Joe Donnelly

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Joe Donnelly is a sports editor from Glasgow and former features editor at GamesRadar+. A mental health advocate, Joe has written about video games and mental health for The Guardian, New Statesman, VICE, PC Gamer and many more, and believes the interactive nature of video games makes them uniquely placed to educate and inform. His book Checkpoint considers the complex intersections of video games and mental health, and was shortlisted for Scotland's National Book of the Year for non-fiction in 2021. As familiar with the streets of Los Santos as he is the west of Scotland, Joe can often be found living his best and worst lives in GTA Online and its PC role-playing scene.

Latest articles by Joe Donnelly

I've spent over 10 years trying (and failing) to beat this dungeon-crawling roguelike RPG that was made using cellphone internet data in a treehouse in the woods

By Joe Donnelly Published 15 February 24

Now Playing Now Playing | Legend of Dungeon is the game I love to hate, hate to love, and couldn't imagine my life without

Now Playing

Listing image showing (left to right) Another World, Final Fantasy 10, Dragon Age Inquisition, and Golden Sun

13 developers share the video games that helped them fall in love with gaming

By Josh West Published 14 February 24

Features We asked the devs who are helping to shape the future of gaming what made them fall in love with playing them in the first place

Features

Two of my all-time favorite Metroidvania games launched in the last year – and I've hardly understood a word of their stories

By Joe Donnelly Published 13 February 24

Opinion Opinion | Narrative hand-holding is fine, but light-touch storytelling suits me just fine in the Metroidvania space

Opinion

Ultros review: "A drop-dead gorgeous head trip of a Metroidvania game set in a cosmic uterus sarcophagus"

By Joe Donnelly Published 12 February 24

Review

Griselda GTA 6 rumors have persisted for 8 years – in the wake of the Netflix show, I really hope there's some truth to them

By Joe Donnelly Published 6 February 24

Opinion Opinion | I've just finished the six-part miniseries and am more on board than ever

Opinion

Rise of the Ronin's martial arts and ranged weapons are going a long way to realizing my Sekiro meets Bloodborne fantasy

By Joe Donnelly Published 1 February 24

Opinion Opinion | Rise of the Ronin looks like it could take choice-driven combat to a whole other level

Opinion

The Metroidvania genre is on fire right now, and Tales of Kenzera Zau just jumped to the top of my most-anticipated list

By Joe Donnelly Published 1 February 24

Opinion Opinion | The debut venture from Surgent Studios enters a genre in great health

Opinion

PlayStation State of Play predictions: What we want to see at the 40-minute showcase that promises 15+ games

By Joe Donnelly Published 30 January 24

PREDICTIONS Opinion | With "extended looks at Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin" already confirmed, what else might we see?

PREDICTIONS

"The Thing on an oil rig" is one hell of a pitch, but Still Wakes the Deep's unshakable terror is driven by its unheroic characters

By Joe Donnelly Published 30 January 24

Big In 2024 Big In 2024 | Protagonist Caz is an unfit ex-boxer "in the middle of a situation beyond imagining"

Big In 2024

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – Everything we know so far

By Josh West last updated 30 January 24

Features We're counting down the days until Kill the Justice League launches

Features

Hollow Knight Silksong's agonizingly long road to release might actually be an accidental stroke of genius

By Joe Donnelly Published 28 January 24

Big In 2024 Big In 2024 | There are few games capable of stirring this level of hype right now, but Silksong is definitely one of them

Big In 2024

The GTA 6 trailer landed 8 weeks ago – what has the Grand Theft Auto community been speculating about since?

By Joe Donnelly Published 28 January 24

GRAND THEFT AUTOPSY Grand Theft Autopsy | From Lucia's actor to the unnamed co-protagonist's role, we dissect the biggest GTA 6 rumors

GRAND THEFT AUTOPSY

Avowed's commitment to ubiquitous player choice could make it 2024's standout RPG: "At Obsidian, it's your world, your way, right?"

By Joe Donnelly Published 26 January 24

Interview Interview | In combat, in questing, and in everything between, Avowed puts you at the heart of everything it does

Interview

The biggest video game anniversaries of 2024

By Joe Donnelly Published 25 January 24

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS Old In 2024 | Hang on, these games are *how old* this year?

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS

The excruciating wait for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a blessing and a curse for the action RPG

By Joe Donnelly Published 21 January 24

Big In 2024 Big In 2024 | Elden Ring's first slice of new content has been a long time coming, for better and worse

Big In 2024

I was sold on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth 27 years ago

By Joe Donnelly Published 21 January 24

Big In 2024 Big In 2024 | The latest slice of the modern day reimagining ticks so many old-school boxes

Big In 2024

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle looks like the best series adaptation since Temple of Doom on the Atari ST over 30 years ago

By Joe Donnelly Published 19 January 24

Big In 2024 Big In 2024 | I love Lara, but this looks like the sort of tomb raiding I've wanted from Indy for so long

Big In 2024

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown has given the 35-year-old series its second reinvention, but I still think it's better-suited to action RPG over Metroidvania

By Joe Donnelly Published 18 January 24

Opinion Opinion | The Lost Crown has made Prince of Persia relevant again, setting its next steps up perfectly in the process

Opinion

What to expect from PlayStation in 2024

By Joe Donnelly Published 17 January 24

Big In 2024 Big In 2024 | In the wake of a steady but subdued 2023, Sony will be keen to make some noise in the coming weeks and months

Big In 2024

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown December Preview screenshots

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown review: "It gets so much right, but falls short of greatness"

By Joe Donnelly Published 11 January 24

Review

I played A Tiny Sticker Tale with my 5-year-old daughter for a laugh, but was nearly brought to tears by its poignant themes of fatherhood

By Joe Donnelly Published 5 January 24

Indie Spotlight Indie Spotlight | Turning A Tiny Sticker Tale into an inadvertent pantomime was the perfect tonic to combat end-of-year fatigue

Indie Spotlight

With the GTA 6 hype train in motion, 2024 will be the most exciting year for Grand Theft Auto in the series' almost 30-year existence

By Joe Donnelly Published 25 December 23

Grand Theft Advent Grand Theft Advent | Merry Christmas, happy Grand Theft Advent, and here's to a busy and rumor-driven New Year

Grand Theft Advent

The first GTA 6 trailer was incredible – but what can we expect from the second?

By Joe Donnelly Published 24 December 23

Grand theft advent Grand Theft Advent | With GTA 6 not here till 2025, we'll surely be seeing more of Vice City soon

Grand theft advent

Did the GTA 6 leaks help or hinder Rockstar's long-awaited GTA 6 trailer reveal?

By Joe Donnelly Published 23 December 23

Grand Theft Advent Grand Theft Advent | Rockstar has come through one of the most turbulent periods in its history pretty unscathed, it would seem

Grand Theft Advent

I might be in the minority here, but I hope GTA 6 launches without a first-person mode

By Joe Donnelly Published 22 December 23

Grand Theft Advent Grand Theft Advent | I'm happy to wait for another way to play

Grand Theft Advent

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