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Ever since ET for the Atari 2600 wowed gamers worldwide, science fiction and video games have been natural bedfellows. Here are 10 great scifi tales that embrace the aesthetics, technology, and popular tropes of the gaming world. More »
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Yesterday, we looked at six characters who seemingly managed to escape virtual prisons. Now, we'll make it an even dozen as we examine another sextet of science fiction heroes that may or may not still be stuck inside their own minds. Spoilers! More »
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The movie eXistenZ is many things: a commentary on videogame madness, a chance to see Jennifer Jason Leigh caress a nipple-covered biological game controller, and a seriously weird "what is real" tale that doesn't always work. It's one of David "The Fly" Cronenberg's lesser films for a good reason. And yet there are moments in it that truly shine, such as this one when the squeamish Jude Law decides he needs to get a bioport — a game port in his spine — so he can jack into virtual reality and play Jennifer Jason Leigh's cool game called (what else?) eXistenZ. Unfortunately, he needs an untraceable gameport in the middle of the night, so he visits a local gas station to get one under the table. Who better than Willem Dafoe to shoot that sucker into his spine? [eXistenz] More »
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Some of the most awesome science fiction machines ever conceived for film, like the turbo-tank AT-ATs from Empire Strikes Back, were inspired by things the concept designers saw every day. You may already know that George Lucas was allegedly inspired to create the AT-ATs by these cargo lifters at the Port of Oakland — but did you know the T-1000 "liquid metal" Terminator was inspired by chocolate fudge? Find out which strangely ordinary items inspired eight of the coolest science fiction machines, and be humbled. More »
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