Turn It Around review

Sept 5, 2007

People love spinning things: a roulette wheel, the tires of a Ferrari, CDs and DVDs, carnival rides, the giant disc of horrific Americana that is Pat Sajak's Wheel of Fortune... all spinning. So the idea behind Turn It Around is a good one: collect 24 minigames, all based around the idea of using the stylus to twist, twirl, and rotate an onscreen wheel. However, erratic controls and a lack of gameplay longevity keep the RPMs from pegging the needle on the fun-o-meter.

The events are all divided into one of three categories, which often blur into one another. In "power" games, you spin the onscreen wheel as quickly as possible, such as when you're trying to crush a giant robot or reel in a fish. For "technique" events, such as guiding a drunken businessman to the train station or steering a marble through a maze, you sometimes need to rotate more slowly. Finally, for "brain" challenges like safe cracking, you do the same, but with puzzle or memory elements attached.

There are only three play modes: free play, a 14-event marathon, and two-player head to head play. And unfortunately, there's just not much to most of these events. One puzzle uses the same six pictures every time. An elevator event gives you the same selection of passengers every time. That sort of thing.