Gold's Gym Dance Workout - Nintendo Wii

I like to consider myself a minor expert in Wii workouts, having tried Wii Fit, Wii Sports Active, Wii Sports Active: More Workouts, Wii Sports Active II and Gold's Gym Cardio Workout. Of those, the ones I found the most useful and enjoyable were the last two, but I was starting to lose my enthusiasm for hearing my coach tell me to keep up with him when I was ahead of him, or the boxing coach tell me to pick a harder lesson next time when he picked the lesson for me. I had avoided the Gold's Gym Dance Workout to this point primarily because I cannot dance, but after reading reviews that indicated there was a cardio boxing element, I decided to give it a try.Ok, so, the first couple of workouts were kinda rough. Or, to be honest, really rough. I laughed so hard I cried, I must admit, because I had no idea what was going on, and even the supposed walk-through dance workouts were incredibly fast and I ended up stumbling around a lot. However, I have now been using this program for about a month, unlocked all the advanced workouts, and I am still finding it challenging and entertaining (with a few notable exceptions that I will detail later). After you grasp some of the basic steps, it becomes much easier, and you begin to recognize the opening chords of the songs and be prepared for what is upcoming. However, if you are the kind of person who gets annoyed by not being able to get things "right" and win the awards, this might not be the workout for you, because there are plenty of ways to not be "perfect" at this. On the other hand, if you want a dynamic workout and aren't going to get too hung up on it when the game doesn't register what you are doing very well, it's a pretty fun and fairly rigorous workout.Other people have covered the basics of how this game works, so I'll just move on to what I liked and didn't like.The good: I do feel like I am getting a pretty good workout with this game, especially in the longer sessions. I wear weighted gloves and I feel this adds more of an upper body element, especially in the dance portions. So far I have primarily been doing mixed personal trainer lessons, although occasionally I have done a workout from My Workouts when I was short on time. The game mixes up what the background dancers/boxers look like, and although the meter that measures how well you are doing and starts jazzing up the background when you hit certain targets is kind of hilarious, it does provide some amusement.There is some really random stuff that happens in this game that keeps you on your toes and entertained. Like in the lion mini-game, I was running along one time and suddenly a football player appeared out of nowhere and tried to tackle me! What on earth? But mainly I like that the game is pretty dynamic-- it mixes up the routines and the trainer isn't too obnoxious (at least, Carlos isn't; have yet to try the others.)I do kind of wonder, in the personal trainer workouts, what the algorithm is that is determining what workout you get based on your answers to his kind of random questions. Like how does what kind of food I like (i.e., Japanese or Italian) correlate to what workout I should be doing? I have figured out that the less you tell him you have eaten, the more rigorous the workout.So, my reservations: some of the mini-games are very touchy. I have no idea how to make the bullriding mini-game work. No matter what I do, it seems to make no difference. There must be a trick here that I will figure out sooner or later, since I finally did with jump roping and running away from the lions. In the kangaroo boxing, I can only get it to register when I am ducking left (and it will register that I am ducking left pretty much regardless of what I am actually doing). I have occasionally gotten it to register me leaning back, but I can't consistently get it to do so or figure out what motion it thinks I should be doing. Maybe these all work better with the balance board; I don't know since I don't have one now. I am, however, using two Wiimotes.I also wish there were a way to cancel or sub in another workout or mini-game. Sometimes the trainer will have all kangaroo boxing mini-games and no others mixed in, and I'd rather do something else.Overall, I am definitely finding that this is keeping my interest and I would recommend it to people who are okay with spending the first couple of times being pretty confused, and the game sometimes not reading your motions very well. I think the random little entertaining touches (like unlocking new outfits for yourself and your trainer and the awards you can win) add an amusing element for those who want it, and are easy enough to ignore for those who don't. I definitely get a pretty good sweat going, and while I am not sure how much credit I should give their calorie counter (apparently based on input height/weight and self-reported heart rate), but if it's anywhere near correct, the calorie burn seems pretty good. I imagine that eventually I will get somewhat bored of this and not do it every day as I have been, but I think it will stay in my rotation for a long time.

It's good to have a Wii balance board (from the Wii Fit game) & 2 motion control remotes (one for each hand). You can make do with no balance board & only one remote but it's far better to use the board & 2 motion controller remotes. The balance board is used for weighing you & it can also be used in the bull ride, canoe, jump rope, & boxing mini-games. The 2 remotes is (in my opinion) essential as you get a better score on the latin dancing & cardio boxing.My favorites are the Latin Dance (which includes moves from Samba, Salsa, Reggaeton, Merengue & Cumbia) & the Cardio Boxing (fav songs are "forever", "good vibrations", "everybody dance now", "just dance", "I'm too sexy", "Jai Ho"). All of the songs are good, the scoring, the encouraging words, & the graphics. I've noticed a little toning improvement in my arms & legs & I'm definitely burning calories. My favorite Mini-Games are the "Sword Fight" & "Karate". My husband likes the other mini-games (Matador, Bull Ride, Canoe, Marathon, Jump Rope, & Boxing) - probably because he's naturally better at them than I am. It's the only thing he will do on this game.The first time you begin, you will select a "personal trainer", set a goal if you have one & an avatar for yourself. After that, you just choose yourself & workout. As you achieve games & workouts, you'll receive awards & some virtual workout clothes for your avatar. I like the outfit my avatar is wearing now. I wish I had that in real life. :) Your workouts & calories burned are automatically recorded on your calendar.I'm the only one who uses this workout. My husband only does the mini-games if he happens to see me playing it. I haven't shared this with any kids, so basically, this is my game. According to the game info, you could workout with a partner at the same time but I've never done this. I highly recommend this to one who wants a medium-impact workout. You'll get a good workout on arms, legs & bottom, but the abdominals don't get much of a workout. So you'll want to supplement this game with some abdominal exercises on your own. I still like this game a lot.

I absolutely love this game!! I hate working out, just thinking about it makes me doubt myself because I'm sooo out of shape! I decided to buy this game simply because it's a game and it says WORKOUT! I'm trying to lose wight and "hitting" the gym just isn't for me! My self esteem went down the drain the two times I stepped foot in there!! With this game you can sweat at home on your own, with your partner, friends and or your family! It really is so much fun. Those 2-4 mins each song lasts, fly by and you feel it after the 1st minute of moving!! It's NOT intense and you can keep up w/it. However as you get better you can adjust your difficulty level. EVEN my husband decided to join in on the fun and he's sooo not the type to try "videos!" He's all about working w/weights. He now loves the boxing option it gives you and he now does the dancing routines as well. If you play on your own you can play games like dodging bulls (my favorite) running from lions or paddling away from crocodiles. The best thing is, ALL you need is the Wii wand!!! I also bought Just Dance 3, which is also fun and a work out BUT you kinda do need a little more dancing skills which unfortunately I've lost w/the years and I'm only 27yrs old! :/ ANYWAY, I highly recommend this workout game to everybody and anybody who, LIKE ME, has gotten badly out of shape and want to sweat it off! I look forward every day now to working out and even do it twice a day when I have time. It also shows you how many calories you lose per song. Super easy and the "trainers" guide you through the entire routine, IT'S AWESOME!!!!!!!