What's New?

There are empty cans everywhere, discarded half-finished bottles of champagne, wads of kitchen towel recently used to mop up beer puddles and Pringles all over the place. Last night folks, we "warmed the house", so you'll forgive us if we're a bit fragile and unresponsive. And if anybody's missing a herd of rampaging elephants, I've got them safely locked up in my head.

Just as well then that nothing much is happening at retail this week. As ever, we started off with quite a promising list, topped by the likes of a new Age of Wonders game, with Line of Sight: Vietnam and Rock N' Roll Racing helping to make up the numbers, but by the end of our weekly release date trawl and after a few frantic phone calls, it became apparent that none of these titles were available. Again.

Which leaves us with four GBA games and Futurama on the PS2 and Xbox. Or so they say. Although Futurama is definitely out - and reportedly better than what were obviously low, low expectations (quality TV rarely means quality game, right?) - Crazy Taxi is only available through Play with Amazon and GAME unstocked, both Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II and Sega Smash Pack are apparently available at Gameplay, with no stock elsewhere, and Sega Arcade Gallery can be bought from Gameplay and Play, and nowhere else. Ambiguity: it's a bitch.

Not that we'd be all that bothered in any event. Crazy Taxi tried too hard to be what it can't realistically be, and Sega Arcade Gallery and Smash Pack are strictly for the nostalgic. As for DBZ - we'd be delighted to tell you, if Atari would send us a copy.

Just as well then that we're well stocked with imports this week. If you haven't acquired Knights of the Old Republic or F-Zero GX yet and can, we suggest you do, otherwise it's another week for returning to old haunts, or picking up something you missed. And it looks like next week will be the same, with the as-yet unproven AVP Extinction and Microsoft's Flight Simulator 2004 about the only things we give a flying cluck about. Oh well: vrrrroooom!

• Crazy Taxi: Catch a Ride (GBA)
• Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II (GBA)
• Futurama (PS2, Xbox)
• Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)
• Sega Smash Pack (GBA)

Disclaimer: We check dates thoroughly on Friday morning, and try very hard to make sure they're correct. We use Gameplay, GAME, Play and Amazon to try and substantiate publisher schedules, we phone around shops and sometimes we even have a gander ourselves. Mostly this works, but sometimes it clearly doesn't, and if you make sarcastic comments when it fouls up then we will hit you. Possibly in the face.