As I’ve said before I’m always looking for ways to get more value out of my neglected Nintendo Wii. Really, Wii Fit is the only thing that gets regular use with my Wii. So, when I saw that Ubisoft was releasing Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout I knew I wanted to check out out since I already have a balance board.I have been pleasantly surprised with GGCW after being disappointed with most of the other Wii workout games besides Wii Fit. GGCW is mostly focused on Shape Boxing. There are other exercises like squats, leg lifts, jump rope, and others. The Shape Boxing activities don’t use the balance board, but most of the others do. The game also lets you decide if you want it to create a workout for you or if you just want to choose which activities to do.

The Good

• More Intense Workout – I like Wii Fit, but it is not really a very intense workout. I find Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout to be a much more intense workout. I rarely ever break a sweat with WiiFit, but 10 minutes into GGCW I’m already sweating.
• Custom and Created Workouts – I like that when you start the game after completing the training it asks you if you want have it setup an exercise regiment for you for that day or if you want to just choose your own activities. If you choose to have it create a workout program for you it then asks how long and how intense of a workout you want. It is a really nice setup and makes it easier to fit a workout into my schedule.
• Balance Board Optional – I actually like that the balance board is optional for the exercises that support it. With past games that had optional balance board support when you chose to use it then wiimotes then are not really used. However, in GGCW it balances the use of the balance board and wiimotes really well. For the shape boxing exercises the balance board is not used because you are moving around but for most of the other activities is can be used.
• Shape Boxing – I am actually really liking Shape Boxing. I can’t really put my finger on why, but it feels good to get a complete an expert combo of hits as you progress through the levels.
• Non-Shape Boxing Exercise – Shape boxing is the core of GGCW, but the other activities are really good too. They start up slowly but progresses at a nice pace. Also, they are a nice mix of working out all of the different muscle groups.

The Bad

• Lack of Music Variety – For many of the shape boxing exercises you get to pick the song you want to play while you exercise. However, they all have a very similar sound and beat to them. I’m glad I can choose which one I want, but I would really like more variety in the songs.
• Jump rope – Maybe it is just me but I can’t get the jump rope exercise to work. All you have to do is jump in place and swing your arms, while holding 2 wiimotes, like you are jumping rope. Yet, no matter what I do it does not register correctly and my character jumps the rope once and then gets tangled up. I’ve tried various speeds and arm circle sizes and it just will not work for me. I just skip that activity now it it comes up.

Conclusion
I’m really enjoying using Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout about every other day alternating with Wii Fit. If I did it every day I think I would quickly get tired of Shape Boxing, but so far that has not happened with doing it a few days a week. If you’re looking for a Wii exercise game that has a more intense cardio workout than Wii Fit then I would recommend checking trying GGCW. Especially if you don’t have a balance board since all of the exercises can be done just fine without one.