Sean Coughlan
Sean is a writer for 25YL's gaming department. He is most passionate when talking about the games and consoles of the 1990s and has a penchant for hyperbole. He lives with his wife and daughter in Hertfordshire, England.
More stories
-
in VideogamesWhy the Launch of the Nintendo 64 Still Matters 25 Years On
The Nintendo 64 and its contemporary rivals are commonly regarded as dated, primitive efforts in 3D gaming–something to be acknowledged but not really enjoyed. I must admit, as someone who was the perfect age to experience the leap from the 16-bit Super Nintendo to the 64-bit Nintendo 64, I find that opinion somewhat exasperating. Many […] More
-
in Videogames
The Best Game Boy Themed Indies on Switch
There’s certainly no shortage of retro inspired indies on the Nintendo Switch. Everything from the NES to the original Playstation has had its fair share of indie homages—all designed to give a modern, fresh take on a classic formula. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly however, there seems to be a noticeable lack of titles which ape the […] More
-
in Videogames
Rooms: The Adventure of Anne & George Review
When Labo VR released for the Nintendo Switch, I was hopeful that we’d see a flood of games from third-party and indie developers utilising the cheap and cheerful peripheral. Alas, that didn’t really happen. In fact, at the time of writing, only three games on the Switch eshop include LABO VR support. I’ve been keen […] More
-
in Videogames
25 Years of Virtual Boy: One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure
If you’re expecting an unbiased critique of the Virtual Boy then I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. The console’s failings are well documented, and its reputation is already one of infamy. To me however, the Virtual Boy was always something of a ‘unicorn’ system—something highly desirable, but always just out of my reach. […] More
-
in Videogames
Final Fantasy X: Distinctly Japanese, Universally Relatable
“This is it. This… is your story. It all begins here.” It’s been some years since I originally played Final Fantasy X, and truth be told, there was little I could recall about it. Replaying it now, I’m shocked at how thought-provoking and impactful its story actually is. Perhaps I was too young to appreciate […] More
-
in Videogames
Final Fantasy VIII: A Tale of Teenage Love & Angst
“I’ll be waiting… for you…so… if you come here… you’ll find me.” When it came to replaying Final Fantasy VIII for this retrospective, I was spoilt for choice. It’d been notably absent from the Final Fantasy remasters for the longest time, leading to speculation as to whether we’d see a re-release at all. Thankfully, the […] More
-
in Videogames
Arcade Archives’ Hi Score Mode Resurrects the Thrill of the Arcade
The Thrill of the Arcade This year I’ve been pushing myself to play games outside of my comfort zone—namely AAA titles. I’ve never been attracted to cinematic games, and my experiment to try and appreciate them has mostly confounded my preconceptions. I could feel myself getting fed up. Gaming sessions had become a chore. It […] More
-
in Videogames
F-Zero X and WipEout: The Essence of Nintendo Vs Sony
Futuristic, anti-gravity racing games were all the rage in the latter half of the 90s. The advent of 3D polygonal consoles had enabled developers to create games where vehicles could travel at incredible speeds on tracks that could twist and loop without concern for real world physics. Many great games emerged from this compelling formula—Extreme-G, […] More
-
in Videogames
Final Fantasy VII Remake: Day 1 Review
Final Fantasy VII was the first game I bought for my original Playstation. In fact, it was the reason I bought the console. Like so many others, it was my initial exposure to the Final Fantasy series and to the JRPG genre as a whole and I instantly fell in love with both. There’s an […] More
-
in Videogames
Battle Princess Madelyn is a Dead Ringer for Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
I can count the amount of times I’ve backed a crowd-sourced video game on one hand, but Battle Princess Madelyn caught me at a particular time in my life. A few months prior, my wife had given birth to our baby daughter— also, I’d just beaten Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts for the first time. One […] More
-
in Videogames
The Best and Worst of Xenoblade Chronicles
It wasn’t a hard question to answer, or at least it shouldn’t have been. Moments before I sat basking in that bittersweet feeling you get when you finish a good book. In this case, the ‘good book’ was a hundred-hour-long JRPG by the name of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It was a game that had dominated […] More
