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Candy Box, the quirky, text-only flash game that got a lot of attention last month, now has a rival: A Dark Room, which begins just as simply before unfolding into a much larger game of commerce and intrigue. A Dark Room is made by a one-man outfit called Doublespeak Games, which registered its domain around the time Candy Box got going. (The registration is concealed.) The game begins with you in the titular dark room, able to light a fire only and stoke it. From there you encounter a helpful stranger, and venture out into the forest to gather more wood and trap animals. Comments on Doublespeak's blog page and in other forum threads (warning, spoilers) hint at a much deeper story, which some call more cohesive than Candy Box's whimsical magical journey. I've only been playing A Dark Room for about 40 minutes and was determined to get enough wood to build the smokehouse first, probably because I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. I keep getting these mysterious scales in my trap. What's that all about? The game's creator says he has patched out several bugs that have cropped up since the game launched last week, but reminds players that A Dark Room isn't mobile-browser friendly. " I might expand ADR a bit (eventually)," he said, "but I wouldn’t expect a full-blown sequel. I’ve got lots of ideas rolling around in my head." Aniwey, the creator of Candy Box, gives A Dark Room a thumbs up. "A fantastic game," he said over Twitter last week. A Dark Room [Doublespeak games, via NeoGAF]

Here’s what’s going on Talk Among Yourselves, our reader-written blog: Little Sparowe talks about how an infamous line of trash talk from Microsoft’s E3 presentation made her feel. GiantBoyDetective asks what kind of time investment you expect from a game purchase. And go jump into the conversations happening in Cimeas’ post about this generation’s console exclusives. And you can always go join the voices talking about video games and life in TAY Classic and in the TAY: Open Forum.

PopCap Games is known for making games that appeal to a mass audience, and perhaps none are more so than Plants vs. Zombies. The cute 'n clever tower defense game has connected with players of all ages and origins. A sequel, then, was inevitable, and after an announcement last year we finally got to see the game in action at E3 last week.

It's unfortunate, however, that much of the discussion around Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time, at least during the game's iOS launch, probably won't be around any of the great new content. There are new zombie enemies, new plants, three new worlds set in different time periods, touchscreen-centric powerups that allow you to throw zombies around or pinch them apart, and even a new "plant food" buff that gives each plant an extra burst of ability when used.

At launch, they'll probably all get lost in the mix, because there's one other big difference between the first Plants vs. Zombies and its sequel: PvZ 2 is a freemium game.

A shadowrun rarely goes exactly according to plan. Originally planned for release this month, Harebrained Schemes' Kickstarter-backed Shadowrun Returns is bringing its classic single-player isometric role-playing action to PC and tablets on July 25. It barely feels like over a year has passed since Shadowrun pen-and-paper RPG creator Jordan Weisman launched the Kickstarter that promised a return to the glory of the Super Nintendo Shadowrun game, making up for the 2007 shooter I don't feel like talking about anymore. Within months we had a ton of art and screens. Then we got gameplay. There was a little DRM confusion, but now we've got the full game coming our way. Not only do we get the full game, we also get a feature-rich editor that players more talented than I can use to create and share their own adventures. Early backers have already been creating some amazing things with it. Shadowrun Returns is currently available for preorder on Steam for $17.99, with simultaneous worldwide release planned for PC, Android tablets and iPad July 25.

This year, E3 had so many games. So many. But watching demos and reading impressions is one thing; we want to play these games. Sadly, a lot of them won't be coming out just yet. Lots of E3 games will land this year, no doubt. In fact, one of them is already here—Naughty Dog's The Last of Us launched last Friday, right at the end of E3 week. Some, like Pikmin 3, will arrive this summer. Others, like the new Assassin's Creed, will come out close to the launch of the new consoles this fall. In a way, it's good that a sizable chunk of games aren't coming until 2014; there's simply too many games, and spacing them out a bit certainly doesn't hurt. With that in mind, let's have a look at which games have been announced for what's left of this year. 2013 Titles Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagArma3Batman: Arkham OriginsBatman: Arkham Origins BlackgateBattlefield 4Beyond: Two SoulsBrothers: A Tale of Two SonsCall of Duty: GhostsCastle of Illusion HDCastlevania: Lords of Shadow 2Command & ConquerCompany of Heroes 2ContrastDead Rising 3DeadpoolDeus Ex: Human Revolution Director's CutDeus Ex: The FallDisney InfinityDonkey Kong Country: Tropical FreezeDragon's CrownDriveclubDuckTales: RemasteredDynasty Warriors 8FIFA 14Final Fantasy X/X-2 HDForza Motorsport 5Game & WarioGran Turismo 6Hometown StoryJust Dance 2014Killer InstinctKiller is DeadKillzone: MercenaryKillzone: Shadow FallKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 RemixKnackLocoCycleLost Planet 3Madden NFL 25Mario & Luigi: Dream TeamMario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter GamesMuramasa RebirthNBA Live 14Need for Speed: RivalsNew Super Luigi UNHL 14Peggle 2Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual DestiniesPikmin 3Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About TimePokémon X/YPro Evolution Soccer 2014Project X ZonePuppeteerRayman LegendsRyse: Son of RomeRune Factory 4Saints Row IVScribblenauts UnmaskedShin Megami Tensei IVSkylanders: Swap ForceSonic Lost WorldSouth Park: The Stick of TruthSuper Mario 3D WorldTales of XilliaTearawayTekken RevolutionThe Legend of Zelda: A Link Between WorldsThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HDThe WitnessThe Wonderful 101Time and EternityTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: BlacklistTotal War: Rome IIValhalla Knights 3Watch DogsWii Fit UWii Party UWolfenstein: The New OrderYs: Memories of Celceta Here's what's in store for next year. 2014 Titles Bayonetta 2Dark Souls IIDestinyDragon Age: InquisitionDying LightFantasia: Music EvolvedinFamous: Second SonLightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIIILords of the FallenMad MaxMario Kart 8Murdered: Soul SuspectPlants vs. Zombies: Garden WarfareQuantum BreakSuper Smash Bros.The CrewThe Elder Scrolls OnlineThe Evil WithinThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntThiefTitanfallTom Clancy's The DivisionTransistorTrials FrontierTrials FusionXYaiba: Ninja Gaiden ZYoshi's New Island And after that? These titles, for some reason or other, didn't have their release dates revealed during E3. We know they're in development, but not when they'll be here. When It's Done™ Titles BelowCrimson DragonDayZ StandaloneFez IIFinal Fantasy XVFlower VitaHalo SequelKingdom Hearts IIIMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom PainMinecraft: Xbox One EditionMirror's Edge 2Project SparkRise of the TriadStar Wars: BattlefrontSunset OverdriveThe Order: 1886 Phew. So Kotaku, from this veritable swarm of upcoming games, which ones do you want to get your hands on the most? Sound in below! Questions? Comments? Contact the author of this post at andras-AT-kotaku-DOT-com.

Earlier tonight, chiptune-rock band Anamanaguchi performed their hit song Endless Fantasy on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. And now I've got a sudden hankering for some space pizza.

For their Video Games Week, the crew of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon created a custom game reference-packed intro for the show. They managed to fit in quite a lot, for a thirty-three second clip—including the obligatory chiptune soundtrack. Neat! Check it out above.

When players look back on the platformers of yore, it's easy to forget one important thing about them: They're tough. Modern platformers allow infinite retries and plentiful checkpoints, but old-school platformers, like Disney's Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, required precise jumps over one-hit enemies and sent you back to the beginning of a level, or even the game itself, when all your lives were lost.

Sega has preserved that difficulty in the remastered version of the game, as seen on the floor of E3 2013 last week. Sega Studios Australia has teamed up with the original game's creator, Emiko Yamamoto (who still works for Disney in Japan), to recreate the game in 3D and add new elements.

Courtesy of Late Night's Video Game Week, here we have a list of games Jimmy Fallon wants us to avoid. Personally, I'm convinced. Then again, it's true you wouldn't expect stellar quality from a Hooters game, and E.T. is pretty much a no-brainer, but I think something like Captain Novolin could have worked had they spent a little more time polishing— ... no, sorry, I can't finish that sentence. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is featuring video game-related content all week. Here's what Fallon had to say about Killer Instinct and Forza Motorsport 5 on the Xbox One.

Later this year, Japan will get a live action adaptation of 009-1, a cyborg-filled manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori (Cyborg 009, Kamen Rider). But while it shares many themes, its creator, and a “009” in the title with popular anime and manga Cyborg 009 (which had a brand new anime film released this past year), the plots of the two series are completely unrelated. 009-1 The End of the Beginning takes place in a world where the cold war never ended and has continued for 140 years. Mylene Hoffman, codename “009-1,” works for the western block as part of an all-female group of spies. To help her with her various missions, she has been outfitted with all kinds of cybernetic augmentations—including a pair of 9mm machine guns hidden in her breasts. To see the trailer of the film, check out the video above. 009-1 The End of the Beginning will be released in Japanese theaters on September 7, 2013. There is currently no word on an international release. 009-1 Science-Fiction Action Manga Gets Live-Action Film [Anime News Network] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. To contact the author of this post, write to BiggestinJapan@gmail.com or find him on Twitter @BiggestinJapan.

Soul Saga is described by its developers as "A love letter to J-RPG classics from the Playstation era like Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Suikoden, and Persona." Which means, in case you hadn't got that far on your own yet, some Westerners are looking for money on Kickstarter to make a new "classic" JRPG. Most of the development work is actually being handled by just one guy, Mike Gale, and other games he cites as inspiration are Chrono Trigger and especially Final Fantasy X. He's looking to release the game on PC, and there's a big rundown of the planned universe - and mechanics - on the Kickstarter page. Soul Saga! A J-RPG inspired by Playstation classics [Kickstarter, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun] Soul Saga [Steam Greenlight]

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z stars Yaiba Kamikaze, a ninja killed by primary series star Ryu Hayabusa during a duel. We're not sure how Yaiba came back from the dead, but at least we can see how he died.

What, you think he took classes? Years of college just so he could say a few lines in a video game? No way. Dude did the bare minimum and hoped you wouldn't find out. Whoops. Other cosplay highlights this week include a Terry Bogard who should really be called Terri, some unbelievable Assassin's Creed costumery and a very Final Fantasy wedding. To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand” button in the bottom-right corner. Fancy Pants is Kotaku's weekly round-up of the best in video game cosplay (costume play), where fans dress up as their favourite characters. As seen on RBF-productions-NL. As seen on SparklePipsi. As seen on Malindachan. As seen on avengers63. As seen on S-Seith. As seen on Nightlyre. As seen on Shirokii. As seen on Katsumiyo. As seen on nadyasonika.

I know, I know. The season ended last week. But seeing as how we were knee-deep in E3, I didn't get a chance to watch the finale until much later in the week. So, I thought I'd do our normal post-GoT off-topic a week late. What did you guys think of this season? My thoughts, briefly: It was a stronger season than season 2, and not just because it had big exciting stuff like the Bear and the Maiden Fair and the Red Wedding. The pacing was better overall, and it pretty quickly shed that disjointed feeling it had at the start to become much more focused. Given how sprawling things get over the next few books, I'm thinking the show will always have to battle with its fragmented nature, but as long as they can have great scenes like the one in the finale with all of the Lannisters (sans Jaime) together at one table, I'll be happy. So, generally speaking, good season. I'm curious to see how they do season four and onward, since at some point they're going to have to start combining the events of books four and five into several ongoing seasons. Can't have whole seasons without certain character, or those actors will head off and find other work. So, what did you think? Of the finale, and of the season as a whole? Let us know in the comments, and if you want to spoil some stuff that hasn't happened yet in the books, do add copious spoiler tags. And as always, for a very interesting, in-depth look at the season finale, check out Charlie Jane's recap over at io9.

At its heart, Animal Crossing is a game that's all about personal flair, customization, and expressing yourself. And now that even franchises like Pokemon allow players to choose their skin color, some are wondering: why doesn't Animal Crossing allow you to do the same thing? All player characters in Nintendo's intensely charming life sim start off as white, although the games have typically allowed players to get a tan if they stay out in the sun for long enough: The tan eventually wears off, but the inclusion of this mechanic makes it clear that the game already has the assets for a variety of skin colors...it just doesn't let you pick them. (Although obviously, I imagine allowing players to choose their skin color would still take work to properly implement). It should be noted that other facial features are dictated by the game itself, depending on what you say at the beginning of the game—although later you get to customize aspects such as hair style. Savvy players might look at a FAQ to ensure that they look how they desire. Nintendo also added the ability to customize small details with New Leaf, such as socks and shoes. For now, many fans have taken to Twitter and other places around the web to voice their concerns to Nintendo—they're hoping for a patch of sorts. Here's a small selection of Tweets, although you can peruse the @ replies in their entirety here: ur character's skin tone changes when you wear a mii mask, not just when ur tan. come on @nintendoamerica u can do this. it's already there please let people choose their skin color in animal crossing! it's important that everyone is able to play as themselves. I think it would be a Good Idea for a whole bunch of folks to message @NintendoAmerica asking for this option as a patch in New Leaf. Hey @NintendoAmerica having different, non tanning skin tones in New Leaf would make this game even more amazing. Hey @NintendoAmerica patch in skin tones in #ACNL because it's really unfair to make your players be white hi @NintendoAmerica good job on the gender thing but my non-white friends are still forced to play as a white character pls fix that

Check out this video demonstration of Tower of Guns, one of the coolest surprises at the Indiecade booth during E3. The roguelike FPS is the work of one man, ex-38 Studios developer Joe Mirabello. After 38 imploded, Mirabello decided to pursue his own personal project, and Tower of Guns was born. In this video, he gives us a look at how the game will work, from guns as character classes to randomization. You can find out more at Towerofguns.com, and if you pre-order the game you'll get a playable copy of the early version he was playing at E3. And here's the trailer Mirabello put together for PAX:

Crytek is building an overhead, tactical action game called The Collectibles for iOS devices, 9 to 5 Mac reports. Crytek demoed The Collectibles at WWDC last week, played with a new, MFi-supported controller, the site says. MFi is Apple's new program that opens up the iOS SDK for game controller hardware and accessories.

The Collectibles has players command a team of five through the ruins of war in a jungle environment, as shown by a series of screenshots with the report. The Collectibles allows for touchscreen or controller play, or both simultaneously for some features.

The Collectibles doesn't officially exist yet. Crytek's most recent foray into our headlines was with Ryse: Son of Rome, a third-person action game coming to Xbox One. We got a chance to play it during E3 and found it more aggressive than expected.

Chloe Sagal, game developer who tried to commit suicide on Twitch following a crowdfunding scandal, recently wrote something about what actually happened to her.

"Why do we eat garbage?" Of all the questions pondered by snackologists since the founding of the science, this is the most contentious, its possible answers the fuel for many of the field's most fervent dance-offs. Some say the answer is convenience — what's easier to prepare, a pita filled with mayonnaise or Beef Wellington? Others argue it's economic — healthy food costs more than shitty food. Me? I subscribe to the apathy school. Humans, as a whole, just don't give a *crag* anymore. Need proof? It's right here. Hot Pockets — a $2 billion a year segment of the frozen sandwiches and snacks category. Two. Billion. Dollars. Invented by Paul and David Merage in the 1970's, Hot Pockets first hit the market in 1983. Capitalizing on the ever-growing prevalence of the microwave oven, these meat and cheese turnovers were embraced by a society that knew a time was coming when they'd be so enraptured by food reviews on the internet they'd have no time to eat anything the alien archaeologists visiting Earth three decades centuries from now would ever mistake for something one might ingest, even on a dare. Fun Fact: In 2002 Nestlé purchased Hot Pocket parent company Chef America, becoming the owner of yet another variety of things we probably shouldn't put in our mouths. What makes a Hot Pocket a Hot Pocket? For one, it has to be hot, at least eventually. It also has to be a pocket, or in this case a turnover. It's essentially a meat, cheese and vegetable Danish, made with only the highest quality things resembling meat, cheese and vegetables. It is cooked in the microwave in a cardboard sleeve specially created to make it somewhat crispy, while telling you about other horrible things you can eat. The great Hot Pocket lie: You cannot cook a Hot Pocket in the oven. Perpetuated by the fact that the Hot Pockets package does not contain oven heating instructions, Hot Pockets can indeed be cooked in the oven. In fact, just about anything can be cooked in an oven. That's what an oven is for — cooking things, even things that don't wish to be cooked, like Hot Pockets and George Clooney. (Disclaimer: Do not cook George Clooney, mostly.) An oven-baked Hot Pocket requires no cardboard sleeve to achieve crispiness, though the sleeve is required if you want to start a fire in your oven. (Disclaimer: Set all the fires in your oven.) How to Eat a Hot Pocket The Actual Review, Actually For the sake of having an actual review and not just a random collection of words followed by three lines of the word "shit" repeated over and over again, I bought and ate some Hot Pockets. Here's how that went. Pepperoni Pizza (with Buttery Garlic Crust) What the deuce? Buttery garlic crust? In an effort to confuse as many people as possible, Nestlé recently started segregating Hot Pockets by crust type. A single traditional flavor, like Pepperoni Pizza, can now be found in a couple of different crust variants. I went with buttery garlic because if every component of what I am eating isn't directly contributing to the ensuing heartburn I feel cheated. Extremely buttery and garlic-flavored crust aside, Pepperoni Pizza is one of the more sensible Hot Pockets flavors. You want pizza, but you don't want a whole pizza. Or one made with premium ingredients. Or one that leaves you with your self-respect intact. What are you gonna pick? One of these. If all pizza is to you is sauce, cheese, bread and some sort of spicy meat, than this would probably do. If all pizza is to you is sauce, cheese, bread and some sort of spicy meat, you're probably not particularly concerned about anything enough to care. Ham and Cheese (with Buttery Crust) I don't know why I split the Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket lengthwise, though I suspect it was for reasons of prolonging its imagined pain. This is just *crag*ing lazy, folks. Pizza I can understand — it requires some modicum of skill. This is ham. Ham and cheese. On bread. If you want to take it to the Paula Deen levels seen here, then slather some butter on that bastard, but come on — make your own damn sandwich. And use Swiss cheese. Sharp orange cheddar-ish with ham-like reminds me of toddler vomit. Philly Steak and Cheese (on Croissant Crust) Having grown up on the outskirts of Philadelphia, *crag* you, Hot Pockets. I'd sooner eat Steak-Ums, even though they sound like they are about to correct me on the internet. Also, on behalf of my friends in France, *crag* you, Hot Pockets. I am not privy to the exact recipe used to craft that country's most popular baked good, but I am pretty damn sure it's not a couple of layers of fillo dough. BBQ Chicken (on Pretzel Bread) I'm cheating just a little bit here. While a Hot Pocket version of the BBQ chicken in pretzel bread exists, this is the Lean Pockets variety, and it's the closest to edible-without-shame the brand gets. These marvelous bastards are only 250 calories a piece, and while those calories don't contain much of anything useful, they almost — almost — taste like BBQ chicken. Not barbecue chicken, mind you, but BBQ, barbecue's slutty cousin. Honestly the chicken flavor is incredibly vague, and the BBQ has a burn to it that doesn't seem like it should be there (syphilis?), but the pretzel bread is so wonderful they could stuff this with bits of ground glass and I'd — get my innards torn to shreds by ground glass. (Disclaimer: I got nothing.) I'd suggest not eating these, but such a suggestion is probably beyond my power. As mentioned previously, Hot Pockets and their various spin-offs are a $2 billion business. I'm no mathematician, but statistically that means you are eating one right now. Look down at your hand. Slowly. Don't be obvious. Dammit, it ran away. It'll be back. Snacktaku is Kotaku's take on the wild and wonderful world of eating things, but not eating meals. Eating meals is for those with too much time on their hands. Past critiques can be found at the Snacktaku review archive.

The developer beta for iOS on iPad isn't out yet, but one developer is still giving everyone a glance.

Meet Cyberdwarf. Cyberdwarf is a character in the ridiculous (and wonderful) video game Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden. Cyberdwarf now has his very own body pillow. See, when the folks behind Barkley launched a Kickstarter for the sequel (which is called The Magical Realms of Tír na nÓg: Escape from Necron 7 - Revenge of Cuchulainn: The Official Game of the Movie - Chapter 2 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa), one of the rewards was a body pillow. A Cyberdwarf body pillow. Cyberdwarf, by the way, is a dwarf whose skin is made out of a basketball. He is a scholar on all things hoop(z). When I saw that Cyberdwarf's body pillows had been sent to Kickstarter backers, I asked Barkley designer Eric Shumaker to send me some photos. And he delivered. Oh, he delivered. Enjoy these photos of the Cyberdwarf body pillow. It's about as close as you can get to having a plush basketball dwarf cushion to call your own.

State of Decay developer Undead Labs can't begin working on its follow-up game, an MMO called Class4, until it agrees with Microsoft on a series of terms about future technology, support and goals, Undead's community director Sanya Weathers told Eurogamer.

Microsoft owns the IP for Class4, following a deal that funded and developed State of Decay, Weathers said: "We cannot begin working on Class4 without a greenlight from Microsoft ... and a mutually agreeable contract." Undead is still talking with Microsoft about the specifics of Class4.

State of Decay was originally called Class3, and Undead viewed it as the first step toward that larger MMO project, Undead founder Jeff Strain told us in 2011. "The minute-by-minute core of the game will all be there in Class3," Strain said. "The only thing it won't have is the massive player participation the sequel will have."

Today, Weathers explained the negotiations with Microsoft regarding Class4. "We have to agree on where we think the technology is going to be in a few years (since the game will take a few years to develop); we have to agree that we have the same goals; and we have to agree on how we'll collectively run and support the final game," Weathers said.

State of Decay is doing well - since its launch on June 5, it's been crowned the fastest-selling original game on Xbox Live Arcade, ever, with 500,000 sales. We found State of Decay's premise and vibe to be tense (in a mostly good way), but we ran into some technical issues that Undead is currently having problems patching.

After sitting through the Nintendo developer roundtable at E3, which featured Tsunekazu Ishihara and Junichi Masuda of The Pokemon Company and Game Freak respectively, it struck me: much has changed since the Pokemon: Red and Blue days. I'm not just talking about how there's a new fairy type now, either. I'd like to think I'm not a slave to nostalgia; I think modern Pokemon games are great and I love where the new, sometimes absurd designs, are going. The early games hold a special place in my heart by virtue of being my introduction to the series, but that doesn't mean I think they're better. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but god, the early games were hugely imbalanced, I strained my eyes without a backlit screen, and the older sprites don't compare to the gorgeous color ones we have today. Still, there is one thing I wish hadn't changed from those days. "Pokemon has always been about evolving alongside the hardware to better promote communication between players so they can enjoy the core elements of Pokemon—which are really collecting, battling and trading," Ishihara explained during a segment of the presentation that focused on connectivity in Pokemon games. You can see that dedication to connectivity when you take a look at how innovative the idea of trading was in Pokemon Red and Blue: most uses of the Nintendo Game Link cable at the time focused on competitive play. The Game Link cable might've helped the fact that Game Boy bricks couldn't wirelessly connect with one another, but that cable fix did something wonderful: it forced you to connect with other people in person. It's technology that encourages friendship—which is perfect for a game like Pokemon, which is also all about the power of friendship. The same can be said of the Game Boy Advance wireless adapter: it was a technological shortcoming that required players to be within a certain range, but it was that exact quality that encouraged players to bond with one another. That sort of interaction is a dying breed everywhere but tabletop gaming. I still remember how damned difficult it was to trade or battle other trainers in those early days, though. There were always a bunch of people who had the games, but having the proper gear at the right time limited how often the average person got to play with other people. Compare that to the 80 million trades completed since Diamond and Pearl, which was when Pokemon games started to let players communicate over the internet. And now that Pokemon X & Y is introducing the Player Search System—which allows players to be always connected—collecting, battling and trading has never been easier. And that's exactly the "problem." I won't say the days of Game Link and wireless adapters were convenient. Tech-wise, that stuff is archaic and inelegant compared to being a few taps away from communicating to other players. Yet, it's exactly that ease that has made communication with other players lose the weird charm of having to have all the cables, of having to know someone else that was willing to sit down with you and battle or trade face-to-face. Collecting, battling and trading has never been easier. And that's exactly the "problem." So no, I don't believe that having easy access to all Pokemon is inherently a good thing. How much does a Pokemon like Machamp, or any other Pokemon that only evolves when you trade it, mean to me when I can easily acquire it? I can still list out the Pokemon I traded in the older games; it was so rare then that any trades were memorable events. I still remember the first time I brought my Game Boy Color to school and traded my Charizard for a Pikachu—only to get my handheld confiscated because they weren't allowed in school. I've traded and battled dozens of times over that amount in the newer games, which is great—but I can barely recall any of it. That's because connecting from the comfort of your home rarely results in memorable stories. If the Pokemon games are about fostering powerful relationships with my Pokemon and with other trainers, then the ease of trading is in direct opposition to that. My Pokemon have become easily tradeable data, critters which have more in common with the stock market than a puppy or friend. Most trainers online, meanwhile, are nothing more than a means to test my own strategic wit. Bonding not necessary. I'll still use the PSS system, of course. I'm not going to pretend I don't take advantage of how easy the games make it for me now; I do. But for a franchise that is all about connectivity, it's a shame that that connectivity seems to have become less meaningful. The Multiplayer is a weekly column that looks at how people crash into each other while playing games. It runs every Monday at 6PM ET.

If this is an accurate representation of next-gen gaming, I will be...pleased.

Thanks for tuning in for E3 coverage this week, everybody. The crew is taking a bit of a break today, so I wanted to give you an overview of the content that went up last week, just in case you happened to miss any of it.

Videos

• Take a look at what Jeff thought of last Monday's press conferences. (Apologies for the quality; this was webcammed to Twitch for unfortunate reasons.)
• The Longest Day: What's it like trying to cover four major press conferences in a single day? Turns out, it's enough work for two Drews.
• E3 Day One: Brad really likes the PS4 controller. He really, really likes it.
• E3 Day Two: Is there such a thing as a typical day at E3?
• Fantasia: Music Evolved: Is this going to be the first great Xbox One game?
• Disney Infinity: Johnny V and John Drake come by to chat up all things Disney and get goofy while doing so. BIZDEV.
• Call of Duty: Ghosts: Infinity Ward reacts to the reaction to this year's puppiest game.
• Watch_Dogs: Your weapon is choice in Ubiosoft's upcoming hackathon.
• Holy crap there are a lot of trailers to go through if you didn't already!

Giant Bombcasts

• The Sealed Envelope. This was recorded before E3's press conferences kicked off. How wrong, or right, were we?
• Day One Wrap-up audio and video. Featuring guests from Naughty Dog, Polygon, Gearbox, Game Informer, and more. Wanna learn about butt tumblrs? Here you go.
• Day Two Wrap-up audio and video. Featuring Jonathan Blow, Cliffy B., Respawn Entertainment, and others! Is it a lockdown, baby?
• Day Three Wrap-up audio and video. StepTo and E swing by, as does Adam Boyes with a very special surprise...

Interviews

• Denis Dyack: The controversial developer talks about past foibles and his current attempts to find Shadow of the Eternals.
• Cloudberry Kingdom: An interview with the developers of this randomly-generated super-hard platformer.
• The Evil Within: Shinji Mikami created Resident Evil. Can he repeat that success with The Evil Within?
• Sony: Scott Rohde swings by to talk about all things Playstation 4.
• Nintendo: Charlie Scibettta's a senior communications director for Nintendo, but Patrick didn't get much out of him.
• Outlast: Is a crowded show floor the best place to show off a horror game? Probably not!
• Mercenary Kings: Exactly how stressful is it to show off your game in a press conference?
• Nordic Games: Will THQ's franchises feature any kind of life after death?
• The Division: The latest Clancy megafranchise is looking very, very slick indeed.

Other Podcasts

• Dear E3 Diary: Part 1 and Part 2. Patrick kept a running audio diary throughout E3. Catch up on his off-the-cuff thoughts here.
• The Bethesda Report: Patrick and Brad chat about Bethesda's lineup of games.
• Quantum Break/inFamous: Second Son: Two console exclusives get talked down.
• Alex, Brad, a Cab: Panama!: Alex and Brad chat up E3 shenanigans in part one and two.

The Guns of Navarro

• Check out Alex's post-show mailbag!

This is Agricola, available now on iOS from Playdek Games. Based on one of German board game designer Uwe Rosenberg's finest creations, it's deep, satisfying and a little complex, but nowhere near as complex as this: This is how Agricola works as a physical board game. It's a mad whirlwind of cards and resource counters and fence pieces and play fields. There is math involved, turns to keep track of, resources to manage — it's brilliant. It eats an entire table, but there's nothing wrong with that. Unless there is. I don't have table space. I don't have regular gatherings of people willing to spend the time setting up a magnificent game like Agricola, let alone playing it with me. I own a copy of the physical game, which I've fondly looked over on various occasions, but I've never had the opportunity to play. And now I have, thanks to Playdek's faithful adapatation. It's still a game about raising a family and building a farm. There are still crops to gather, renovations to perform, livestock to raise, wood to chop, stone to pick — all of the game's glorious minutiae is intact, but I can play it online, likely against other people I'm sure have the boxed game sitting in their closet. Here's how the game works. You play a couple raising a family on a farm. Each turn you get an action for each person in your family, during which you can gather materials, plant crops, build useful additions to your home, et cetera. You can add more workers, expanding your family, but during upkeep you have to make sure you have enough food for each member. Players have to balance food, farm, fauna and family to come out the other end the winner. Playdek's version of the game simplifies farming, livestock-raising and home-improving with a single screen that acts as the players' building area. The screen at the top of the post is the action screen. Workers can be dropped onto these spaces to select which actions to perform in a turn. The winner of an online match of Agricola is determined by math, which the app (thankfully) takes care of. Each player acquires or loses points based on their performance across a number of categories, with the highest score winning. It takes a sharp mind to balance actions and improvements with food generation and family growth, which comes much more freely when you're not worried about spilling coffee all over your expensive board game. It's not merely the convenience that makes Agricola such a wonderful digital adaptation. It's the game's accessibility, especially where new players are concerned. Imagine a board game novice wandering about a science fiction convention's gaming area. They see people playing a game like Agricola — it looks really interesting, but they're worried the learning curve might be too steep. Here's a place to learn. I wish every modern board/card game had one. Agricola Genre: Board / CardDeveloper: Playdek, Uwe RosenbergPlatform: iOSPrice: $6.99 Get Agricola in iTunes

People like zombie video games? Go figure. State of Decay has sold more than 500,000 copies since its June 5 release on Xbox Live, making it the service's fastest-selling original game of all time. A Steam version is still in the works, says Undead Labs.

Like millions of other people all over the world this weekend, Mike Fahey and I both saw Man of Steel. There’s a lot riding on this reboot of the Superman movie franchise, which comes during the year of the 75th anniversary of the character’s first appearance. If you’re a longtime comics reader like Mike or myself, then all those previous versions of Kal-El from the last three-fourths of a century probably flew through your head if you saw Man of Steel. But, while Man of Steel draws on that publishing history, it delivers a very different Clark Kent to the silver screen. In the chat below, Fahey and I talk about what we wanted and got from Man of Steel, from how it started to how it ended. This isn’t a review. For that, head over and read the excellent iO9 write-up. This is just two people talking about a man in a cape. Join us in the comments below if you want to talk about how you felt about the newest Superman movie. Spoilers from here on out. Seriously, stop scrolling if you haven’t seen the movie yet. Mike: Before we begin discussing Man of Steel, I have something important to share with people who've not seen the movie yet. Evan: Please do share. Mike: For the full effect, they need to bring an MP3 player to the theater, and play this song over the entire opening sequence. Evan: I thought the same thing for the opening moments on Krypton, too! It reminded me so much of the kid of science-fantasy that I used to see in old Heavy Metal magazines. The re-imagining of Krypton was what I liked most about Man of Steel. Mike: Russell Crowe was just a few black leather straps away from being Taarna from 1981's Heavy Metal movie. Maybe some hair extensions. Evan: Krypton here diverged pretty wildly from previous interpretations. This was the first Superman adaptation to make me feel like something awesome was being lost when Krypton died. Mike: It certainly did! Jor-El has never seen this much screen time pre-explosion. Evan: Yeah, and he felt more human, more knowable. That planet felt lush, wild and unpredictable. Mike: He was more "I'm a scientist and a preacher of peace but I can really kick ass when hard-pressed". Evan: Let's step back for a second: how did you feel when you left the theater? Mike: When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I felt fulfilled. I felt like this was a big-screen version of Superman I could believe in, at least until the inevitable sequel comes along and ruins it. Evan: I liked it when I left but kept turning it over in my head and got very cranky at parts of it. This keeps floating to the top of my brain: There wasn't enough sunshine in Man of Steel. I don't mean sunlight. There were god-rays for days… Mike: You're talking about lightheartedness? Frivolity? Feel-good? Evan: Exactly. Mike: This isn't that Superman, and I'm glad. Evan: I don't know… there was this subtext of embarrassment for me. All the jerky handheld, all the gray ash dampening things: they just stand in for the sense of shame hovering over the movie. Shame that demands that Superman's brightness be dampened to make it, what, easier to swallow? Mike: Strange. How long have you been reading the Superman comics? Evan: Man, since I was 7, 8? The first comic I remember reading was a DC Comics Presents, which was a team-up title that was always Superman and somebody else. Mike: And you've enjoyed the character? Would you consider him one of your favorites? Evan: Definitely. I hate the backlash that people throw at Superman. Batman's darker persona seems more real-world, yeah, but that doesn't mean that Superman can't be great in a different way. (It was this comic, BTW.) I recognize that Superman can be corny and feel unwieldy in terms of creating conflict. But when the creators nail the execution, the character's best stories are freakin' great. That's what frustrated me about the movie: parts of it didn’t rise to the challenge. Mike: So, then, perhaps the shame you're feeling hovering over this film is coming from you, sitting in a room filled with movie-goers who might not have accepted the character as you've come to know him. It's like dating someone who's really quirky when you're alone, but puts on a different face when you're out in public. He's betrayed you, Evan. Evan: Wow. Turnabout, huh? Mike: That's what happens when your Superman is darker. He hurts your feelings. And you let him, because he's so pretty. Evan: Cavill is hunky, right? By far, the most beefcake-y, macho-looking dude who's played Superman. Mike: Which is a little bit off, if you ask me. Christopher Reeve was handsome in a completely unique way. Same with the Smallville guy. Cavill is smouldering. Superman probably shouldn't smoulder. Evan: But I did like a lot about the movie. It was inspired in how it dealt with Lois Lane, for example. Mike: Lois was handled brilliantly. For the first time, she really feels like an award-winning investigative reporter. Evan: I also liked how Lois was the first person to mean anything to him after his family and how she required not that much saving. The inverse secret identity thing was great, too. How it shows up at the end. No way glasses would've fooled her. Mike: Well they only had a couple of hours. He saved her at least three times. Evan: Heh. Mike: And, let's face it, there's no way those glasses would fool ANYONE. Evan: That's gonna be a problem for the next movie, for sure. Mike: The main problem with the next movie will be that they've told the dark story there was to tell. Evan: I hope that things lighten up at least a little. Mike: Krypton, Zod, choices —- now that those are out of the way, time to just be Superman! You and your light-craving. Embrace the darkness, Evan. Evan: Sure, say that to a black guy. Mike: You know what the greatest triumph of this movie was? Evan: Getting you out of the house? Mike: It's the first Superman movie that doesn’t rely on glowing green rocks as a major plot device. Evan: Ah, right. Mike: Sure, it fires giant metal penises into a space vagina, but it doesn't do it with Kryptonite. A+++/ Evan: Hahahahaha. If that's them being exiled for their crimes, I'd like to know who thought up that punishment. I liked the way they handled Zod, though. His motivations made sense and he was almost sympathetic. Mike: The council of elaborate space hats, that's who. Zod would have been more sympathetic if he weren't always chewing on the scenery and trying to be the loudest in any given scene. Evan: I felt that the scenery-chewing wasn't that bad until the end. How'd you feel about the Pa Kent death? Mike: I WILL FIND HIM! I WILL FIND HIM! My caps don't get big enough. I feel as if I would make a lousy Pa Kent. Evan: Because? Mike: If I were Pa Kent, I'd regularly say things like "Son, we're gonna need a couple more zebras." Evan: Hahahahahaha. Mike: I certainly wouldn't give the poor boy a complex about his powers by LETTING A TORNADO KILL ME WHILE HE WATCHES Evan: "I'd sure love some of those fancy French cookies with the cream inside. Only, you know, from France." Mike: I bet his last thoughts were "Man, this is really gonna drive this point home. Go me!" Evan: That reminds me of something that struck me as I was watching. Mike: A tornado? Pa Kent? Evan: The movie starts on Krypton with all this wild natural beauty followed by the fishing boat and the frozen tableau. Then it's on to this rustic farmhouse Americana that kinda invokes the innocence of Silver Age comics. By the end of the movie, though, it's complete carnage. Craters of death. And that really bothered me because, again, Superman's a savior character. He didn't save nearly enough people in this movie Mike: ...he saved ALL THE PEOPLE. All of them. *makes circlular globe motion with his hands* Evan: In the falling buildings? Mike: The needs of the many outweigh those of the few, Evan. Evan: Wrong franchise! Look, more shots of him zipping people to safety then getting sucker-punched by a Kryptonian soldier would've made what he does at the end a bit more palatable. Or tell me that Metropolis is being evacuated. Mike: He's new at this, and quite frankly I couldn't imagine how he could have saved those people. If I can't imagine it, there's no way Superman could. Evan: Hahahaha. *Pictures Mike in that Super-suit* Speaking of that thing at the end, how'd you feel about it? Mike: He saved the Law and Order: SVU guy. That's what really matters. Evan: Him killing Zod, I mean. Mike: In case you missed it earlier, Evan, this isn't your Superman. Once the Phantom Zone option was out, there really was only one way the conflict could have ended. Evan: I know. But there wasn't enough done to sell me on the idea that this Superman needed to kill. And, yeah, I know he's killed in the comics, too. Mike: If felt natural to me. I just worry that it'll become habit-forming. Next movie: Superman breaks all the necks. Then he cries. Evan: But, either balance that by him saving loads of people or finding another way out. Mike: Killing Zod did save loads of people. Evan: I mean, if they're smart, this'll be the thing that haunts him in the next three movies and that gets Batman all mad at him in the Justice League movie. Mike: His ‘Why do we fall, Master Bruce?’ Evan: Yeah. Mike: I can understand why this feels so unnatural to you, but somewhere Silver Age Superman is watching this and going, "Wait...I could just...oh man." (*superman slaps his forehead, people behind him go flying*) Evan: *starts crying* Ok, I think we're done here Mike: We should end on a song. Evan: Mike: AND WRAP!

Apple recently announced plans to support third-party game controllers with iOS 7, and this appears to be an image of the first one from Logitech.

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The rest of E3 remains a blur, but to keep it real, Patrick spoke into a microphone the whole time. Listen for knee-jerk reactions to games, news, and the show, while taking in the many interviews he conducted during E3 2013.