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

Two characters fighting in Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree

There are 5 expansions that changed the face of video games – here's why Shadow of the Erdtree is one of them

By Joe Donnelly Published 2 July 24

List Opinion | The best expansions are still worth talking about 25 years later

List

Skyrim mods have been downloaded over 6 billion times from the biggest modding site – will anything ever come close to the RPG's stunning legacy?

By Joe Donnelly Published 7 May 24

Opinion Opinion | The fifth Elder Scrolls entry is a giant in so many ways, and it still, somehow, shows little signs of slowing down

Opinion

Shooting Nazis in the arse while lying flat out in the prone position in the middle of my living room might be the best video game experience I've ever had

By Joe Donnelly Published 6 May 24

Now Playing Now Playing| And I think I've finally seen through the VR looking glass

Now Playing

Rediscovering the brilliant and brutal 22-year-old RPG that charges a ridiculous 1,000 in-game coins just to save your game

By Joe Donnelly Published 24 April 24

Opinion Now Playing | The game's party recruitment system can also lead to a bloodbath revolt

Opinion

My favorite Spelunky character is a masterclass in roguelike risk versus reward: "Stealing in games is fun in the same way running across the top of the screen is in Super Mario"

By Joe Donnelly Published 23 April 24

Interview Interview | The game's creator Derek Yu explores the workings of Spelunky's grumpy, and deadly, shopkeepers

Interview

GTA players are still discussing how to 100% this top-down classic – proving it was years ahead of its time at the turn of the millennium

By Joe Donnelly Published 17 April 24

Opinion Opinion | Is Grand Theft Auto 2 the most underrated of all GTA games?

Opinion

The Rogue Prince of Persia is an unlikely roguelike slant on the 35-year-old series from one of the best genre developers in the business

By Joe Donnelly Published 10 April 24

Preview Preview | The Rogue Prince of Persia is a strange but welcomed roguelike take on the newly revitalized series

Preview

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree screenshot

As we stare down the Elden Ring DLC, I can't decide which of my all-time favorite builds to take into the RPG's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion

By Joe Donnelly Published 9 April 24

Opinion Opinion | I'm juggling save files in the Lands Between and I'm terrified I'll make the wrong call

Opinion

With Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Ninja Theory is learning from player feedback and past experience in its sustained push to challenge mental health stigma

By Joe Donnelly Published 5 April 24

Interview Interview | How Hellblade 2 is building on the foundations laid by 2017's Senua's Sacrifice

Interview

Sometimes unashamedly riffing on the biggest genre hits works – just ask Nightghast, a creepy budget horror game in the vein of P.T., Resident Evil and Silent Hill

By Joe Donnelly Published 5 April 24

Features Indie Spotlight | Nightghast is short but sweet and proper unsettling

Features

Rediscovering the 25-year-old console JRPG whose jaw-dropping CGI cutscenes I once considered the indisputable pinnacle of video game graphics

By Joe Donnelly Published 3 April 24

OPINION Opinion | And the biggest question is: How could I possibly forget this bygone PS1 classic?

OPINION

Elden Ring's DLC can only be reached from a very specific late game location – 13 years later, is this signature FromSoftware access method still practical?

By Joe Donnelly Published 29 March 24

Opinion Opinion | Accessing added content has never been straightforward in FromSoftware's esteemed action RPGs, but is this a good or a bad thing?

Opinion

Lego Fortnite is my new obsession, but I remain unconvinced it (or anything else) can ever match Minecraft's sense of wonder

By Joe Donnelly Published 27 March 24

Opinion Opinion | I'm singing the same tune 13 years later, but this time it's through a new, more profound lens

Opinion

I'm so obsessed with Elden Ring's twisted sickness cult that my family has banned me from talking about it at home

By Joe Donnelly Published 26 March 24

Opinion Opinion | And it's only going to get worse when the action RPG's long-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree DLC lands later this year

Opinion

Half-Life 2 deathmatch screenshot showing online multiplayer action

20 years later, Half-Life 2 Deathmatch still my favorite online multiplayer FPS of all time

By Joe Donnelly Published 25 March 24

Opinion Opinion | You can rip toilets from the wall and kill enemies with them. Enough said?

Opinion

Holstin appearing in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2024

Holstin, the action horror game that lets you seamlessly flip between first and third person, showcases its latest terrifying trailer

By Joe Donnelly Published 21 March 24

News Holstin looks positively ghastly in all of the right ways

News

AWaken Astral Blade appearing in the Future Games Show 2024

Awaken Astral Blade trailer breaks out some neat Metroidvania mechanics and a release window

By Joe Donnelly Published 21 March 24

Sponsored

32 years since our first trip to Derceto Manor, Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood are back with a bang

News

Rise of the Ronin review: "A decent PS5 exclusive action RPG that's driven and hamstrung by its ambition"

By Joe Donnelly Published 21 March 24

Review

I've fallen in love with Elden Ring's absolute worst area – just like I did with Dark Souls and Bloodborne

By Joe Donnelly Published 14 March 24

Opinion Opinion | Areas I once hated in some of my favorite action RPGs are now places I relish

Opinion

Rise of the Ronin sits somewhere between Assassin's Creed and Nioh, but the action RPG's rhythm combat took me back to a 27-year-old PS1 classic

By Joe Donnelly Published 11 March 24

Hands-on Preview | Team Ninja's latest PS5 exclusive is the studio's most ambitious yet – can it pull off everything it hopes to achieve?

Hands-on

Trust me, you should totally play the latest GTA Online update like it's Metal Gear Solid

By Joe Donnelly Published 8 March 24

Opinion Opinion | The Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid is best approached with a serious dash of Solid Snake

Opinion

From Skyrim to Elden Ring and even Final Fantasy 7 – my favorite RPG magic spell has never once let me down

By Joe Donnelly Published 7 March 24

Opinion Opinion | I get by with a little help from my (overpowered) friends

Opinion

I never once thought of Dark Souls or Diablo when playing Moon Studios' previous games, but the dev's new action RPG feels like the perfect evolution of ideas and talent

By Joe Donnelly Published 1 March 24

Preview Preview | Hands-on with No Rest for the Wicked, a game that wants to reinvent the ARPG genre

Preview

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