The video gaming market has entered a new generation once more and with that shift there’s been a realignment in the expectations of games and the general influx of gaming into the mainstream. The last generation was the first true mainstreaming of the video gaming sphere as more than 2000 games saw release for the major consoles in the 5 years they were on the market. With the 2005 release of the Xbox 360 and the 2006 release of the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 an entirely different approach to the art of gaming has come as well.

Not only are games bigger and more impressive than ever before, they’re more innovative, opening up entire new genres (the Wii has more than a few all by itself) and making online gaming more than a novelty, but an integral part of all games the world over. We’ve yet to see what will really come out of this generation, but we do get to speculate. There are hundreds of top tier titles waiting on the horizon for all the major consoles, games that none of us can wait for.

While gaming tends to hit a bit of a lull whenever new consoles come out, mostly because the old systems lose all their support and the new ones are still in the crucially early development cycle, Sony has always been loyal by keeping a few good titles on the horizon for its last generation fans. This time around is no different, and for many Sony fans, it’s a good thing as the new generation is a bit pricy still to be jumping in head first. That said, let’s take a look at what top tier games Sony and friends held back on for the PS2 faithful among us.

Lumines Plus – February 27 – Lumines was the best reason to buy a PSP when it first came out and still almost is. It’s one of the best puzzle games created since Tetris and the music is awesome. I can’t wait to see how much music they pack into a full blown PS2 edition and more over be able to play it again after I sold my PSP a few months back. The cell phone edition is great, but it’s on a cell phone.

God of War II – March 13 – God of War took the actioner to new heights and the sequel looks to do the same. I played through the first one in a single sitting and then again a couple weeks later. It was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had with an action adventure title in years. If the sequel does things the same way, it’ll be a must have title. Here’s hoping.

Dawn of Mana – March 30 – Square Enix has always been good to PS2 owners, and they’ve got one last title trickling down the pipeline as the end of the PS2’s life comes into site. The Mana series has been hit or miss for a while now, but the original Mana games were incredible RPGs. If they can capture that same feeling once more, this will be a must own title.

Persona 3 – Some time this year – Atlus has been huge on the PS2 in the last couple years, and a new Persona game is big for fans of their work. Their willingness to go beyond the cutesy politically correct RPGs that market to all ages is what makes them so good, and Persona does it with some of the best. Of course this was still just announced and there’s not date, so no jumping the gun yet.