Wii Critic Reviews

Active Life: Extreme Challenge is a nice addition to the series, albeit a predictable one. The control problems accentuate the biggest qualms I had with the game, and some of the mini-games just lack that certain appeal.

When taken as a whole, Active Life: Extreme Challenge is a decent enough game, especially for young fans of extreme sports.

Active Life is yet another mini-game compilation on the Wii but a good one. The mat separates it from the rest of the pack and has you do some interesting maneuvers with the floor buttons.

The 10-year old, the most experienced gamer of the bunch, really hemmed and hawed about the score. “I think it should be a 7 because it’s fun but it’s also kind of really hard sometimes.”

Once you get the game completely set up and ready to play, you expect something just as fun as Dance Dance Revolution, but no more than 10 minutes in, you realize you have been most definitely let down.

The game is eye-catching and will certainly get you moving around (even if you cheat and use your hands instead of your feet for some game controls), but the lack of longevity and the general wearing of the novelty will make this game very short-lived for anyone else.

Certainly not dreadful, and better than the first Family Trainer, but if feels like a budget release with a full-price tag. [Nov 2009, p.69]

From a game design standpoint, Extreme Challenge isn't bad, it just feels lazy; it's a collection of shallow minigames of variable quality that grow progressively more repetitive with time. Namco Bandai takes players on a monotonous minigame excursion that has some bright points but is simply attempting to to cash-in on the casual Wii demographic.

With the limited options in gameplay and meager incentives to encourage repeat visits to this virtual playground, it's hard to recommend this title for most gamers, but the general audience isn't the target here, a fact made obvious by the box art.

Despite having tons of potential and a few very bright ideas, it’s impossible to fully recommend this game. Go with the infinitely superior EA Sports Active for a real workout – or perhaps Wii Fit if you’d like to play with the kiddies.