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

While there may not have been many surprises at the show, this shouldn't be seen as a reflection of the state of PSP games. In fact, it's more to do with the fact that most developers chose to announce their titles prior to E3, a trend which has become increasingly popular in recent years.

As such, despite some very promising forthcoming software – easily the strongest PSP line-up yet – there was a lack of genuinely new faces.

The few that showed up – MGS: Portable Ops and Traxion spring to mind – certainly intrigued, but ultimately the following games impressed us most.

LocoRoco We keep going on about this, but it's the PSP game that's putting the biggest grin on our faces at the moment. Compared to the frantic energy of most other PSP titles on show, coming to LocoRoco is something of a shock to the system and things feel disappointingly cumbersome. In particular, the swaying motion of the screen is a bit like you're plodding through treacle. Give it a minute or two and your senses adapt – you're soon entranced by the hypnotic music and locked in a beautifully vibrant world as far away from racing cars, combo-crazed fighters and special forces operatives as you're currently likely to find. More LocoRoco>>
Killzone: Liberation Another title we've already said plenty about, though crucially we've yet to mention the control system. Given the team behind the project, it's little surprise to find that everything moves as it should, and even negotiating levels in a blockade-crushing tank (with individual turret control intuitively mapped onto the shoulder buttons) is effortless. As expected, aiming is done automatically, there's the ability to crouch (thereby increasing accuracy) and commanding your AI squad member couldn't be simpler, with pressing up on the D-pad highlighting specific positions around the environment where he can be sent. Choose carefully, though, because Liberation relies on tactical play rather than a brainless approach; just as your computer-controlled ally seems particularly clever in his use of cover and judgement of his surroundings in relation to the position of the enemy, so do your opponents. More Killzone>>
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend Possibly one of the most impressive things about the nearly-finished PSP version of the latest Tomb Raider is how close it resembles its PS2 cousin: same menus, same level design, same game. And despite the necessary drop in graphical prowess (though you might be surprised by how little), this means you can expect the same level of gaming goodness that your console-owning contemporaries enjoyed earlier in the year – a return to form for the frankly increasingly appalling mess the franchise had become. Despite the lack of a second analogue stick, control felt confident, if a little twitchy, and the multiplayer PSP exclusives – Raid & Seek (one player hides artefact, the other finds it) and a timed race against a fellow competitor to find the treasure – feel like genuine additions. The game has been pushed back to June, which is frustrating, though you may take comfort from news that a new range of unlockable outfits for Ms Croft will also now feature. More Lara>>
Tekken: Dark Resurrection Undoubtedly one of the most graphically impressive PSP games so far, Dark Resurrection does more than simply show the rest of the class what a little programming dedication can do. Brilliantly, play feels as solid as the visuals, with multiplayer bouts working well, though the subtle difference in D-pad design on PSP compared with that of the DualShock may take a little practice for those used to entering the Iron Fist Tournament on the PlayStation consoles. Interestingly, newcomer combatants Lili and Dragunov favour grappling techniques, forcing a new style of play. Which is by no means a criticism – quite the opposite, in fact. More Tekken>>
Metal Slug Anthology It may lack the 3D wizardry of some of the others here, but the Metal Slug games' strength has always been their gameplay, which has remained fundamentally unchanged throughout the series. And given the quality of the conversion to PSP, you'll soon be able to witness this firsthand. The version of Metal Slug Anthology shown so far – featuring games 1-5 and variant X – appears technically identical to arcade versions. There's no slowdown and the same delightful sprite-based graphics and beloved relentless 2D shooting action that, while presented in standard 4:3 ratio, can be expanded to fill the whole widescreen. Our only slight reservation is the micro-loading currently present before a larger enemy enters the screen. Although minor, it does tend to present something of a hiccup in an otherwise flawless conversion. Let's hope SNK addresses it before release.