The original We Cheer was one of the first games for the Wii to really make full use of the Wii's motion sensor capabilities. It was a hugely popular title for Namco-Bandai and for good reason. It's a cheerleading simulation, a fun and challenging rhythm game, and a unique way to exercise, all rolled into one. I'm happy to say We Cheer 2 is a worthy sequel. It adds a fresh new soundtrack, new dance moves, an improved workout mode, and fixes some of the annoyances from the old game, such as the overuse of dialogue.
The primary audience for the game is quite obviously girls from ages 7-15, but it can certainly be enjoyed by people of all ages. The We Cheer world is a bright, colorful world with wide-eyed cartoon cheerleaders with big eyes and bubbly giggles. The music is licensed and recognizable music from such teen pop stars as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Avril Lavigne. Even Fergie's "Glamorous" is the "Clean Version". You definitely won't find suggestive moves or skimpy outfits, it's all very family-friendly. Grown-ups probably won't have as much fun as the youngsters outfitting their characters with pom-poms, outfits, and every hair color of the rainbow, but kids will love it.
As for the gameplay itself, I found it very impressive. You hold the Wii remotes in your hands like pom poms, your on-screen character will dance in a cheerleading routine, and your job is to mimic her moves as closely as possible, with an on-screen arrow and animated "timing star" showing you the precise moves you need to make and the speed you make them in. If you follow her moves precisely, the screen says "Cool!" and you hear a jingling sound. If you miss, the screen will say things like "too fast" or "too slow" or even "needs more energy".
We Cheer 2 literally simulates an actual cheerleading routine. You'll clap your hands, dance from side to side, tilt and twist your body, shake your virtual pom-poms, and twirl and wave your hands. The choreography is actually pretty impressive; after playing the game over and over again (especially on expert mode), you can literally dance a full cheerleading routine that rivals the kinds you see at high schools and colleges.
As in the first version, the game publishers made a smart move NOT to use the Wii Nunchuk, instead giving you the option of using one or two Wii remotes. This greatly improves the accuracy of the controls at Beginner and Intermediate levels, which were spot-on. At the Expert Level, the motion tracking was not 100% accurate. Still, after making some adjustments to my movements, I was able to start clearing expert routines after a lot of practice. The same tips that applied to the first We Cheer apply to this one, namely:
* Put the sensor bar under the TV screen, not above it (make sure to configure this in the Wii options menu)
* If the controls aren't registering, play with the sensitivity controls (in the Wii options menu) and the calibration options (in the We Cheer menu)
* Like a real cheerleader, make exaggerated movements as you're doing the routine. When you make circles with your arms, they should be long and flowing. When you strike poses, they should be deliberate and your joints should be stretched out.
* Practice, practice, practice. You'll have your best success when you've memorized the routines and do them precisely in real-time with the on-screen characters, as opposed to trying to match the on-screen cues.
I think Namco missed an opportunity to improve the game by incorporating the MotionPlus, which could have helped alleviate some of the control issues. Still, with a little patience, you can get the controls to work, even on the Expert level.
One thing I really liked about the game was the mode called "Exercise Mode". In it, your on-screen character will take you through a Jane Fonda-like aerobic workout, shouting out various instructions to you. The options seem fairly limited (you can only choose between a 2-minute and a 4-minute workout), but over time you can unlock more. The storylines in exercise mode are pretty amusing; as in the first version, there's a tubby fellow (and in one case a grizzly bear) who approaches you and asks for help to lose weight. As you do the workout, you can see the pounds "poof" right off as you do the exercises correctly.
Overall, We Cheer 2 is a worthy successor to the original We Cheer, a lot of fun, and great exercise to boot. While most Wii exercise games focus on lower body, We Cheer provides a great low-impact upper body workout. Sometimes the best fitness titles are ones that aren't fitness titles at all, because you end up playing the game over and over again to try to beat the game, without realizing you're working out.