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We Cheer 2
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Graphics & Sound:
We Cheer 2 is cute, almost unbelievably so. The faces on the cheerleaders, both boys and girls, have big, bouncy hair, big eyes and cute smiles. The anime style formula is just done right here. It's a case of actually getting what you see on the front cover of the game. There are several different facial types to choose from, but you get more during the course of the game as you beat routines. There's also a lot of customization you can do with eyes, hair, and mouth features that will potentially give you a lot of variety with your cuteness. If you're worried that the game will be somehow seem unfamiliar because of the Japanese art style, there's no need. The cheerleaders get on a familiar yellow school bus, perform in very American style gymnasiums, and hang out by those also familiar metal bleachers. I do have a small quip with the fonts used in the conversation dialog boxes. Sometimes the letters are so bunched together that it can be hard to read words like, well, "cheer."
It's a matter of personal taste as to whether you'll like most of the music in this game. All the music is, however, chosen for catchy beats and, well, that cheerable pop factor. Just to name a few songs you'll have to choose from, there's "Girls Night Out" by Miley Cyrus, "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne, "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa, "Song 2" by Blur, "Higher Ground" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited, and "Mickey" by Toni Basil. Ok, so while a song like "Get Ready for This" is licensed so much that it's a veritable money tree, I never imagined Red Hot Chili Peppers or Blur would have any songs that would be suitable for cheerleading. I'm happy they're here. It's that kind of variety of sugary pop music, classic rock, and even hip-hop that ensures that there's something for everyone here.
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Gameplay:
We Cheer 2 doesn't have much of a storyline: your squad mates tell you that you can't be late, they encourage you when you do well, and they're disappointed when you do badly. Since this game is so action-oriented, it doesn't really matter much, but it's still something that the game lacks.
You can unlock new difficulty levels and new songs during the game as you beat the game's main challenges: Squad Challenges and Championships. It seems like the songs just keep coming. You'll build a library of over 30 songs with their own unique routines before you're done with all the challenges in the main game. You'll also earn new outfits, squad members, and accessories to customize the look of your squad.
There isn't much difference between the Squad Challenges and the Championships. In the championships, you've got an announcer, but the routines that you perform to are the same in both modes. Beyond the main game, you've got a few different multiplayer modes. You can either compete in cheering, or you can play a form of "hot potato" with balloons. The Hot Balloon game seems particularly unfair, however, as each player will have different moves to do in a sequence. This means you could get lucky and get a bunch of easy moves while your opponent is stuck with a difficult set. Other than that, the multiplayer games are pretty fair and are all simply a competitive form of the main game. There are also a couple of extra single player modes that include a Workout mode and a Cheer Camp mode. Workout Mode will give you a calorie burn estimation and allow you to adjust your workout time. Cheer Camp mode will allow you to practice moves that give you a hard time. Again, they are all versions of the main game, but the extra touch is nice.
One thing that could have been implemented here is to have your cheerleader "mess up" when you miss a move. As it is, the team will perform perfect routines over and over, whether you mess up or not. Other than the mistakes not "showing" the feedback system is immediate, with a chime for a move well done and notes like "faster" or "slower" if you didn't quite hit the move spot-on.
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Difficulty:
We Cheer 2 starts you off with some fairly simple routines. The routines are ranked by stars, and with one star, you can usually get through them with one try. The really elaborate, back-to-back moves are saved for 3 or 4 star ranked routines. At this level, you've got to pay close attention to the rhythm being asked for in every move, and you've practically got to memorize the whole routine to get through the quick sequential move sets.
This is part of the problem with this game. It can be difficult to predict how fast a movement needs to be without having gone through the routine a few times and doing some trial and error. The on-screen indicators do a good job of showing you the direction of the movement, but often that can be fudged and you'll get away with it anyway. The beat of a song isn't always a reliable indicator, as some moves require faster or slower timing. If it seems like you can't hit any moves, there is a calibration mode where you can adjust the response and timing for the game. And if for some reason the game is actually too easy for you, you can turn off the "Trace Lines" (the guidelines for the moves that are displayed on-screen).
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Game Mechanics:
We Cheer 2 follows the same control scheme as the original We Cheer game and uses up to two Wii-motes per player. Using this scheme, you follow on-screen directions for each hand independently. It's a good control idea that I haven't seen in any other Wii game, and it really works. In cheerleading, you're encouraged to make big extensions with your arms, and that just wouldn't work with the Nunchuk and the Wii-mote being tethered together by a cord. If you only have one Wii-mote, you can still play, but you'll only follow the on-screen instructions for one arm moving at a time instead of two. The same goes for extra players, and you can play with 2 players with a minimum of two Wii-motes.
This game is a good way to break Wii-motes, as some of the moves really encourage you to bang them together accidentally (speaking from experience, yes this can break them). Other than that drawback, the control scheme works well, as you have movements mapped to each hand. If you're wondering why the balance board couldn't have been utilized to encourage players to move their whole bodies, there's no need to worry. The game encourages such a wide range of movement with the arms that it's difficult not to get your whole body into the action.
I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I liked this game. I'm not into cheerleading, but when a game hits the mark on what it's trying to do, you have to give it credit. You could almost call this Dance Dance Revoloution for your arms. You'll get a lot out of it if you like to learn intricate, physical routines and move around a bit. It seems like this would be great for a kid that's interested in cheerleading, or a cheerleader that needs something to do on a rainy day.
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-Fights with Fire, GameVortex Communications AKA Christin Deville |
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