Prior to the advent of systems such as the Nintendo Wii
and DS, if you had told me I would be reviewing a game about
cheerleading, I would have labeled you as one daft fellow, but here we
are in 2009 and there are a handful of games available based on the
competitive activity. That’s not an attempt to discredit cheerleading,
but it goes to show you how gaming has evolved in leaps and bounds to
involve different demographics, which I am quite pleased with.
Apparently, Namco-Bandai had some luck with its first attempt in We
Cheer, that, recently, the Nintendo Wii
has been graced with a sequel. With rhythm-based routines to more than
30 tunes, We Cheer 2 is leaps and bounds beyond what you are probably
expecting going into the title and, for the most part, it nails
motion-based rhythm better than most Wii titles, however, there are a few nagging issues that still hold the series back from its full potential.
Right off the bat, it should be expected We Cheer will attract the
attention of the young female crowd and, as such, there is a lot on
offer to appeal to this demographic. The licensed tunes are appropriate
selections one could easily imagine being grouped with cheerleading
routines, the title emulates using pom-poms and the squad customization
options will allow players to set up a number of different aspects to
their liking. I’m going to imagine there will be some people out there
that wouldn’t be caught dead playing We Cheer, but, in that regard,
this title plainly isn’t for that crowd. What you’ll get with We Cheer
2 is an improved version of the original, so if you enjoyed the first
entry or are just curious about the title, you won’t go wrong with the
sequel.
The title’s presentation is very serviceable, offering up some unique,
cartoon-styled characters that animate well, which is key, considering
the game’s movement is based upon rhythmic actions in time to music.
Owners of the first title may recognize a lot of recycled materials
re-appearing in We Cheer 2 and the character models aren’t the most
detailed (although this sequel adds in male cheerleaders for the first
time), but you’ll see a lot of color and interesting venues, especially
when you add in the nods to classic Namco franchises such as Pac-Man
and Tekken (Panda appears in the game’s training mode). There aren’t
very many voice samples in the title, but what is provided serves its
purpose with those sticking with the game being able to know what to do
via some of the verbal cues. The title’s sound effects are standard
fare as well, but this is to be expected as in a music/rhythm-based
title, the music is suppose to take the stage and this is thankfully
the case in We Cheer 2. The music plays cleanly in-game and there are
enough recognizable tunes to appeal to the title’s demographic.
On the basis of gameplay, players are essentially getting the same
experience as featured in the original title, however, a lot of care
has seemingly gone into not only expanding the experience, but also
improving on the playability of the series. We Cheer 2 makes the motion
controlling much simpler than in the first title – button commands no
longer have to accompany motions, the timing is more lenient with new
indicators letting the player know if they need to motion faster or
slower, the conditions to have stunts and extra movements for bonus
points has been relaxed and there are now three difficulty levels per
song that includes an easier difficulty setting. We Cheer 2 also makes
the single-player progression a free-form affair allowing players to
choose songs and venues instead of sticking them specific routines in
order to advance. Still, there is a Squad Challenge that mixes in a
“story” that has players trying out for a squad and moving on through
competitions. Through the course of performance, players earn
experience and cash in order to unlock items or purchase customizable
goods respectively. In the grand scheme of things, there is a ton to do
and uncover in We Cheer 2 and anyone hooked on the game will easily be
coming back for more.
Overall, the game is easy to get the hang of and being able to wield one or two Wii
Remotes to simulate a pom pom gives the gameplay motions some
credibility. There are some accuracy issues with the motion controls,
however, which become clearly evident on the hardest difficulties. If
Namco-Bandai wants to continue with the series, from here on out, Wii
Motion Plus will have to be a must as there will no doubt be some
instances where players will feel there were cheated on a motion input.
On the other hand, though, the control is mostly sufficient for the
forgiving easier levels and when you look at the bottom line, the core
audience of the title will most likely not care they are not getting
perfect scores in every routine. The motions all make sense given the
context of the cheerleading routines, the upbeat routines will give
players a mild workout and We Cheer 2 serves as a simple, yet
entertaining rhythm title that succeeds on a lot of fronts.
Players will probably spend most of their time in the single-player
mode, which, while it has a lot to unlock, will most likely only hold
most dedicated players over for a couple of hours. There are
multiplayer modes that span basic score competitions, but also a couple
of modes that play out as being similar to hot potato and survival. The
span of modes gives the title a bit of variety, but some of the battle
mode aspects aren’t quite as fleshed out, especially considering there
are certain animations that stick players with the “potato” (which is a
rapidly-filling balloon) while time whittles down. Regardless, We Cheer
2 could easily be tossed in to any slumber party as it features enough
material and multiplayer possibilities to be tossed around among a
group of friends.
Sure, the title clearly isn’t for everyone, but when you drop the
cheerleading gimmick from the game, you are left with a respectable
rhythm effort. While the original title seemingly didn’t win over too
many fans, there has been enough additions and improvements crafted
into We Cheer 2 to recommend it over the original entry and a number of
other less than stellar music game efforts on the Nintendo Wii.
While it is still rough in a handful of areas, especially in its
control, We Cheer 2 features colorful and lively visuals, an
appropriate soundtrack and it’s fun to play with others. I can’t
recommend the title to everyone, but if you even have a remote interest
in cheerleading or this title, it should prove to be a satisfying
experience.
GemuBaka Final Review Score: 3 of 5
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