Can I please have a Nintendo? C’mon, I said please …

EA Sports Active

Electronic Arts announced today that their EA Sports Active for the Nintendo Wii is now available to buy in North America. The rest of the world will have to wait a few days, until May 22, to get their hands on it.

Though it’s been out for a few years now, this is the first time I’ve seriously thought about buying a Wii. Yeah, there’s the Wii Fit, but it doesn’t look like half as much fun as this new virtual fitness game.

EA Sports partnered with Bob Greene (aka. Oprah’s favorite fitness expert and personal trainer) to give consumers an economical solution for exercising and living healthier. Active takes working at home to an all new, more challenging level.

Users can pick from over 25 different activities that target various parts of the body, as well as cardio workouts.  Like a virtual personal trainer, the game provides instructions, feedback on technique, and encouragement with visual and oral cues while helping you keep track of calories burned.  Preset workouts are designed by experts, and each one can be customized based on what your fitness goals are.

“Helping the challengers use such an innovative program to reach their fitness goals was a truly rewarding experience, and showed me what a powerful product EA Sports Active can be,” said Bob Greene.  “Anyone looking for an in-home fitness solution will appreciate the combination of a fun and effective workout.” (via Neoseeker)

I’ve only seen the commercials and a few online videos, and Active does look like a fun way to get fit from the comfort of your own home.

I’m still hesitant on buying a Wii, even though I would really enjoy kickboxing in my living room, but the fear of spending too much time on the couch playing Super Mario Bros. is just too strong.

So, while the weather’s warm and the sun is shining I’ll be getting my exercise outside of the house. Later in the year, when there’s three feet of snow on the ground maybe I’ll change my tune, but until then there will sadly be no Wii for me.