Ready? Okay! Let’s check out We Cheer 2 from Namco Bandai.We Cheer 2 is a new cheerleading game exclusively for the Nintendo Wii.  Using your Wii remotes as virtual pom-poms, you follow on-screen “trace lines” for choreographed routines that include arm and body movements. We Cheer 2 features a brand new lineup of 30 heart-pumping songs that will get you charged up and ready to cheer. The game now offers the option to play as boys as well as girls, for a total roster of 45 characters, which is more than double the original line-up. You can also personalize both your character and entire squad with options including uniforms, hats, shoes, and even facial features like eyebrows and lips. New choreographed routines can be performed on more than 20 stages with choices for day time and night time versions of each. With various difficulty selections and options for single and multiple players, We Cheer 2 caters to all skill levels from newbie cheerleaders to varsity level pros.  The “Watch Routine” option allows you to preview a routine before tackling it yourself. This mode also allows you to take snapshots from your favorite spots in the routine and save them to a photo album that can be shared with your friends online through the Message Board. You can learn the basics in Cheer Camp or get your heart pumping in Workout mode. Successfully completing challenges in the single player Championships mode allows you to unlock new stages and songs as well as earn Cheer Points that can be used at the Cheer Shop for new outfits and accessories for you and your squad. Multiple cheerleaders can enjoy We Cheer 2 with options for two players to play cooperatively and up to four players to face-off in competitive Cheer Off modes. Here’s the video trailer for We Cheer 2 from that does a good job of demonstrating the player movements as well as the onscreen gameplay:

What We Liked

Get up off that couch:  We were happy to see a game for girls that gets them up off the couch and moving!  Being a tad bit rusty at these sort of moves myself, I followed the dual remote instructions and by the end of a full song my heartbeat was going!  Once you’re comfortable with the basic moves, you can start following the entire routine for a real workout.  Even the basic routines move quickly so get ready!

Easy to follow:  The on-screen Trace Lines in We Cheer 2 are bright and easy to see.  A large star appears in the middle of the screen, color coded for either your right or left hand, along with a large arrow showing you which way to move you arm.  This is onscreen a few seconds early and then when it’s time to perform the move with your character, the star moves along the arrow path showing you how fast you need to go.  You are told right away how you did (“cool”, “faster”, “slower”).  And if you’re new to this kind of workout, you can preview each routine as many times as you want before you jump in.  The preview comes in very handy – I used it a lot!

Several places to cheer:  You can have fun learning some basic moves in Training Mode and take your time to do some workout routines in Exercise Mode (some of these are really tough).  You can then move on to the competition format where you can either perform in squad tryouts (pick your song and perform with a small group in a school gym) or go on to the team competitions (pick your song and venue and cheer with the entire team).  These formats are unlocked right from the start and you start with several songs and venues to choose from.

Easy to unlock rewards:  Quickly unlock intermediate and advanced routines, new songs and performance venues (plus their nighttime versions).  With 30 songs, 20 venues and 3 cheer levels that are interchangeable, your kids have a ton of combinations to choose from.  Plus it’s easy to accumulate points to use at the Cheer Shop to pick new outfits and accessories for your team.

Can’t stop dancing:  The authentic routines make you feel like you are at a REAL cheerleading competition and the hip soundtrack makes it fun to work out to.

Don’t worry if you stumble:  Even if you don’t hit all your moves, you are encouraged to keep trying, and practice and teamwork are always emphasized.

Multiplayer mode:  We Cheer 2 will support up to 4 remotes, so you don’t have to play alone.  You can play up to two people with dual (left and right) remotes, or up to four people with single remotes.  It’s not done as split screen here, instead everyone cheers together so just watch your character and your stars.

Cute characters:  Although they are skinny, the characters have big heads, eyes and feet, which gives them a cute, cartoonish feel.

Guys are welcome:  For the first time you can cheer as a boy.  This is great for siblings or if you have a group of friends over – everyone can give it a try!  And there are even outfits and accessories for the guys at the Cheer Shop.

Great Music: There are 30 great songs included with We Cheer 2 and we’re not talking cheesy cover versions, they’re the real deal. Here’s the full song list for We Cheer 2:

• “All Star” – Smash Mouth
• “Beat It (Feat. John Mayer)” – Fall Out Boy
• “Closer” – Ne-Yo
• “Doing It Right” – The Go! Team
• “Get Ready For This” – 2 Unlimited
• “Girlfriend” – Avril Lavigne
• “Glamorous (Clean Version)” – Fergie
• “GNO (Girls Night Out)” – Miley Cyrus
• “Headstrong” – Ashley Tisdale
• “Higher Ground” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “Homecoming” – Hey Monday
• “Imani Coppola” – Get Down With This
• “Just Dance” – Lady GaGa
• “La La Land” – Demi Lovato
• “Leavin’ (Radio Edit Remix)” – Jesse McCartney
• “Let’s Dance” – Vanessa Hudgens
• “Mickey” – Toni Basil
• “Pon de Replay” – Rihanna
• “Popular” – The Veronicas
• “Pump It (Clean Version)” – Black Eyed Peas
• “Push It” – Salt N Pepa
• “Real Wild Child” – Everlife
• “Run It Back Again” – Corbin Bleu
• “So Bring It On” – The Cheetah Girls
• “Song 2″ – Blur
• “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” – Selena Gomez
• “The Power” – Snap!
• “Tubthumping” – Chumbawumba
• “Walk This Way” – Run DMC
• “Whoa” – Paramore

What We Didn’t Like

This was yet another game that we had a hard time finding something that we didn’t like.  If anything, the graphics were a little simple.  But then again, We Cheer 2 is aimed at 10-12 year old girls who probably care more about the music and dancing than great graphics. Not that they were awful, but they were nothing to write home about.

Good for the Kiddos?

We Cheer 2 is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and older with cautions for lyrics and mild suggestive theme.  The ESRB issued it’s rating and cautions because

“…Some song lyrics contain the expletives “a*s,” “hell,” and “damn”; other lyrics make references to alcohol (e.g., “He drinks a whisky drink, He drinks a vodka drink” and “Poppin’ champagne, livin’ the life”). Although the majority of cheer routines depict moves not uncommon in cheer choreography, a few of the moves may be considered provocative (e.g., girls turning their backs to the camera and grinding their hips; girls’ undergarments exposed as they bend over, do the splits, or lie on the ground).”

We agree with the ESRB rating that this game may not be suitable for younger kids.  Screening the songs is a great idea if you are unsure if your kids are ready for some of the themes contained in them.  And the dance moves, while a lot of fun, are pretty authentic and move fast.  The under 10 age group may have a hard time keeping up with the routines.  The basic uniforms you start out with reminded me of college cheerleading outfits (long-sleeved sweaters to cropped tank top styles).  And if you do a kick while wearing a skirt you will see plain “undergarments”.  You can purchase shorts at the Cheer Shop, which can seem a bit “short”, but all essentials remain covered.

As we mentioned before, we were happy to see a game for girls that gets them up off the couch and moving!  In addition, the interaction between characters is written out on the screen, so your kids will have to do some some reading too!

Golden Egg Rating

We give We Cheer 2 4.5 out of 5 Golden Eggs.  Overall, the game was really fun, energetic, and definitely entertaining.  The fact that there is a game for the Wii that is aimed at active girls bumps up our rating up a few more notches.  The fantastic soundtrack, multi-player mode and extensive gameplay and variety really makes We Cheer 2 a “Wii must have” if you have girls in the 10-12 year old range.

Slideshow and Screenshots

Check out the lightbox slideshow below for images of the new game We Cheer 2. Simply click on a thumbnail to start the slideshow. Details and information for each screenshot are located at the bottom of the image in the slideshow. Images courtesy of Namco Bandai.

FTC Required Disclosure Statement

FiveHens.com received a free review copy of We Cheer 2 from Namco Bandai in order to provide you with this review. Although the product was provided to us free of charge, that in no way affected this review in either a positive or negative way. For more information about the new FTC blogger disclosure rules, please visit here for the full text of the code.