Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)3 1/2 stars out of 5
The "2" in EA Sports Active 2 is actually a little misleading. The first EA Sports Active came out for the Wii in May of 2009, and the second, titled "More Workouts," came out 6 months later, adding much needed core exercises. This game, in essence, is the third in the series. Needless to say, I've been a fan of the franchise for a while, and it has been a great addition to my workouts. I decided to sell my Wii recently and upgrade to XBOX and Kinect, especially after hearing EASA 2 would be out soon after launch. However, being the third iteration in the series, this title for the XBOX is a bit of a step backwards.
Pros:
+ The addition of a heart rate monitor is great! It's accurate, stays put on my forearm even during the boxing workout, and it's easy to connect.
+ No more Wiimote and Nunchuck getting in your way. You don't have to decide between having the leg strap fall off of you or cut off the circulation to your right foot. This allows you to finally use your own weights instead of the included resistance band. There is even a setting adjustment for players wanting to take advantage of this feature.
+ The included resistance band is much more... resistant than the previous band. Your arms will now feel the burn on curls, raises and presses.
+ Step aerobics and boxing is a lot of fun. Both exercises have seen improvements and work well with the Kinect.
+ The game FINALLY recognizes my jumps! One frustration with the Wii was its inability to recognize jumps during downhill inline skating. No more, Sports Active fans!
+ Intensity is not a problem with this game. I completed medium intensity workouts and my heart rate stayed at about 70-80% of my maximum.
+ Lots of stats. You want stats, you got 'em. This game will tell you your average heart rate, calories burned, percent completion, and will give you graphs to measure your intensity. It will even tell you how many of each exercise you've ever performed, ever.
+ Achievements. Nothing like increasing your gamerscore and getting in shape at the same time, am I right?
Cons:
- Motion-controlled menu interface. It is useless. Tip: Once you get your heart rate monitor connected, turn on your XBOX 360 controller as well. If you're expecting to have a controller-less experience with EASA 2, you will be spending a lot of time inadvertently hitting the wrong options and correcting your mistakes.
- Voice recognition. I thought this would be a pretty cool addition. Yeah sure, I'd like to pause my workout simply by saying "Pause." But try to do anything else and you'll find out that it's not worth it. Want to skip an exercise? "Pause." "Skip exercise." "Select." (Are you sure?) "Skip exercise." "Select." It's not a fast process and a little more than annoying if what you say doesn't register the first time. Also, during my first exercise, I somehow managed to bring up the radio on two occasions (by voice prompt I'm assuming) and COULD NOT get it to go away. I had to pull out my handy controller again and hit "X" to get rid of it.
- "Show Me How" is a pain! My first workout was 42 minutes long, and I bet I managed to accidentally trigger this selection about 30 times. I'm not sure if it was a phantom voice prompt or arm movement that triggered it, but it really put a kink in my workout.
- No real-life trainers. It's a small complaint, but I think it's worth mentioning. In the first EASA, you learned how to perform exercises from actual human beings, which not only helped you with your form but also made you think, "Hey, if he/she can do it, so can I." Instead, EA has replaced these trainers with generic computer renderings tirelessly performing alternating jump lunges. Were the developers too rushed to include them? Or just cheap?
- Trainer prompts and suggestions. One of the best features of the first EASA was the helpful suggestions given during your workout, telling you to focus on breathing or tighten your glutes. They were spouted often but always changed and were generally helpful. Now, they are overly repetitive and not useful. Yes, I know I should keep my pushups low, but if I go any lower, I will actually just be laying on the floor. Tip: after you've have one go through all of the exercises and heard all the trainer has to say, go to game settings and turn off all trainer input. You'll be happier doing the running drills when you're not being told to keep your back straight every 10 seconds.
Overall, EA Sports Active 2 does give you a solid, heart-pounding workout at home. But it feels as though EA made a last minute port instead of tailoring their SA franchise for the Kinect. Controls are finicky, graphics are a bit lacking, and sometimes you'll scream at your console for once again "showing you how" to do something you already know how to do.
Verdict: If you already have one of the previous Sports Actives for the Wii, skip this one. For 100 dollars, it's not worth upgrading. But if you are new to workout games, have an XBOX, a Kinect and an endless supply of patience, I'd say go for it. You will get a good balance of cardio and muscle sculpting workouts, and achievements will have you chasing new goals constantly.
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