Why DDR is the better Dancing workout game on the wii

        They don't make dancing games like they used to apparently. I've played the Just Dance games a few times and while the user interface is friendly enough and the dancers are pretty fun to watch it seems to be a game where giving %100 gets me the harshest judgement and giving %5 to %10 percent gets me the better score. I'm a big fan of the Nintendo Wii and it's motion controller, but how can this game still sell when it's this bad at reading my moves? And they have the audacity to give it a workout mode? I don't need to workout my wrist shaking, thanks.

       On the other hand we have this game:

you can find this game at almost any game stop, usually just the disc, and usually in the "under $14.99 box. I found plenty of dance pads at the D.I. (Deseret Industries. It's Salvation Army but in Utah) for $2 to $4. You can use 4 but I don't know how many dance enthusiasts you have in your household or how much space. 2 pads are just enough space in our apartment living room. It's recognizable, it's classic and when you enter workout mode you are going to get a real workout.
      Not to say you can't cheat the system, there's classic play mode that only uses the dance pads and you can relax your arms and of course there's beginner settings that only make you step once every minute. But if you were looking for a workout then you probably won't use those settings. The game offers a choreograph mode that utilizes the game pad in conjunction with the wiimote and nun chuck controllers in basic punching, pointing, and sweeping motions. These moves are much less complicated and easier for the system to read. The songs (and subsequently the workouts) range to much faster paces than any Wii Fit game I've seen and using a workout course will run through a different number of songs to keep your heart rate up. The Wii fit board can be used to weigh yourself but I don't yet own one so I haven't been able to test it out.
     The deal maker here is the dance pads, there are no cheats or short cuts that will allow you to tell yourself that you're working out while wiggling your hand around. You have to step. even if you're on beginner and you're only tip toeing on it you still have to step, and if you keep it up long enough for 2 or 3 songs, that's still a 5-8 minute workout. If you don't step, if you think you'll get away with it you won't, this won't tell you you're doing a great job because you're "trying hard" and it won't mistake your wiggles for fouettes (I had to look that up.) When you mess up, get too tired, stop caring, stop trying, it knows, you know, and any body around you knows it. There are no excuses, there is no escape.
     Commitment to exercise is a mental thing I know, it's not like candy a maple bar comes out when you get it right, your only reward is hearing "good job." for some people that's not enough, ok, fine, I don't think there's a video game that will help you workout, you probably need a personal trainer. Whatever you think is best. This option has been best for me due to a lot of factors;
1: I don't need to pay to go embarrass myself at a gym

1.5: in fact, I don't need to make any payments at all! assuming you already have a Wii (sales numbers say there's a good chance of that) you can find the game and 2 pads for under $20, this game is old enough now you might be able to get everything for under $10!

1.5.2: in fact, I don't need to go outside at all! for those of us that have made TOO MUCH use out of our Wii this is another saving grace.

2: As mentioned, I can't really cheat this system, if I'm going to play it in workout mode I'm going to get a sweat out of it.

3: the songs are half fairly good pop hits from the last 3 years or so, there's some Jason Mraz, some Natasha Beddingfield, some Kelly Clarkson. the other half is the J-pop and DJ remixes you would expect from these games.

and 4: the Wii fit board has a weight limit of approximately 300 lbs. (136.077711 kg) and costs anywhere between $50-$100 new & used. Last I checked I weighed in at 294 lbs. (133.356 kg) I don't want to see what happens if I jump on that too much. The $2-$4 dance pads have a weight limit of they are made of foam and have no limit that is a stupid question. This has put a great ease on my mind and has allowed me to dance my heart out with all the raging fever of disco that live on in my hips. (again, all this in the privacy of my home.)

That is why DDR is, in my opinion, the better workout game for the Wii. And before you ask, yes, I am including the zumba and my fitness whatever other workout games too. For the main difference of the games focus on play instead of exercise. If you suddenly feel inspired to start playing some DDR but don't have a Wii..... or an Xbox 360 ... or a PS3, don't worry! DDR has been around since gamecube and xbox and PS2! You probably have one of those right? check on Amazon.com or ebay to get yourself some pads, they're not hard to find.