Previews Blowout

For all you gaming addicts looking for a fix, check out these treats:

Opoona - Wii

A very unusual little game for the Wii that combines community and relationship-building elements with a traditionalRPG - a bit like, say, Animal Crossing but with a proper adventure to work through. Even better is the way it uses the Wii’s Remote and Nunchuck, allowing you to move with the analog stick and battle by swinging the remote.

Crazi Taxi: Fare Wars - PSP

We reckon this is just about old enough now to call a classic; a frantic, free-roaming driver that sees you collecting passengers and dropping them off for time-extend bonuses. Itmight be a little old, but it’s a perfect fit for PSP.

Legend of the Dragon - PS2, Wii, PSP

No, it’s not exactly going to give Tekken Dark Resurrection a run for its money, but this is still a solid enough one-on-one scrapper with a handful of nice ideas. Although the standard attacks are fairly basic, things really get interesting with character transformations and some clever special attacks that need to be countered by your opposition.

Monster Hunter 2 - PS2

We had a lot of time for the original Monster Hunter (a kind of Phantasy Star Online in a fantasy setting), but Japanese gamers went absolutely nuts overit. Now the sequel, which boasts 250 quests, 60 monsters, 700 weapons and 100 hours of gameplay, is ready to establish itself as king of the portable adventures as Capcom pushes to establish this as a major MMORPG player in the West. Will it succeed? We’re sure of it.