EA Sports Active 2 [PS3/360/Wii]

[JP]

Following on from this thread, although I'm not really sure if a First Play is really suitable for this thing.

It'll be interesting to hear the thoughts of people who have used it though.

I started using this yesterday but it was mainly just messing around, setting stuff up and completing a couple of sessions. I've just completed my first session of the nine week programme on the medium setting today and it's not the sort of exercise I've ever really done so I was aching by the end.

There was a break in the middle while I had a fight with the instructor lady over a misunderstanding concerning some sort of jumpy squat things. She kept telling me to squat lower and I kept swearing at her as I was as low as physically possible and my back was snapping.

After about ten minutes of arguing with her I realised that I'd attached the monitor to my leg upside down and that's why she wasn't listening to me as I repeatedly screamed....

WOMAN, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME FOR FECK SAKE??? My spine is on the the carpet you stupid old bint, it no longer bends in that direction.

We did both laugh when we realised what I'd done though, well I did and it was more of a cry than a laugh to be honest.

This nine week plan only seems to have four days or work per week which surprised me and today is one of the rest days I chose (Based around normal working hours) so I just did one of the random sessions.

For a change I'm finding things like Trophies to work well as they do seem to be based around useful things such as running 1000km or burn 1000 Calories.

I'm very tempted to do another session this evening but I do tend to overdo stuff so I'm trying to hold off for a while. I may sneak a short session in later though.

So has anybody else used this then? How long have you been using it and are you finding that you feel better after using it?

[mikewl]

I have it for the 360/Kinect, it blows basically, its a broken product that barely works, I can barely do anything on it without something technically going wrong with it, its all down to Kinect though, its just not cut out for the game.

Apparently the Wii/PS3 versions are much better and actually do work.

I shall give it another go in the new year and see if I can get it working, I need to really as i've piled on the pounds over xmas.

[JP]

Do you mean because it uses Kinect instead of the heart rate & movement monitors that the others use? I knew that the 360 version had less workout programmes due to Kinect not being able to register some of the movements but I didn't realise there was any problems with what they had included.

That's a shame really, although I've only got limited experience with this it the hardware does seem to work well once you've set it up.

I'm sure somebody with more knowledge of this stuff could correct me here but the different programmes do seem to make sense in what they ask you to do, it doesn't seem to expect you to do anything which doesn't fit in with your goals.

Hopefully you'll manage to get it sorted out though as reviews seem to have been positive, particularly so away from the gaming arena as this doesn't really try to be a game.

[doodledude]

I've been using it a fair bit since I got it a couple of weeks ago, completed 5 workouts so far, but been out of action for the last 4-5 days due to being unwell so I've missed about 4 workouts now from the schedule.
My last session was a killer though, an exercise called mountain climbing was tough and then they got me to repeat it another two times in the workout!
Some of the exercises have been fun though namely the boxing one and a step/dancercise one.

I've had a couple of issues with the resistance band exercises where the tracking wasn't picking up my movements properly. So I've had to skip some exercises due to this.
But overall I'm pleased with this 'game' the trophies and tracking of your stats make me want to continue with it.

[mikewl]

Yup its not so much with the workouts etc, they can be effective, i've got the previous two games on the Wii and had some success with them, could easily work up a good sweat.

Its Kinect itself and the problems it has detecting your movements, also 360 version has freezing problems, often the game will pause mid workout because it for some reason thinks its not you playing it and has to re-detect that its actually you playing it, when running it can't seem to detect varience of speed, you can run slow and then run fast and the guy onscreen just not change pace or pick up that your working harder, floor excercises are even worse for detection, the heart rate monitor will often just stay at about 80 no matter how hard your working.

Most who have the 360 version seem to feel they would have been better of just using the same sensors as the PS3/Wii instead of pushing it to work on Kinect.

Its a shame as i'd had high hopes for it.

[JP]

I've had a couple of issues with the resistance band exercises where the tracking wasn't picking up my movements properly. So I've had to skip some exercises due to this.

I've had issues with the tracking wasn't picking my movement up but I've found each time I have that it was just a matter of rotating the sensor a little to the left or right.

I've joined your group although I'm not really sure what that means.

I've done my first proper session of the nine week programme as well as doing one of the custom sessions in which I'd just set up a quick sprint just to see how the custom stuff worked.

Does anybody know if there's a way to set up a custom session along the lines of a 5k jog which I'd then be able to increase over time? Something like that would be really useful to have alongside the full training sessions.

[ozzzy189]

I have it for the 360/Kinect, it blows basically, its a broken product that barely works, I can barely do anything on it without something technically going wrong with it, its all down to Kinect though, its just not cut out for the game.

Apparently the Wii/PS3 versions are much better and actually do work.

I shall give it another go in the new year and see if I can get it working, I need to really as i've piled on the pounds over xmas.

Hi, try fitness evolved or biggest loser (?13 !!), they're far superior and kinect works superbly with those two. blows any other fitness game out of the water IMO.

[addict]

I have this for Kinect. When I first tried it I noticed that it would keep cutting to the 'show me how' video randomly. After a bit of research on the net it appears to be linked to the voice control in the game and after switching that off everything was fine. The only time it seems to lose me is for the floor exercises but thats only occasionally. I have mounted the bar on top of my TV and that seems to have helped as well with the play area.

I am about half way through the 9 week program and it really seems to give you a good workout. I tried the demo of Your Shape and it didn't seem to be anywhere as intense as Active but that may have just been the content of the demo and not a reflection of the full game itself.

[JP]

Originally started using this over Christmas as a bit of a test but I aways knew that wasn't going to last with all the drink, eating and smoking that I'd be doing over that period.

I started again just over a week ago (9 week programme) and I'm really enjoying it again. I've arranged the workouts for days when I don't work or finish early so it's been easy enough to do what's required.

As I was expecting I've not stuck to the four sessions/days per week and tend to do two or three sessions after each other. I think four in a row is the most I've done so far but that was about my limit at the time.

It's been just over a week and I'm already feeling the difference, I'm a long way from how I used to be but I do really feel better already.

I keep looking at the mountain behind the house and remembering how I used to be able to run up it about three years ago and I really can't wait to do that again. I've had so many different things wrong with me over the past three years that I've not been able to do stuff like that or even walk up there so it'll feel like a real achievement once I manage to get back into it.

I'm off work tomorrow so I'm thinking about just walking up (depending on the weather and my back) as it's probably a couple of years since I've been able to do that. I'm a long way off running it though and I'm not setting myself a date to do so as I think I'm better off attempting it when I know I'm ready.

When I do it the first time I may take a big cigar to celebrate at the top, I know that's not the ideal way to get healthy but hey, it works for me!

I've put on weight over the past three years also, I've NEVER actually weighed myself so if I did and it said 10 stone I'd have absolutely no bloody idea what that means. It is quite obvious looking at my stomach that I've put on weight though and although I actually quite like having a bit of a stomach it's not really a good reflection of fitness.

I know you're supposed to weigh yourself with this but I'm not going to weigh myself as weight is really not what this is about, the extra weight is merely a side effect of illness and the unhealthy living for me rather than the reason for doing this. When I get healthy the weight again will be just a side effect and take care of itself.

Also, I think weight is really a misleading way to judge how healthy you are so it's probably best avoided.

I tried to start the three week Cardio Kick Start programme alongside the one that I'm doing at the moment but it won't let you sign on to more than one at a time unfortunately so I'm having to hand pick workouts each day.

I've still not managed to find an option to set up a custom workout where I can just select to jog for five kilometres which just seems a bit daft. I know there's more workout programmes on the way (Nike Low Impact Starter Programme is one that's listed at the moment) so hopefully they'll open it up a little more with future updates.

[addict]

I have restarted the 9 week program as I was ill over xmas and missed about 2 weeks of workouts. Getting back into it now and it does feel like it is working in regards to fitness.

JP, I think if you want to set up a custom workout for this you select the box under the 9 week program one on the main menu. Will check this when I get home as I'm not 100% sure.

[hudson]

How does this work with 2 simultaneous players? Do you share the peripherals, but with fewer features, if so can a second set of peripherals be bought?

PS3 here.

[doodledude]

I think you need a separate set of peripherals to do 2 player.
Did a search and you can buy the separate pack here.
At that price you'd be better off buying the game again off Amazon for £40 though!

[JP]

For anybody who is thinking about this for a bit of sharpening up I really have to recommend it, particularly if you're like me and are limited in what you can do.

I had some quite nasty back which I felt like I was trying to rebuild myself from so the hiking that I used to do didn't really feel like an option when I was recovering.

I'm starting week seven of the nine week programme (easy level) today and I feel far more like the person I used to be, I've not missed any of the scheduled workouts and was even doing extras at first although they're a lot longer and tougher now so I generally just do what is scheduled.

I had one of my regular Doctor's appointments on Friday and since my last appointment five weeks ago I've apparently lost 2.27St which she was really pleased with.

My muscle tone is a lot better than it has been for some time so I think if it was just a straight loss rather than fat to muscle conversion it would probably be a bit more.

I don't ever weigh myself as I think it's a really misleading way to deal with health but at least if it's being done occasionally by my Doctor I do know that something is happening.

Obviously I could see and feel the changes anyway as I had to replace my clothes.

This game on it's own probably isn't going to change things for people but it was something I was able to do in the house when I was unable to go out and do the old stuff.

My aim with this was to regain my fitness and just get bloody healthy again and it really is working. The weight was just a side effect of a few years of illness and unhealthiness and as I said, I really don't like to think in terms of weight as anything other than a side effect and now that I'm regaining my fitness my weight loss is again a side effect of doing that rather than a reason in itself.

It's taken some pretty major lifestyle changes to rebuild myself after ongoing illnesses and I'm a pretty stubborn bastard when I decide to do something and it's all seemed surprisingly simple to be honest.

Anyway, twelve more sessions to go until the end of the programme and we'll see if I have the Perfect Attendance trophy on Saturday 12th March by completing it without missing any of them.

[JP]

Can't imagine anybody really cares but v1.02 is available now at 28MB.

Hey everyone, wanted to let you know that EA SPORTS Active 2 for PS3 as well as Kinect for Xbox 360 will receive an update today.

For those of you who were having trouble with ground exercises you will now have new options to help you complete the exercises.

Also, additional profiles will not be set to default when entering multiplayer mode.

Thanks again for sending in your feedback ? it?s always appreciated!

[JSR]

Got this a week ago, done 4 exercises so far. My overall impression is positive. It really makes you work out. Sometimes it wont register my moves, but that happens pretty rarely and is often my own fault. My biggest complaint would be that some of the exercises are pretty hard to do in a normal living room. I work out on a normal carpet, and that causes a lot of friction for some of the leg moves. There's one or two exercises I simply cheat, because they are about impossible for me to do. But even so, it gives me a really hard workout. I started playing on Medium setting, thinking it would be pretty easy, but I nearly fainted on my first session, and thats a good thing to me.

Today I bought some salads in the store, and have started drinking water from a bottle when I'm at home and at work. Just hope this isn't me just being in a phase that I will tire of within a couple of weeks. :P