Top 10 most anticipated Nintendo 3DS games

Although we wouldn't say it straight to Nintendo's face, our Nintendo 3DS consoles have become rather expensive paperweight in recent times.

On the game release front, there hasn't exactly been a barrage of titles to play, and the recently released eShop, while definitely an improvement over the original DSiWare store, is horribly barren.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2011, however, gives us fresh hope. By the time 2012 rolls around, we're going to have stereoscoped our way through plenty of great 3DS offerings, and hopefully have our respect for the console renewed.

Feast your eyes on our ten most anticipated Nintendo 3DS games, all of which will surely give us a reason to once more reach for our handhelds.

Easily one of the biggest 3DS surprise announcements at Nintendo's E3 conference, Luigi's Mansion 2 is a sequel to the original GameCube release.

It stars Mario's green-clothed brother, who ventures into a number of haunted mansions to clear out the ghosts with a flashlight and vacuum cleaner combo.

You can't simply run at the ghost, shine a light on them, and suck them up, however, as each requires a special, puzzling plan of attack to get them into your hoover bag.

The original was very impressive although a tad on the short side. Fortunately, it sounds like this upcoming release is going to boast much more content than Luigi's first outing, while featuring all the classic puzzling the original threw at us.

Another Nintendo classic revitalized - Animal Crossing 3D is bound to follow the tried and tested formula that so many gamers have taken to and loved.

You play a traveller who winds up in a small woodland town, with no money and nowhere to live. Along comes one of the locals to help you out, giving you a house and also an incredibly large debt.

You're then left to roam the forest, meeting animal friends, collecting items, creating furniture for your house, fishing, chopping down trees, and lots more. It's all about building up relationships and attending the occasional festival, and it's all done in real time.

With the StreetPass and SpotPass functionality of the 3DS, Nintendo's bound to have tons of tricks up its sleeve: from passing items to other gamers, and maybe even having other gamers visit your village while you play.

Not too much is known about The Rolling Western yet, but that doesn't make us any less excited. Coming as a downloadable title for the eShop, it's Nintendo's first foray into the world of tower defence.

You are an armadillo creature, complete with attire from the Wild West, and your job is to stop the oncoming enemies from reaching a number of different towns.

You do this buy building towers along the road, then rolling into action and keeping the enemy back using your own attacks. You'll also be required to solve a number of puzzles along the way.

Interestingly, the video shown at E3 included a Legend of Zelda interface, complete with Zelda fonts and visuals. It's likely that these were mere placeholders, but we'll still hold out a little hope that this game has something to do with the Zelda universe.

There's a chance you've yet to partake in the Bit.Trip series, given that it's only available fully via WiiWare.

It's a great job, then, that the entire collection is coming to Nintendo 3DS as a retail package, as this really is one gaming experience you cannot afford to miss.

Bit.Trip Saga is a series of rhythm games, each with its own distinct visual style and set of chiptune songs. The idea is that, in each of the six separate games, you take part in a variety of different actions to the beat - whether it be jumping over platforms or moving a Pong-like paddle to stop incoming balls.

There's so much style and finesse to this series, and it's pretty amazing how such a simple idea as bouncing some balls off a paddle can be so much fun. It's also extremely tense and difficult, so prepare to clench your fists a lot and then try, try again.

Even since his NES and Game Boy outings, Kid Icarus's main character Pit hasn't seen any more Nintendo love. Aside from a brief stint on Smash Brothers, Pit was consigned to the past.

Now, after more than 20 years, he's making a full comeback on 3DS.

Kid Icarus: Uprising once again follows the winged hero as he resumes battle with the evil forces of the Medusa, who want to kill Pit (and everyone else in their world).

Pit will have a variety of weapons at his disposal, and trade insults with Medusa every once in a while, as he slowly but surely makes his way to the kingdom of the beast.

The most exciting element, mind, is the additional multiplayer. The 3DS hasn't exactly seen its online capabilities pushed to the limit up to now, but Kid Icarus promises six-player Deathmatch action, as each player lays into each other, Smash Bros style.

Ask any avid indie gamer about Cave Story, and they'll tell you that it's an absolute classic, with brilliant platforming gameplay and a huge, gorgeous world to explore.

Originally released back in 2004, the game received a port for Nintendo WiiWare and DSiWare last year, giving us a chance to relive it all over again. Now the game is on its way to the 3DS, but with a whole new coat of paint.

The 3DS remake will include brand new visuals, made especially to fit the stereoscopic 3D capabilities of the console. It will also include new content and new character designs.

It's likely that you've never played Cave Story before, hence this should be a title that you're very much looking forward to, and will give a clear indication as to why the indie scene is growing so exponentially.

Another port of an old classic that, once more, you most probably missed the first time around. Crush 3D takes the 2007 PSP puzzler and pumps 3D depth into the visuals.

You play as Danny, a young boy who is finding it difficult to sleep due to his past. With the help of a mad scientist, he enters his own mind to complete a series of innovative puzzles and attack the demons of his thoughts.

Along the way, he needs to collect his 'lost marbles' and tackle his fear of the dark head-on, in an attempt to rid his mind of all its problems and allow him to sleep soundly again.

The 3DS remake will include new locations to explore, a new character to control, and a hints system to help you through the tricky parts. You'll also be able to StreetPass items to other Crush players.

Sega's Shinobi series is finally getting a reboot after nearly 10 years, with the ninjas once more coming out to play with throwing knives, shurikens, and all those other shaolin-like things.

Shinobi 3DS sees you taking on an ancient clan, with ridiculously over the top boss battles and plenty of sword-swiping, spikepit-dodging action.

Much of the gameplay will be pattern-based, as you learn how your enemies move, and fight accordingly with both long-range and short-range attacks.

The upcoming Shinobi outing will feature StreetPass capabilities, retro levels from the original Shinobi titles, and the original ninja Joe Musashi as an unlockable character.

Rayman Origins is the only title in our list that is cross-platform, showing that there are exciting times ahead for 3DS gamers.

It's also well worthy of a place in our list, as it's Rayman's first real outing in a very long time. You once again take control of the legless hero, as he attempts to fight the nasty Darktoons and save the Glade of Dreams.

The story is set before all the other Rayman games, and depicts the protagonist as an immature youth who sees everything as a joke. Throughout the game, he learns what is required of him, and by the end is a hero to everyone around.

Excitingly, the game will feature New Super Mario Bros Wii style multiplayer, with friends punching their way through the game co-operatively.

You've probably scrolled down this list, becoming more and more enraged by the lack of Mario. Fear not - he's obviously made the cut...three times over.

There's a trio of sure-to-be wonderful Mario titles coming to Nintendo 3DS, and we've bundled them all into one as, let's be honest, Mario doesn't really require as much space as other games. His name alone will sell the upcoming titles.

Super Mario 3D is the obvious one to watch out for, as it goes back to the roots of the original Super Mario Bros titles, but with added stereoscopic 3D depth. Then there's Paper Mario 3D, continuing the classic RPG series with the visual effects that the titles always needed.

Finally, Mario Kart 3D is going to no doubt stay plugged into our Nintendo 3DS consoles for a very long time. This time around we can look forward to customizable karts, and both skyward and underwater levels.