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SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2021 LIVING Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch offers a way to get a fun workout at home. TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Score some health points Use video games to help Zombies, Run! Beat Saber requires a VR This one will ac- you stay on track with headset and hand controllers tually force you to to play, like the Oculus Quest 2. leave your house, your fitness goals AMAZON.COM but it doesn’t re- quire interacting BRITTON PEELE | The Dallas Morning News with people. hile 2020 upended a lot of Zombies, Run! is an old favorite for norms, I do not expect to see a joggers who want to spice up their runs Wmajor decline in the number of with the threat of a zombie apocalypse. people who resolved to get in better shape Using this smartphone app and a pair as the calendar rolled over to a new year. of headphones, you’ll be motivated to What might be different, however, is an pick up your pace as the voice in your increase in people looking for ways to ear urges you to run faster to escape the work out alone and away from a gym. undead horde at your heels. I have long been a proponent of get- It’s a clever concept that has stood the ting active through gamification. A va- test of time. riety of video games and apps exist to help you get off the couch and get your body moving, and even the most expen- sive options can be more affordable than filling your house with gym equipment. If you’re looking to shake things up as you shape yourself up, here are some video games you might want to take a look at. Beat Saber One of virtual reality’s shiniest gems, Beat Saber is an addictive rhythm game that lets you burn calories, enjoy great music and feel like a Jedi all at once. Similar to games like Rock Band or Dance Dance Revolution, the point of Beat Saber is to hit specific notes in time with a beat. What makes this game unique, however, is that you are holding two (virtual) lightsaber-like blades with which you need to slash notes up, down, left or right. That’s a good enough workout for the arms, but your legs will get in on the action, too, as you duck and dodge your way past ob- stacles as songs play. AMAZON.COM Beat Saber’s base game comes with a bunch of mostly original, Ring Fit Adventure mostly electronic music that you Nintendo made home exercise waves probably won’t recognize (though HYPERBOLIC MAGNETISM years ago with Wii Fit, but if you ask me, it’s fun to play through), but you can buy more song packs with hits from the likes of SIX TO START it’s outdone itself this time with Ring Fit BTS, Imagine Dragons and Green Day. Adventure for the Nintendo Switch. Given that it requires a VR headset, this game has a higher barrier of entry than most The main gameplay answers the age- others on this list, but I would go as far as to call it a must-have if you happened to get Pokémon Go old question, “What if, in order to attack your hands on an Oculus Quest 2 over the holiday season. If you’re not in- enemies in a video game, you had to do terested in running, a lot of squats?” dancing or strength At first glance, the game just looks Just Dance 2021 training, it’s proba- weird. The required “Ring-Con” acces- If your entire workout goal is to get moving with some popular mu- bly still a good idea sory is just, well … a ring. It’s a flexible sic, the Just Dance series has been serving that purpose admirably for to get outside. controller shaped like a steering wheel years. Featuring a wide array of current songs from artists such as Billie And while you’re out there, why not that you can tilt, squeeze and pull. One Eilish, Lizzo and Harry Styles, Just Dance is all about, y’know, making use your phone to capture some pocket of your two Switch controllers goes you dance. monsters, or get in your steps to hatch into the ring while the other attaches If you’re playing on the Nintendo Switch, you can use the system’s some eggs? to your leg with a Velcro strap, and the included motion controllers, but you also have the option of connecting While the explosion of mainstream getup doesn’t exactly look like typical AMAZON.COM with your phone via the Just Dance mobile app, so just about anyone interest in Pokémon Go has mostly gym attire. can hop in and play — for better or worse. The downside to this control passed, the game remains extremely But the Ring Fit workout is no joke. method is that the tracking of your movements is less than perfect (and limited to just popular and continues to receive regu- Through a series of fun mini-games one arm, rather than your entire body), so Just Dance can often feel less like a game lar updates. and a sprawling role-playing adventure, and more like an encouraging dance workout video. Whether you’re new to your Pokémon you will work up one heck of a sweat by Still, this hasn’t dissuaded fans. For diehards, there is also the option of a “Just Dance journey or have been away for a while, pushing, pulling and running in place. Unlimited” subscription, which grants access to hundreds of songs, with more added Pokémon Go is a pretty good albeit ca- Speaking personally, it’s some of the every month. You can even buy an Unlimited subscription for just a single day if you sual way to encourage yourself to take most fun I have ever had working out. only want to pay for it when you’re hosting a dance party at your house. a walk. Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise Both boxing and dancing can be great ways to stay in shape, so Nintendo combined the two in Fitness Boxing and the new Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise. Taking a Nintendo Switch controller in each hand, you will jab, weave and uppercut various boxing-related icons in time with music. It’s a bit simplistic and not as innovative or engaging as Ring Fit Adventure, but it serves its purpose and is easy to pick up and play for quick sessions. One of the most disappointing things about Fitness Boxing 2, however, is the music. While the box boasts hit songs from artists like Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande, what you actually get are instrumental-only tunes that sound like they could have been the basis for an off-brand Kidz Bop album. It’s not a deal breaker, as the songs can still AMAZON.COM PHOTOS get your body moving, but don’t expect album-quality sound..

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