With the exception of the classic Magician Lord, platform fans who own a Geo are just a bit limited when it comes to their favorite genre. Spinmaster was an early breath of fresh air hampered by a
difficulty so low, a 3 year old would have little trouble with it. Still, with a few endings, great looks, and solid 2-player action, this isn't a bad choice. The 2 lead characters, also featured in Dashin' Desperado's on the Genesis, fight their way through 5 levels trying to save the standard kidnapped chick. Yo-yo's provide the standard weaponry but upgrades come in the form of icicles, fireballs, dual shurikens, and bombs. Certain weapons can be fired in all 8 directions, others only 4. The standard attack can also be powered up by holding down the button, but you'll be much better off jamming C in a pinch when bombs are available. Your also allowed a slide maneuver, but there are very few instances when it actually comes in handy.
Though very little scaling or rotation is used, this is a great looking game. Every available color the Geo can put out at once is used and the character sprites are quite large for a platformer. Some of the water animation is outstanding and even the largest bosses have numerous frames of animation. It's a cryin' shame that the sound effects and sub-par music drag it down a notch.
Unlike Magician Lord, at least everyone who plays this one will be able to see everything this game has to offer....in 20 minutes. The 5 levels are a breeze even on the most difficult setting and adding a second player to the mix is suicidal to the replay value. There are 3 different endings (selected by the player once the game is beaten) but these are only still screens and hardly worth the effort.
This is the middle-of-the-road platformer on the Geo. It looks and plays better than Blues Journey, but is simply generic when compared to Magician Lord. It's not a bad game when offered for a reasonable price, but don't expect a mind blowing experience, especially when the entire thing can be beaten on your first play-through.
