Media Alchemists Perfect Convergence Games

By Nick Mokey Published May 8, 2008

As Grand Theft Auto IV‘s record-setting sales recently proved, games are a major force to be reckoned with when it comes to entertainment. As games have moved into the mainstream, dollars have followed, and the face of entertainment is shifting to accommodate. This week’s episode of Players Only, Digital Trends’ online video gaming series, focuses on what happens when games and other mediums like films and comic books collide: convergence.

Although video games based on films have had a bad reputation since the very birth of the industry, Digital Trends’ Scott Steinberg explains why that trend is changing as designers improve the way they mix cinema and interactivity. The episode also covers the behind-the-scenes making of convergence games, and where the future lies.

New episodes of Players Only, Digital Trends’ ongoing video game industry series, are released every Thursday, running up until June 6. The final series will comprise 10 episodes, spanning topics from the artistic merit of video games to the latest industry trends, like casual gaming.

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Gaming

Every summer 2024 gaming showcase: full schedule and stream recaps

Geoff Keighley shows a slide showing the top 10 selling Steam Games of 2024.

This summer, we're living in a brave new world. E3 is officially dead -- for real this time. That means there's a vacuum to be filled as publishers still look to showcase their games during high-profile events. There's both good news and bad news for anyone who looks forward to E3 season. The good news? Summer Game Fest is filling that gap, alongside several streams that'll orbit around it. The bad news? Keeping track of it all is a huge pain.

Over the next few months, we'll see scattered shows from Sony, Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and more game companies. To help make your life a little easier, we're rounding them up in one place. We'll keep this article updated throughout the summer, adding in the VODs of all the streams once they air, so check back in from now until September so you don't miss a single show.
State of Play: May 30
State of Play | May 30, 2024 | [English]

Gaming

iPhones and iPads are about to get their first retro game streaming service

A man plays a Razer Kishi V2 on his couch.

Playing retro games on iPhone and iPad is about to get even easier. As reported by Cult of Mac, Antstream Arcade, a subscription service that gives you access to over 1,300 licensed games, is making its way to iOS and iPadOS on June 27.

Antstream, which had already been available on Xbox and Windows, as well as via browser and Amazon, features licensed games from around 20 retro consoles like the Amiga, the Atari 2600, the PlayStation 1, and the SNES. So you can play games like Missile Command, Asteroids, Centipede, Day of the Tentacle, a few older Star Wars games, and many others. There are also challenges and tournaments that allow you to play games against other Antstream users.

Gaming

Hitman, Tomba, and more classics get new revivals at Limited Run Games showcase

Hawk in a headset in the Fighting Force collection

Limited Run Games ran its annual showcase on Thursday, adding to its catalog of physical retro game releases for the next year. While many of the trailers were for already-announced titles, LRG managed to sneak in some big announcements, including the Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition, re-releases and remasters of some deep-cut retro games, and more.

The physical game publisher has also gotten into the world of broader video game publishing, with its Carbon Engine helping developers use emulation to port older games from in the pre-PlayStation 1 era over to modern platforms. It's also already released some projects this year, with Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked with Konami and being behind the Alan Wake 2 Collector's Edition.