Written by Phillip Levin

E3 will have countless games, but there are at least 10 that are the most important.

It’s almost game time. E3 is next week, just days away. And like every year, there’s a lot of E3 talk. What will be the best game? Which platform will have the best showing? Will E3 suck a lot of – well, you know?

We’ve come up with a list detailing something a little different: the top 10 most important games of E3. What was the criteria required for a game to qualify to make our list? It’s pretty simple actually: this list includes only games that E3 2007 will be important for – these are the games that really matter. This is not a list of our most anticipated or most wanted games. It’s not a list of games we think will “rock.” Oh, and just because a game didn’t make the list doesn’t mean we don’t think it will be important. Not every game can make the list. This is a top 10 list, after all. It’s the nature of the beast.

These are the most important games of 2007.

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Epic’s PS3 “Exclusive” Project (PlayStation 3)

Why it’s important: Rumors love to run rampant on the Internet, and one of the hottest is that Epic and Sony are working together on a PlayStation 3 exclusive (and it’s not Gears of War related). Is such a project really in the works, and will we hear about it at E3? Considering the success of Gears of War for Xbox 360, a similar PlayStation 3-only game could translate into some healthy software and hardware sales for Sony’s big, black $600 box.

Halo 3 (Xbox 360)

Why it’s important: We debated and debated with ourselves when it came to whether or not Halo 3 should be on this list. Truth is, after playing the beta, we don’t know if E3’s going to be all that important for Bungie’s third and very anticipated Halo installment and vice versa: is Halo 3 really that important of an E3 game? We’ve had a taste of the multiplayer (and it’s yummy), but what about that single-player campaign? Will Halo 3 take the Chief back to Earth to “finish the fight,” or will the famous Spartan get stuck in a never-ending hall corridor somewhere near another #&$%!*@ Library? E3 probably won’t completely answer that question, but it could give us a glimpse of what to expect.

Killzone 2 (PlayStation 3)

Why it’s important: E3 2006 came and went without the slightest peep about Killzone 2, despite that it was one of the most talked about games of E3 2005. There are rumors swirling that Guerrilla Games’ anticipated shooter will make its grand return in playable form this year. There are two questions on everybody’s minds: will Killzone 2 look like the trailer Sony showed two years ago at the PS3 unveiling, and will this be the PlayStation 3’s Halo 3 killer?

LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3)

Why it’s important: The Go! Team theme song for LittleBigPlanet has been stuck in our heads since GDC several months ago. And it’s hard not to think about the cooperative platformer any time we begin to hum the melody. E3 will offer an opportunity for the mass media to get their hands on the game. Is it everything it’s been hyped up to be? Will it breathe life into the user-generated content genre, or will it be overshadowed by big guns like Halo 3, Killzone and Mario Galaxy?

Metal Gear Solid 4 (PlayStation 3 and?)

Why it’s important: Another E3 means another Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailer, and that means another chance for Konami to announce the PlayStation 3 exclusive ain’t so “exclusive” anymore. Will the game that everybody and their non-gaming mother thinks is going to end up joining the growing number of one-time PS3-excusives on Xbox 360 actually end up on Microsoft’s PS3-exclusive-killing machine? Only next week will tell, right?

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)

Why it’s important: Retro has a lot to prove with the third Metroid Prime game. The title missed its Wii launch so the team could spend more time developing and polishing it. Was the extra time and money spent on Corruption worth it? What’s more, did the extra months of development time allow Retro to come up with the control scheme that many are hoping will set the first-person standard on Wii? Corruption is not only an important title for Retro, it’s an important title for Nintendo’s next-gen system too.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Why it’s important: It was at E3 last year, and it walked away with Game of the Show from many publications. This year, it’s an important game for one simple reason: the shock factor of the Wii-mote is starting to wear off, and Super Mario Galaxy will have to impress with true great game design. Was Mario Galaxy all that and a bag of chips last E3 2006, or were we all just ecstatic because of the newfangled Wii-mote? We’ll find out next week if the next console Mario game is what we hope it is.

Too Human (Xbox 360)

Why it’s important: Ice bucket jokes aside, E3 2007 is the second chance that Silicon Knight’s Too Human needs. Last year’s demo left some with a sour taste in their mouth, but word on the Interweb is that the Canadian Eternal Darkness and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes development studio has made considerable strides in their development of the epic 360-only trilogy. Do we even have to write “E3 will tell all?” We don’t think so. Moving on?

WiiWare Games (Wii)

Why it’s important: Just a few weeks ago, Nintendo let the cat out of the bag: in 2008, Wii owners will be able to download original Wii games, similarly to how Xbox 360 owners can download original indie games via Xbox Live Arcade. Will WiiWare measure up to the successful XBLA downloads service, not to mention contend with the growingly supported PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3? The only way it can will be through great downloadable games, and hopefully we’ll get a peek at the early WiiWare line-up at this year’s big show.

That One Game We Don’t Know About? Yet (???)

Why it’s important: E3 usually brings with it numerous game announcements. And quite often games unveiled at E3 get all the spotlight. Maybe we know of an unannounced E3 game that we’re not allowed to talk about – one that will steal the show – or maybe we’re just hoping for that out-of-nowhere surprise. You know, the kind that crashes message boards when it’s revealed, as thousands of fanboys rush to claim the game as their messiah. That kind of game.

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Now that you’re done reading, what’s next? E3 2007, that’s what, and AMN will be on hand at this year’s show with hourly coverage, delivering the latest news, hands-on impressions, screenshots, game videos, event photos, interviews and a whole lot more. Don’t miss it.