With E3 and Comic-Con behind us, the games industry is slowing down a bit before the fall rush. But that hasn’t stopped MTV Multiplayer from bringing the goods every day:

* My iPhone obsession continued by talking with some iPhone game developers about what needs to change to make iPhone gaming better, why Nintendo and Sony are dismissing Apple’s device and what life has been like as an iPhone developer

* Is “Geometry Wars 2″ broken? One man thinks so, but Totilo wasn’t sure

* There’s more “Star Wars” games coming this fall, and Tracey had a chance to try out two of them

* Non-Wii owners can (probably) look forward to playing “Boom Blox” one day

* Find out how many calories you’re burning while playing Wii games

* An avalanche of Blizzard news, including their plans to implement an achievements system across all of their future games and a new defense for “Diablo III”’s art style

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Last week, we covered E3 from Los Angeles. Check out all the E3 news we reported this week as well as the ongoing reports and photos from Patrick Klepek at San Diego Comic-Con:

* At E3, Multiplayer blog editor Stephen Totilo got his eyes on the new “Watchmen” video game.

* Did Microsoft rip off Miis? Sony, how do you feel about losing “Final Fantasy XIII” exclusivity? What about the hardcore gamers, Nintendo? See these tough questions answered in this MTV News video report.

* Other video reports: Sony explains how PSN can trump Xbox Live. Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime talks “GTA” on DS and the PS3’s installed base. And Microsoft revealed Bungie’s next “Halo” game.

* Straight from Reggie: Some third-party developers may have known about the Wii MotionPlus controller “a little earlier.” He also said that the Wii storage limitations are becoming a mainstream problem. Meanwhile, Microsoft exec Don Mattrick said the Xbox 360 arcade is still available because consumers like choice.

* “Resident Evil 5” producer Jun Takeuchi talked about the controls and whether black people worked on the game.

* Totilo pondered Nintendo’s communication with its fans at E3. Misunderstandings, indeed…

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As we count down the days, hours and minutes until E3 2008 kicks off in Los Angeles, let’s have a look back at the past week in MTV Multiplayer:

* Konami surprised the Internet by slapping a patent lawsuit against Harmonix

* Tracey John and I double teamed iPhone coverage, looking at Gameloft’s extensive lineup (from France!), breaking down the launch numbers and playing a handful of others

* Electronic Arts revealed that 2009 will introduce downloadable music content for games other than “Rock Band”

* Stephen Totilo compared the animated short ahead of “Wall-E” to “Portal”

* The first details on “Rock Band 2″ came to light

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This week ended a little bit early with the celebration of Independence Day. But in between BBQs and fireworks, you can check out this week’s coverage:

* Editor Stephen Totilo gave his “Too Human” impressions, comparing the game to “Metal Gear Solid 4.” He also got to play co-op with Kotaku’s Michael McWhertor.

* I attended the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational where “Diablo III” was announced. I also spoke to producer Keith Lee about the game being compared to “Too Human,” the controversial new art direction and different character classes. Petitions ensued. (See all of my coverage from the event here.)

* Totilo revealed he hasn’t played “Chrono Trigger.” Tell him why he needs to, in 50 words or less.

* Playboy X or Dwayne? Four game developers revealed who they chose in “Grand Theft Auto IV.”

* Should male characters be stronger than females? The “Age of Conan” debacle made us wonder what you thought.

* Speaking of MMOs, Patrick Klepek sat down with the doctors of BioWare and spoke about “Age of Conan” and the possibility of MMOs on consoles. He also found out the company is looking at iPhone development.

* Totilo gave his “Spore” impressions, where he discovered that it’s actually a game. The Big Dog also learned that he actually liked “Fracture.”

* “Rock Band 2” was announced, and will come to the Xbox 360 first in September.

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We lost half of Stephen Totilo to Kotaku and I was on the road with my brother’s band, but Multiplayer still brought the goods. Plus, Tracey John is currently in Paris this weekend to cover the big Blizzard announcement!

* I kicked off a series of reports about The New Console War between this fall’s music games — “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” “Rock Band” and “Rock Revolution. I looked at the looming battle, how they’re all treating the Wii and the design of their drum sets

* Comics based on video games is not a new phenomenon. Tracey compiled a massive list of such comics this week. She even found some based on “Roger Wilco” and “Mega Man”

* The latest edition of Vs. Mode concluded with Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal and Stephen tackling reader response to their discussion of “GTA IV”

* Nintendo Channel numbers were crunched for several WiiWare games, and Stephen discovered some interesting details about their playing habits

* Multiplayer celebrated its 2,000th post (!!!) and took a look back at some posting milestones

* We revealed the first look at the Axel Steel action figure coming this fall from McFarlane toys

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Multiplayer editor Stephen Totilo was at Pre-E3 events in Los Angeles this week, but we still brought you a slew of gaming news. Read on…

* Totilo and Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal faced off in their Vs. Mode exchanges about “GTA IV.” Totilo admitted he likes “San Andreas” better for player liberation while Croal lauded the emotion weaved into the gameplay in “IV.” See who you agree with by reading Round One and Round Two. (Stay tuned for the final round on Monday.)

* Multiplayer learned exclusively why Rockstar nixed Niko’s ability to listen to music outside of his car in “GTA IV,” even though the feature was already in the game.

* Bubsy? Blanca? Eek!? Who is the greatest cat in the history of video games? Vote now.

* The “Wii Fit” underwear girl appeared on TRL with her boyfriend. She also spoke to me about being an Internet celebrity and how she almost got sued.

* After the great game leak of ‘08, we discussed Microsoft’s answer to Miis, asked experts what it all means, and learned exclusively from Sega that the “leaked” Silicon Knights video wasn’t their game.

* Must watch: A 16 year-old Patrick Klepek re-creating “Jet Set Radio” on video — rollerblades and all.

* Although Totilo was away, he still managed to get his mug on the blog. See his video dispatches from his hotel room after seeing “Fallout 3” and at an EA event.

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“Metal Gear Solid 4″ came out this week, and we covered what Snake, Kojima and their fans were up to. Check it out:

* Read Stephen Totilo’s first impressions of “Metal Gear Solid 4.” (And get over his standard TV. )

* See the questions Totilo would’ve asked Hideo Kojima had the interview not been cancelled.

* We go inside Kojima’s brain — literally. See pictures of his MRI scans and other things lying around in his apartment.

* We spoke with and took pictures of “Metal Gear” superfans waiting in line to meet Kojima in Time Square. They also told us that reviews need more restrictions.

* Watch Don King yell at me as he challenged MTV to create a better boxing game than “Prizefighter.”

* Are you friends with Totilo on Xbox Live? He could be watching you right now…

* Patrick Klepek took a look at the iPhone 2.0 and pondered Apple’s next move for gaming.

* The week in “120 Seconds“: See the first two minutes of every 3D “Metal Gear Solid” game, every 2D “Metal Gear Solid” game, “Quake Wars: Enemy Territory” on the Xbox 360, “The Incredible Hulk” and “The Bourne Conspiracy.”

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This week editor Stephen Totilo was out on vacation, but we still brought you the latest in the world of gaming:

* Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft’s product management director for Xbox 360 and XBL, admitted to Patrick Klepek that the negative reaction to the XBL delisting policies was their fault, and they’re “not happy with the ability to find content” on Xbox Live. Greenberg also gave details about their first-party XBLA studio.

* Speaking at the 2008 Games for Change festival, Microsoft’s XNA general manager Chris Satchell said the development platform can help game designers change the world.

* Satchell later told me that Xbox Live users are ready for games about social change and that XNA won’t run into the same interface issues as XBLA.

* Also at Games for Change, Naughty Dog lead designer Richard Lemarchand said games could be as great as Charles Dickens novels.

* As the final keynote speaker at Games for Change, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor spoke about how she thinks young people can learn about politics from games.

* Kojima Productions announced that reviewers can talk about the length of cut-scenes and the hard drive installation times for “Metal Gear Solid 4″ after Totilo broke the news that they couldn’t last week. He had also learned earlier in the week that not all reviewers were restricted (You can watch him talk about the situation on G4’s “X-Play.”)

* Totilo also talked with reviewers about not second-guessing their reviews, even despite death threats and other controversies.

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Multiplayer editor Stephen Totilo examined the process of reviewing games with interviews from reviewers, developers and publicists. Check out his reports:

• Totilo wrote about what reviews really mean to developers in his MTV News report.

• In an attempt to document the best review process, Totilo, with notes from his interviewees, drafted a Game Reviewer’s Bill of Rights.

• For some game developers, low Metacritic scores = no royalties.

• Are downloadable games ignored by reviewers? Capcom and Sony weighed in.

• Meanwhile, popular PC puzzle game “Peggle” was totally skipped. Reviewers and publisher PopCap discussed the oversight.

• Sources say they were told by Konami not to mention certain things about “Metal Gear Solid 4″ in their reviews.

• Former GameSpot reviewer Alex Navarro said that a PR person asked him to hold his review if he gave a game a low score.

• Should reviews ditch scores? Ted Price and Denis Dyack disagree.

• A sampling of key quotes about reviews from Jeff Gerstmann, Pete Wanat, Ted Price and Chris Kramer.

* Patrick Klepek spoke with Phil Harrison about how “Alone in the Dark” fixes a big problem in gaming, but he’s not sure if the game will support the PS3’s Home service or trophies.

* Harmonix claimed that the Wii version of “Rock Band” wasn’t an afterthought and that white plastic is meant to get dirty. Meanwhile, we confirm “Guitar Hero: World Tour” will have licensed downloadable tracks.

* Yoshi takes the top spot for reptiles and amphibians in our search for the Greatest Animal in the History of Video Games.

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* At an event in New York’s Central Park, everyday New Yorkers and tourists review “Wii Fit.” Later, we had a personal trainer take a look at 10 exercises, and he gave his expert opinion.

* Stephen Totilo learned five new details about “LittleBigPlanet” — including info about enemies, music, gifts and more. Also, a public beta is still possible.

* Can you spell “Bleszinski”? Cliff Bleszinski revealed that he no longer wants to be called “CliffyB.”

* Totilo gave his impressions of “Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts” to see if it’s as disappointing as everyone says it is.

* Hell hath frozen over? Almost. We found out that Nintendo DS and Xbox360 connectivity were considered for “Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise.”

* “Castlevania”’s Koji Igarashi told Patrick Klepek he’s not tired of the series, and he’s still not convinced the Wiimote would make a good whip.

* Have no fear: We learned the “Metal Gear” series will continue after “Guns of the Patriots” (as wellas its connection to “Assassin’s Creed.”

* The makers of “Madworld” talk about comparisons to “Sin City” and signpost-stabbing…

* Testing… one… two… What if you tried a “Rock Band” mic with “SingStar”?

* Things I’ve done at the Nintendo World Store: pre-ordered games, bought games and… witnessed a watermelon-eating contest? See pro eaters do their thing in the name of WiiWare’s “Major League Eating.”

* The week in “120 Seconds”: See the first two minutes of “Persona 3,” “Haze,” WiiWare’s “Critter Round-Up,” “Battletoads” and “Penny Arcade Adventures.”

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This week, editor Stephen Totilo reported from San Francisco along with our local reporter Patrick Klepek. Check out our news from the event this week and expect extended coverage and interviews all next week!

* At the Microsoft press event, the makers of “Gears of War 2,” “Too Human” and “Fable 2” hyped their games.

* Stephen Totilo talked to Microsoft’s Shane Kim about “Gears of War 2,” Peter Jackson’s “Halo” project, Games for Windows and more. He also got to chat with Kudo Tsunoda, the general manager for Microsoft’s “Gears of War” development efforts about the game.

* CliffyB revealed that “Gears of War 2” could be a duo, a trilogy, or even a six-parter. Though he won’t explain “What’s Up.”

* Despite all the farting, Peter Molyneux said that “Fable 2” is not 100% British. What?

* Totilo and Patrick Klepek got to check out “Skate It,” “Left 4 Dead,” “Warhammer Online,” Konami’s new music game “Rock Revolution” (even on DS), and “Samba de Amigo” on the Wii.

* WiiWare launched this week. Jason Cipriano had trouble making room for “LostWinds” and “Defend Your Castle.” What did you end up buying?

* We debuted our new video feature “120 Seconds,” where we show you the first two minutes of gameplay for the latest titles to help you decide if its worth your precious playtime. This week we took a look at “Portal,” “Turning Point: Fall of Liberty,” “Boom Blox,” the last four “GTA” games, and even WiiWare titles “LostWinds” and “Defend Your Castle.”

* The “C”word: What does it mean to be a “casual” gamer or game? The debate continues…

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* Where are the bagels? Multiplayer editor Stephen Totilo gave us a highly controversial yet tongue-in-cheek list of things that “GTA IV” got “wrong” about NYC. I also gave my take on what so many others found wrong with “GTA IV.”

* “Wii Fit” got delivered to MTV headquarters with a personal trainer in tow. Luckily, we had a camera person tape the whole event with Totilo nearly yoga-ing a co-worker in the head.

* We compare NYC’s MTV and Liberty City’s MeTV in video and in photos.

* With “GTA IV” scoring a slew of perfect 10s, Totilo pondered why we’ve had a run of so many “great” games lately and then later, if reviewers really need to finish games.

* Even though “GTA IV” made $500 million, people still think that games don’t pose a threat to Hollywood.

* Speaking of Hollywood, why aren’t there “Batman” or “Indiana Jones” games coming day and date with the films?

* We got a hardware analyst to break down the cost of the Xbox 360’s 120GB hard drive.

* Mini-maps: Use ‘em or lose ‘em?

* College students: If you’re reading this blog, why aren’t you studying for finals? Got games distracting you?

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