GeezerVison is showing www.nintendolife.com — Gavin Lane (Author) | Nintendo Life
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.
Ever since I was devouring N64 Magazine every month in the late '90s, the idea of writing about video games for a living had been floating in the back of my mind. Joining Nintendo Life in 2019 meant I could finally combine my love of games and writing, and get to interact with lovely, like-minded people every single day. Video games have the ability to constantly surprise you with something new, even when you think you've seen it all.
Experience
Gavin started contributing to Nintendo Life as a freelance reviewer and features writer in 2018. In 2019 he became Features Editor, and then Editor in 2021.
He continues to contribute articles across the site’s sections including news, reviews, features and guides.
Aside from getting to work with a fantastic team, the variety is the most enjoyable part of the job. Whether it's delving into a specific game, hearing from a developer, considering how best to help players/readers, or unearthing and shining a light on exciting tidbits from the Nintendo sphere, there's always something fresh to discover and write about.
Timeline
- 2018: Starts contributing to Nintendo Life as a freelance reviewer & features writer
- 2019: Joins Nintendo Life as Features Editor
- 2021: Becomes Editor at Nintendo Life
Expertise
Gavin’s first gaming console was the Mega Drive. Since then he’s owned just about every Sega, Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation console you can think of. Oh, and don’t forget the Playdate either!
His favourite console of all time is the N64 - a window into a new world of Nintendo, multiplayer and 3D gaming.
It's variety that keeps me ticking. I'd get sick of the same thing over and over, so I don't have a favourite genre as such. How many roguelike deckbuilders can one person take?
Gavin’s Favourite Games
From the Archive
We asked Gavin to pick out his three favourite pieces of work from across his personal archive, and tell us why he picked them!
Feature: Banjo-Tooie Turns 20 - The Rare Team Tells The Story Of Bombs, Bugs And Bottles
Getting to speak to the Banjo-Tooie team for the 20th anniversary was a huge honour.
Feature: How David Lynch’s Twin Peaks Influenced The Legend Of Zelda Series
As a huge Twin Peaks fan, my piece on the connections between the Zelda series and David Lynch is a personal favourite.
Feature: "It's Fun, So It's Okay!" - Celebrating Takashi Tezuka's Astonishing 40-Year Nintendo Career
I don't get to deep-dive into a specific developer or piece of hardware as much as I'd like, but it was a joy researching and writing about Takashi Tezuka's 40-year Nintendo career.
- Username
- dartmonkey
- Articles
- 2,594 (91 reviews)
- First Article
- Sun 2nd, April 2017
- Avg. Review Score
- 7.3
- Find Them On
- LinkedIn • Muck Rack • Twitter/X
Review Pictonico! (Mobile) - WarioWare In All But Name, Just On Your Phone
Wario is missing When first revealed, Pictonico was clearly channelling serious WarioWare energy. That madcap microgame series got two Switch entries — 2021's multiplayer-focused Get it Together! and 2023's Move It!, inspired by the Wii's Smooth Moves — but the microgame format feels particularly well-
Talking Point With Big Walk, The AI-In-Game-Dev Debate Just Got A Lot Murkier
Big talk "The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!"
Please forgive the Captain Picard First Contact quote (it's been a couple of weeks since Patrick Stewart's death and only now can I mention his most famous character without welling up) - I promise it's relevant as an illustration of an admirable, principled stance.
In the Borg, good...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give The Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Remake?
Hero of all-Time? It's here. It's finally here, and we'd wager you've spent a good chunk of the past 48+ hours playing it. Or perhaps you're savouring the moment, waiting for the perfect time to settle down with the most critically acclaimed game of the year (so far).
Either way, Ocarina is out on Switch 2, and millions of you have had the...
Community "I Think Of Her Every Time I Play It" - Your Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Memories
Dost thou sense it? With the Switch 2 remake of the N64's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time fast approaching, we recently asked Nintendo Life readers to share their memories of the 1998 original.
Whether you were a Zelda veteran taking your first steps into a 3D Hyrule or this was your very first encounter with the series, this particular entry...
Feature How Do You Pronounce These Words From Zelda: Ocarina Of Time?
Sheikdown The upcoming return to 64-bit Hyrule has us discussing Ocarina of Time memories, chatting about our favourite characters and bosses, and generally looking wistfully into the middle distance with a smile on our faces, wondering how all these people and places will look in reimagined form on Switch 2.
In the course of these chats, however,...
Community Played A Top Switch Game We Missed? Send Us Your Recommendations
Net benefit We're into October, which means it's time for our six-monthly callout for Games We Missed, the series where the Nintendo Life community sends in their recommendations for tasty Switch games that slipped through our review net.
Back in April we highlighted 31 Switch 1 and 2 games, large and small, that we weren't able to cover with a...
Feature The Results Of Our 2026 Switch 2 Summer Survey Are In
Fingers crossed for a Kid Icarus revival Back in August, we posed 64 gaming-related questions to Nintendo Life readers in our Switch 2 Summer Survey. Topics included gaming habits, thoughts on Switch 2 and its software lineup, how you buy games in 2026, and other questions covering how you get your daily dose of Nintendo goodness on this here...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave?
Are you not entertained? The latest entry in Intelligent Systems' strategy RPG series hit Switch 2 last week, and it's a big one. With five protagonists, you'll easily be hitting a triple-digit hour count if you want to see absolutely everything Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave has to offer.
That said, after a week with it, launch-day fans have been...
News Big Walk Devs Issue Statement Over AI Usage
"This is not an endorsement" House House, the Australian development team behind indie hit Big Walk, has issued a statement via its FAQ page detailing a previously undisclosed use of AI "in the final stretch" of the game's development.
This comes following a "voluntary disclosure" as part of the game's submission for next year's IGF Awards...
News Scalpers Already Want Insane Sums For The Ocarina Remake With Exclusive Bits
One BILLION dollars! There's nothing new with secondhand sellers trying their luck to make a big profit from day one. It doesn't help when special editions like the Fire Emblem: Dagdan Collection sell out almost instantly, either. The FOMO is real and scalpers gonna scalp.
However, it seems that sellers on eBay UK are taking things to fresh...
News Nintendo's Inventory Levels At A Record High As RAM Crisis Continues
Accumulate to mitigate As part of its latest financial report, Nintendo has published the yen value of its inventory for the second quarter of FY2026/27, showing a record high as the company attempts to mitigate rising costs across the industry.
The latest quarterly report states that the platform holder has 814.57 billion yen's worth...
Nintendo Download 29th October (North America)
Hello Kitty! Darkest Dungeon! Peak! The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch 2 eShop - Highlights:
Minecraft for Nintendo Switch 2 (Mojang, 27th Oct,...
Community Zelda's Almost Here, And We Want To Hear Your Ocarina Of Time Memories
Prelude of Light At the time of writing, we're just nine days from one of the most anticipated remakes ever released. Ocarina of Time holds a special place in many a gamer's heart - and that goes for the vast majority of us reading (and writing on) a site called Nintendo Life.
A couple of weeks ago we asked how you first encountered the game,...
News Nintendo Indie World Showcase Announced For Today, 28th October 2026
Here we go! Nintendo has announced an Indie World showcase airing later today, Wednesday 28th October.
As revealed on Nintendo Today!, the showcase kicks off at 2pm GMT, with "approximately 15 minutes" of indie game news.
Tune in on October 28th at 14:00 (UK time) for a livestreamed Indie World Showcase - 28.10.2026 presentation. The presentation...
Nintendo Download 22nd October (North America)
Final Fantasy! I Am Your Beast! Wuhu Island! The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week.
Also, seeing as we missed last week's Download, we've bundled that in at the...
Round Up The Reviews Are In For Nintendo Switch Sports Resort
Resort it out Nintendo Switch Sports Resort takes us back to Wuhu Island on Thursday, but as is customary, reviews have gone live prior to launch, and the critical reaction seems pretty warm.
Sitting on a Metascore of 79 from 46 reviews at the time of writing, this return for Nintendo's 'Sports' following 2022's Nintendo Switch Sports has hit the...
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