Liam Doolan

Liam Doolan

Staff Writer

Author Profile

Liam is a news writer and reviewer across Hookshot Media. He's been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of many iconic video game characters.

My interest in Nintendo and Xbox (and all-things related to video games) is what got me into video games journalism. It all started when I reached out to some Nintendo websites during my senior years in school and the rest is history. I love the ever-evolving nature of the games industry.

Experience

Prior to joining Nintendo Life, Liam contributed to a number of Nintendo fan sites, as well as a handful of multi-platform video game websites.

As a News Reporter on both Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox, Liam’s day-to-day work is focused almost exclusively on covering the latest developments coming out of Kyoto and Redmond.

The community has always been a huge part of what I love about my work. It's great to break news and share the excitement globally with fans.

Timeline

  • 2013: Joins the Nintendo Life community as a Contributor, covering news and reviews.
  • 2018: Begins full-time work at Nintendo Life as a News Reporter, while also contributing reviews, features and interviews.
  • 2020: Joins Pure Xbox as a News Writer to help relaunch the site whilst continuing his role on Nintendo Life

Expertise

The first console Liam owned was the NES, followed by the OG brick Game Boy. Since then he’s owned many of the consoles released by the likes of SEGA, Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation.

His favourite console of all-time is the Nintendo 64, thanks largely to those amazing multiplayer memories from the likes of GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark and Mario Kart.

I love a good platformer (easy to learn, hard to master), but it depends on the day of the week! I also love a good action-adventure, an RPG, FPS, racing game or a fighter.

Liam’s Favourite Games

From the Archive

We asked Liam to pick out his three favourite pieces of work from across his personal archive, and tell us why he picked them!

Rumour: Nintendo Will Expand Its Switch Online Service With Game Boy And Game Boy Color Titles

This was a rumour that was corroborated, and then eventually confirmed by Nintendo!

Feature: Game Of The Decade Staff Picks - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 - such a great game and I also covered the Witcher 3 Switch rumours early on.

Flashback The Real Story Behind Rare's Cancelled GoldenEye 007 Xbox 360 Remaster

My investigation into a rumour which was - in time - officially confirmed.

Username
Liam_Doolan
Articles
11,930 (95 reviews)
First Article
Wed 30th, October 2013
Avg. Review Score
6.1
Find Them On
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  • Samurai Defender: Ninja Warfare Arrives On The Switch eShop 7th June

    11

    News Samurai Defender: Ninja Warfare Arrives On The Switch eShop 7th June

    Pre-order for a discount

    Previously released on the 3DS eShop in 2015, Samurai Defender: Ninja Warfare - developed by Link Kit - will be arriving on the Switch eShop on 7th June for $7.99USD / €7,99, with a 10% discount for anyone who pre-orders. If you didn't play the original release by Flyhigh Works and CIRCLE Entertainment, this is a...

  • Watch the Pokémon 2018 Video Game Press Conference Right Now

    15

    Video Watch the Pokémon 2018 Video Game Press Conference Right Now

    The full rundown

    If the announcements and game trailers weren't already enough, The Pokémon Company has just uploaded a full recording of its 2018 Video Game Press Conference to YouTube. This full recap of the event includes English translations and lasts for a total of 45 minutes. There are plenty of notable faces throughout including The...

  • Pokémon Core Series RPG Will Arrive In The Second Half Of 2019

    63

    News Pokémon Core Series RPG Will Arrive In The Second Half Of 2019

    Even more Pokémon!

    Following the announcements of Pokémon Quest, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! at the 2018 Pokémon Video Game Press Conference, The Pokémon Company has revealed the beloved core series will make its grand return in the second half of 2019.

  • Pokémon Quest Is A New Free-to-Start Game for Nintendo Switch & Mobile Devices

    60

    News Pokémon Quest Is A New Free-to-Start Game for Nintendo Switch & Mobile Devices

    Out now on Switch

    The Pokémon Company has revealed two new titles at the 2018 Pokémon Video Game Press Conference today, with the first being the free-to-start game Pokémon Quest for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.  Out now on Nintendo Switch and available in late June on mobile devices via the App Store & Google Play, the...

  • White Night (Switch eShop)

    9

    Review White Night (Switch eShop)

    Are you afraid of the dark?

    The year is 1938; the economic tsunami that is the Great Depression is sweeping over America and late one night a man finds himself driving home from a local bar, located on the outskirts of Boston. As he crosses over a bridge at a steady pace in his automobile, a ghostly silhouette of a girl walks out, leaving the man...

  • The Banner Saga (Switch eShop)

    27

    Review The Banner Saga (Switch eShop)

    Fate is in your hands

    As hinted by the title, The Banner Saga is part one of an epic Viking story where every choice you make directly impacts how your journey unfolds. It combines strategic turn-based combat with gripping text-based decision-making to draw you into a fictional world inspired by Norse mythology and filled with rich lore, as well as...

  • The Adventures of Elena Temple (Switch eShop)

    20

    Review The Adventures of Elena Temple (Switch eShop)

    Play a classic you never knew existed

    Before the arrival of extensive open-world gaming, cutting-edge 3D graphics and online multiplayer connectivity, video games were much more humble. Life was simpler and the games of yesteryear were a reflection of this. The Adventures of Elena Temple by GrimTalin is for anyone who has a yearning for the past...

  • Wizard Of Legend (Switch eShop)

    50

    Review Wizard Of Legend (Switch eShop)

    You’re a wizard

    Indie developer Contingent99 drops you straight into its game's universe in a way not many other dungeon crawling titles often would. With no conventional storytelling methods or tutorial system in place, the wannabe hero you control in Wizard of Legend starts out at the front steps of the fictional museum of Lanova. It's at this...

  • Pikachu Makes A Surprise Cameo For Israel At This Year’s Eurovision

    82

    Random Pikachu Makes A Surprise Cameo For Israel At This Year’s Eurovision

    An electric display

    As you might have heard, the annual Eurovision Song Contest is currently underway with the final taking place on 12th May. This is the 63rd edition and the first time it’s been held in Portugal.  With 43 countries participating, there have been plenty of weird and wonderful performances on display. Israel’s entrant –...

  • A Robot Named Fight (Switch eShop)

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    Review A Robot Named Fight (Switch eShop)

    Metroid, is that you?

    At first glance, A Robot Named Fight looks like a shameless imitation of Nintendo’s 2D Metroid games. It's set in a sci-fi universe littered with hostile alien creatures and futuristic doors that only open when you shoot them with your blaster. Thankfully, it’s a lot more respectful of the source material than you might...

  • Timberman VS (Switch eShop)

    14

    Review Timberman VS (Switch eShop)

    Timber!

    Timberman VS is Digital Melody's Switch enhancement of its free-to-play arcade title first released on Android and iOS devices in 2014 (and eventually ported across to Steam in 2015). If the name wasn't already enough of an indication, it's a game about chopping trees as fast as you can until your hands hurt. Given its mobile roots, the...

  • Death Road To Canada (Switch eShop)

    39

    Review Death Road To Canada (Switch eShop)

    Zombie apocalypse generator

    Stories about the inevitable zombie apocalypse have come of age in recent years. While survival remains the number one priority, more recent television adaptations such as The Walking Dead have chosen to focus extensively on social upheaval – providing the perfect blend between action and narrative. Death Road To Canada...

  • Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs - Royal Edition (Switch eShop)

    25

    Review Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs - Royal Edition (Switch eShop)

    A western interpretation

    Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs - Royal Edition started out life in 2015 as a Kickstarter project and was eventually launched on PC, Mac and Linux in 2017 after being successfully backed. This strategy role-playing game by Polish-based developer Pixaleted Milk channels trademark aspects of classic strategy JRPGs while...

  • BAFL - Brakes Are For Losers (Switch eShop)

    21

    Review BAFL - Brakes Are For Losers (Switch eShop)

    "You ain’t outta control, you ain’t in control"

    Picture the nightmarish scenes on a race track if the cars didn’t have brakes. Chaos would most certainly ensue. This is the basis of the Switch eShop title, Brakes Are For Losers. It’s a classic top-down arcade racer for up to eight people featuring cars that obviously don’t have any brakes...

  • Hands-On: Checking Out Pinball FX3's Bethesda-Themed Tables

    38

    News Hands-On: Checking Out Pinball FX3's Bethesda-Themed Tables

    A bundle of joy

    In the short timeframe Nintendo Switch has existed, Bethesda has shown an incredible amount of support for the system. It’s already brought across two of its most iconic franchises in the first year, with another one – Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – expected to arrive in 2018. If you’re eagerly anticipating...

  • NBA Playgrounds 2 Rated By The Australian Classification Board

    14

    News NBA Playgrounds 2 Rated By The Australian Classification Board

    Say what?

    Saber Interactive's NBA Playgrounds had a bumpy launch on the Nintendo Switch, with no online play available on release. Eventually this mode was patched in months later – after owners had been compensated with a free game – and at the start of this year the updated

  • Octocopter: Double Or Squids (Switch eShop)

    5

    Review Octocopter: Double Or Squids (Switch eShop)

    Now with multiplayer

    As Wii U production was drawing to a close at the end of 2016 in preparation for the arrival of the Nintendo Switch the following year, a game named Octocopter: Super Sub Squid Escape was released on the platform via the eShop. Drawing inspiration from the likes of the Kururin series, the gameplay was relatively simple yet...

  • ClusterPuck 99 (Switch eShop)

    6

    Review ClusterPuck 99 (Switch eShop)

    Puck shop

    Since its inception, the Switch eShop has developed a strong library of smaller-sized games ideal for short play sessions in between bigger releases. Many of these titles happen to be multiplayer games. ClusterPuck 99 – developed by PHL Collective and published by Coatsink – is exactly that, a compact arcade conversion of ice hockey...

  • Last Day Of June (Switch eShop)

    19

    Review Last Day Of June (Switch eShop)

    A terrible fate

    Losing a loved one is hard to fathom until you actually experience it yourself. Grief is a natural reaction when you lose a person in your life that you love. It’s the heart-breaking outcome when you develop emotional connections with other people in this world including your family and friends. Last Day Of June – originally...

  • Rally Racers (Switch eShop)

    25

    Review Rally Racers (Switch eShop)

    Reverse away from this one

    If the name wasn’t already enough of an indication, Rally Racers is – for most parts – your run of the mill arcade racing game. You speed around a collection of themed tracks firing an array of weapons at opponents while trying to win each and every race. Following long-running traditions ingrained within the genre,...

  • Superola And The Lost Burgers (Switch eShop)

    51

    Review Superola And The Lost Burgers (Switch eShop)

    Run and don’t look back

    If the title wasn’t already a dead giveaway, Superola And The Lost Burgers is one big parody. It draws inspiration from dated internet memes, pop culture and even makes reference to classic video games in order to tell the story of a llama on a quest to recover hamburgers stolen by an alien hotdog race. Even if you find...

  • Johnny Turbo's Arcade: Gate Of Doom (Switch eShop)

    38

    Review Johnny Turbo's Arcade: Gate Of Doom (Switch eShop)

    A retro revival

    Unfortunately, this game has been delisted from the Switch eShop since this review was published. The 1990 fantasy action arcade game Gate of Doom (also known as Dark Seal) – by the now-defunct Data East – is the first of 20 titles Flying Tiger Entertainment plans to re-release on Nintendo's latest system. With the assistance...

  • Qbik (Switch eShop)

    6

    Review Qbik (Switch eShop)

    It’s a block-eat-block world out there

    The hybrid design of Nintendo Switch makes it the ideal system for all types of games. As illustrated by previous releases on the platform, there are certain games catering to prolonged couch sessions while other titles have been providing audiences with shorter bursts of fun better suited to the daily...

  • Romancing SaGa 2 (Switch eShop)

    25

    Review Romancing SaGa 2 (Switch eShop)

    Heir to the empire

    To this day, there is still a number of prestigious Japanese role-playing games western audiences have not had the opportunity to play. Up until recently, Romancing SaGa 2 was one of these titles. First released in Japan in 1993 on Super Famicom, the second instalment actually counts as the fifth entry in Akitoshi Kawazu’s SaGa...