- A game streaming service for the mobile age
- Play over a thousand retro games on your touchscreen
- Fair pricing
As a gamer who’s been around the block a few times, I must say Antstream has piqued my interest. It’s like stepping into a time machine, but instead of going forward, we’re heading back to the good old days of gaming. The selection of over a thousand retro games is impressive and the pricing is fair, which is a breath of fresh air in today’s digital marketplace.
If you want to experience a sense of nostalgia and perhaps feel older, take a peek at what’s considered vintage in the gaming community; it turns out that much of it is still relevant today. Despite the fact we’ve advanced significantly since games were as basic as connecting one device to another, we still find ourselves yearning for those early days by supporting retro game stores and services like Antstream.
In today’s era of digital ease, Antstream enters the scene, giving you access to a variety of retro games from consoles such as SNK, all the way to arcade machines. However, it’s crucial to consider the cost, the game selection, and most importantly, how these old games perform on modern technology they were never initially designed for.
What is Antstream?
Before jumping to conclusions, let me clarify that this isn’t about ants or your terrarium. Instead, I’m talking about Anstream, the latest addition to the growing family of game streaming services.
You can download it onto your preferred iPhone (iOS) or Android device and choose from two subscription plans: A monthly plan that’s approximately 5 dollars each month, or a yearly plan that costs around 40 dollars. Ponder if jotting down resolutions is truly a waste of time.
Once you’re signed up, you’ll have full access to a bunch of official retro games as well as a few indies that may or may not have been made just for the service. Either way, it’s like a small digital library where you visit some of your old favourites… And if you’re too young to have old favourites, this is one way to break into the retro scene.
Then there are the controls and how they translate to touchscreen. Since these are older games, many of them operate on the simple regimen of move and jump, maybe throwing in an attack function where appropriate. It defaults the movement and actions buttons to clearly defined spots in the corners of the screen and it works well. The controls are responsive and the game action is pretty smooth (Well, for retro anyway). It may take you a bit to get used to the exact position of the buttons, but you can always take breaks between continues.
An extra feature is the rotating game challenges. During your subscription period, the service occasionally presents challenges within certain games. Completing a selected challenge requires you to accomplish specific tasks in the game, such as finishing a tough level without dying. Successfully completing these challenges will add your name to the leaderboard and possibly earn you some in-game money to use for other challenges. This feature is designed to keep you engaged and introduce you to new games.
The rapids on Antstream
Antstream’s major challenge resembles an issue Google Stadia encountered before its eventual decline: the library of games. To thrive in the gaming service market, it’s crucial to secure intellectual properties (IPs) that have widespread appeal. This is important for both older and younger audiences. The former wants to revisit their childhood favorites, while the latter seeks to grasp what the older generation often talks about when reminiscing about games from the past.
The library boasts a substantial collection of around 1300 games that can be played immediately, yet it seems about one-third might not attract a wide audience. To illustrate, imagine walking into a karaoke bar where the ’80s tunes available are mostly Duran Duran hits. Now, there’s nothing wrong with their music, but if you were expecting a broader selection, say, more Journey tracks, then that’s your analogy.
Riding the Antstream
Antstream is a novel mobile streaming service specializing in retro gaming. Its pricing is reasonable, its game selection is extensive, and its touchscreen controls are customized for games from four decades back. With room to grow, it’s working on acquiring licenses for more sought-after games. To succeed, it needs to act swiftly as the competitive gaming market can be challenging, much like a salmon navigating upstream.
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2024-08-08 16:19