Game Changers

What’s New at E3

EVERY JUNE THE SCREEN-STRAINED EYES OF THE GAMING WORLD TURN TO LOS ANGELES for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, usually referred to as E3, the industry’s premier trade show and hype-a-thon. It’s a massive, closely watched, week-long gauntlet of announcements, previews and demos. This year’s edition featured all the big players, with the exception of Sony (which is rumored to have something big to announce sometime later this year about its forthcoming PlayStation 5.) Newsweek is part of E3’s game critics panel, tasked with choosing this year’s best. Here are our picks:

Watch Dogs: Legion

Ubisoft, 03/06/20

Ubisoft returns to the world of high-tech tactical hacking for the third installment in the franchise. This time around, you can recruit anyone walking in the world (yes, including badass grandmas) to join your underground resistance movement in its fight against dystopian overlords. An emphasis on non-lethal solutions to player missions reveals a thoughtfulness often absent from action-heavy fare.

Marvel’s Avengers

Square Enix, 05/15/20

There is no Endgame when it comes to the world’s hottest comic book franchise. The Avengers’s video game debut features the core heroes (Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Black Widow) at launch but promises to expand to a massive roster of fan favorites. Take the fight to villains like Taskmaster in solo or co-op play and learn to master one Avenger or switch between heroes for the big screen experience.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

Electronic Arts, 11/15/19

The Star Wars fanbase is vast and vocal and Jedi Fallen Order has several disappointing games to make up for. Our hands-on demo showed more promise than pitfall, bouyed by a solid combat foundation spry enough to support crazy Jedi skills. If the story can be as compelling as the combat, fans might finally have the game we’ve been looking for.