Author Profile

Nintendo Life’s resident horror fanatic, when he’s not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry.

I've been playing video games for the vast majority of my life, starting with my brother's Sega Mega Drive before being introduced to the world of Nintendo with the Game Boy Color and a copy of Pokémon Blue.

I’d always read gaming magazines like NGamer and ONM when I was younger, and although I always wondered what it would be like to write about games for a living, it wasn't until around 2016 or so that I started to pursue it. I began writing for myself before capturing the attention of Hookshot’s Directors. Now here I am!

Experience

Ollie joined Nintendo Life as a Staff Writer in 2022. He contributes articles right across the site, covering news, reviews, guides and general features.

Reviewing games is a particular passion of mine. When I was younger, I'd always chat with my friends about new games; what I liked about them, what I didn't like. Delving deep into what makes a game good or bad is such an interesting topic of discussion, so when I'm reviewing games for Nintendo Life, it feels like I'm having the same discussion, but this time it's with hundreds of people from our community and beyond. It's a thrill!

Timeline

  • 2022: Joins Nintendo Life as Staff Writer

Qualifications & Awards

  • Bachelor of Journalism (2010)

Expertise

The first console Ollie owned was the Game Boy Color, although when it comes to home consoles he inherited his brother’s Mega Drive and PS1 before purchasing a GameCube himself.

Since then he’s owned pretty much every Nintendo home and handheld console, as well as the PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X! He also owns the Atari 2600+ and a PlayStation Vita.

His favourite console of all-time is the GameCube - and he doesn’t mind admitting nostalgia plays a large part in his choice! Some of his favourite games are from the GameCube era, including Metroid Prime, Zelda: Wind Waker and Resident Evil 4. He also loves the aesthetic quirks of the console, such as the ability to swap out the circular logo.

Survival Horror’s my genre of choice. I've always been into horror, whether it's games, movies, or books. Classic survival horror with the fixed camera angles, limited ammunition, and cheesy dialogue will always have a place in my heart, but the genre has evolved beautifully over the years.

Alien: Isolation is a perfect example of how to make a game scary thanks to the incredible AI of the titular Xenomorph alien. There's nothing quite like closing the curtains, turning off the lights, and booting up a survival horror game with the volume cranked up high…

Ollie’s Favourite Games

From the Archive

We asked Ollie to pick out his three favourite pieces of work from across his personal archive, and tell us why he picked them!

Feature: "It Would Be Really Cool To Do A Retrospective On Iwata" - Atari's CEO On Acquisitions & Dream Collaborations

Interviewing Atari's CEO was a dream come true and a great opportunity to dive into the company's past and future.

Metroid Prime Remastered Review (Switch)

Reviewing what is undoubtedly one of my favourite games of all time was unreal. What a stunner.

Soapbox: For This First-Timer, Summer Game Fest Felt Like A Perfect E3 Antidote

Providing a breakdown on my first major gaming event at SGF 2023 felt wonderful. I was very proud of our work at the event and in the immediate days that followed.

Username
Olliemar28
Articles
4 (4 reviews)
First Article
Fri 3rd, December 2021
Avg. Review Score
6.5
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