Topic: EA Sports Active 2

OK, there's been some discussion recently about exercise games, and there are a number of titles available for the Move (have a look in the review section of this site.)  EA Sports Active 2 is NOT a Move enabled title.  And this is NOT a review, but it is my first impressions after finally opening it and trying it since having received it for Christmas.

I'm glad I finally got into the program, it's top notch and has everything I want.  While it doesn't use the Move controllers, it's probably more reliable since it uses 3 motion detectors, including one that's also a pulse rate monitor.  After 10 minutes into the program, I didn't even notice I was wearing these devices, but I appreciate the constant feedback as to my heart-rate.  I tried to "cheat" the system, and the only place I could was in the warm ups and cool down.  The rest of the time, if I wasn't moving, and moving accordingly, the program seemed to know.

2 people can participate in a workout, though a separate set of detectors must be purchased.  I didn't try it, but it also appears one can train online with another -- a feature to look into more if you have a pal or family member that lives apart, but that's also interested in working out and has a PS3.

You can utilize custom music tracks, again, a feature I haven't tested, and not sure how it would apply as I don't really recall music... but perhaps I'll pay more attention next time, and in any case, if true, is a nice feature to include.  But what I did hear was a lot of good instruction and positive reinforcement, even corrections.

Another plus for me is that unlike most Move titles, this game actually requires very little open floor space.  I played about 2 feet in front of my 20" WS TV and had about 3 feet to each side of me and could do everything easily, except the yoga type stretches at the conclusion of my workout, where I was literally up against the wall for space.

My first workout was a combination of traditional exercises and two games: basketball and mountain biking.  The basketball was mostly timing a jump, but the mountain biking had my heart pumping and working up a bit of a sweat.

The carrot for me is the trophies.  Anyone could conceivably platinum this title, as acquiring the trophies is less difficult, and more time consuming.  But considering your getting a  good workout while you're putting in the work to achieve, it's a good thing.

To be fair, I have yet to try a Move enabled exercise game.  I bought Zumba because I thought it would require very little space, and that's true, but I lost interest immediately when I realized  that my movements had nearly no relation to scoring in that "game."  I would not recommend that title to anyone, but this title is first rate, and I hope I do go through the 9 week program.  Then I'll get back to this thread and tell you about the results.

Thanks for that review and more likely feedback to my problem:P

I am currently doing the Cardio Kick Start 3 week program. I heard there is a 2 week DLC content, though I can't find it anywhere.

Will come back after 3 weeks to tell you the results. BTW, if possible I could add you in the EA Sports active 2 friend list to see your progress and compare to my pathetic one-LOL

I think the best thing for me is that its harder for you to cheat. I like finding shortcuts with the wiimote, on this-it knows when you are not bending your body properly in a crouch position and at one point told me my posture was not perfect (which was true). Quite how it does this with 3 sensors is hard for me to comprehend.

My only worry is that how to take care of the equipment after a workout. You will get sweaty, so the straps will too. Normal cloth will do or just keep it like that?

Feel free to add me.  Sure, we can compare the results.  I choose the trainer Nikki's 9-week program on medium difficulty.

I tried to check the store from within the game yesterday, but I was having internet problems and basically never logged into EA's servers.  I try again next time.

As for the equipment, I'm not sure myself.  I just wiped it down with a towel, and when my wife asked if she could try it, I said sure, but do you really want to wear me sweaty bands?  If she really wants, I'll get her a pair of sensors too and we'll keep our own separate.

But here's a question for you, as I have yet to find my answer anywhere (maybe it was in the videos, I was only half paying attention as I assemble and strapped on the monitors.):  What about the battery power?  Is there a way to turn them off?  Does the game send some sort of signal that has them turn themselves off?  Do we push the button?  I took the batteries out, but that's kind of annoying to do on an almost daily basis.

I just remove the USB and the sensors do not light up. I assume that its powered down. I don't remove the batteries from the sensor. When I plug in the usb again, the sensors do not light up confirming my theory. They just power down. You need to press them in order to get them working.

Did second day today. It seems that I am stuck on this 3 week course. I thought of doing other exercises, but I can't. The only thing I can do is redo the same exercises again. Is it because I just started the training and all other stuff is unlock? I don't see this kickboxing exercise like people mention.

Also, my body may have gotten use to the stretchups as I am burning less cals compared to yesterday.

Well, I did notice there does seem to be a lack of free-form exercise, like pick a routine to perform.  That's not necessarily a design flaw.  If the idea is to guide the player through an informed scheme, then that's what you do.  While I understand the interest in trying other things, so far the "games" aren't that fun that I want to play them apart from the exercise.  If you hire a trainer at the gym, the trainer won't let you do just whatever you want.

As for power off, I guess just shutting off the consoles power (and possible exiting the game) cuts power to the dongle, and when that's no longer transmitting, the other devices power off.

So, my PSN id is din_djinn.  You can send me an invite to your workgroup, or post your ID and I'll create one to invite you.  Actually, the thought of having a workgroup is interesting as I'm prone to get lazy and give up.  Being competitive, I might keep at it longer.

There's a trophy for creating your own workout, so there must be that option.

Seems that the id is PSN and not EASA2 one. I'll do it later. Boxing is actually a lot of fun. I would like to box people around with this. For some reason this game has mandatory rest days. I really can understand why. Three days in a row, my butt hurts-I think lactic acid still in it so a bit sore. What happens if you miss few days, you can do all in one go or one each day? That is actually fun if you can do all in one go.

Going for a trophy, if I ever miss a day, I'll reset my PS3's clock before launching the game.  Possibly disconnect from the internet too, though I doubt the EA servers have anything to do with the time.

LOL. I don't understand who I keep getting 100 cal trophy when I burend 93 cal...