We PSP fanboys love to play demos. We've been blessed with a plethora of demos for Loco Roco, but it seems like they're not done quite yet. A key observer on the PlayStation forums noticed that YourPSP described plans on releasing a Christmas-themed demo of Loco Roco to supplement the Halloween demo that came out about a week ago. Considering how the game is about eating everything in sight, wouldn't a Thanksigiving themed demo also be appropriate?

Another noteworthy demo to come out later this year is the highly anticipated PSP-exclusive Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Jeux-France reported about a week ago that an issue of Famitsu reveals the producer's intentions to have a playable demo available by the end of the year. If it comes around the time of the other Loco Roco demo, it seems like PSP fanboys will have a lot of free demo playing on their hands this holiday season.

If you're a theme-park game equipped with intuitive, console-friendly building features as well as a fully integrated social mechanic, do you really need anything else? If you're Thrillville, the answer is simple: "Yes. Definitely." In order to further bring home the eclectic theme-park experience, LucasArts and Frontier Developments have loaded up their November 21 release for PS2, PSP and Xbox with more than 20 diverse minigames not unlike those you might find along the midway at your local amusement park.

"We wanted to re-create the feeling of the theme park, where there is just so much different stuff to do," says David Walsh, Managing Director at developer Frontier. "In addition to the building, riding and socialization aspects of the game, the way to achieve that was to pack in tons of different gameplay via minigames. Further, we made sure that the whole thing hangs together really well - so there's always a reason for you to play that links back to the main game."

Though they can be accessed completely outside of the core game via Party Play mode - an excellent feature for those wanting to challenge up to three friends - mastering certain minigames plays an important part in single-player Career mode. "In order to gain your Uncle Mortimer's confidence and gain access to his other parks, you'll need to complete a certain amount of tasks, such as besting a challenger at certain minigames," explains Dave Cerra, associate producer at LucasArts. "For example, a kid named Tim Twinklefingers may start talking smack and challenge you to beat his score in a quirky, Japanese-inspired 2D platformer called Sparkle Island. If you're good enough, you'll take the next step toward advancing to the next park; if you're not, you might have to find another way."

From first-person and 2D shooters to arcade-style racers and action/adventure experiences - even playable miniature golf and go-kart racing on courses that you can design yourself - Thrillville's unique mix of minigames alone is enough to entertain any gamer for hours. But which individual games rise above the rest? Frontier posed the question to those who know it best - the dedicated testers in its
quality-assurance department - to the following results:

Luftwaffe 109

"I like Luftwaffe 109 because the graphics look great," says Stephen Tuffery. "You really feel like you are in WWII behind enemies' lines, flying high up in the air in your very own airplane. The background changes from day to night, making the action more intense. There are four airplanes to choose from, each with its own different style, that can dogfight, drop bombs and fire different weapons. The end bosses are very impressive (especially the enormous zeppelin airship), and you can play up to four players."

Auto Sprint

"Anyone who doesn't like Auto Sprint as much as I do most likely isn't any good!" boasts Adrian Fife. "I'm now able to maneuver the vehicle with near-perfect accuracy, taking perfectly timed corners in order to cut inside my opponent's vehicle, as well as break my opponents down while observing their heads drop, one by one, as I constantly make new time-slicing, fastest-lap, hall-of-fame history!...Whew!"

"I've always loved top-down racers such as this," adds Simon Brace. "They take me back to when I was a kid and used to go and play a game just like this in the cafe just down the road. I think that's what's great about all of our minigames: For younger players, they're just fun side games, but for the older players they'll bring back memories of playing on arcade machines in their childhood. Ahhh...happy days!"

Sparkle Island

"Sparkle Island battle can be a pretty cool minigame in Party Play mode," says Pete Gent. "We've had some pretty intense battles leaping around like ninjas trying to steal the last few [little chick-like things that you collect called] Feeyos from each other. The 30 levels for cooperative mode also make it one of the more challenging minigames available to the player in Thrillville."

Event Horizon

"My favorite is our side-scrolling shooter Event Horizon on hard - what a challenge!" enthuses Michael Brookes, Frontier's QA manager. "This is the one minigame that kept the testers trying time and time again to complete it. It reminded me fondly of the horizontal shooters I played in my younger days. The varying weapon types add a strategic element to the game, each weapon type being better in different circumstances than others. And as for the second-level boss - just watch out for the lasers!"

Mini Golf

"If you thought Mini Golf was fun, wait until you play TIMED Mini Golf!" says Michael Michael. "You must perform skillful putting shots under the pressure of a countdown, so make sure you complete the course before the timer reaches zero. Better yet, in co-op mode, every successful putt you make adds extra valuable seconds onto your teammate's timer. Whether you fail or succeed depends on the performance of your teammate (and vice versa), so concentrate, and don't let the timer put you off. Breathe, relax, don't panic...you have plenty of time to make the shot."