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Save State is a bi-weekly column focused on the evolving nature of retro gaming. We dig into classic games all the way from the Atari to the PlayStation 2 era, dissecting how they were made and what makes them memorable. We aren’t just focused on the past, though. Save State looks at the intersection between modern games and retro ones, showing how old titles are still influencing how games are built today. New entries go live every other Thursday.
I didn’t understand the magic of arcades until I visited one in Japan
20 years later, the Nintendo DS remains one of gaming’s best devices
For Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, Square Enix expanded its past
These video game engines are powering today’s retro revival
You can thank ROM hackers for Backyard Baseball’s comeback
Activision has ‘heard the demand’ for more Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
2024’s most ambitious game recaptures the lost joy of the 8-bit era
Star Wars Outlaws pays its respects to a 1980s arcade legend
Doom will never die — and modders are to thank
35 years later, the Game Boy still shapes how we play games
Your favorite video game is retro now
Riven’s upcoming remake is only happening because Cyan can do it justice
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door got the remake it deserved
As a Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting developments within the video game industry. Tomas is passionate about sharing game developers’ stories, analyzing video game history, and contextualizing those things within the modern video game industry. He attends industry events like Summer Game Fest for Digital Trends and represents the gaming section of Digital Trends on podcasts like ComicBook Nation’s Quick Save. Tomas authors Save State, a bi-weekly column about the evolving nature of retro gaming.
Before Digital Trends, he was a Video Game News Writer at Inverse for two years. Prior to that, Tomas honed his skills at DualShockers for nearly four years, working his way up from Staff Writer to News Editor. As News Editor at DualShockers, he supervised and edited the website’s news coverage, and that experience still comes in handy at Digital Trends today. His favorite games include Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005) and Batman: Arkham City.
Based in Virginia, Tomas graduated from Old Dominion University in 2020 with a B.A. in Intercultural & International Communication. He returned to Old Dominion University in 2024 to pursue an M.A. in Lifespan & Digital Communication. Through his communication and media-related research, Tomas can better understand how video games and culture intertwine.