Show Notes
Mike Diver is a British journalist, editor, and author whose career has moved fluidly between music criticism and video games writing, always with an eye for subculture, history, and stories beyond the mainstream. He began at the music website Drowned in Sound, where he rose to become content editor, before going on to work with Clash and contribute to publications including Kerrang! and Rock Sound.
Later, he turned increasingly to video games, writing for outlets including Edge and Kotaku - as well as heading up teams at VICE Gaming (later Waypoint) and GAMINGbible - and bringing the same curiosity and critical energy to games culture, retro hardware, and the history of the medium. Alongside his journalism, he has written six books on video games and edited several more, covering subjects from indie games and esports to Sonic the Hedgehog and Final Fantasy. His latest book, Aliens: The Video Games, continues that fascination with the way great pop-cultural worlds mutate and endure through interactive form.
LINKS
Mike Diver – website & book Mike Diver – Aliens: The Video Games: An Unofficial Guide (Waterstones, out 30 August 2026) Aliens: The Video Games – publisher White Owl / Pen and Sword
Alien games discussed Alien: Isolation – Steam Aliens: Dark Descent – Steam Aliens: Colonial Marines – Wikipedia Aliens: Infestation (Nintendo DS) – Wikipedia Aliens vs. Predator (Capcom, 1994 arcade) – Wikipedia Alien: Rogue Incursion – Steam Alien: Isolation 2 – official announcement trailer
Mike's Perfect Console Sensible Soccer (1992) – Wikipedia Sensible World of Soccer – Wikipedia Streets of Rage 2 – Wikipedia Streets of Rage 4 – official site Snatcher – Wikipedia 1944: The Loop Master – Wikipedia Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (includes 1944) – Steam The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – official site The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Steam
Other games and references mentioned Drowned in Sound – Wikipedia (music website where Mike began his career) Vice Gaming / Waypoint – Wikipedia Aftermath – independent games journalism site Respec – independent games journalism site Mina the Hollower – Yacht Club Games Yuzo Koshiro – composer of Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack, Wikipedia Hideo Kojima – Wikipedia Evercade – retro gaming handheld
Next week's guest Sarah Maria Griffin – official website Eat the Ones You Love – Sarah Maria Griffin's latest novel (Waterstones) Sarah Maria Griffin – writing about video games for The Guardian
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