Top 10 3DS and PS Vita games we want to play at E3

It's that time of the year again - time for the Pocket Gamer team to slog its way through sweaty crowds and stand in never-ending queues, all to experience just a few minutes of future gaming bliss.

The E3 gaming expo begins next week, and we'll be there to bring back news, previews, and exactly what you can expect from all the upcoming Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita games.

There are a number of games in particular that we can't wait to get our mitts on. Below, you can find the top five 3DS games and top five PS Vita games that we're yearning to slot into our devices.

Are there any other handheld titles you're looking forward to hearing about from E3? Let us know in the comments. Be polite.

Anyone who owned a GameCube will tell you that Luigi's Mansion, one of the console's launch titles, was a breath of fresh air. You were put you in control of Mario's lanky brother, who hoovered up ghosts left, right, and centre.

The original was perhaps a little too short for our liking, so we're hoping that Luigi's Mansion 2 is going to offer a meatier experience. Some hands-on time with this at E3 is a must.

Paper Mario 3DS

Is there such a thing as a bad Mario RPG? We are yet to experience any turn-based plumber action that didn't warm our cockles and make us squeal inside. So, the forthcoming Paper Mario 3DS game is something we're very much looking forward to.

Plenty of touchscreen battle functionality is promised, so we'll be looking to give the game a thorough testing at E3.

Confirmed earlier this week for 3DS, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate is from the same development team that created the wonderful Lords of Shadow for consoles. It's due to be fully unveiled at E3, and we're rather excited about it.

There aren't many details regarding the game available yet, besides that fact that it will star Trevor Belmont from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. But, if past Castlevania releases for the DS - such as Order of Ecclesia and Dawn of Sorrow - are anything to go by, then we're in for a whopper.

As Nintendo has learnt over the last couple of decades, if you stick Mario in a game, it will sell by the bucketload. Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, for example, helped pull the 3DS out of the virtual danger zone and into 'now-selling-better-than-the-DS' territory.

Due to be released this August, New Super Mario Bros. 2 will no doubt sell oodles of 3DS handhelds on its own, regardless of how it plays (although we're pretty sure it's going to be brill). We'll be all over that sucker at E3.

Animal Crossing is one of those weird franchises which is adored by many yet is often overlooked in favour of more action-packed titles. We've seen Animal Crossing editions for GameCube, DS, and Wii, and now it's the 3DS's turn to get down with Tom Nook and friends.

How will this town-building, life-living title fare in comparison to its predecessors, and will it utilise the 3DS functionality to its fullest? We'll let you know once we've played around with it at E3.

Call of Duty is the biggest video game franchise on the planet. We know absolutely nothing about this upcoming PS Vita version, mind, other than the fact that it is on the way.

Despite that, it is easily one of the most important titles heading to the Vita, especially considering sales of Sony's powerhouse portable are lagging behind everyone else's.

A top-notch Call of Duty could breathe some much-needed life into the Vita platform, as hardcore shooter fans pick it up for some on-the-move CoD.

Did you own a Sega Dreamcast? You most likely have fond memories of Jet Set Radio, then, for this cel-shaded, rollerblading, gang-slamming city explorer was far too much fun for its own good.

A remake for PS Vita, you say? Oh, go on, then. There's been no confirmation yet on whether this will be a straight-up port or a revamp, but we'll be giving it a go at E3 and relaying the deets to you.

A sequel to the cute Wii RPG of an extremely similar name, New Little King's Story follows King Corobo as he attempts to protect his kingdom from the dreaded Nightmare.

As in the original, you recruit an army and go out hunting for fights. The game is due to be released in Europe later this year, so we're hoping to give it a bash at E3.

It's been a hell of a long time coming - the target gaming platform for the title has been changed multiple times - but Retro City Rampage is finally due for release soon, and the PS Vita is getting its own version.

Think GTA mixed with Super Mario, Frogger, Batman... and loads of other different games and genres, actually. Expect mucho hands-ono from us at E3.

Announced earlier this month, KickBeat is an upcoming tasty-looking PS Vita title from Zen Studios, the team behind Zen Pinball.

As you tap buttons to the beat, your kung fu master pulls off some slick moves on the screen and takes down his enemies pronto. We've made a date with this game at E3 already.