Author Profile
Alan is a feature writer who has contributed to Kotaku, Nintendo Life and other prominent gaming sites. He has a background in psychology research, the science of creativity, and over 30 years of Nintendo gaming behind him.
Alan is a feature writer who has contributed to Kotaku, Nintendo Life and other prominent gaming sites. He has a background in psychology research, the science of creativity, and over 30 years of Nintendo gaming behind him.
Hands On Sayonara Wild Hearts Is Pop Perfection In Video Game Form
Say goodbye to your eShop credit when this launches
“Sayonara” is Japanese for “goodbye". Alright, you probably didn’t need help with that one. On the other hand, with Sayonara Wild Hearts, a new video game on the Nintendo Switch developed by Swedish developer Simogo, you’ll probably need some help, both to understand it and to master it...
Feature Dragon Quest XI S Developers On Bringing The Definitive Edition To Switch
"The entire history of the series is packed into this game"
On the 27th September Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition arrives on Switch after debuting on other platforms over two years ago. Japanese gamers were lucky enough to get the game on Nintendo 3DS (with a special feature that had both 3D and classic 2D views of...
Preview Astral Chain Mixes Bayonetta, Wonderful 101 And Metal Gear Rising, And You'll Love It
Trust us on this one
You’d think it’d be a little easier to relax when you’re lounging inside a hotel suite playing a video game, Platinum Games’ Astral Chain, to be exact. High above Comic-Con, Seagulls were flying face level to the glass panes of the room, while sailboats were lazily drifting off in the San Diego bay; yet all anyone could...
Feature Meet Axe, The Smash Bros. Underdog Who Changed The Competitive Scene Overnight
"I see myself as an underdog every time"
There must be something in the water lately at Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments. A few weeks ago, Melee player Wizzrobe, real name Justin Hallett, won Smash’N’Splash 5, a major Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament with over 800 entrants. His character of choice was Captain Falcon, a mid-tier staple...
Hands On Creature In The Well Is The Most Beautiful Game We Played At E3
Stick with us on this one
You read that title right. Creature In The Well is indeed the most beautiful game we played at E3. Yes, we're aware of the shiny, toy-box wonderland that is the Link’s Awakening remake. We all know Cyberpunk 2077 is next level. Mosaic, the upcoming, multi-platform indie game that transforms
Hands On Mosaic Is A Game That Wants You To Feel Insignificant
Rage against the machine
There’s this split moment right after you wake up where you aren’t completely awake, but you’re not totally asleep. Mosaic, an indie game by Krillbite Studio, wants to take you there. In fact, it strongly suspects you’re probably living that moment right now. Mosaic is a single player, semi-linear narrative game...
Hands On Empire Of Sin Is A Complex Crime Caper Created By Video Game Royalty
"Prohibition strategy" is a genre now
During one of our E3 appointments, we sat in a tiny, packed room to observe a 20-minute gameplay demo for Empire of Sin, the upcoming 1920s-themed strategy game slated to release Spring 2020. Surrounding us were no fewer than five developers, including John Romero, famed creator of the original DOOM and Quake...
Feature Tetris Creator Alexey Pajitnov On Tetris 99, Tetris Comics And His Favourite Tetris Piece
"I don’t like the square. It’s dumb"
How long does it take for someone to realize they’ve made something that will outlast themselves and everyone they know? For Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, he is on a mission to make sure that moment of realization lasts his entire lifetime. So far so good; the simple block-stacking puzzler has...
Hands On Zelda: Link's Awakening On Switch Treads A Fine Line Between Remake And Reimagining
Impressions from the E3 show floor
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could play a Zelda game on the go? Okay, okay, we know what you're thinking. Today, you could fill up a whole stadium with portable Zelda games alone. But in 1993? How would anyone ever get a Zelda game to fit onto a Game Boy cartridge? Impossible. Well, they obviously figured it out...
Hands On Luigi’s Mansion 3 Is Shaping Up To Be The Best In The Series
Can someone get Luigi a real estate agent?
Luigi’s Mansion 3 for the Nintendo Switch is exactly that: the third entry into the bizarre Nintendo series where brother Luigi is left to scour haunted locations in search of missing friends. It’s a game where you use a vacuum cleaner (The Poltergust 3000, mind you) to suck up ghosts, sort of like a...
Soapbox The Nintendo World Championships Is Tired, And So Am I
Alan Lopez reports from the event
I just went to the Nintendo World Championships and I am tired. This ballyhooed Nintendo game extravaganza, typically hosted on the same week as the gaming industry’s flagship Electronic Gaming Expo, originated from a fandom-fueled 1990 tournament of the same name. Way back then, the Nintendo World Championships...
Feature What Reggie-Fils-Aimé Meant To Nintendo, The Games Industry, And All Of Us
"I believe the best way to lead is through example"
“My name is Reggie. I'm about kickin' ass, I'm about takin' names, and we're about makin' games.” These were the words uttered by then industry newcomer Reggie Fils-Aimé while standing on Nintendo’s stage during the Electronic Gaming Expo (E3) in 2004. Fils-a-what? “Ass”? Who the heck...
Talking Point What Does The Bungie Divorce From Activision Blizzard Mean For Nintendo?
The big break-up could be good news for Switch fans...
Breaking news everyone: sci-fi shooter titans Bungie, creator of the Halo and Destiny franchises, has officially divorced from its eight-year partnership with Activision-Blizzard. In a public statement released Thursday, Bungie stated: Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for...
Feature What The Smash Pros Have Done To Prepare For Smash Bros. Ultimate
"You can tell Nintendo's pulling out all the stops"
Look outside. Do you see it? Can you sense it? At this very moment, everybody everywhere has Smash Bros. fever. The next-level anticipation for the sequel to the 3DS/Wii U title of 2014 is about to end. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is days away from (official) release. For some, this may be their...
Feature Dark Horse On Creating The Ultimate Companion To The World Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
"I played it like an archaeologist"
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was perhaps the perfect launch title for Switch; not only is it a critically-acclaimed classic in its own right, but it also took the beloved series in an exciting new direction, something which could also be said about the Switch itself, thanks to its unique hybrid nature...
Feature What's Left To Be Announced For Smash Bros. Ultimate On Switch?
Our resident Smash expert Alan Lopez breaks it all down
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct on August 8th gave gaming fans a healthy amount of previously unannounced information about the upcoming mascot-fighter. (By the way, what is up with Nintendo’s sky-high production on these character reveal videos? Who wouldn’t watch entire episodes of...
Feature 5 Observations From Playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate With Bill Trinen
"I keep thinking I’m Lucas"
As a journalist, sometimes you’re handed what I’ll hesitantly describe as “unfair” deadlines. In those moments, you learn the massive value of a single hour. Ask me where all the spare outlets in the depths of the Los Angeles convention centre are. I’m a borderline cartographer for shortcuts through...
Hands On Things Are Hotting Up In The Kitchen Thanks To Overcooked 2
Are you a professional cook?
Anyone who has played Ghost Town Games’ indie darling Overcooked is sure to harbour a love-hate feeling for the little cooking simulator. It’s a game where you must work together inside a kitchen to piece together meals for needy customers. The only problem is you are timed, you bump into each other a lot,...
Hands On Starlink Scratches That Star Fox Itch, But We're Not Sure Who It's For
Getting to grips with Ubisoft's space shooter at Comic-Con 2018
Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a homage to the sci-fi games of right this very second. Or, you could also choose to see Starlink as mostly a rip-off. Or instead, maybe as a really cute entry point into planet spelunking spaceship genre. After some hands-on time with the game at the San...
Feature Chronicling The Legend Of Zelda With Dark Horse Comics
Editor Patrick Thorpe on working with Nintendo
When it comes to breaking down world-building and exploring lore, few games offer as much character and exposition as the wonderful world of The Legend of Zelda. Thanks to a fruitful ongoing collaboration with Nintendo, North American comics/book publisher Dark Horse Comics has been producing all manner...
Soapbox The Best Changes For Smash Bros. Ultimate Are The Ones We Didn’t Ask For
We all want a lot from a new Smash
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. This time, contributing writer Alan Lopez breaks down some of the key changes that are being made to the new Smash Bros and how they'll fundamentally change how we...
Feature Here's What Pro Players Want From Super Smash Bros On Switch
Making the proper leap to eSports
If you’re a casual Super Smash Bros. player like most of us, it can be pretty interesting to see how the Smash Bros. franchise operates from the vantage point of the best players in the world. Yes, the announcement of Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo Switch is still fresh in our minds, but that’s more than enough...
First Impressions Hell in a Handbasket - DOOM on Nintendo Switch
Big, dumb, and lots of fun
Now, with the Bethesda published 2016 iteration coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year, DOOM can be small and dumb, while still having its trademark 'BFG'. We got our chance to try out id Software’s upcoming port of its DOOM franchise reboot at a Bethesda event earlier this month; look, we know what questions you...
Feature Re-acquainting Ourselves With an Old Ally in Metroid: Samus Returns
"It's time"
When it came to time for questions during our hands-on demo with Metroid: Samus Returns for the Nintendo 3DS, the very first thing we asked was, “Why now?” That's because, one deviation aside, Samus Aran has been out of the public spotlight for seven years - it's been a whole decade if you trace her absence back to the beloved...