This is one of the first Cheerleading titles we've seen so far on the Wii, with Namco having one more coming out right behind this one (or out now actually, I haven't kept up), but both games seem to vary in presentation and style, with All Star Cheer Squad opting to take on a more realistic approach to enthusiastic gymnastics, with character models and environments that mirror something you might see on ESPN2 during one of those various cheerleading competitions.

When the game begins, you'll start off by designing and naming your lead character. You can pick from male and female options, and a variety of face types, eye shapes, clothing designs, hairstyles, and at for the females different make-up kits (sponsored of course). From there you can name your character (Buffy for me), and then being the game proper.

Initially you might think you've walked into a game based on the plot for one of the Bring It On movies, with a few snarky Cheerleaders that put you thru the tryout phase for their squad, which constitutes your first week in the game. The tryouts basically serve as a tutorial to help familiarize you with the various movements involved, of which there are more than enough. So much, in fact, that I found the first week to be a lot more involved that I would have though, with a dozen or so hand and arm movements that you'll need to learn before you can move on to the actual week by week competitions that follow.

The gameplay itself plays out in a similar fashion to other rhythm style games, where you have a meter at the bottom that scrolls along with the various movements you're supposed to make. V shapes both up and down, L shapes, above the head claps, resets, and quite a few more movements make up the different things you'll have to learn, all of which use a combination of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The motions themselves are generally easy to figure out, and there's a guide at the top left that will show you what you're trying to do and proper placement of the nunchuk and remote together. However, as the game begins to throw more and more movements at you, you will find it easy to lose track of what you're supposed to do, and get a little bit flustered because you inverted an L instead of facing it the other way. That's less of a fault with the game and more with me as a player though, but sometimes the movements themselves can be a bit too similar to other movements, and the game won't always register what you're doing (or register something else a bit too early), making gameplay a bit frustrating when you reach the quicker rounds later in the game.

If you have a balance board at home there's a use for it here to, which will show up underneath the hand movement bar during competitions and practices. These movements will require you to stand on one foot, step off and on, or put more pressure on certain parts of the board. Playing with the board is obviously the intended way to play the game right, and it provides the most challenge and workout with the game. You can definitely play thru the entire thing without a balance board and be just fine, but ideally you'll want to use it if you own one.

As far as presentation goes, All Star Cheer Squad could have used a bit more polish. The character designs have a realistic feel to them, but they also look pretty simple, with not much texture work involved, and the stages that you compete in are just as bland as the models, with some really flat colors and an overall lack of detail that detracts from the watching experience. Like most rhythm games, the player won't notice too much of the substandard graphics quality since they'll be paying attention more to the meter at the bottom of the screen, but anytime you have to view a bit of extended dialogue between your teammates it'll really stand out. The music isn't quite my cup of tea either, but it definitely fits the mold of the game, and if you've been to sporting events or competitions that involve Cheerleading, you'll realize that it fits the game just fine.

I would say that All Star Cheer Squad would probably make a solid game for a younger kid that's getting interested in the sport. The movements definitely mimic the stuff that actually occurs on field or in the gym, and even if you're not a fan of cheerleading you'll realize that you've seen this stuff before, just from watching a football game or two. The workout involved isn't particularly taxing, so it's not any type of replacement for something like Wii Fit, but it'll still wear your arms out after a few extended rounds of play. It's definitely not going to be the game for everyone, and it's definitely pretty niche in its appeal, but for the most part All Star Cheer Squad does well at what it's trying to achieve, minus some control recognition issues and a presentation that could use some polish.