It's not well-known outside of Japan that the Power Pad floor mat accessory for NES was originally developed and released in Japan by Bandai under the name "Family Trainer." Bandai Namco has decided that Wii is the perfect platform for the rebirth of the line, and the first title, Family Trainer Athletic World, will be released in 2008.
In the demo we tried at TGS, two players stand on the double-wide mat and ride a mine cart. Leaning to the left and right (picking our feet up from the arrows) made the cart stay on the track during tight turns, and we had to jump simultaneously to make the cart leap over gaps in the track. One person held the Wiimote and shot rocks and stalactites out of the way.
It was fun, although I get the feeling they put this whole project together well before anybody knew about Wii Fit, which is shipping in Japan in advance of Family Trainer. Then again, Wii Fit might just end up raising awareness of this idea, which could help Family Trainer in the long run. There's even a US version in the works, called Active Life.
Certainly for either territory, the fact that you can play a two-player game using only one pad controller is key, as it means you don't need expensive and potentially hard-to-find extra equipment. The multiplayer experience is right in the box, and that's a big potential selling point over Wii Fit.
