In the first of an ongoing monthly series, Future Gamer bring you a look at the best imports available from Japan and the US.
Ben Davies

The post-Christmas drought of game releases unfortunately affects not only the domestic market, but also the import market. As this drought slowly ends, the beginning of February is once again playing host to some astounding titles.

On the Dreamcast, Sega's arcade conversion of Crazy Taxi is currently selling very well on import. The new Dreamcast mod chips (enabling any DC to play DC software from any region) have also made a big impression, due to their complete reliability. Many who have purchased these are pleasantly surprised by their outstanding performance.

The PlayStation had a rather quiet month, BioHazard: Gun Survivor being the finest piece of software to arrive recently. Shifting slightly from the usual survival/horror theme of Resident Evil titles, Gun Survivor is a light-gun game with plenty of action. However, it's hardly a major release and Gun Survivor could well prove to be more of an item in a BioHazard collection, rather than penetrating the mass-market.

Chocobo Dungeon2 is the latest Square output in the Final Fantasy spin-off series. Setting itself apart from other well-known Square RPGs, Chocobo Dungeon is of a more Pokémon-like nature than better known Square exploits. Objectives in the game include raising Chocobos to race against each other and enter into competitions. PocketStation compatibility creates a few interesting sub-games too. Failing to impress in most areas, however, Chcobo Dungeon 2 isn't really an essential purchase for anyone but die hard Final Fantasy players.

As the Japanese launch of PlayStation2 nears, Sega are doing their utmost to convince punters that their machine is the one to own. The alliance with Capcom for the development of BioHazard: Code Veronica and the recent announcement regarding the Dreamcast version of Core's Tomb Raider are displays of Sega's hopes to bring the DC further into mass-market territory. In the next few weeks, Japanese and American Dreamcast owners can look forward to a flood of quality titles.

The amazing Crazy Taxi, available in America one week after the Japanese launch on January 27, is a superb arcade driving title. Being converted from Sega's Naomi arcade board ensured a perfect Dreamcast rendition, and you can check out our preview by clicking here.