The Top 7... Cheerleaders

2. Charlie Macdonald's cheerleaders | No More Heroes 2

In complete contrast to the noble sentiments expressed at the end of the previous entry, we are now going to artistically appreciate some boobs and midriff. The inspiration for this Top 7 was Lollipop Chainsaw. If you don't know - and you really should - the heroine of that game is one Juliet Starling. She's a professional killer of zombies. Not only that, she carries around the disembodied head of her boyfriend and wields a hulking great chainsaw with which to do her cadaver culling. Oh, and - nearly forgot - she's a cheerleader. But seeing as though we haven't even played Lollipop Chainsaw yet because it's still being made, we thought it would be unfair to include her. Even though she already looks like she's going to be the best cheerleader EFFVUR! Here's a picture of her anyway:

Above: We think we're going to like Juliet Starling

Luckily we didn't have to look too far for more amaze-o cheerleaders. In fact, we only looked as far as No More Heroes 2. Which, like Lollipop Chainsaw, is made by one of the most exciting men making games right now, Goichi 'Suda 51' Suda. But surely the cheerleaders in NMH2, no matter how amazing, can't really compare to short-skirted slayer of the undead Juliet Starling? You better believe they can. For starters, there's lots of them. 24 to be precise. All identical. All on roller skates. All shamelessly sexualised. And you just know these aren't your normal cheerleaders when the cheer of "Yaaaaaaaay violence!" goes up in unison. Then this happens...

If you can't believe what your eyes just witnessed, let us recap what happened there. The cheerleaders flew into outer space and summoned a mega-ultimate fighting robot called Santa Death Parade. That's right. A cheerleader squad with a giant laser-firing mechabeast at their disposal. It doesn't get much more badass than that. Shame they all had to explode somewhere high in the Earth's atmosphere. Altogether now "2-4-6-8! Who can we decapitate!?"

1. Elite Beat Agents | Elite Beat Agents

The Elite Beat Agents are the ultimate cheerleaders, without question. Synchronised in a way that only computer-generated people can be, they never miss a beat… unless you do, which (let's be honest) isn't their fault. A stickler could argue that these are five cheerleaders in a list of Top 7 cheerleaders, in which case, we'll pick… er… the middle one. Yup.

Above: Male cheerleaders are so hot right now

But don't feel short-changed that our number one spot goes to a group of male cheerleaders – firstly, we didn't specify sex, but secondly, there's a bonus mode! There is a secret 'diva' cheerleader mode – hidden away on the highest difficulty. It's not a mere reskin, though – they're fully voiced and the cut-scenes have been redrawn. So kick back and watch the sensational Jumpin' Jack Flash finale as you've (probably) never seen it before. We love EBA and this section still gives us chills… ROCK AND ROLL!

With the divas in and Commander Khan telling them what to do, it's all gone a bit Charlie's Angels. But even without the girls, this still would have been our number one. The Elite Beat Agents, whether in skirts or shirts, are the ultimate cheerleaders. Gimme an E! Gimme a B! Gimma an A!

Matt Cundy
I don't have the energy to really hate anything properly. Most things I think are OK or inoffensively average. I do love quite a lot of stuff as well, though.
Latest in Action
Former Xbox boss says GTA: San Andreas and its infamously NSFW Hot Coffee minigame "signified a maturing of the industry" and put games "on par with movies and music"
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
Death Stranding 2 pre-orders are estimated to go live this month, and will reportedly include a $230 collector's edition that I pray doesn't come with another creepy baby statue
Assassin's Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji expansion Naoe and Yasuke in Awaji forest
Assassin's Creed Shadows roadmap, DLC and future content
Grand Theft Auto 3
A GTA streamer is trying to beat every single 3D entry without dying, and in 33 hours he's made it as far as San Andreas but keeps getting caught in Vice City purgatory
The Last of Us 2
Naughty Dog has done it: it's remastered the PS5 controller with a Last of Us-themed DualSense announcement 24 hours after Neil Druckmann dashed our hopes for The Last of Us 3
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows reverses roles to show off Naoe's combat and Yasuke's stealth, and I'm suddenly sold on playing Yasuke like a clumsy Snake in Metal Gear Solid 3
Latest in Features
Kai and Giatta battle Xaurip in Avowed
I get why Obsidian doesn't like The Elder Scrolls comparisons, but Avowed is the first RPG to have its hooks in me this deep since Skyrim took over my life 14 years ago
Photo taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of the Tears of the Kingdom OLED Nintendo Switch handheld, with the Super Mario Nendoroid figure standing in front of it.
My PC is screaming for an update, but the Switch 2 will be taking all my money this year
GoDice in their RPG case beside Pixels dice
I put two electronic d20s head-to-head and the bad news for your wallet is the discount D&D dice failed its saving throw
Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread in play
This board game TRPG hybrid delivers something D&D hasn't quite managed to capture for me
Disney Lorcana cards in a circle around a deck facing down on a wooden surface
Disney Lorcana: Archazia's Island has one major advantage over MTG, and the new decks prove it
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again immediately earns its title with a foundation-shaking opening that sets it apart from its Netflix predecessor