Active Life: Outdoor Challenge
- Nintendo Wii
- Price: $59.99
- Genre: Exergaming
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Common Sense Media says
Fabulous active games -- think Wii Fit for kids.
 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this Wii game costs a little more money than most because it comes packaged with its own Active Life Mat controller on which kids will run, jump, and sit as they play very active games. Expect to see a lot of sweat, hear a lot of laughter, and witness a lot of high-fives as kids work their way through this set of 16 innovative games. This is a great game around which to build a family game night because it offers both competitive and cooperative multiplayer action. Don't be fooled by the low age appropriateness; this is fun for everyone.
What's it about?
If you're looking for a game that will get your kids off the couch and active, then ACTIVE LIFE: OUTDOOR CHALLENGE is for you. Think of it as a Wii Fit for kids. Instead of using the Wii Fit Balance Board, Active Life: Outdoor Challenge comes with its own Active Life Mat, a DDR-type mat controller with orange and blue symbols on it. Kids hold the Wii remote in their hands and place their feet on the mat to play 16 high-energy games.
The 16 games vary greatly in how you play them. Some use just the mat controller, whereas others add in use of the Wii remote. Sometimes you jump on the mat, other times you run, and in one, you even sit on the mat and lean from side-to-side. As examples, you kayak by swinging your arms and stepping on the mat to direct your boat; you jump rope or trampoline by timing your jumps on the mat; you sprint by running on the mat and in some races even leap over hurdles or logs; you slide down the inside of a pipe by sitting on the mat and leaning so that you go up the side of the pipe to collect speed boosts; and you soar down the side of a mountain on a boogie board by using a "goofy feet" stance where you switch your feet around a lot.
Is it any good?
This is a great game for kids and families. Not only are the games fun, but they can be played in a variety of ways. In solo mode, kids can approach the games as an adventure, as exercise training, or as just fun. When playing with a friend, kids can play competitively or cooperatively. During competitions, both kids stand on the mat side by side, and watch a split screen of what's happening. But it's with the cooperative games that things get even more interesting. In one game, two kids cooperate to rock climb through a waterfall. One kid stands on the mat to jump from one watery outcrop to another, while the other kid holds the Wii remote horizontal and simulates lifting the friend up as he or she jumps. What's cool (and kind of amazing) is that one kid can't do this alone. The two really do have to work at coordinating their motions or they won't make it up the waterfall.
The game can keep track of how active you are and even suggest which games will workout specific parts of the body. But don't worry, the game never deviates from what it does best -- providing a fun way to play games that make you move. This is the first in the Active Life series -- we can't wait for the next one.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about which game they like best. Do you see yourself improving the more you play a specific game? Which do you like better, the cooperative or the competitive games?
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Parent of 4 and 6 year old
February 9, 2009
AGE
Great Game!
We got this game for Christmas. A great active game for the whole family. My 4 year old will choose this over her princess games if you can believe that! This game can be a workout but also has fun teamwork games. Buy it!
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Parent of an infant, an infant, and 9 year old
April 14, 2009
AGE
I love it, just one of the best games ever...
I have a 9 year old boy, who is usually bored because we don't have kids in the neighborhood to play, and i just had twins so i can barely take him out to activities or to the park. This game is awsome, i even play with him at times but everytime he does it, he loves this game and my is also loosing weight, he is overweight so this game is surely helping him loose few pounds.
I am really glad i got this game, now the whole family enjoys this game
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Parent of 5 year old
August 28, 2009
AGE
Good ole sweaty fun!
Great game to get kids (and mums!) up off the couch in the dead of winter. My son and I had fun playing together, but he found it too difficult (5 years old) to play on his own.
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Parent of 6 and 8 year old
December 21, 2009
AGE
Fun for the whole family!
Our Family loves this game! My 8 year old got it for her 7th birthday. It is so easy to ply that my then 5year old played too. It gets everyone up and active. It reminds me of the old Power Pad from the original Nintendo, I loved that as a kid and my kids love this. There are many differnt games to play and tons that you can unlock the more you play.
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Parent of 4 year old
November 23, 2009
AGE
Fun for the whole family!
We all love this game. Easy for the youngest to learn how to play but challenging to perfect- fun for the whole family!
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Parent of 4 and 8 year old
January 2, 2009
AGE
The whole family loves it
My 4-1/2 year old got this for Christmas. The whole family enjoys playing. If she has a hard time with one event, we take turns or team up to help each other. Great exercise for everyone!
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Parent of 7 and 9 year old
January 22, 2010
AGE
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
It's a great active game for the whole family.
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Parent of 7 year old
March 25, 2010
AGE
great for 6 and over.
what a great game this turned out to play.
wii you done it again!.
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Kid, 10 years old
March 12, 2010
AGE
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This game is VERY active. You play fun minigames such as climbing up a waterfall.
This game is very fun and perfect for all ages. No violence,no language and no drugs. A 3 year old could play it without any concern.
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Parent of 6 and 14 year old
August 23, 2010
AGE
What other families should know:
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| Topics: | Sports and martial arts |
| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Exergaming |
| Developer: | Namco Bandai |
| Release date: | September 9, 2008 |
| Price: | $59.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E for Comic Mischief (Nintendo Wii) |
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