Virtual reality - arcade games which provide exercise

Men's Fitness, Dec, 1998 by Michael S. Yessis

You'll need strength, skill and stamina - not to mention a few rolls of quarters - for the latest generation of arcade games

I have experienced the future of sports video games, and it is tough on the major muscle groups. And the wallet. And the unborn.

This unlikely triple revelation came to me amidst the flickering lights and the incessant bloops and bleeps at GameWorks, a massive subterranean arcade located on the Las Vegas strip. In the middle of the arcade floor sat an orange replica of a whitewater raft, complete with a sturdy metal paddle, dry-docked in front of a 50-inch video screen. In the middle of the desert, even in an everything-goes place like Vegas, the big, bright boat stood out and demanded investigation. I sat down on the right side of the two-seat craft and grabbed an end of the paddle. My friend Jim settled in at my left, grabbed the other side of the paddle and started laughing.

"What?" I said.

He pointed to the warning on the machine: Don't play this game if you're pregnant.

With nothing in our bellies but the Rio lunch buffet, we put in our money and started stroking. Jim pulled on the paddle, I pushed. I pulled, Jim pushed. Finally, we synchronized our strokes and our onscreen whitewater characters zoomed into rough water. I dipped my oar and we turned into a rocky segment of the river. The craft bounced and shuddered. Class II virtual rapids, I thought. Maybe Class III. Eventually, we hit a groove, ripping through rapids and twisting around obstacles for two wild minutes. Then a giant whirlpool suddenly appeared and sucked us in. We leaned forward and paddled as fast as we could to escape the giant toilet bowl-like swirl. Sweat dripped from my brow; my triceps burned. After 15 or 20 seconds of sprint paddling, we escaped the vortex. The game over, I collapsed back into my raft seat, my rubbery arms dangling uselessly at my sides. It was the most fatiguing video game I'd ever played.

Until I got up and checked out the rest of GameWorks.

It turns out that the physically draining whitewater game we played, Namco's Rapid River, isn't a one-of-a-kind machine. It's just the latest in a wave of revolutionary video games that simulate various sports. Downhill mountain biking? It's here. Virtual skateboarding? Yup. Hang gliding? That, too. Name a sport and a video game "simulator" exists or is being developed by some demented computer genius. And no matter how big a stud you were at Asteroids, you've got to be fit, skilled and athletic and have splendid hand-eye coordination before you can even think about becoming a great player at these games. A thick wallet helps, too: Each game costs anywhere from $1 to $4 per play, depending on the game's complexity and the arcade owner's level of greed.

If you've got some disposable income, though, and are jonesing for sports action on a lousy winter day, play any of the following games. We spent hours testing our video-game prowess and determined that these are the five most exciting and physically challenging machines around. If you can find them all in one place, try our basic videogame circuit workout. Hint: Play with intensity. The more aggressive you are, the more real the games feel.

Station 1: Top Skater

Sega's freewheeling Top Skater, the current king of sports video games, simulates skateboarders' aggressive creativity with great detail and authenticity. Each of the game's two courses offers numerous skating options: Get huge air off ramps, half pipes or Coca-Cola billboards. Or go for max speed. Or grind your axle on hand rails and tree pots. You compete only against the clock and yourself.

Where's the burn? Your calves and quads.

Game controls: A twin-tail skateboard that functions a bit like a snowboard. Designers anchored the front end so you need to swing the back end to turn sharp. Otherwise, steer it like a skateboard, leaning slightly for small direction changes, kicking the tail for big jumps or tapping the front end for an ollie. Safety rails in front of you and on the sides help you get and stay balanced.

How it plays: Though overuse has made the skateboards on some machines a bit squirrelly, most handle well and feel true to street riding. Bold graphics, a nonstop music soundtrack by skater fave Pennywise and perfectly recreated skateboard tricks like the 720 McTwist boost the game's authenticity.

Rating the thrills: High. I get a dizzying rush each time I pull off an S-grade jump (achieve this elite trick by launching an air maneuver at the last possible second). Both the novice and expert courses also have multiple individual thrill spots. Novice highlight: the freestyle platform in the middle of the course. Expert highlight: the eerie full-pipe.

Station 2: Ski Super G

How does Sega's downhill skiing simulator rank? Double black diamond all the way. The steeps seem dose to vertical, the jumps are huge and the races - you can ski either downhill or slalom - are super-competitive. Watch out for opponents who try to force you into the trees.

Where's the burn? Your quads.