The original EA Sports Active launched a year ago now and has sold 1.8 million copies, so it's no surprise that the series is headed to PlayStation 3. Over the last few days we've had a couple of opportunities (or 2.0 opportunities to be precise) to check out the PS3 version and it's looking really good. Sure, there's a distinct lack of head-shots and high speed powerslides, so it's not our usual area of remit, but for anyone looking to get fit in the comfort of their own home, this is a professional and no nonsense piece of software designed to deliver results.
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The most immediately impressive aspect is the tech – Active 2.0 is completely wireless now, so your hands are free (allowing users to hold weights if they like) and there are no cords restricting movement. The software will come with two motion sensors and a heart-rate monitor. Simply strap one motion sensor to the left forearm, one to the right thigh, and strap the heart-rate monitor on the right forearm.
The multiple motion sensors do a good job tracking the user's movements accurately, while it's a huge plus being able to watch what your heart-rate is doing from moment to moment, as it helps quantify the result of every exercise, and means you can tailor your routines to hit and maintain a certain heart-rate if you want to, say, work on cardiovascular fitness or to burn fat.
"Our number one strength is that we actually deliver fitness results," Active 2.0 designer Thomas Singleton told us. "We're less about creating a gimmicky game where people can jump in and balance a little bit… we're actually about creating fitness routines and programs that are designed by certified personal trainers to achieve actual goals and results from a fitness standpoint."
Active 2.0 will be coming to market with 70 exercise and fitness activities. "This year there's a definite blend of upper body meets cardio meets core training meets lower body," said Thomas, so once again you can expect a focus on aerobic exercises and strength training, while yoga has once again missed the cut.
"We've now got a nine week challenge that's based on a three phase approach that aggressively gets you to the next level with each workout," said Thomas. "Also included this year are mini-programs that are smaller in duration and keeps things fresh along the way. And on the PlayStation 3 consumers have the ability to download new mini-programs post-launch to again keep things even fresher." The personal trainer will also return to help keep users motivated and provide feedback.
While Active 2.0 is all about results the team has still made an effort to make many of the activities engaging. The motto is "fun meets fitness" and this is reflected in activities like the skating mini-game, where the player ollies over obstacles, does 180 degree ollies between grinds, and even has to pick up the board and run up a slope to get to the next downhill sequence. It's actually pretty good fun and when it's over, you can really feel all that crouching and jumping. The visuals aren't anything to write home about, but they're certainly a step up from Wii and serve the game well.
Importantly, customisation is a key component. "In a traditional gamer sense, there's definitely an easy, medium and difficult setting, so consumers can go in and choose the setting that works for them for any one of the workouts," said Thomas. "There's also levels of intensity, so if somebody's looking for a more intense workout, they'll select the difficult workout at a high level of intensity and that will get them a higher number of reps and over a longer duration… on top of that consumers also have the ability to go in and create their own customised workouts."
Perhaps the most significant inclusion for Active 2.0 is the online functionality, which promises to connect players from around the world and create a community with a common purpose. You'll be able to track and share workout data with your friends, set challenges and so on. It may not sound like a big deal but it's a pretty crucial part of modern fitness and a great way to have an entire community that's highly motivated, as exemplified by the success Nike has had with Nike +.
It will be interesting to see how the iPod Touch and iPhone versions of the game sync in with the console software, but as yet no details on the handheld iterations have been unveiled
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