Family Trainer - Outdoor Challenge

Family Trainer - Outdoor Challenge is a game that requires a good degree of pre existing control of dynamic standing balance. It makes use of a dance mat style controller that is used on the floor. For patients with reasonable standing balance and working on increased control, this game would offer variety of active exercises.

Therapy potential = MODERATE to GOOD

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Family trainer is a fun selection of games set in the outdoors.  The movement required to play the game closely mimic the actual postures, movements and reactions that are associated with the activities in reality.  Its easy to navigate around with all game playable from the off, with no need to unlock or set up.

This game can be bought individually or it can be purchased with the mat that you need to play the game. The mat (pictured below) differs from the balance board in that its very similar to the dance mats.  It plugs into the Nintendo Gamecube ports that are normally hidden behind a door on the top of the console (there are 4 ports).  The + and - buttons act as the WiiMote A and B buttons, with the arrows taking the place of the cursors, enabling up, down, left and right choices.  The player would normally stand in the middle on the squares and can control the game without the WiiMote.  The mat can be placed on the floor, on floor mats or on a plinth.

Below is a list of the games along with a brief description as to how they are controlled.

Timber Trail - Player steps/runs on the two square mat buttons and jumps when log approaches.

Mole Stomper - Player stands on the mat squares to start game then has to step on the arrows that are in the same location as the Moles as they appear on the game.  This game therefore involves stepping forwards, backwards and to the sides.  Game starts slowly but increases in speed as the player succeeds.

Kayak Attack - Player stands on the square buttons.  This game also requires the WiiMote - held by both hands as if holding a paddle.  The game requires the player to perform a canoeing movement with the WiiMote with steering being controlled by stepping left or right.  The player has to get through the rapids in the quickest time possible.

Pipe Slider - In this game the player sits on the square buttons.  With their hands they control the speed of the slider by putting pressure through both left and right arrow at the same time.  Direction of the slider is controlled by putting pressure through either the left or right, depending upon the desired direction.  The players aim to navigate onto the speed areas, which makes the slider go faster.

Mine Cart Adventure - The player stands for this game and depending upon the direction needed has to stand on one leg to help the cart balance during turns to the left or right.  Whilst this game requires the ability to stand on one leg, it could easily be played with a walking aid or equivalent support.

Mountain Boarder - One of the more difficult games that requires the player to stand in a stance position then jump and step on a sequence of arrow buttons in order to perform tricks to score points.  At its most basic level it could be used to practice stepping to the left and right, which in turn incorporates weight transference.

Speed Roller - The character in this game is on roller skates.  The player needs to guide the character along the race track by stepping left and right on the squares to gain speed.  The player also uses the WiiMote by tilting side to side in order to steer and avoid slow patches and gain from accelerator areas.

Sprint Challenge - This is simply a step/run on the spot game with the player stepping alternatively on the mats squares.  It requires a good burst of energy and offers the opportunity to run/jog/walk at whatever pace without any other distractions.

Stone Stepper - To play this game requires the ability not only to stand on one leg, but to hop from either left to right or on the same leg.  Its a difficult game to play and keep balance during and therefore should

Head-on Hurdler - The player steps or runs on the spot and then jumps at the right moment to clear the hurdles.  Timing to achieve a successful hurdle can be difficult as its required to be a double footed jump and land before running again. A game for the very able.

Log Leaper - The player has to jump to clear logs as they role towards them.  The logs keep coming so long as they are cleared.  if the player misses a log then the game ends.

Conveyor Runner -  The player runs along a wall of blocks.  As the time playing the game increases obstacles are set in the way.  The player must keep running and jumping to stay a head and remain on the conveyor, slowing down will see the player fall off the end of the conveyor and end the game.  The game requires the ability to run and jump but is a very good cardiovascular exercise.

Seesaw Battler - The player uses hands to control the buttons in this game.  Its a game requiring speed and co-ordination, to hit the shapes in the right order before either the computer or a second player.

Jump Rope - As the rope is swung the player must jump at the right time to clear.  The rope gets quicker as the game goes on with it ending when the player misses a jump.


Family trainer is a good game for fitness, balance, weight transference and general standing co-ordination exercises. It will probably appeal more to children and young adults than to anyone else due to the energetic nature and high level ability of some of the games.

Your can read more about the game and watch videos at the developers website - here.

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Step to the Beat

Step to the Beat is a good motivational game that promotes stepping in time with the music that is played through the game. Therapy potential = GOOD

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The game setting and scenario is that of an island - 'Rhythm Island' where the player walks around freely to the beat of the music. 'Step to the Beat' is a simple game that requires the user to jog/shake the Nunchuk in time with the music tempo.

The Nunchuk is normally put into a pocket but can also be held - depending upon the purpose of the therapy. The game is compatible with the Wii Balance Board, the Wii Dance mat or with the Wii Balance Board being used when the user is sitting down (with feet on the board). Walking is sufficient to 'jog' the controller with some songs being a quicker tempo and requiring a brisker pace. None of the songs require the player to run and the game continues even if steps are missed.

As the player walks the on screen character also walks, moving along the paths of the island and allowing the player to explore.

At the same time as the Nunchuk is being 'jogged' the WiiMote can be used to point at 'capsules' that enable the player to open up new music and new areas of the Rhythm Island. The cursor pad on the WiiMote is also used to decide the direction that the character walks in and is often best controlled by the therapist/assistant therefore allowing the patient to focus and concentrate on quality of stepping and rhythm.

The game is good for those wanting to explore lower limb exercise/dynamic balance, either in sitting or standing or for those wanting to work on rhythmical upper limb movements, which could just be the control of movement or t focus on reaction speed, consistency of movement or general co-ordination.

The only down side to this game is its popularity and it can be expensive to buy.  An alternative way to at least trial the game is to rent it - see link below:

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Fit & Fun - Your Virtual Personal Coach - Game Review

Fit and Fun is a fitness orientated game that introduces so couple of games that also aim to contribute to developing fitness skills.  The game combines elements of fitness routines with a handful of accessible and responsive games that can be described as more fun that the routine element.  The game offers the opportunity to use the balance board within two of the games and relies on the holding and positioning of the WiiMote (and Nunchuk at times) to work through the exercises.

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Clear instructions are given both pictorially and written on screen reducing the potential of getting the movements wrong.   The two fun games found on Fit and Fun that can be played in a sitting position are the Bobsled and the Gliding.  The Bobsled is designed to be controlled in a sitting position whilst the gliding is ordinarily played in standing.

The menu screen presents different options which include the following:-
Fitness test
Workout Scheduler
Fast Games

The fitness test initially walks the player through recording heartbeats per minute/pulse followed by how many squats you can do, bike crunch and press ups.  These exercises are explained well with the squats and stomach crunch exercises recording the reps by the movement of the WiiMote held in your hand.  The press up requires the player to enter the reps after the exercise manually,so can easily be skipped if the player is unable to achieve the exercise.

The workout scheduler offers the player to organise a selection of exercises and stretches to perform during one session. The options available include:
Warm up (Beach jogging, Rope Skipping, Wae Bo)
Strength training (general strength exercises e.g. squats - but wide selection covering all areas of the body)
Body shaping (Beach jogging, Rope Skipping, Wae Bo)
Relaxation (Stretches,  Qi Gong, Meditation in sitting or standing)
Fun (Gliding, bobsled, badminton)

Qi Gong and meditation elements of the relaxation option are nice additions and offer good clear written and pictorial advice with regards to how to perform the movements or poses.  Included within the Qi Gong option are 10 movements to practice which are all easy to follow.  The stretching element of the relaxation option demonstrates 14 stretches of which you can choose as many or as few as is appropriate (as with the Qi Gong).

The games included in the programme are as follows:
Gliding - this can be played with or without the balance board.  Without the balance board the player uses the WiiMote on its side and has to employ very subtle and fine control to guide the glider through hoops, scoring points.  When using the balance board the player is intended to stand, but can access the game in a sitting position.  Again, fine control is required to steer the glider through the hoops using forward, back and sideways movements of the body.  It offers enough time to work on balance exercises and is challenging enough for those working on higher levels of control.  Different levels of the game make it easy or harder, depending upon ability and control and also offers plenty of room to improve and demonstrate progression of skills and ability.

Bobsled - this activity is ideally played with the player sitting on the balance board which is placed on the floor.  It requires the ability to lean backwards to increase speed which can be created by sitting the player further back on the board.  To steer the player must lean in a controlled manner to the left and right.  The slow and steady movements that are required by the game offer plenty of time to perform the left and right leaning movements.  The game is based on a time limit whereby the player must reach the next station before the time runs out.  This can limit the use of the game but can also act as a way of measuring a patients progress.
Over or under steering cause the bobsled to via off course and into the barriers, slowing the sled down and causing a loss of time.
The bobsled game is a unique and interesting way of encouraging the control of weight shifting in sitting.

Rope Skipping - The player holds the WiiMote and jumps at the appropriate moment to clear the rope as it is swung on the screen.  This game can either be used to practice jumping and timing or it can be used as a tool to help develop timing and reaction speed in those who are unable to jump.  By shaking the WiiMote at the right moment the character will jump the rope - without the need for the player to be able to actually jump.  Using this method of control would focus on timing, reaction speed, rhythm and upper limb control of fine movement.

Beach Jogging - Uses both the Wiimote and the Nunchuk.  The player is required to jog on the spot whilst performing upper limb jogging movements.  The controllers register the jogging motion and represent forward motion of the on screen character.  Part of the game requires the use of the B and Z buttons to move the runner left and right to avoid other runners and collect water - both of which also gain you points.  The faster you run the more points you collect.
This game could be used as an upper limb fitness test and used as an outcome measure to be tested again at a later date.  The points collected in the given time offering a measure of the quality and pace of the upper limb movements performed.

Wae Bo - Uses the WiiMote and Nunchuk and requires the player to react to the instructions on screen and perform movements of the arms as instructed by the on-screen character.  This game seemed difficult to get the timing right on, with moves being performed but scores not registering.  In principle its a good game to work on reaction speeds and following instructions with regards to movement, but there is a risk of disappointment if the game doesn't register the move.

Badminton - Uses just the Wiimote in the dominant hand.  The game itself takes a little time to get use to as it slows down to allow the player to swing the Wiimote at a certain time to allow for placement of the return shot to the opponent.  Whilst this could be quite distracting for some it could be considered advantageous for some players who have slower reactions speeds with this game offering a small amount of extra time to process the need for the return shot and required upper limb movement.   
For the more able players this game can be quite competitive whereby winning a shot may take considerable effort and sustained periods of concentration and physical effort.

Unlike Wii Fit the game can be played without performing the initial fitness test.  It has potential to be integrated within therapy sessions but in an adapted fashion by using the games and their controls to encourage movement of a varied quality.

The mini games are different to previous fitness or balance games and therefore offer choice for those looking to expand their game collection.

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Marbles! Balance Challenge / Kororinpa : Marble Mania

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Marbles! Balance challenge is the sequel to Kororinpa (also called Marble Sarga in some regions).  The principles of the game are the same - roll a marble around a puzzle platform using controlled and precise movements with either the Wii Remote or (new for the sequel) the Wii Balance Board.

The ability to use the Wii Blanace Board for game play is an excellent feature when considering rehab.  The original Kororinpa game was excellent for fine control, dexterity, perception and reaction speeds.  The sequel, with its choice to use the balance board now offers balance in both standing and sitting with valuable real time visual feedback based on the movements created by the player.  This game play offers balance awareness and motivation to correct movement intuitively in order to play the game, with the levels all being unlocked at the start and progressively getting harder through the numerous levels.

The Wii Remote controlled levels are different to the Balance Board levels - requiring more specific and sensitive skills that would be nearly impossible to control in standing.  There are two main categories - easy and normal to choose from offering plenty of variety and opportunities to progress as co-ordination and dexterity skills improve.

Unlike other games of this nature the visuals are clear and uncomplicated without the risk of confusing orientations and unhelpful points of view.  The simplicity of this game is one of the features that makes it therapy friendly.

The game is easy to navigate but when in the Wii Remote game play the puzzles are based on an unlocking system whereby the more you play the more levels are unlocked meaning play is limited initially.  As a solution to this it is possible to download the Save Data file here.  For more information about how to use save data files click here.

The game can therefore be played in a sitting position or can be made more difficult by using a Real Balance Board adaptation.  More information about working on different levels of balance can be found here.


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Balance Training - PhysioFun

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PhysioFun Balance Training is a WiiWare game using the WiiMote and balance board, available for purchase and download direct from the Wii Shopping Channel for 2000 points. The game concerns itself solely with balance and simple exercises relating to balance, mostly on one leg which immediately creates a criteria for successful use - persons/patients using this game must be able to stand on one leg to get the full benefit of balance training.

The main elements of the software are - the Balance Test, Fun Mode and Physio Mode. The balance test requires the user to stand on the balance board for 30, 60 or 90 seconds. During the test the image of a balance board is displayed with a black dot that moves indicating centre of balance. Once the time is up the results are displayed in the form of a graph showing the area of balance board that the COG was during the time, horizontal shift of weight and vertical shift of weight. These results are then comparable to earlier measurements taken. There is no way of extracting the data through the program for printing or recording purposes - a pen and paper is needed for that.

The Fun Mode is a progressive sequence of 6 balance exercises (all of which are on one leg) that gradually gets harder and harder as you work your way up through the 'student belts' (as in martial arts). The Fun Modes 6 exercises are as follows:
Water: Stand on one leg and maintain balance
Desert: Stand on one leg and raise then lower arms
Forest: Stand on one leg and move arms in a circular motion
Eternal Ice: Stand on one leg and move arms forward and backwards in a running motion
Volcano: Stand on one leg and raise arms above head to block
Temple: Stand on one leg and abduct the opposite leg

Points are awarded for how well the exercise is performed, with a small image of the balance board indicating centre of gravity. Circles on the balance board indicate when balance is excellent, good or not good enough. Time outside of the green 'good' section causes low points and eventual premature end to the activity. Being able to maintain COG over the centre dot on the balance board accelerates the points earned to enable a high score to be achieved.

The progression to the exercises is in the early levels an increase in the length of time these exercises have to be performed with other reviews reporting that the levels extend to 90 seconds each.

The Physio Mode also uses the 6 exercises from the Fun Mode but allows individual training schedules to be created. The exercise can be chosen, the leg to balance on, the length of time the activity is for and the difficulty. There does not seem to be a limit to the number of exercises that can be added to the schedule but only 4 individual schedules can be created at any one time. A calender through this option allows sessions to be recorded by date and retrieved at a later time.

One nice feature of the Physio Mode is the Ongoing Measurement option. This consists of an image of the balance board with the black dot showing where COG is and can be used as a prompt or visual feedback during balance work for as long as is needed. It is just a tool with no time limit, scoring or other distracting element. In my option, it is what Wii Fit has been lacking and I envisage it being a useful aspect of this software.

This software is a good attempt at offering therapeutic use of the Wii and balance board. It is aimed at people who what to improve their existing balance, rather than working to establish fundamental and bilateral balance and therefore aimed at higher level persons/patients.

There is definitely a place for this kind of software and its success may support the development of a broader range of activities.

If you have used this software, please comment below.


More info from Kaasa Health Website

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Wii Fit

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Wii Fit generally comes with the Fit Board - a controller with 4 pressure sensors that when the user stands or sits on it the board detects changes in weight transference.
Predominantly lower limb and balance exercise.  The 'game' is geared towards users accessing exercises, stretches, balance games and aerobic activities to improve their fitness, lower BMI and weight and records progress. 
The game has some very useful balance games (Soccer Heading, ski slalom, table tilt), some insightful balance tests, the opportunity to 'see' where centre of gravity is through visual feedback plus much more.

Some of the games in Wii Fit can be played in a sitting position.

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Mountain Sports

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Mountain Sports is a collection of Winter sport games that utilises both the WiiMote and or the Balance board. It has good elements to it with regards to the use of the balance board in a sitting posture for tubing, sledging and bobsleigh. Skiing and Snowboarding use the balance board in a standing position with biathalon and curling best controlled with the WiiMote. The control of the games are sluggish at times which can serve as an advantage and disadvantage making the game more accessible to those with limited movements, without making it too hard. The games controlled by the WiiMote alone can be difficult due to the buttons needed for control.

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Shaun White Snowboarding

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Shaun White Snowboarding is a great game to work on both upper and lower limb movement. The game offers the choice between using the Balance board and Wii Remote or just the Wii Remote. The Use of the Wii Remote alone offers opportunities to work on dexterity and hand function, with the controls being to turn the remote in the direction required and press buttons (A and B) to achieve tricks. When using the Balance board it has to be turned through 90 degrees, so at a right angle to the TV. This requires the user to stand sideways (as if on a snowboard) to control the increase/decrease speed by leaning right and left, and left and right by leaning forwards and backwards. Shaun White is a very accessible game for those with just hand function and a great game to work on the higher end of balance when using the Balance board.

This game can be played with adaptations.

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Wii Music

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Wii Music allows the user to create tunes with a large selection of instruments.  The game uses the WiiMote, the WiiMote and Nunchuk and in drum mode the game uses the fit board.  It is a great game to work on upper limb movements, with the games interpreting the movements into music depending upon the instrument selected.  Mini games within the program include handbell game, conductor of an orchestra and a music quiz - all accessible to those with minimal movements.  The fit board, used in drum mode, requires the user to tap their foot/feet to create the effect of using a bass pedal and hithat control.  This is a popular game during therapy sessions.

This game can be played with adaptations.

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Family Ski and We Ski & Snowboard

 

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Family Ski is the first of two snow sport games by Namco.  This first version of the skiing game called Family Ski, offers the chance to explore balance and control of increased weight bearing to left and right during standing.
The second version of the same game - We Ski & Snowboard includes a snowboarding option and off piste skiing with much less restriction as to where you can ski/snowboard.

Both games have the same controls - The controls can be either - use of WiiMote and Nunchuk or use of Fit Board, WiiMote and Nunchuk.  To use the game effectively within therapy sessions the upper limb controls are best carried out by someone other than the person working on their balance - whilst this may sound complex it is quite easy to achieve as the controls generally only needed to get the skier moving. The snowboarding requires the balance board to be rotated through 90 degrees and can make balance difficult for those needing to concentrate.

The ski-ing elements of both of these games can be played in a sitting posture.

More info - We Ski & Snowboard
More info - Family Ski

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Wii Fit Plus

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Wii Sports Resort offers 12 activities and games two of which are from Wii Sports - Bowling and Golf. Nine of the games use just the Remote with five games only requiring simple use of the buttons (A and/or B). It requires a little more control of the Wii Remote that Wii Sports with the games requiring more accurate control of movement. The new games and the variety of games offers great potential for sustained interest amongst those using the game. Like Wii Sports this game offers opportunities to exercise arm movements, co-ordination, dexterity and work on general fitness.

Elements of this game can be playing in a sitting position.

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