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Top 10 handheld games we're looking forward to playing at Gamescom 2011

PS Vita, 3DS, Android, and iPhone excitement in Cologne

Top 10 handheld games we're looking forward to playing at Gamescom 2011
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iOS + Android + 3DS ...

It's that time again - Pocket Gamer is heading to Cologne to see how the Germans take care of business.

Gamescom (and its industry-focused sister event GDC Europe) is one of the most exciting gaming events of the year. Over the course of five days we'll be getting to grips with all the best upcoming portable titles due for release in the coming months.

Our most anticipated Gamescom titles? Okay, since you asked.

Sound Shapes (PS Vita)

From the mind behind PlayStation 3 and PC title Everyday Shooter, Sound Shapes is an intriguing game with no soundtrack.

Instead, as you leap and bound through each level the surfaces and enemies emanate sounds as you touch them. These sounds come together to (hopefully) create something beautiful.

When we last played the game at E3, we only had the chance to give a single level a try. We're hoping to give it a real go this time around, not only sampling more of the gameplay but seeing what the level editor is all about.

It's easy to imagine that, with enough time, it'd be possible to bang together something amazing with the available tools.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PS Vita)

With the success of the Uncharted series on PlayStation 3, Golden Abyss will no doubt single-handedly sell the PS Vita to numerous Drake-loving fans.

If you've played the previous two games, you'll know what to expect: plenty of rock-face clambering while hiding and gunning from cover every now and again.

The action sequences are what really make this game, and we're excited to hear that there are over two hours of video to sit back with, complete with full voice-acting. We can't wait to get back into Drake's boots.

WipEout 2048 (PS Vita)

The recent PlayStation Network outage and subsequent PSN Welcome Back pack saw us all picking up futuristic racer Wipeout HD on PS3 all over again, and loving the blistering rush.

WipEout 2048 takes place in a far more down-to-earth setting than the other WipEout games - quite literally, as you're whizzing around city streets and dodging skyscrapers.

Of course, it's the multiplayer that we're really looking forward to. Hopefully the devices at Gamescom all be connected up, allowing us all here at Pocket Gamer to get our speed on against each on the show floor.

Mario Kart 7 (3DS)

It's the first ever Mario Kart to have had a number slapped on the end, and when we first heard the name it had us counting past titles on our fingers. Have there really been six Mario Karts?

Turns out there have - and there's not a single bad one in the bunch, so Mario Kart 7 is worth looking forward to. With underwater racing and wings for soaring through the skies, it's shaping up to be something a little bit different.

All we know is that as long as it follows the classic Mario Kart formula, we'll be happy. As with WipEout, we're hoping the multiplayer is good to go on the show floor so we can bomb it through the Mushroom Kingdom together.

Luigi's Mansion 2 (3DS)

And speaking of that scaredy green-clothed plumber, the Luigi's Mansion 2 announcement was easily one of the biggest surprises of E3, the first having launched with the GameCube all the way back in 2002.

Luigi is back with his ghost-eating vacuum cleaner, the Poltergust 3000, to rid multiple mansions of ghouls and things that go bump in the night.

What made Luigi's Mansion so playable was the arcade-style feel to it, as we played over and over to earn more money and end the game with as big a mansion as possible.

With lots of mansions to play through this time around, you may not be able to tear us away from the game on the show floor.

Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

For any Mario fan, the concept behind Super Mario 3D Land is ridiculously mouth-watering. Take the best elements from all the past Mario platformers, bung them all together, and feast on the results.

As we recently found during our hands-on with the game, it all fits together perfectly.

We're hoping that the Gamescom demo version is going to have more levels to try out so we can gain an even better perspective of the scope of this title. We're also looking forward to giving the original demo levels another go and finding all the stars we missed.

Shadowgun (Android)

We constantly find ourselves sitting back in awe when we catch a glimpse of the high-end visuals some developers are managing to squeeze into Android titles. One of these is most definitely Madfinger's Shadowgun.

Coming to Tegra 2 devices later this year, the game sees you taking control of badass John Slade, a bounty hunter on a mission with a rather large arsenal of beefy weapons.

We can't wait to see the game in action at Gamescom. If it looks as good on the move as it does in screenshots, we may need to take a cloth along to wipe the drool from the screen.

Sleepy Jack (Android)

We can all have weird and wonderful dreams from time to time, and Sleepy Jack is no different. His dreams consist of flying through hoops in space, collecting power-ups, and trying to stay asleep.

You control him as he zooms through his dreamscape in levels that are similar to the special stages from Sonic 2. To make sure Jack doesn't wake up, you need to collect 'z's, allowing him to snore away soundly.

We had great fun playing through a level at E3, so we're sure to pick it up at Gamescom too and have another blast while grabbing any more details we can discover.

Creatures 4 (iOS)

The Creatures series first launched more than 20 years ago. It was revolutionary, giving us the chance to actually teach little Norn creatures words, phrases, and manners on our computer screens.

The last Creatures game was released back in 1999, and the series has remained dormant since. Now it's being resurrected for iOS devices, and we couldn't be more excited to get back to grips with the Norns, Ettins, and Grendels.

How will the game work and feel on a touchscreen? Will it be as addictive as the original releases were? All will be revealed when we give it a thorough playthrough at Gamescom.

Battlefield 3 (iOS)

The console version of Battlefield 3 is going head-to-head with Activision's Modern Warfare 3 later this year. But while it's bound to be a clash of epic proportions, it's the handheld clash we're really interested in.

Both titles will also see releases on iOS, and we finally saw footage of Battlefield 3 on iPhone earlier this summer. Now, we're going to get our hands on it at Gamescom, and it's pretty exciting stuff.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was what we'd like to think of as a dry run for the series on iPhone, and while it showed promise there were some niggles here and there. Hopefully these have been ironed out for the upcoming release.
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.