Alan Wen

Alan Wen

Freelance Writer

I'm a freelance games journalist who covers a bit of everything from reviews to features, and also writes gaming news for NME. I'm a regular contributor in print magazines, including Edge, Play, and Retro Gamer. Japanese games are one of my biggest passions and I'll always somehow find time to fit in a 60+ hour JRPG. While I cover games from all platforms, I'm very much a Switch lover, though also at heart a Sega shill. Favourite games include Bloodborne, Persona 5, Resident Evil 4, Ico, and Breath of the Wild.

Latest articles by Alan Wen

Knuckles glows red as he grabs an enemy's chain to counter their strike
From Fallout to Arcane, the best gaming adaptations of 2024 have been on the small screen

By Alan Wen Published

Best List Year in Review | Here’s the must-watch game adaptations of the year you can binge now

Best List
Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive conjures up a magic fireball
How action led the way in Final Fantasy 16's bid to reinvent the long-running RPG series

By Alan Wen Published

Interview Interview | Edge magazine explores the making of FF16 with the devs who brought it to life

Interview
Ikumi Nakamura's Kemuri
After The Evil Within and GhostWire: Tokyo, here's how Ikumi Nakamura is breaking boundaries in a games studio "driven by passionate artists"

By Alan Wen Published

Interview Interview | Edge sits down with artist-turned-studio head Ikumi Nakamura, CEO of Unseen Inc.

Interview
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life is a bittersweet swansong for RGG's stoic Dragon that heralds a new beginning, for better or worse

By Alan Wen Published

Opinion Opinion | "It would be a lie, however, to say that we don't relish the promise of another adventure with one of video games' greatest protagonists"

Opinion
Sonic Unleashed
In defense of Sonic the Werehog, one of the Blue Blur's most easily overlooked alter egos

By Alan Wen Published

Features In 2008, Sonic Unleashed delivered a "slower, furrier, but not necessarily meaner" hero

Features
Best 3DS games - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds shook things up in the shadow of a 16-bit classic

By Alan Wen Published

Features A Link Between Worlds paid deference to the past before striding into the future

Features
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – the beginning of the legend and a heroic swan song for the Wii

By Alan Wen Published

Features Launched in the same year as Skyrim and Dark Souls, Skyward Sword more than held its own

Features
The Lords of The Fallen
After a decade in Dark Souls' shadow, Lords of the Fallen's reboot offers another shot at the title

By Alan Wen Published

Preview Hexworks is eyeing a worthy successor to Dark Souls 3's crown

Preview
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is balancing lip-service and modern expectations

By Alan Wen Last updated

Features With Final Fantasy 7 Remake already deviating from the original story, all bets are off for the sequels

Features
Monster Hunter Retro Gamer
"We were beginners when it came to online games": The making of Monster Hunter

By Alan Wen, Retro Gamer Team Published

Features Kaname Fujioka tells Retro Gamer how his team began a series that laid the groundwork for connecting hunters together

Features
Yakuza Zero
Get Senpai to notice you with PlayStation at its most wonderfully Japanese

By Alan Wen Published

Best List From road tripping buddies to rapping dogs, we've picked out our favourite quintessentially Japanese games to grace Sony's consoles.

Best List
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