Sony PSP: E3's unsung PlayStation

All eyes will be on the PlayStation 3 at Sony's booth, but that doesn't mean the company's handheld will get left in the dust. Lots of PlayStation Portable games are on the way, in all sorts of genres and from all sorts of developers.

The PSP is getting a ton of action games, ranging from the shoot-'em-up to the beat-'em-up. Sony will be unveiling Killzone: Liberation Ratchett and Clank: Size Matters, while DreamCatcher is bringing its violent FPS Painkiller: Hell Wars to the PSP. For those who like their action with fewer bullets, Sega's ubiquitous hedgehog will be making his first appearance on the PSP with Sonic Rivals, a 2D Sonic game with 3D graphics, à la New Super Mario Bros. or Mega Man Maverick Hunter X. Namco's favorite martial artists are also coming to the PSP for the first time, with Tekken: Dark Resurrection.

It wouldn't be a PlayStation without sports games, and the PSP is certainly getting its fair share of them. EA will be bringing its long-lived, much-loved football franchise once again to the PSP with Madden NFL '07. EA's set to please fans of college ball as well with NCAA Football '07, and the sports game giant will probably have a few baseball and basketball titles. Sony is bringing soccer and basketball to the table with NBA '07 and World Cup Soccer '06.

RPG fans are finally getting their wish with a few tasty-looking fantasy morsels on the way to the PSP. The cult RPG Valkyrie Profile is coming to the PSP with new content in Square Enix's Valkyrie Profile Lenneth. Pure RPG isn't the only fun gamers will get; tactics fanatics can get their orc on with the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Tactics from Atari. Though they lack the name recognition of Square Enix or Dungeons and Dragons, other interesting RPGs such as Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light and Legend of Heroes 2: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch are also heading to the PSP.

Retro is still in, with a little help from Capcom. Hot on the heels of the Mega Man remakes Mega Man Powered Up and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is a remade version of Ghosts & Goblins, entitled Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins. This 3D-overhauled arcade classic will be joined by the frenetic, Super Smash Brothers-style brawler anthology Power Stone Collection. Konami and SNK are joining in the nostalgia fun with the upcoming Gradius Collection and Metal Slug Collection, two anthologies of beloved arcade shooters.

The beloved PSP puzzler Lumines is getting a sequel later this year in Lumines 2, and E3 should show us once again just how addictive the flashy block-dropper can be. If a long night of block-dropping can't hold your attention span, the risqué-looking Hot Pxl and soon-to-be-renamed Baiten Hell 2000 will bring WarioWare-like ADD-puzzle gameplay to your PSP. And if block-dropping, game-popping, light-poking fun just isn't enough for you, the bizarre Loco Roco is also on the way, promising some crazy, colorful, cartoony, puzzle action.