Steve Watts
Steve Watts is a games editor and critic at GameSpot who covers video games across the technology beat, with a particular focus on franchise titles, Nintendo releases, and genre-defining action games. His coverage is distinguished by close attention to how long-running series reinvent themselves, balancing mechanical detail with clear, accessible prose about what a game feels like to play. Across more than 15 years of professional reporting, reviewing, and interviewing, he has built a deep catalog of reviews, features, and deal roundups that track the evolution of modern gaming across platforms and formats.
Nintendo And Platform Franchises
Watts holds a dedicated remit around Nintendo, serving as an internal point person for major releases and platform-defining titles. He has led reviews of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, framing it as a transformational sequel that builds thoroughly on Breath of the Wild’s foundation and treats the game as a canvas for player creativity and emotional storytelling.
His review of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury presents the package as a showcase for the versatility of Mario design, emphasizing how the paired experiences demonstrate different facets of the same core idea. In coverage of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, he describes the game as a significant reimagining of the series, noting both its daring restructuring of the traditional formula and the rough edges and slow early hours that come with that ambition.
He also reviews smaller Nintendo-adjacent titles such as Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain, where he focuses on how a competition-centric design changes the tone of brain-training games, weighing their self-improvement appeal against the pressure of leaderboards. Together, these pieces show a consistent approach: he treats Nintendo releases as experiments in long-running design, judging them by how much they expand the possibilities of their series without losing clarity for everyday players.
Licensed Worlds And Big-Name IP
Watts spends substantial time on licensed games that extend major entertainment universes, often examining whether they move beyond simple brand attachment. In his review of Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, he highlights its nostalgia-rich story, sharp humor, and Arkham Lite combat, arguing that this combination brings the licensed Lego series into the modern era rather than relying solely on familiar characters.
His Star Wars Zero Company review, referenced in later reporting on the game’s sales, praises the developer for aiming higher than an XCOM reskin, focusing on meaningful tweaks to the strategy formula to justify the Star Wars license. In coverage tied to Star Wars Outlaws, he writes about how edition and preorder structures sit alongside the game’s effort to portray the seedy underbelly of the Star Wars universe, underscoring how commercial and narrative decisions intersect.
Across these pieces, he assesses licensed titles on whether they earn their place in established universes through confident mechanics and distinctive storytelling, rather than treating the brand as sufficient on its own.
Action, Metroidvania, And Strategy Hybrids
Watts’ reviews frequently return to action games and metroidvanias that push genre boundaries, especially when they reinterpret older series. His Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review characterizes the game as the series’ new home in the metroidvania genre, emphasizing its impactful combat, smooth platforming, and innovative exploration mechanics, and arguing that these qualities make the series a leader rather than a follower in its new space.
In his coverage of Pragmata, he describes it as a superb shooter that layers in hacking systems for strategic complexity, highlighting how precise combat, deep mechanics, and a touching story combine to make the game stand out.
His capsule recommendations in Steam Autumn Sale deal roundups similarly stress mechanics and genre craft, from beat-’em-ups like Absolum to metroidvanias like Blade Chimera and tactics-focused titles in the Ivalice lineage, giving concise yet descriptive snapshots of why each game deserves attention. He also reviews strategy hybrids such as Star Wars Zero Company, noting how adjustments to familiar XCOM-style systems can refresh player expectations in a crowded tactical space. This strand of his work shows a recurring interest in games that refine or remix existing genres, with write-ups that balance high-level positioning - where a game fits in the landscape - with concrete details about combat, progression, and exploration.
Live-Service, Mobile, And Ongoing Play
Live-service and ongoing games form another recurring thread in Watts’ coverage, where his role as GameSpot’s preeminent Hearthstone expert anchors his perspective on long-term engagement and systems that evolve over time. In features like his Pokemon Masters entry for GameSpot’s Now Playing, he writes candidly about continuing to play a mobile game he has criticized for aggressive microtransactions, using that tension to explore why certain live-service titles retain players despite their monetization.
His E3 retrospectives and staff picks pieces also contribute to the ongoing conversation about how games are supported and perceived over time, whether by revisiting landmark moments like Sony’s high-profile E3 press conference or surfacing under-the-radar gems that merit more attention.
Seasonal deal coverage such as Steam sale roundups further reflects this long-view approach, guiding readers through shifting catalogs with short critiques that situate games in their genres and highlight what makes them worth adding to a library. Taken together, these articles show him as a critic who follows games beyond launch, attentive to how updates, events, and pricing shape the experience of playing over months and years.
Across all of these strands, Watts’ work is marked by a steady, detail-driven style that emphasizes design choices, genre context, and player experience over hype, making him a consistent voice on technology-driven entertainment where mechanics and narrative must work together to stand out.
4 more technology journalists.
Aaron Brown
Aaron Brown focuses on how major games and consumer tech platforms work in practice for ordinary users, using high-profile launches to show what fans can and cannot do with the hardware and services they already own. He covers technology for GB News with an emphasis on console ecosystems, digital storefronts and online fan culture around blockbuster releases. His current work centres on big franchise titles on PlayStation and Xbox and what they mean for players. He looks past hype to practical details like missing pre-order options and staggered announcements, explaining how storefronts act as a key communication channel. He writes in a straightforward, accessible style that breaks down timelines, terminology and platform quirks. He also brings a broader consumer-technology lens, treating consoles as part of a wider home tech setup of services, apps and hardware.
Aaron Trueman
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Adam Riley
Adam Riley’s reporting stands out for showing how products perform in real life, not just on paper. He is operations director at Cubed3, where he writes hands-on reviews of gaming hardware, audio gear, accessories, storage, smart tech and creator tools. His beat includes headsets, earbuds, speakers, lights, docks, chargers, power banks, stands, gaming chairs and desktop gear, judged by usability, reliability, comfort and everyday performance. He also covers industry design and engineering through interviews, plus UK game charts and release trends. His wider work includes reviews of Japanese snack, beauty and lifestyle boxes, event reports and live music. He links technical features to gaming, streaming and mobile work, tests how products fit into busy setups, and explains where design choices, software limits or missing features affect daily use.
Al Landes
Al Landes focuses on what AI, security, and hardware choices mean for everyday users. He is a long-time tech writer and managing editor at Gadget Review, where he oversees review writers and reports for the technology desk. His work covers AI agents, privacy, cybersecurity, personalized tech, consumer hardware, accessories, and practical troubleshooting. He examines issues such as Meta’s Muse, Google’s Personal Intelligence, malware in anime wallpapers, and McAfee’s focus on identity and personal data. His hardware coverage includes iPhone cases, Apple TV 4K, and the Apple–Samsung rivalry. He also writes about hotel technology, science claims, and sports technology such as the PONGBOT Aura training robot. He uses hands-on testing, clear explainers, and evidence-based reporting to show risks, benefits, trade-offs, and whether a product or upgrade is worth the money.