The best five mobile games at E3: Pocket Gamer's picks

There's no denying the fact that E3 2006 has been a brilliant show for mobile games. Just about all the major console publishers have come on board now, and collating the resulting tidal wave of games looks set to keep us busy well into next week.

More remarkable than the number of titles though was the sheer diversity, both in quality and concept, with simple one-thumb reaction testers, action adventures, sports sims and multiplayer roleplaying games from existing brands and new IP all heading to your handset.

Whilst we're inclinced to agree that there's a limit to how many poker sims or 'classic' retro titles are needed, those who've dismissed mobile as a fad format only good for Snake need simply to have popped their head into Square Enix's conference – the exclusive episodes of Final Fantasy and a raft of retro classics providing a suitable appetiser to some hasty word-eating.

As if all that wasn't enough, handset giant Nokia finally put us out of our misery about their its generation games platform by showing us some games. The platform will be called the N-Gage, it will be coming next year, and judging by our hands on test, it most certainly will play its part in taking mobile games to the next level.

Orcs & Elves John Carmack has declared that mobile games are his latest love, and his affection is certainly showing through in this exclusive fantasy roleplaying game. Building on the successful engine that powered Doom RPG (still one of our favourite titles) but adding smart new graphics, a range of fantasy weapons (bring on the flaming sword of truth!) and some neat new features (how many games have a talking magic wand as a guide?) Orcs & Elves looks set to capture many more hearts. More Orcs>>
Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII Whilst there were a fair few Final Fantasy games competing for our affections (five were announced in total), Before Crisis gets our top five vote. The game looked incredibly polished, offering a bona fide Final Fantasy roleplaying experience but adding the ability to connect with other mobile adventurers. Let's just hope there's enough suitably powerful handsets in the UK to make the most of these features when it reaches our shores. More Fantasy>>
Lumines Rumour has it that Gameloft held back an earlier version of Lumines because it didn't live up to its standards. If that's true, then the publisher's quality control department could be directly responsible for many lost hours this summer – the mobile puzzler now looks just as compelling as the PSP original. The block-dropping gameplay has been faithfully recreated, but just as importantly they've managed to retain the essence of the pumping music tracks that add so much to the experience. More Lumines>>
Super KO Boxing To be fair we'd seen code of this one well before the show, but the version we got our mitts on in L.A. just made us fall in punch drunk love all over again. A combination of gorgeous cartoon graphics, simple yet subtle controls and a winning sense of humour suggest Super KO Boxing will be able to take on all comers both inside and out of the sporting arena this year. More Boxing>>
System Rush Evolution Although we're tempted to give the final slot to Creatures of the Deep, the intriguing fishing sim, for its sheer originality, in the final reckoning System Rush Evolution accelerated past it, and at quite a lick! Combining sumptuous visuals and simple one-thumb control with jaw dropping speeds, it looks set to be the poster child of the new N-Gage platform. More System Rush>>