280. Simple 1500 Vol. 66: The Kaiten: Mawasunda!! (Taito, Playstation, 2000)

The Kaiten: Mawasunda!! (literally "The Rotation: Spin!", and released internationally as Turn it Around) is a port of a Taito arcade game of the same name. The Kaiten: Mawasunda!! is a versus minigame compilation similar to Bishi Bashi, but all based around a steering wheel-sized rotating controller. Because this is a port to the Playstation, the default controls for each game have you tapping O/X to rotate right or left respectively. You can also rotate an analog stick instead, which is more challenging, but also more satisfying, and feels like the "right" way to play.

The minigames themselves vary wildly in theme, and range from more straightforward activities like golf or skateboarding, to wackier scenarios like walking a drunk friend down a crowded street to the subway station, or outrunning a rampaging robot by flying with an umbrella. It's no secret that I love Japanese minigame compilations, mostly because they are great at just ladling out big surprises, but I think they're more fun when you can't read the language and have to just figure out what the game expects you to do on the fly.

Because it is a Taito-developed game, a few of the mingames are just bite-sized existing Taito games that were already rotation-control-friendly, namely Cameltry and Arkanoid. Other highlights included takoyaki and kakigori making games, an elevator operating level, and a conveyor belt sushi game where you have to find the right sushi for 3 patrons. I played through the majority fo the 20-ish games in The Kaiten: Mawasunda!! with my wife, and we had a good time, even though many games were challenging, confusing, or unforgiving enough that we both failed them on our first tries.

4/5, a collection of simple, inventive rotation-based minigames