Author Profile

Ryan can list the first 151 Pokémon all in order off by heart – a feat he calls his ‘party trick’ despite being the biggest introvert we know.

Ever since I first discovered the magic of Pokémon Red & Blue and Nintendo's Game Boy Color at the age of six, gaming has been an ever-present factor in my life. It will forever be one of my favourite hobbies.

Experience

Ryan’s been a member of the Nintendo Life team in one form or another since 2015. After joining the site in 2017 as a News Reporter, Ryan spent a spell as Staff Writer before becoming News Editor for the site in 2020. From 2022, Ryan acted as Ecommerce Writer, before becoming a freelance writer in 2024.

In his current role as a freelance writer, Ryan can be found writing reviews and editorials across Hookshot Media's websites.

Timeline

  • 2015: Begins contributing to Nintendo Life
  • 2017: Joins Nintendo Life as a News Reporter
  • 2018: Becomes Staff Writer on Nintendo Life
  • 2020: Promoted to News Editor on Nintendo Life
  • 2022: Becomes Ecommerce Writer across Nintendo Life, Push Square, Pure Xbox and Time Extension
  • 2024: Becomes a freelance writer

Qualifications & Awards

  • BA (Hons) Music and Sound for Image (2018)

Expertise

Ryan’s first ever console was a Game Boy Color, which was swiftly followed by a Nintendo 64! Since then he’s owned pretty much every console Nintendo has ever released, as well as every Sony PlayStation from the PS1 to the PS5.

His favourite console of all-time is the Nintendo 64 - not necessarily because it’s the best, but because of the nostalgia triggered by the console and its library of games. The N64 was the first home console he owned, and playing games on it with his Mum and spending every waking moment thinking about / talking about Pokémon was the happiest he’s ever been!

Picking a favourite genre is difficult because I usually need quite a mix of different experiences and to jump from one genre to another to keep things fresh. There's something about platformers, though – 2D, 3D, whatever it is, they're easy to understand and very hard to put down.

Ryan’s Favourite Games

Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow (Game Boy):

OK, so I'm cheating a bit with this first one, but these almost identical games were what kicked off a lifetime of gaming for me. From a technical point of view, they're definitely not the best the industry has to offer, but they meant everything to me as a kid and you can't really ask for more than that.

Pokémon Snap (Nintendo 64):

This one's also largely in my top three thanks to nostalgia, but even today I find it so satisfying to play through a game that can be completed within a handful of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I'm quite into photography and like to pretend I'm good at it – I think the passion probably started here!

Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock (Wii, PS2, Xbox 360):

My final choice is a bit left-field, but my love for Guitar Hero 3 largely comes down to the fact that it was one of a couple of major factors that influenced me to play real guitar – and in turn, make my own music. I can't imagine life now without being so into music and writing and recording my own stuff, and maybe that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn't spent the entirety of 2008 rocking out in my living room with Guitar Hero's plastic controller.

From the Archive

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

Feature: Game Of The Decade Staff Picks - Pokémon GO

My time as a writer on Nintendo Life was almost exclusively news-focused, so opportunities to write more personal pieces were rare. I knew this GotD decision would be controversial, but I didn't care – it was fun to write and I'm glad that we put it out.

One Month Later, Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Review-Bombing Is Only Getting Worse

Purely for the wild attention it received. New Horizons was a huge event, and this story blew up, achieving page view numbers I'd never experienced in such a short space of time and appearing all over social media sites, YouTube videos, and more. It was bizarre but thrilling seeing my headline and byline be talked about and screenshotted all over the place for a few weeks.

Super Mario Odyssey Power Moon Locations And Walkthrough

Creating a guide campaign for any game is an absolute slog, and this was my first experience of doing so. It's definitely not the best way to enjoy a game, and the amount of work needed is frankly ridiculous, but the sense of achievement having finished a guide like this isn't really matched by creating any other article type.

Username
ryancraddock
Articles
20
First Article
Fri 4th, February 2022
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