All Star Cheer Squad Review for Nintendo DS

System: DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Gorilla Games	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: THQ	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Nov. 24, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Control in this title is hit or miss, with some of the mini-games working well and some that suffer from being unintuitive and clunky. As I've said before, the cheerleading mini-game works well, but some of the other tap-controlled mini-games are difficult to control, especially on higher levels. For instance, one strength training mini-game requires you to hit certain small targets on the screen. While these targets are simple enough to hit on the easier levels, they become unresponsive at higher levels and present an unnecessary challenge.

All Star Cheer Squad screenshot

The graphics in All-Star Cheer Squad on the DS are sub-standard. Different cheerleader characters are featureless, and there are many recurring proportion issues. One humorous aspect of the poor graphics is the character animations. Each cheerleader seems to have a small handful of stock animations that are displayed when you speak to them, and sometimes these animations are completely inappropriate to the situation at-hand. For instance, my character got into a heated argument with another cheerleader and expressed her frustration and anger with a high five. Another problem with the graphics is the bland environments. For a mini-game-based title, you will do a lot of walking around. Because of the aforementioned proportional issues, it is hard to know exactly where your character is in a given environment, and the lack of detail really compounds this issue.

Although there are plenty of bad points about All-Star Cheer Squad, I am fairly sure that most little kids who are interested in this title won't care too much. As hit or miss as the gameplay might be, the cute little teamwork-based story is really the centerpiece of the game, and chances are good that the tween girl demographic that this title aims to please will probably eat this one up. However, if you are looking for more than a cute story about cheerleading camp, then you may want to pass on this one.

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

2.0

Graphics
Graphics are grainy and painfully bland. Environments are hard to make out and often make getting around the different areas difficult.

2.4

Control
The Samba de Amigo-like tap system works well enough for cheer routines, but some of the other mini-games are almost impossible to control and feel imbalanced.

1.5

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The simplistic and repetitive music is definitely nothing to cheer about.

2.5

Play Value
Although younger players may relate to the cheer camp storyline, the gameplay just isn't that fun and suffers from too many repetitive elements.

2.5

Overall Rating - Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Compete in squad and one-on-one cheer-offs.

Customize the look of your team including body, facial features, hair and outfits.

Learn new moves and choreograph your own cheer routines to music.