Best of E3 - Days Gone
Platform(s): PS4
Release date: February 22, 2019
Why do we love it?
Despite the basic premise - an open-world zombie game - it still took a while for Days Gone to click. But once we realized the real appeal of this game isn't mowing down hundreds of ghouls in a row, it's making your own way through a harsh place where dozens of things can go wrong at any time (and when you do, bam, hordes of Freakers everywhere), we were officially on board. Call it Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Zombies, if you like.
Best of E3 - Resident Evil 2
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: January 25, 2019
Why do we love it?
It had been so long since we'd heard anything solid about the Resident Evil 2 remake that we'd started assuming the worst. Nope! All of the gameplay that Capcom showed at E3 2018 looked pitch-perfect, fusing the terrifying premise of the original game with modernized third-person controls. Most importantly, the zombies look and sound terrifying. Imagine that! Zombies actually being scary again!
Best of E3 - Control
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: TBC
Why do we love it?
Remedy Games is the studio that created Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Quantum Break - aka those games where you're just trying to do normal video game protagonist things like having a gun when suddenly literary fiction breaks out everywhere and you get weird powers. Control looks like a fitting continuation of that legacy, and that shifting-architecture, Cabin in the Woods aesthetic never gets old.
Best of E3 - Hitman 2
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: November 13, 2018
Why do we love it?
Hitman 2 really doesn't have a lot to fix from the previous reboot - just give us a fresh set of sprawling levels full of potential targets and novel ways to kill them, and we'll be happy. Of course, we're not just getting that in the sequel; developer IO says we can also expect more stealth options (like hiding in crowds) and more intelligent guards to make our contracts more interesting. Almost 20 years after his first appearance, 47 just keeps getting better.
Best of E3 - Anthem
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: February 22, 2019
Why do we love it?
It lets you fly around like Iron Man. The robot-suit flight was easily the coolest part of the stuff that EA showed off at E3 this year, and that isn't a put-down of the rest of the game - flying just feels really good. Many unanswered questions remain about Anthem, but enjoying the simple act of moving around in a video game world is always a great first step.
Best of E3 - Battlefield 5
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: October 19, 2018
Why do we love it?
For Battlefield 5, the motto seems to be 'Don't fix what ain't broke'. The same gorgeous and tightly-balanced gameplay of, well, pretty much every Battlefield game is back, this time trimmed in a WW2 aesthetic. But there's also a whole lot more this time around: more customization, more modes to enjoy (including four-player co-op, a battle royale mode, and Grand Operations), and more plans for post-launch support.
Best of E3 - Rage 2
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: 2019
Why do we love it?
Mad Max meets Destiny. Fallout meets Doom. However you want to think of it, Rage 2 should be a hell of a lot of fun. Where the first Rage was dreary and self-serious, Rage 2 pumps up the saturation and neon, giving us a more vibrant post-apocalyptic wasteland - one filled with as many jokes as deadly mutants. Gunplay is as tight and satisfying as you'd expect from Id Software, and the addition of superhuman boosts and abilities gives us just enough of that kick-ass vibe to make us feel powerful.
Best of E3 - Forza Horizon 4
Platform(s): Xbox One, PC
Release date: October 2, 2018
Why do we love it?
Racing games generally fall into two camps: arcade and simulation. The arcade-style games ooze cheerful fun, often with larger-than-life impossibilities like flying turtle shells, while simulation games are all about serious presentation and making sure your tire pressure is balanced. Forza Horizon 4 (like the Horizon games before it) straddles these design philosophies, all while making its take on the UK feel alive thanks to dynamic, ever-changing seasons and turning its world into a shared, online hub.
Best of E3 - Dying Light 2
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: TBC
Why do we love it?
Dying Light was a pretty good game at launch, but developer Techland's unfaltering post-launch support over the next three years made it truly special. In that sense, Dying Light 2 may be the most 'earned' sequel ever to be announced at E3. Rejoining the stricken world 15 years after the events of the first game, we'll have the chance to make a much deeper mark on the campaign - all while enjoying refined parkour and zombie-slaying action.
Best of E3 - Destiny 2: Forsaken
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: September 4, 2018
Why do we love it?
Destiny 2's always had great ideas for how to refine and expand on the lofty goals of the first game, and Destiny 2: Forsaken may finally be what pushes the sequel out of its predecessor's shadow. It's tough to separate the paid expansion from all the systemic updates that will also roll out for Year 2, of course, but Gambit mode alone is enough to geek out over.
For all the exciting titles from this year's show, check out the best E3 2018 games.
