Care for a game of spot the opportunistic releases?

So, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops finally arrives in Europe.

Good. Great, even, and with little competition this Friday it should do well. That's assuming there's anyone left in the UK and on the Continent that hasn't already imported a copy from the US, obviously.

If you're not one of those rare creatures and are wondering what to get to fill up your half term break (for those reading in the UK, clearly) or your lazy spring lunch hours (erm, for those reading in France), there's not a tremendous amount of choice, to be honest.

There's always Crush, which we've yet to get down to reviewing. Our impressions from play so far strongly indicate it deserves attention – a pity then that it's likely to find itself squashed by the considerable weight of the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

But then MGS itself is unlikely to outgun the colossus that is a new Pirates of the Caribbean game, though we're always a little wary of huge licences turning up in time for holidays. We'd apologise for the cynicism, but we've had enough traumatic previous experiences to know that we don't have to. Well, that and the fact that reviews of the console versions of At World's End have been less than glowing.

Still, DS owners shouldn't despair. They may not have access to either PSP game mentioned in the opening paragraphs above, of course, but they can somewhat counter with the charming Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, safe in the knowledge that it'll certainly keep them occupied during their break.

And if nothing else, along with PSP gamers opting for Portable Ops (or, very possibly, Crush), they'll be sufficiently distracted to constitute the minority that doesn't get sucked into Pirates of the Caribbean's potentially treacherous waters – at least long enough to read our forthcoming review (and then decide accordingly, of course).

Out May 25th
Crush (PSP)
Custom Robo Arena (DS) (Or read our review.)
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales (DS) (Or read our review).
Heatseeker (PSP) (Or read our review.)
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP) (Or read our review.)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (DS)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (PSP)
Spongebob & Friends: Battle For Volcano Island (DS)
Valhalla Knights (PSP)
Winx Club: Join the Club (PSP)

Out June 1st
Legend of Dragon (PSP)
Meteos: Disney Magic (DS) (Or read our review.)
Smash Court Tennis 3 (PSP)
Wario: Master of Disguise (DS) (Or read our review.)