed by Jillian, they work multiple parts of the body simultaneously and include jumping jacks, running, crunches, planks, hip twists, side lunges, and more

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003WTWJUK
• Item Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 16, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,107 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Jillian Michaels: Fitness Ultimatum 2011 takes personal wellness to new levels of immersion. The only official video game series created by Jillian Michaels, it lets players receive personal fitness guidance from America’s premier wellness coach. For the first time, Fitness Ultimatum 2011 integrates a story-based Mission mode where Jillian and the player use their fitness skills in a series of missions to shut down Cureall, an evil food and drug corporation. Featuring a large selection of exercises that include use of the optional Wii Balance Board and Wii MotionPlus, Jillian Michaels: Fitness Ultimatum 2011 allows players to monitor their fitness goals with a resolution-based tracking system. Plus a brand new High Intensity workout mode offers the most challenging workouts in the series.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 83 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A good try, but unfortunately the third time's not a charm for Jillian December 1, 2010

By Nutwiisystem.Com TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

With Jillian Michaels 2011, D3Publisher decided to take the game in a new and intriguing new direction than the previous Majesco versions. Unfortunately, just as with the 2009 and 2010 versions, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

For those of you who tried Ultimatum 2010 (and who suffered through Ultimatum 2009), this game is a completely different beast. While those are more "pure" exercise games with Jillian taking you through a bunch of exercises, here they decided to wrap the exercises around a story. Specifically, you're a secret agent that's helping Jillian destroy the evil corporation FPF (which produces processed foods to poison the masses) and the evil corporation CureAll (which produces a chemically-based elixir that makes people who eat FPF's food "feel better"). Even as far as video game stories go, this one is kind of weak, but I figured I'd give them a pass on it, since the focus is on the fitness.

You start out the game doing "training", which is essentially a series of stretching and calisthenics exercises. Each is worth 50-100 "points". You need to collect 500 points in order to start the missions. Problem is, there's no visual indication of the number of points you've collected after you finish an exercise--you just see the "Start" button again and again. After a while I figured out to go back, where I saw the "Mission" button unlocked.

The exercises themselves are okay, but nothing earth-shattering. I did like how they incorporated the "360 camera angle rotation" from the 2010 version, so you can see exactly how your on-screen character is doing the exercise. Unfortunately, the annoyances far, far outweigh anything positive.... It honestly felt like I spent more time calibrating the Wii Balance Board and the Wii MotionPlus than I did actually playing the game. One thing that 2009 and 2010 had in common was horrible motion control detection. This version is not much better. No matter how hard you try to follow the on-screen character's motions, invariably the system can't detect you properly. And for reasons which I'll describe below, this is unbearably frustrating.

The graphics are lower quality than they were in the 2010 version, but that's by design--the entire game is meant to evoke a "comic book" look and feel. You still get Jillian's real voice, but you get a comic book version of her visually.

When you start your "missions", you see that there are a total of nine to get through, with one "Ultimate Mission". You get through each "mission" by doing various exercises to make your on-screen character perform. Each mission is unlocked as you complete the previous one. You can choose from different difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and High Intensity. I chose High Intensity.

Mission 1 is "Recon Northern Environments". That's it. No description of who you are or where you are or what you're supposed to do. You just find your character in an abandoned warehouse. You need to start by doing 30 "swing kicks" (15 for each leg) using the balance board. Once this is done, you run in place with (or just shake) your Wii remote to make your on-screen character run. Your character then comes to a garage door, and you need to do jumping jacks to open the garage door.

All well and good so far. Problem is, when it came to the jumping jacks the system kept telling me I was doing them wrong (I've been doing them since I was 3, so I think I know what I'm doing). It became farce-like, with me frantically contorting my body trying to figure out what kind of jumping jack it wanted me to do, and Jillian constantly yelling at me the whole time saying I was either too fast or two slow.

Suddenly--the screen goes blank. Then, a screen with Jillian's image shows up, telling me that I need to "go back to the gym". Worst of all, I had to start the mission (including the 30 swing kicks, the Wii remote shaking, and the jumping jacks) again.

I tried at least three times before I changed the difficulty level to "Easy" and finally made it through. Your character next opens a manhole cover and runs through some underground graffiti-filled tunnels. At first I thought, "this is cool" and that it did make running in place a lot of fun. But after a while you realize you spend minute after minute tediously running through the same redundant halls.

You stop in the middle of the empty corridor and for no reason start doing boxing exercises. It would have made more sense if an attacker came out of the shadows and fought you. But no, your character just decides to start boxing. The game developers didn't even bother to try to detect your motions on this one--Jillian will just yell out commands, and you're on the "honor system" to follow them.

After what seems like an eternity of running, you climb up the ladder, through another manhole, and out onto an empty street. You have to press a series of buttons to jump over something in the street.

After a while you go on to "squat swings". At this point you have to stop to calibrate the Wii MotionPlus. There's no indication of what you have to do next. I tried waving the Wii remote to match what my onscreen character was doing, but no dice. After a few minutes of trying and Jillian yelling at me, you guessed it, I see a screen with Jillian scolding me, telling me to go back to the gym. Mission over, and I need to start all over again. Which means 10 minutes of wasted effort. I later found that there is a "help" screen, but it's just a line drawing of Jillian in a "before" and "after" shot of what the exercise is supposed to look like. Jillian's voice explains how to do the exercise, but it's drowned out by blaring music.

After a few more times I got through this step. You then go down another manhole (I figured out by this time that "Recon Northern Environments" just means the mission is for your character to run aimlessly through the environment). You run through a bunch of other hallways for an eternity. You finally come out and see a little bit of new scenery. You run to one building to do lunge kicks, run to another building to do pushups, and then go underground to run through more hallways!

When I was just about done with this exercise in tedium, it came time to do crunches. I've been doing crunches for about as long as I've been doing jumping jacks, but the game kept telling me I was doing them "too slow" and then "too fast". But I got through them.

You then run up another manhole into a park, where you do hip twists using the MotionPlus and "curtsy lunges" using the balance board. Then, you guessed it, back underground to run through more hallways. Finally, after about 17 minutes of exercising, it came time to do 20 "back kicks" using the Motion Plus. I read the help text and tried my best to do a back kick, but the game kept telling me I was doing it wrong. Then, all of a sudden, you guessed it. The screen goes blank, and Jillian tells me I've failed and have to start all over! 17 minutes of effort down the drain!

At this point I just felt like tossing the game out the window. I would sooner jump out the window than try to get through 10 missions, much less the first one. I don't mind a tough game, but when a game punishes you when you're doing everything right, that's frustrating beyond description.

So I give this game three stars for "fun", but only two stars overall. I applaud D3Publisher for recognizing the drawbacks of the old versions (they were just too boring) and trying to bring this game in new directions. Unfortunately, I just can't recommend it due to the frustrations. As with 2009 and 2010, die-hard Jillian fans may appreciate the fun of hearing Jillian's voice as you make your way through different exercises. But for everyone else, you're better off with titles like EA Sports Active 2, The Biggest Loser (which also features Jillian, in a much more polished game), or even Active Life: Explorer (which does drama and adventure much better than this). Read more ›

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Hmmm...not sure about this one... November 20, 2010

By A. Kramer

Fun: 2.0 out of 5 stars   

I was really excited to get this, since I need and want to get fit. I figured that with it being a Wii game, it would be pretty easy to use and be a fairly good workout.

Here is what I found out while trying for 3 hours to figure it out. First, on the upside, I was glad to see that I didn't have to go through tons of avatars and workout clothes to get started. Second, I couldn't get my Wii remote to follow, or am I supposed to be the one initiating the moves? I still haven't figured that one out. Third, I have found out that it is pretty much a game - not like a workout video like I had expected - so there is lots of down-time...how is this supposed to be "Fitness Ultimatum"? Maybe I just don't get it, and it may come with time. Fourth (and lastly), I have the balance board AND the Wii Motion Plus remote and after going 16 minutes into the workout (or the game), the game quits recognizing my remote and then it shuts down because I have messed up enough to where I have to start all over again. So, I tried it 3 times, and I still do it incorrect in the same place? I don't get it. I have tried to go online and look for support information to see what I am doing wrong (I did everything the booklet said to do as well as the instructions) to no avail. Maybe I need to give it some more time, but it isn't looking good. I still want to know if I am the one initiating the moves or if I am supposed to follow the avatar...if anyone knows, feel free to give me some advice...

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a Pleasure November 28, 2010

By Phyllis Staff TOP 500 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

There are few good fitness games for the Wii (although Wii Fit Plus does have some), so, for variety, I gave this one a try. It's not for me. There are a few exercises I have not tried, but most are those that you'll see done on the gym floor. So, for exercises, it's OK, although not particularly interesting.

It's the game itself that doesn't work for me. The idea is that you perform specified exercises to proceed through each segment of the game, but stopping to exercise interrupts the flow both of the game and of the exercise. The two just do not make a cohesive whole. I found myself asking why? too often. Why do this exercise here? Why interrupt the game? Why I do care to play this game?

And the answer was . . . put a dance fitness video on. And get a real workout.

OVERALL: There are Jillian Michaels books that I find worthwhile, but this video did not meet the standards set in those books.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Low calorie burn...why do they not learn from past mistakes and for gosh sakes do test marketing? January 13, 2011

By Chandler #1 HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Fun: 1.0 out of 5 stars   

The past few years I was given this game and it failed miserably in 2009, needed improvements in 2010 and then dropped back down in 2011 to failing miserably again.

Look, it stands to reason I'd adore this game. I am a huge fan of the Biggest Loser DVDs, Jillian's individual workouts and Bob Harpers individual workouts. In fact, I purchase every single one the month they come out without being let down yet. But when it comes to games that Jillian puts her name on...I have to think of it like this...the first time I put my finger in a socket, it stung and I realized it wasn't such a good idea. Later that year as a kid I thought a quarter might work better and had the same shocking results. I then decided I was no match for the light socket and moved on. It seems that Jillian keeps teaming up with the Fitness Ultimatum team and doesn't learn that same painful lesson...let other people try it first, girlfriend. And by that I mean there needs to be test marketing done on these games to save lots of pain and placing your name on an item you probably shouldn't endorse. Once again I feel like if they had watched one person play they game they would have said "Uh oh, we prolly need to fix a few things as this light socket is painful to play with" yet it seems like they program a few things and package it and release it and then the first person plays the game and the next person...and they all get frustrated because of simple things that could have been fixed pre-release. What's up with that?

First frustration? Look, I'm a weight loss coach. I workout daily and show others how to yet Jillian seems to feel like I don't know how to do minor things such as jumping jacks. And if she is in a bad mood in this game, you are gonna be in one as well.... By that I mean, the game doesn't read my movements properly so that even when I KNOW I am doing something right, Jillian's voice will tell me I am not--hey, I'm a big girl, I can handle the critique, wrong or not...BUT what I cannot handle is if she tells you this a few times then you have to start the GAME OVER because it will take you right out of the routine you are currently in and you are told to "go back to the gym"...but not just told to..MADE to! Now tell me that's not boring and frustrating? You don't have to tell me...it is.

Too, you will spend as much time calibrating the controls as working out. They didn't notice this or think it was an issue? It's pure craziness and a serious design flaw.

Calorie burn? Low. I measure my daily caloric burn with a bodybugg and digital display so I can see not only what I"ve burned per day, but even during a particular workout as compared to other workouts. I say this only so you know my calorie burn was based upon scientific measurement rather than perceived exertion. If there weren't so many pauses in the game, calibrating, trying to figure out how to play it with NO instruction and other pauses just in waiting to do something...you might get your heart rate up. But, even though the Wii Fit was a pretty low burner as well, it was still better than this and less frustrating. If it was fun and a low calorie burn it may be worth it for gentle workout days...BUT...

The game was silly too...working to take down an unhealthy food operation? Seriously? But by doing silly things like boxing for no reason somewhere? They couldn't take the time to draw a door I needed to knock down or something? The actions have no rhyme or reason in many cases, and the scenes are repetitive, making what could have been a good idea fall flat. What I mean is that you'll be walking and then you have to figure out what you are supposed to do. And by "figure out" it is because there is no cueing or hints...you learn on the fly. If it made sense...like you come to a doorway and you know you need to kick and kicking doesn't work so you punch it...that would make sense, right? And be kind of clever. No, they didn't want to take the time to draw in a door or villian or giant hamburger or what not so you just walk along and then kick the air or box or something in the middle of nothing in order to take down the evil company. Because that works for Batman, right? Nah, not so much. Usually hitting something for a reason does and that would have been an obvious choice for a game designer but nopers..you just flail for no reason. zzzzzzz. Snoozer. (and by flail I mean there is no instruction on what to do or how to do it in most cases so you oft wind up flailing)

If you want great game play during a workout I suggest Walk It Out. You build a town via steps you take to the music.

If you want good calorie burn get Golds Gym Cardio (boxing) or EA sports active or My Personal Trainer.

If you want to workout with Jillian, get one of her DVDs

This game had some serious design flaws that were so brutal you have to think there was a mad producer with a deadline that no one could meet so they threw something together on the last night after an all-nigher with too many Red Bulls and junk food and even the developers never got to play it once. Clearly, neither did Jillian. There simply is no way they would have released this otherwise...it doesn't work. On all levels. Read more ›