Potential Spoiler Warning Mass Effect fans!

Toronto's AM640 did a radio interview recently with former BioWare scribe Drew Karpyshyn, in which he chatted about some of the alternate story theories and endings that BioWare tossed around for the Mass Effect series. Eurogamer has the highlights, including the theory that the Reapers were trying to stop organic life because they were somehow making use of "Dark Energy" (an element only mentioned briefly throughout the series) to bring about the end of the universe. "It's very vague and not fleshed out," says Karpyshyn, adding that "it was something we considered but we ended up going in a different direction."

BioWare also played with the idea that Shepard might be an alien at one point, though eventually deemed that too close to the story of Revan in Knights of the Old Republic. Karpyshyn also says BioWare thought about turning Shepard into some combination of organic and cybernetic, a theme that did eventually get generally included in the ending of Mass Effect 3.

But in the end, says Karpyshyn, these ideas were just ideas, and should be judged as such. "It's like vaporware," he says. "Vaporware is always perfect, anytime someone talks about the new greatest game. It's perfect until it comes out." Karpyshyn says that even if fans are disappointed with the story as it is, a story that included these other considered ideas, "whatever we came up with, it probably wouldn't be what people want it to be."

Tower defense game Evilot is now compatible with the iPhone, and it arrive on PC later today (June 20). We recently reviewed the iPad version, taking note of the way it blends the mechanics of Plants vs. Zombies with Triple Town. Ultimately, the game lacked the polish of PopCap's ubiquitous PvZ, but we praised Evilot for its unique unit building mechanic.

The iOS version of Evilot is $0.99 on iTunes, and a limited free version is also available. The PC version launches tomorrow for $1.99 on Desura.

Publisher OP Productions has changed The War Z's name to Infestation: Survivor Stories, "in part to help fans differentiate the popular game from similarly titled brands," a press release reads. If we were to take a wild guess, that's probably in reference to DayZ, the Arma 2 mod that gained massive popularity and is due out this year as a standalone game.

"OP Productions initially filed The War Z trademark early last year, but soon found out from the United States Patent and Trademark Office that the name was comparable to another property," the statement says. "After months of trying to resolve the issue, OP Productions decided the best option to avoid confusion among players was to rename the game. Current players will not experience any change or interruption with the exception of the change in name and game logo."

The War Z launched on Steam on December 17, but was quickly removed for advertising inaccurate game elements. The War Z re-launched on Steam in February.

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Nintendo emerged victorious in the latest round of its legal battle with exergaming equipment manufacturer IA Labs (aka InterAction Laboratories) over alleged patent infringement.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld Nintendo's victory in a lawsuit claiming that the Nintendo Wii and its peripherals violated IA Labs' patents for exercise equipment. As part of the ruling, IA Labs must pay Nintendo over $236,000 in attorneys' fees.

The decision follows up on another recent courtroom victory for Nintendo, in which Ohio-based hardware and software company Motiva alleged that Nintendo's Wii Remote controller violated its patents for a "Human Movement Measurement System."

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The latest Indie Royale bundle is a re-run, chosen by fans, and it features the triumphant return of Really Big Sky, Eufloria, Runespell: Overture, Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death 7. It's available for five more days for whatever the minimum price is (usually less than $5). Those who pay $7 or more can snag Disasterpeace's chiptune album Rise Of The Obsidian Interstellar.

Indie Royale is a pay-what-you-want bundle system with a twist – there is a minimum price, and the only way to knock it down for subsequent buyers is to pay more than that. Bonus, paying more also helps out the developers who provide the games that you want to play in that bundle.

The growing Sega Genesis collection on the 3DS is expanding once again, with Sega announcing a 3D edition of the original Ecco the Dolphin. During the 16-bit generation, Ecco was known for its unique gameplay, high difficulty and unbridled terror. Like other announced 3DS Genesis games, Ecco will feature save states, graphics filters and, of course, 3D. It will also allow players to try out different international versions of the game. Ecco is expected on the Japanese eShop on June 26 for ¥600 ($6.30).

Sega's website also revealed that Galaxy Force 2 is planned for the 3DS. There are also two empty slots, suggesting that we can expect at least two more re-released Genesis games before Sega finishes its 3DS promotion.

Thus far, we've seen Super Hang-On, Space Harrier, Altered Beast and Sonic the Hedgehog released on 3DS in Japan. Space Harrier, Altered Beast and Sonic the Hedgehog have all been rated by the Australian Classification Board, suggesting the 3DS lineup will head west before too long.

Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie are set to pop wheelies on Steam on June 24, and the sequel port will come with additional Minecraft and Team Fortress 2-themed goodies. You'll be able to play as the Team Fortress 2 cast – don't tell Joe you're racing without him! – and Minecraft Guy, plus pull from a whole suite of Minecraft items, objects and environments in the level editor.

Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie on Steam both benefit from Big Picture mode and will incorporate Steam Workshop into their level editors. Keyboard and mouse controls, as well as game pads, are also supported.

We had a chance to speak with Xbox Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten this evening, following the company's DRM policy changes on Xbox One, and figured if we're already talking about changes, how about that $499 price?

"We really believe deeply in the value that we're delivering. Not just for the first day of launch, which we think is going to be amazing, with amazing games and entertainment experiences, but what this architecture can deliver over the long term." said Whitten. "We feel good about our price."

What about changing the price by removing the Kinect?

"We still absolutely believe in Kinect. It's a core part of the architecture. Frankly, it's really critical that you build it as something that's always there, always part of the platform. So that game creators, experience creators can know they can rely on it. And you, the user, that there's always a consistent experience. That it's not just an accessory."

Consumers aren't the only ones happy with today's changes. Both GameStop and rental service GameFly have applauded Microsoft for today's Xbox One policy shift.

Though Microsoft has changed its stance on the digital rights management-based requirements for the Xbox One, the company remains committed to cloud computing.

"Our vision around Xbox One and what you can do because of the power of both the architecture of the console, and also the cloud and the Xbox Live service, remains unchanged," Xbox Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten told Joystiq.

When asked why Microsoft would not simply offer an offline mode akin to the one featured on Steam, Whitten said "that's absolutely" what Microsoft is doing.

Whitten listed a host of examples of how cloud computing still exists as part of the Xbox One plan, noting players will "see great games like Titanfall take advantage of the cloud processing power" as well as have the ability to get games from the online marketplace and use them on any console.

"We're going to continue to really invest in how those experiences work," Whitten added.

During E3 2013, Fairfax "Mackey" McCandlish, lead designer on the always-online Titanfall, told Joystiq that cloud computing on the Xbox One allows Respawn to "spin off dedicated servers" whenever it wants. "Instead of having everything prepared ahead of time, or misallocate different areas, or have some places be too slow or too much, we can just say 'cloud, find us the right number of computers,'" he added.

Gamestop is pleased with Microsoft's announcement that the Xbox One will allow games to be traded in as usual, a spokesperson tells Joystiq. On June 6, Microsoft announced a system for Xbox One that would allow games to be shared only once, and only to someone the player has known for more than 30 days on Xbox Live. Under this system, retailers would have to sign up with Microsoft to resell Xbox One games.

Today, Microsoft reversed this decision.

"Gamestop welcomes today's announcement from Microsoft about changes in functionality for its next-generation console, the Xbox One," Gamestop says. "This is great news for gamers and we applaud Microsoft for understanding consumers and the importance of the pre-owned market."

Gamestop makes the majority of its profit from used game sales, and following reports that the Xbox One wouldn't support used games, GameStop's stock fell 5 percent. Currently, Gamestop's stock is up 2.5 points in after-hours trading, almost 6 percent.

GameFly is happy that Microsoft will keep things "business as usual" in the next console generation, following today's stunning reversal of its Xbox One digital rights management policy, which will now allow rental games again.

"I always felt good about the future of GameFly, but I feel better today," said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of business development and content. "Today is a win/win for consumers, as well as GameFly. I think choice is always important and now consumers have more choice. And I give [Microsoft] credit for listening to their consumers."

Spector was unable to share what he knew about the console's previous plans, but he notes there were discussions with Microsoft. He said, "I think the original proposal would have been detrimental to lots of people's [business] systems. Not just GameFly. And, most importantly, gamers. Based on what I've read today, which is all I know today, it's business as usual for Xbox. Their statement is really cut and dry."

GameFly plans to have Xbox One and PlayStation 4 listings up on the rental site sometime towards the end of the summer.

Asked if he had anything else to add about today's events, Spector concluded, "It's a good day for gamers!"

There's a pretty massive Sega sale going down on Xbox Live right now. Many games and DLC packs are $5 or less. In the $5 camp are Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, Sonic Adventure 2, Jet Set Radio, Nights into Dreams and Crazy Taxi. Other downloads, such as Guardian Heroes, the Sega Genesis Sonic games (including Sonic CD) and Space Channel 5 Part 2 are only two bucks each. You'll also find a number of $10 Games on Demand titles, including Sonic Generations, Condemned, Sega Superstars Tennis ... and Sonic Unleashed.

Finally, if you haven't tried out Ron Gilbert's latest adventure, you can pick up The Cave for $7.50.

This summer, Square Enix will launch a vampire-hunting app on iOS called Bloodmasque. Set in 19th century Paris, Bloodmasque tasks players with ridding the town of vamps in this Unreal Engine-powered game anchored by a "photo-based character customization experience."

Square Enix snatched up domains for Bloodmasque back in January, tipping us off to the new iOS game and sadly ignoring our most excellent suggestion for an Edgar Allan Poe game. It's okay, Square Enix; we're just going to put on our Crymasque and go sit in the corner for a while.

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This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown seems like it was built for iPad. The touch-screen controls on the iOS port are so good that the game feels like it was lovingly crafted specifically for touch devices from the get-go.

These controls are easily the highlight of the iOS version of XCOM (which also runs on the iPhone, by the way). With a redesigned HUD full of chunky buttons, completing actions in the game is a cinch. I actually prefer the touch scheme to wielding a controller. It's a simpler, more intuitive process, and the meat of the game is every bit as good as its console and PC counterparts.

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Australia's government-sponsored media funding body Screen Australia announced its support for local indie game developers, promising to pay out a $6 million grant over the next three years.

The stimulus arrives in response to a sharp decline in industry income and employment. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, local game industry employment dropped from 1,431 to 581 people between 2011 and 2012. Screen Australia announced its funding in the hopes that local developers will "grow the business, retain intellectual property, keep a skilled workforce and raise the necessary finance."

The following ten indie studios will share the grant:

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Microsoft has announced an almost full reversal of the controversial digital rights management features built into the Xbox One. The console, launching later this year, will no longer require an online connection, or need to ping the Microsoft servers every 24 hours to hang on to life. It will also now play discs like any regular console and no longer place restrictions on trading games. There will also be no regional restrictions.

"The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold," said Xbox division president Don Mattrick. "Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray."

Microsoft previously addressed concerns about Kinect's always-on, always-listening monitoring of your living room.

Why the reversal? Um, if you paid attention to E3 last week, you observed one of the greatest pummelings in industry history. Sony's PlayStation 4 presented itself as the other side of the coin to Microsoft's restrictions and stole the show.

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This week's Steam deals are headlined by ex-Valver Kim Swift's first-person puzzle game, Quantum Conundrum, available for $4.50 until June 24 at 10AM PT. Anodyne, a 16-bit adventure game from Sean Hogan and Jonathan Kittika, is also on offer, discounted to $5 for the week.

Worms developer Team17's arcade shooter Alien Breed Impact, an expanded version of Alien Breed Evolution, is also $5 for this promotion; physics-based puzzler Obulis is down to $1.25 and manic side-scrolling shooter Ares: Extinction Agenda is $2.50.

While we were given a quick description of the cloud computing at work in the Xbox One version of Titanfall, we weren't able to get an in-depth answer. So we took to a back room at E3 and asked Respawn Entertainment's Fairfax "Mackey" McCandlish, lead designer on Titanfall, to elaborate.

Essentially, cloud computing helps matchmaking, allowing dedicated servers to be spun up on a moment's notice to handle multiplayer matches and find you the most local option when searching for a game. McCandlish also answers other burning questions – like what exactly powers these titan mechs.