All Star Cheer Squad 2

This game has been designed for teenage girls and younger and if you're a male gamer, you probably have no interest in All Star Cheer Squad 2 for the Nintendo Wii, however for younger female gamers, this may be the game for you.

At it's cutesy gaming heart, All Star Cheer Squad 2 is an interactive cheerleading game that uses the motion sensitive controls of the Wii to recreate some interesting and at times challenging cheerleader maneuvers.

Although the game is probably more suited to the American market due to the popularity of this sport, I'm sure it will also find a niche market in Australia, especially considering the demographic of the title.

It should be noted that this game is more on the realistic side of cheerleading and it's like comparing Wii Sports to EA Sport's Active which is definitely a step in the right the direction. With that said, the developers have successfully managed to capture the camp of cheer leading and for me, it was like All Star Cheer Squad 2 meets Bring it On! Funny enough, the choreographer from the Bring it On movies, Tony G is actually behind the making of this game. Cool hey? :)

As soon as you put the game in, you'll notice a slick looking interface and before embarking on your cheerleading career, you need to pick and modify your avatar which includes both male and female cheerleaders. The customisation features are rather in-depth and you could get really lost in creating your perfect cheerleader or attempt them to make them look like you.

As mentioned, the game is also reminiscent of those great cheerleading movies from tryouts, competitions, challenges and even some acrobats. Thankfully there is a tutorial of sorts when you begin the game which teaches you the basic maneuvers of the cheerleading and using the Wii controls. Unlike the last game, you're now the captain of the Tiger Squad... meow... err.. roar!

Needless to say, when you do start moving up in the world of cheerleaders, it's actually quite a competitive sport and I must admit that some of the maneuvers can be quite complex but best of all, the control system of the Wiimote and Nunchuck works remarkable well.

The game even supports the Wii balance board as you stand on and off the board and really adds to the workout experience but if you don't have this, you can still enjoy the game. However, I would recommend the board for a more subversive experience.

As you do play, it's hard not to get involved in the game, especially if you have a few friends around as you dance your way to victory with some great background ambience. As you make all the classic cheerleader letters and shapes, as you progress, the developers make it a tad more challenging by speeding things up and allowing for additional manoeuvres but thankfully it's all displayed on screen, just think Tetris! The game does support local multiplayer and also WiiConnect24 which allows you to challenge other cheerleaders and reminds me of a dance off.

The accuracy is rather impressive and there's only a few times that I messed up, albeit on the harder levels, it does get more challenging. In reference to that, the hardest part of this game is working with your teammates, especially when they start to go up in the air. Although the evil one inside me always has a chuckle to see them fall and fail. And if you want a break, the fairer sex *HA!* can do all the girly things like makeup and hair.

Graphically, for a Wii title, it looks rather impressive with well designed characters, environments and a slick menu system. The colour palette is quite vibrant and all in all, the game is rather apt in this department.  The music suits the game perfectly with its over the top style of music and really brings out the inner cheerleader in you, provided you are into this style of game.

At the end of the day, All Star Cheer Squad 2 is an interesting attempt at recreating the Cheerleading world and dare I say that developers THQ have almost perfected it. The controls are sturdy, although at times the accuracy is sometimes lacking and if you're looking for a mini-workout, than this game can also do just that, provided you have the Wii balance board. Of course the game is targeted towards a particular gender and age group but some kids will definitely appreciate this under their Christmas tree this year.

Check it out!