
Joel Franey
Joel Franey got his Bachelors in Creative Writing and Games Design from Brunel University in 2017, before going on to do a Masters in Creative and Critical Writing from Sussex University. During this time he also worked freelance in various gaming-related roles and professions, including design, PR, reviews and features, before eventually joining the guides team at USgamer and ReedPop in 2019. Since then, he has written professionally for numerous publications, including Gfinity Esports, Eurogamer, VG247, Dicebreaker, RPS, Jelly Deals and more. These have involved, among other things, writing guides, news, features, reviews, and even working as an SEO consultant, restructuring and rewriting content for the purpose of increased online traffic. He eventually joined GamesRadar+ as a Guides Writer in 2021, with a focus on covering single player games and narrative games, though nonetheless regularly contributing to ongoing coverage of online gaming services and multiplayer properties, and has covered a variety of major AAA games in his time since then. In his spare time he is also a long-time fiction writer, having written books, screenplays and more besides in a variety of genres, and is the co-host and co-creator of the pop culture comedy podcast, "Margaret Thatcher, Templar Spy".
Latest articles by Joel Franey

The top Death Stranding 2 tips we wish we'd known before we hit the road
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Build connections and secure your packages with the best tips for Death Stranding 2 we learned from the wasteland

Pokemon TCG Pocket events calendar and schedule (July 2025)
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide All events in the Pokemon TCG Pocket are all laid out in our calendar below

Full Death Stranding 2 cast and cameos list
By Will Sawyer published
Guide Hideo Kojima once again flexes his contacts book with the star-studded Death Stranding 2 cast

Do you need to play Death Stranding 1 before Death Stranding 2: On the Beach?
By Joel Franey published
Guide DS2 is fairly easy to play, but not easy to understand if you haven't played Death Stranding 1

The ultimate Death Stranding 2 guide to the post-apocalypse
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide Life doesn't have to be a Beach with our Death Stranding 2 guides hub

All the Pokemon TCG Pocket rarest cards
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The most rare cards in Pokemon TCGP are the gold cards, aka Crown rarity

How to unlock Pizza-Do Karate martial arts in Death Stranding 2
By Joel Franey published
Guide DS2: On the Beach lets you learn martial arts and acrobatic karate moves from the Pizza Chef

What's the answer to the Death Stranding 2 Platypus question?
By Joel Franey published
Guide The DS2 question that Rainy and Tomorrow ask you concerns the life cycle of the duck-billed platypus

How to kill BTs in Death Stranding 2
By Joel Franey published
Guide The Ghosts in Death Stranding 2 are called BTs, or Beached Things, and are very dangerous foes

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach ending explained
By Joel Franey published
Guide We explain the ending of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, including any unclear details about Tomorrow, Lou, Higgs and the story itself

How to solve the Death Stranding 2 F1 Fastest Route puzzle
By Joel Franey published
Guide The fastest route from F1 to all four bases in DS2 is a complex puzzle

What's the answer to the Death Stranding 2 block puzzle?
By Joel Franey published
Guide The DS2 question about blocks and shapes is about forming a rectangle from Tetris pieces.

The best Death Stranding 2 weapons and how to get them
By Joel Franey published
Guide The best DS2 weapons are obtained through meeting or building reputation with specific bunkers

How to get to the Inventor in Death Stranding 2
By Joel Franey published
Guide The DS2 Inventor is a settlement near West Fort Knot on an island

What's the best choice for Tomorrow's Nightmare in Death Stranding 2?
By Joel Franey published
Guide Tomorrow asks you who to choose in DS2's nightmare question: her, Higgs, Rainy or Fragile.

How to fast travel in Death Stranding 2
By Joel Franey published
Guide Fast travel in Death Stranding 2 is done with the DHV Magellan

How to farm materials in Death Stranding 2 and all Mine locations
By Joel Franey published
Guide You can earn resources in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach quickly with rebuilt mines

How to get to the Lone Commander in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
By Joel Franey published
Guide The DS2 Lone Commander is found in the hills above the Government's Base

All Death Stranding 2 vehicles and how to get them
By Joel Franey published
Guide There are two proper DS2 vehicles, along with their upgrades and a wildcard third option: monorails.

Master Mode is the best thing about replaying Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Switch 2, and it's a tragedy that Tears of the Kingdom will apparently never have that option
By Joel Franey published
Now Playing Opinion | I found that Breath of the Wild had lost its magic, until I made use of this ridiculous difficulty option

If Assassin's Creed isn't going to bring back the multiplayer we all loved, there's another stealthy murder game that can do it even better: Hitman
By Joel Franey published
Opinion Opinion | I love Hitman, but its upcoming co-op mode is just a stepping stone towards what it really needs: direct competitive assassination

Tears of the Kingdom is great, but the Switch 2 upgrades have made me confront the hard truth: Breath of the Wild is still the superior Zelda game
By Joel Franey published
Now Playing Opinion | Two years later and with the benefit of hindsight, who agrees that Breath of the Wild was better than Tears of the Kingdom?

How to open the red code chest in Stellar Blade
By Joel Franey last updated
Guide The Stellar Blade chest in Bar 99 tells you to "enter passcode" - but won't let you
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