In Brief At E3

By Lev Grossman

The exciting thing about the ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPO isn't so much the finished games as those in the pipeline that will come to market in the coming months. A preview of a few likely hits:

In BLACK & WHITE, above, due out in September from Lionhead Studios, you play a god--a 200-ft.-tall creature who rules over a mythical land with absolute power. Black & White injects moral complexity into computer gaming: you can be a good god or an evil god, the choice is yours. If you've ever felt like Job, this is your chance for payback.

HALO, below, a futuristic combat game expected late this year from Bungie, is building buzz for its amazing graphics, rumored to be the most realistic ever. In one exciting sequence, you and your buddies team up to man different posts on a tanklike military transport--one person driving, another at the big gun, a third riding shotgun. Cool!

The most hotly anticipated sequel unveiled at this year's E3 was MYST III: EXILES. Fans won't be disappointed. Myst III has the same lush, hypnotic scenery as its best-selling predecessors. The screen shots are so gorgeous, they look like Old Master paintings. Myst III is scheduled for distribution late this year.

If E3 is any guide, it's going to be a good Christmas.

--By Lev Grossman