Man must evolve into something less chubby for the 21st Century
If you’re reading this at the time of publishing, you’re one of 90% of people who’ve flushed some finances into a local gym. Thing is, no matter how local it may be, it never seems to be local enough. An step towards a more healthy and active lifestyle is never worth the 5 minute walk to the gym. Those willing to shell out on a membership surely have enough money to cash in on the Kinect, and bring the sweat coated mausoleum of vanity to the home, leaving out the condescending eyes of steroid pumped patrons out of the equation.
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved puts you in the shoes of a jelly baby form of your on screen self. Your bouncy/flabby alter ego accompanies you everywhere from the menus to the workouts. The constant surveillance of your colourful alter-ego throughout make the user friendly interface even simpler to use. Selections can be made by hovering offer desired options and there’s no fiddly functions to master just for navigation purposes.
When you begin, Your Shape runs a few fancy diagnostic tests based around your height and dimensions before asking you questions about your current lifestyle and what you want to get out of the program. These tests give you the exercises and activities best suited to you and are all well suited to fit your needs. Cardiovascular or muscle mass based training are well balanced with each other to give extensive workouts with every visit.
Though playing Simon Says with your body isn’t exactly the greatest way to show off Kinect’s prowess, it makes for a simple and efficient workout. When finally taking to the gym floor, you’re joined by a slightly cold yet efficient trainer (one of which looks disturbingly like Ethan from Heavy Rain.) These trainers never show any strains, and are there to navigate your way through each exercise and repetition. In the ideal scenario, you are too closely monitor your trainers actions and mirror them to get the most effective workout possible.
The sheer number of tweaks needed to perfect the technology doesn’t deny a much needed revolution for the evolution in terms of a sequel.
Whilst Your Shape brags about tracking 50,000 points (or pores) on your body, it does come with 1 or 2 issues. Each exercise tracks your actions in stages or reps, but will occasionally not clarify a response, no matter how perfect your copycat abilities prove themselves to be. It thankfully doesn’t hinder any progress, and the writhing pain felt in every nook and cranny of the joints shows otherwise, yet it’s always a niggling issue. It also isn’t a fan of tracking you should you be wearing shorts, so there is an fair amount of prejudice against fashion victims.
The main nuisance the tracking issue can cause is the berating you can get from your trainer. Her voice can become exceptionally grating even if you innocently leaving the area, a sarcastic snap is on offer when you return. It’s exceptionally annoying when you’re trying to put the occasionally poor tracking to the back of your mind when a slightly patronising and aggressive voice demands more from you.
This piercing and condescending voice makes the Yoga exercises also on offer a complete pain unless you mute the telly and do the complete opposite of their actual intentions. The Yoga activities offer less variation compared to the more extensive workouts, yet still aid in terms of flexibility and cool downs the way they say they do.
Some lighter and more family friendly activities come in the form of four mini-games engineered to at least get you off of the sofa if not in the mood for a burly workout. All these focus on different parts of the body, and are an entertaining way of getting a quick fix of calorie burning. Games like ‘Loop-A-Hoop’ focusing on spinning several hula hoops around your hips and ‘Light Race’ where players must tap certain segments on the floor are basic, yet fun games to take part in, but don’t take advantage of the competitive nature multi-player has to offer. ‘Virtual Smash’ where players must punch through artificial bricks and ‘Stack ’em Up’ where players must balance a board upon their hands and catch falling blocks to make an ever taller unsturdy wall are great to play with another gymoholic and will find calories burning in no time should they truly go head to head.
With its slick presentation and extensive workout routines, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is a great way for couch potatoes to become beginner fitness buffs. Grating muscles and aching joints are clear signs of the ‘benefits’ the software can offer. However, those with a short temper and a competitive nature may find the constant false accusations of laziness due to some tracking issues too much of a distraction. The in depth exercises provide an enjoyable enough experience, yet the sheer number of tweaks needed to perfect the technology doesn’t deny a much needed revolution for the evolution in terms of a sequel.
The Bad: Occasional tracking issues that interfere with workouts, Frustrating trainer voice,
Bronze Y Award