Joe Donnelly
Joe is a Features Editor at 12DOVE. With over seven years of experience working in specialist print and online journalism, Joe has written for a number of gaming, sport and entertainment publications including PC Gamer, Edge, Play and FourFourTwo. He is well-versed in all things Grand Theft Auto and spends much of his spare time swapping real-world Glasgow for GTA Online’s Los Santos. Joe is also a mental health advocate and has written a book about video games, mental health and their complex intersections. He is a regular expert contributor on both subjects for BBC radio. Many moons ago, he was a fully-qualified plumber which basically makes him Super Mario.
Latest articles by Joe Donnelly
![Marvel's Spider-Man 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SzA2XrMNCHhhCTU7jeJAjN-320-80.jpg)
There's a real-world Easter egg at the end of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 that I need in my life right now
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | There's something about Miles' end-of-game costume that I'm sure will improve his sneaking side
![No Man's Sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ACdzWZfdLaDdriwcnprmUV-320-80.jpg)
Best space games which will let you explore the unknown
By Samuel Horti last updated
Best List From Elite Dangerous to Outer Wilds, here's the 10 best space games which will let you journey through the stars
![Marvel's Spider-Man 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T4pfU5iswhdzbQUQndorZE-320-80.jpg)
Spider-Man actor on taking Peter Parker to darker places: "It left me exhausted at the end of every working day"
By Joe Donnelly published
On the Radar On The Radar | Yuri Lowenthal: "Any actor will tell you, they'll play a villain in a heartbeat"
![Lords of the Fallen screenshot](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JVQ2YJUY5jFCNX5tyMXFwZ-320-80.jpg)
Lords of the Fallen isn't perfect, but its flashes of Dark Souls 2 and Soul Reaver have lit a bonfire within me
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | Lords of the Fallen is pleasantly familiar, for better and for worse
![Marvel's Spider-Man 2 OTR](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DTQdSKuJnsQSyXz39Zidg4-320-80.jpg)
Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Mister Negative actor says working with Denzel Washington and Jennifer Garner helped bring his character to life
By Joe Donnelly published
On the Radar On The Radar | Actor, voice actor and stunt man, Stephen Oyoung on his Spider-Man return: "All I have, I owe Insomniac"
![Marvel's Spider-Man 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/o2b4SngZPVKy9sFAeHPM4E-320-80.jpg)
On the Radar: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 – A deep dive into the much-anticipated superhero sequel
By Joe Donnelly published
On the Radar On The Radar | Where we bring you closer than ever before to the biggest new releases – and this time we're celebrating Marvel's Spider-Man 2
![The Talos Principle 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XbZaYyhouBporsgBHhZnTc-320-80.jpg)
The game that makes silly people like me feel super intelligent is back after 9 years, and now it's more rewarding than ever
By Joe Donnelly published
Features Preview | The Talos Principle 2 is a healthy dose of new and nostalgia for puzzle game fans of all tastes
![Marvel's Spider-Man 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jniJBsVDcwuTiQWnnfhHNe-320-80.jpg)
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 review: "Quite simply the best superhero game yet"
By Joe Donnelly published
Review
![Ruby Weapon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PFMyGAhjxcb3aco9BJLnfB-320-80.jpg)
It took me 26 years to beat my all-time hardest JRPG nemesis, and now I'm both delighted and devastated
By Joe Donnelly published
Feature Opinion | And doing so has fanned the flames of desire for one of next year's biggest upcoming RPGs
![The pack shot for Assassin's Creed Mirage featuring Basim](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fauNgYK73cYBY5DiqgJbiP-320-80.jpeg)
How Ubisoft transformed Assassin's Creed Mirage protagonist Basim from evil to endearing
By Joe Donnelly published
Interview Interview | An antagonist in Valhalla, Basim Ibn Ishaq is back in the form of Assassin's Creed Mirage's hero
![Best city builder games - Cities Skylines](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iWioFUhCSxzajzHKWZm4FH-320-80.jpg)
The 15 best city building games to play today
By Heather Wald last updated
Features From Frostpunk to Aven Colony, the best city-builders will have you reaching for the skies
![Assassin's Creed Mirage](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxLQWUEgdHyY2cUxg6W3EF-320-80.jpg)
How rejecting racism, reconnecting with Arabic culture, and a chance phone call helped bring Assassin's Creed Mirage's Basim to life
By Joe Donnelly published
On the Radar On the Radar | In conversation with Lee Majdoub, the man tasked with reimagining Basim Ibn Ishaq in Assassin's Creed Mirage
![GTA Online The Criminal Enterprises](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Y7Q7Sh24NRSZZNdp9vusWY-320-80.jpg)
With respect to the last decade's blockbuster open world games, GTA Online is still the best of them all in 2023
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | As GTA Online turns 10, we explore why players are still flocking to the city of sin after so many years
![GTA Online](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z4iynCth2p3yDC5sTrGkJT-320-80.jpg)
Meet the GTA Online skydive stunt master who's spent over 10,000 hours perfecting aerial tricks – their latest anniversary montage will blow you away
By Joe Donnelly published
Features Interview | Ash Skyqueen is back dazzling in the skies of Los Santos and Blaine County with a new stunt collection
![Mortal Kombat 1](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LtrNjjvA92spfAeiCqiMPS-320-80.jpg)
I haven't felt this way about a fighting game since I knocked myself out on a Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet at a bowling alley 30 years ago
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | As a reboot, Mortal Kombat 1 will inevitably draw newcomers – but its appeal for me spans decades in more ways than one
![Payday 3](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RRGJst8NSuvudXJLNgoFrf-320-80.jpg)
GTA Online changed the face of multiplayer heist games, but Payday 3 holds the blueprints
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | Payday 3 doesn't reinvent the wheel but it'll definitely feed your heist movie power fantasies – assuming its servers let you
![Starfield](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XcuoTHYvhfEKxDzyz2xksC-320-80.jpg)
Starfield is bigger and more ambitious than Skyrim, but will it stand the test of time in the same way?
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | It's got the ingredients to match The Elder Scrolls 5's legacy, but does Starfield know what to do with them?
![Lies of P review](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rSmC94sJyY2yS2EqHoLhS9-320-80.jpg)
Bloodborne changed the face of action RPG horror, but Lies of P could redefine our expectations
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | Lies of P could, and probably should, mark a new dawn for Soulslike horror
![Skyrim](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JRUrdxysPjYiE3WUxokKCK-320-80.jpg)
If you can't play Starfield, this sci-fi Skyrim mod has 7 districts, 200 interiors, 400 NPCs and is perfect for space envy
By Joe Donnelly published
Features Struggling with Starfield FOMO? You might fancy visiting Fort Knox via Tamriel
![Grand theft Auto 5](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BqMCMwDWqRbXKvPGZbWJqF-320-80.jpg)
GTA 5's open world map was so ahead of its time that it's no surprise people are still flocking to it 10 years later
By Joe Donnelly published
Features Opinion | It may be cliche to describe video game settings as central characters, but it's absolutely true of Grand Theft Auto 5's Los Santos and Blaine County
![GTA Online](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5hZoFzbtgoMh9jvGbH5UbU-320-80.jpg)
Solo-ing this old-school GTA Online mission is the best way to make quick cash during this week's 4x RP and GTA$ event
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | This Lamar Davis throwback is loud, lively, and, crucially, lucrative - cash in while you can!
![final fantasy 7 rebirth trailer grab](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mrb3z9FWE8ZJ6k4apYn9BV-320-80.jpg)
The most exciting Nintendo and Sony showcase standouts were last century's ideas
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | It really feels like a golden age inspired by a Golden Age
![Baldur's Gate 3](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AW4vm2MygxQiUchdcAUZc8-320-80.png)
I'm late to the Baldur's Gate 3 party, so I've decided to ruin that party by being an absolute bastard to everyone I meet
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Baldur's Gate 3 is an incredibly flexible story-generator for the best and worst players among us