Personal Trainer Walking Review

Nintendo is actively trying to expand the video game market by creating non traditional titles the appeal to non traditional gamers. These games are released under the Touch Generation banner and aim to bring interactive experiences to a wide range of subjects not typically covered in videogames. The Personal Trainer series is a sub group of games under this umbrella that set out to teach the player a new skill or habit.

Personal Trainer Walking is not a videogame in the traditional sense. The game is basically designed to encourage the user to walk more and keep track of how much time they spend moving around. Obviously, this type of game does not have much to offer players who are not interested in walking and tracking their progress. If you are interested in using walking as a part of your exercise routine however, is Personal Trainer Waling worth the purchase?

The DS game has very limited features. The game tracks the number of steps you take during the day and compares the results to a preset goal for the day. When reviewing the rhythm of the day you will also be able to see at what times you are most active and when you tend to sit still for a long time. Outside of these basic features the software doesn't do much else. There is an option to create a Mii type avatar, or cooler; import a mii from your Wii and put your likeness in the game.

With such a limited feature set it might be difficult to see how the game can be worth a purchase. However, the game retails at a very reasonable price of $19.99 which is significantly lower that the standard DS game price. The value goes from decent to excellent when you consider that the game comes with two easy to use and high quality pedometers. Just put the little device in a pocket and carry it around all day. At the end of the day wirelessly transfer the days data onto your DS and see how you did.

The data analysis is where Personal Trainer Walking provides the biggest advantages over a plain pedometer. Not content with displaying the total amount of steps the software also tracks how many steps per minute you take and show graphs of your walking activity. This can be very helpful information in identifying patterns to your daily routine. For example, it is easy to measure the impact of taking a lunch time stroll or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

In my personal experience, it is very inspiring to track the number of steps you take and try to improve on your personal bests. The software also is careful to give tons of positive encouragement as well as establish walking and healthy living goals each day. A clever feature of the included pedometer is that the indicator light blinks red with each step you take until you hit your step target. When you reach your goal fro the day the light turns green. Checking the status of the pedometer during the day can be the inspiration to walk a little extra to try to get that light in the green.

As with all Nintendo software, Personal Trainer Walking is very easy to use and understand. The graphs are informative and actually provide useful feedback on your exercise routine, and the software and included hardware are of high quality. The game itself is bare bones, and would not be worth the price. The real steal in the deal is the included pedometers. The included hardware would be worth the price on their own, but the excellent integration with the DS and the convenient way of keeping track of your stats makes it an excellent value.