Father's Day is approaching -- and if your dad's anything like ours, he's already got all the power tools, fishing lures, and hilarious "World's Best Dad" T-shirts he needs. So why not give Dad something that'll make him healthier? Here's our pick of video games that are guaranteed to get him off the couch.
Wii Fit
Goallllll!!!
Already a classic, Wii Fit, and its bundled Balance Board peripheral, is responsible for getting more folks off the couch and into a fitness program than any other video game. Not for nothing is it the fifth best-selling game of all time -- its nearly 20 million owners can't be wrong. That said, maybe Dad will find the balance and yoga minigames a little boring. If you think he's looking for something a little more intense, there's a new challenger, and its name is...
EA Sports Active
The burn is intense.
Released last month to widespread critical acclaim, EA Sports Active is the new kid on the fitness block. It's more focused on cardiovascular health than Wii Fit, so if your dad's the competitive type he'll probably find it more rewarding. It includes hardware, too, but it's rather lower-tech than Wii Fit's Balance Board -- there's a neoprene strap to attach a nunchuk to Dad's thigh, and a resistance band to improve the efficiency of his upper body workout.
Wii Sports Resort
I *am* your Father.
You'll have to make do with getting Dad a pre-order for this one -- it's not out until July 26 -- but this sequel to Wii Sports bundles 12 new loosely beach-themed sports minigames and a Motionplus controller add-on. We're still waiting to get our hands on it, but Wii Sports remains a family favorite round our way, so we have high hopes the sequel can match up.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Foooorrre!
If your dad's anything like ours, he's a golf nut, and he was thrilled to see Wii Sports Golf and Tiger Woods 09 hit the Wii. Then he tried out the controls, and went away disappointed. For all the Wii's promise of realistic golf swing controls, it's taken until now for the hardware to reach its full potential -- courtesy of a little controller attachment known as the Motionplus. This doohickey clips to the bottom of the Wii remote and enhances its motion detecting accuracy -- which means, for golf fans, that the new Tiger Woods game finally has the realistic swing feel that we all wanted from previous games. If your dad's a golfer, this one's unmissable.
PC Gamer Bike
Gamer bike for fitness and fun.
Is your dad one of those old-school PC gamer types? If so, he's probably going to sneer at your attempts to sidetrack him into some cartoony Wii weight-loss plan. He's already happy with his World of Warcraft, Team Fortress, or Left 4 Dead. All's not lost, though: this innovative mini exercise bike plugs into a regular USB port, and can be set up to control any game that uses the keyboard. Stop pedalling, and your Left 4 Dead character grinds to a halt...not a good thing when there's a zombie horde chasing you. How's that for motivation?
Grand Slam Tennis
Tennis greats together again.
It's not quite as exercise-focused as some of the other games on the list, but this just-released tennis sim is impressing the critics. Like Tiger Woods 10, it uses the Wii's Motionplus to create a rewarding, realistic control experience, and it's crammed with game modes and options. It might not get Dad fit, but it'll certainly put a smile on his face.
 |
 |
 |
Posted: 17 Jun 2009
