Now getting physically exhausted playing a video game is acceptable.

Wii Fit is really hard to find these days: this copy, I hear, was on eBay and probably a marked-up pricetag. (My birthday present, in case you’re wondering.) It’s so hard to find that as of this writing and for at least a few months back, Amazon.com isn’t taking orders for the game itself, and is instead offering it from third-party sellers for $160 apiece. (FreetimeGamer.com, by the way, gets all of its games on the open market, most of them new.)

The game seems pretty good at its intended purpose. I’m no fitness expert and no bodybuilder, but I’m not in that bad of shape. Still, I found many of the exercises tough and I really felt it in my muscles.

A couple issues, though: the virtual trainer in many of the strength-training exercises went a little too fast, so it was hard to keep up. Also, it would probably be best in places with more room in front of the TV than my apartment - probably a good 10 to 15 feet between the TV and the next furniture. I don’t think anybody much taller than I am would be able to do the push-up exercise without that much space, especially since you need to see the TV to figure out what the sounds mean.

Another oddity: the weight sensor on the balance board (the included weight- and balance-sensitive controller) may need a little more calibration: it seemed to think I lost nearly a pound during my first hour with the game.

Still, the game does make me want to figure out the best way to fit it into my routine, perhaps when I return home from work each day. The exercises can get rather amusing - especially the aerobics exercises, which have the Nintendo flair for including other Miis in the gameplay.