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Tomas Franzese

Tomas Franzese

Gaming Staff Writer

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.

The protagonists of GTA V pose for the camera.

3 new PS Plus games you should play this weekend (November 22-24)

Wondering where to start with the new batch of PS Plus Premium and Extra games? Consider Grand Theft Auto V, Resistance: Fall of Man, or Overcooked.
Gaming Features
A cockpit view in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (November 22-24)

Xbox Game Pass just got some major new releases this week that might justify that Ultimate subscription for another month.
Gaming Features
Key art for The Rouge Prince of Persia Update 10.

Now is the perfect time to start playing The Rogue Prince of Persia

The Rogue Prince of Persia just got better thanks to its biggest update since its early access launch.
Gaming Features
Nintendo DS on a pink background.

20 years later, the Nintendo DS remains one of gaming’s best devices

The Nintendo DS turns 20 today, and it still stands tall as one of gaming's most creative, memorable systems.
Gaming Features
A character holds a baseball glove in Backyard Sports.

A new Backyard Sports game is coming, all thanks to a private eye

Playground Productions reveals to Digital Trends how it brought Backyard Sports back and teases a brand new game launching next year.
Gaming Features
A Chromatic plays Tomb Raider for Game Boy Color.

Chromatic review: The best new way to play Game Boy games

ModRetro's Chromatic is a new gaming handheld that you can use to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, and it does that quite well.
Gaming Reviews
Key art for Red Dead Redemption 2.

Play these 3 PS Plus games this weekend before they leave (November 15-17)

Some heavy hitters are leaving PS Plus soon, including Red Dead Redemption 2. Give them a try this weekend if you don't want to miss your chance.
Gaming Features
Spyro in the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (November 15-17)

Xbox Game Pass subscribers can cause some mayhem in a suite of new game additions, including Spyro the Dragon.
Gaming Features
Key art for Overwatch Classic.

Multiplayer games are entering their nostalgia era

As live service games get older and older, expect more nostalgic throwbacks to the games' early days, with new modes and limited-time events.
Gaming Features
rue valley preview

Rue Valley puts a time loop spin on Disco Elysium

Rue Valley is the latest video game to utilize a time loop hook, applying that structure to a Disco Elysium-like RPG.
Gaming Features
Concord's Secret Level episode.

Concord returns from the dead in Amazon’s Secret Level trailer

The latest trailer for animated anthology series Secret Level flaunts its celebrity cast and lineup of featured video game franchises.
Gaming News
Key art for Monster Hunter Outlanders.

Monster Hunter Outlanders is the most ambitious Monster Hunter mobile game yet

Monster Hunter Outlanders is a new mobile game aiming to replicate the gameplay experience of Capcom's console Monster Hunter games.
Gaming News
Key art for Void Sols.

I don’t usually enjoy Soulslikes, but this one is winning me over

If you struggle with Soulslikes, Void Sols' minimalist approach to the genre may be what wins you over.
Gaming Features
Key art for Tetris Forever.

Tetris Forever is an excellent documentary, but a disjointed game collection

Tetris Forever tells one of the most entertaining stories in video game history quite well, but is disappointing as a collection of Tetris games.
Gaming Features
Key art for World of Warcraft: The War Within.

Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct: How to watch and what to expect

Here's what you should know before tuning into the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct to get the latest news on World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and more.
Gaming News
Someone picks up a Nintendo Switch OLED Model.

Nintendo Switch’s successor must overcome one major challenge

It's good that Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible with Switch games, but Nintendo's next console must give people a reason to upgrade.
Gaming Features
Key art for Death Note Killer Within.

3 new PS Plus games to play this weekend (November 8-10)

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, Death Note Killer Within, and Ghostwire Tokyo are all PS Plus Essential monthly games that subscribers should check out.
Gaming Features
An alien in armor with a light sword standing in front of a space ship window with a planet in the background.

3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (November 8-10)

StarCraft: Remastered, StarCraft II: Campaign Collection, and Metal Slug Tactics offer up strategic options to Xbox Game Pass subscribers this weekend.
Gaming Features
Concept art of the characters people can play as in Project ARC.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is getting a 5v5 top-down shooter spinoff

Project ARC is a 5v5 top-down tactical shooter and spinoff of the popular battle royale game PUBG.
Gaming News
Art for the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Save State

For Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, Square Enix expanded its past

I spoke with Square Enix about the distinct retro-inspired art style that gives Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake its name.
Gaming Features
Key art for Metro Awakening.

Metro Awakening and Batman: Arkham Shadow are the future of VR gaming

Metro Awakening and Batman: Arkham Shadow are both stunning examples of how to bring a traditional gaming franchise to VR.
Gaming Features
An image of the Nintendo Switch - OLED Model Mario Red Edition.

Nintendo’s next system is compatible with Nintendo Switch games

You will be able to play Nintendo Switch games on the system's successor, Nintendo has confirmed.
Gaming News
Art from the reveal trailer for Battle Aces.

Battle Aces was born from a rejected StarCraft 2 expansion pitch

Battle Aces strips back the unnecessary fluff of the real-time strategy genre to realize an idea director David Kim first had during development of StarCraft 2.
Gaming Features
Two characters in Hogwarts Legacy.

Hogwarts Legacy sequel will align with the HBO Harry Potter show

Hogwarts Legacy is getting a sequel, and it will align with the Harry Potter TV series in the works at HBO.
Gaming News
Stardew Valley Multiplayer Fishing

Stardew Valley is testing an exciting, experimental new multiplayer feature

Stardew Valley's experimental mobile multiplayer update is now available to those who put in a secret code on the game's title screen.
Gaming News
Key art for Metal Slug Tactics.

Metal Slug Tactics is an arcade reimagining worth playing on Game Pass

Metal Slug Tactics reimagines SNK's classic arcade action game as a turn-based strategy game, but the conversion works surprisingly well.
Gaming Features
A praying mantis enemy in Slitterhead.

Slitterhead review: Silent Hill creator’s latest aims high, misses the mark

Slitterhead is an experimental horror-action game from Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, but many of those experiments don't quite pay off.
Gaming Reviews
Max Caulfield in Life is Strange: Double Exposure.

I loved Life is Strange: Double Exposure, but I’m worried about what’s next

Life is Strange: Double Exposure was great, but aspects of its ending leave me worried about where Life is Strange will go next.
Gaming Features
xbox game pass recommendations november 1 throne and liberty

3 new Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (November 1-3)

Call of Duty may be the centerpiece of Xbox Game Pass right now, but there are plenty of other games to check out this weekend.
Gaming Features
Key art for Return to Monkey Island.

3 new PS Plus games that you should check out (November 1-3)

Looking for something to play this weekend? Consider checking out any of these great games that were just added to PS Plus.
Gaming News
Luigi in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

What’s new in November 2024: 7 games to keep an eye on

Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Lego Horizon Adventures, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 are just a few of the games you should have on your radar this month.
Gaming Features
Max shows Safi her phone in Life is Strange: Double Exposure.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure already teases a direct sequel

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is out today and the narrative adventure includes some very clear sequel teasers.
Gaming News
A character wields a rocket launcher in Concord.

Concord didn’t fail PlayStation. PlayStation failed Concord

Concord's short but troubled history can't just be viewed as a self-contained failure. Its part of a bigger picture at Sony.
Gaming Features
Chloe staring at Max in the school bathroom.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure makes more sense if you make this hard choice

One of the first major decisions in Life is Strange: Double Exposure is to decide if Chloe is alive or dead. One of those options makes for a better story.
Gaming Features
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