Nickname: AJ
Real Name: Alan Downie
Xbox Live: Toast76
PSN Code: Toast76
Wii Friend:
Occupation: Software Developer
City/State: Melbourne, Victoria
I’ve been gaming since the early 80’s. Pretty much for as long as there have been games to play, I’ve been playing them. 20 odd years later and here I am still forking over cash to the Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. I live in a video games and lego filled house with my wife in Melbourne. She is an old school Nintendo fan, but somehow I missed that whole Nintendo era! I grew up playing mostly PC games. Games like Kings Quest, Sim City and Sam and Max were the “must haves”. I currently own all the current consoles, and consequently am working so hard to earn money to pay for them that I don't have any time to play them. I am a true console agnostic and buy the must have games for each console.
What is your most memorable gaming experience?
When my beloved Xbox 360 died in the middle of Rainbow Six Vegas... I still haven't recovered.
Where would you be found on a typical Friday night?
Watching the footy, watching a movie or playing games.
What is your favourite movie?
I can’t possible give one top movie, so here are my top 10 (in no particular order):
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
Blues Brothers
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Pulp Fiction
Fargo
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Matrix
Rear Window (or Vertigo perhaps)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Se7en
What is your favourite food?
Steak and chips
What is your favourite drink?
Coopers Pale Ale
What are your favourite 5 games of all time, and why?
- Age of Empires 2 : Huge online battles over far too many nights
- Halo : No I’m not a fanboi, but it was the first great FPS on a console.
- Counterstrike : Before those bastards pushed Steam down our throats; the finest mod ever made.
- Resident Evil 4 : This makes Mortal Kombat look like Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue.
- Gran Turismo 3 : Still the best racer ever made.
Articles written by AJ:
| Title | Type | Date |
| Civilization V | Preview | 7 August 2010 |
| Limbo | DLC Review | 20 July 2010 |
| Alan Wake | Review | 3 June 2010 |
| MotoGP 09/10 | Review | 21 May 2010 |
| 2010: An Entertainment Odyssey | Feature | 11 February 2010 |
| Lego Rock Band | Review | 24 January 2010 |
| Ashes Cricket 2009 | Review | 3 November 2009 |
| The Legendary Starfy | Review | 2 November 2009 |
| Bravia LCD TV vs Playstation 3 | Feature | 21 October 2009 |
| Colin McRae: DiRT 2 | Review | 8 October 2009 |
| Boom Blox Bash Party | Review | 24 August 2009 |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 | Review | 24 August 2009 |
| Star Trek DAC | DLC Review | 27 July 2009 |
| Fuel | Review | 27 July 2009 |
| Magic: the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers | DLC Review | 27 July 2009 |
| Tom Clancy's HAWX | Review | 20 June 2009 |
| AJs Pint Sized Reviews - Puzzle Quest Galactrix | Feature | 13 May 2009 |
| AJs Pint Sized Review - Peggle | Feature | 8 April 2009 |
| AJs Guide To Painting A Mural | Feature | 22 January 2009 |
| AJ Does a Mario Bros Mural | Feature | 22 January 2009 |
| Fallout III | Review | 25 November 2008 |
| NXE | Feature | 20 November 2008 |
| Boom Blox | Review | 31 July 2008 |
| Interview with Tom Crago | Interview | 27 June 2008 |
| Devil May Cry 4 | Review | 24 April 2008 |
| Uncharted: Drakes Fortune | Review | 30 January 2008 |
| Assassins Creed | Review | 6 January 2008 |
| Game Connect AP 2007 | Game Event | 31 December 2007 |
| Interview with Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation | Interview | 26 October 2007 |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 | Review | 22 October 2007 |
| Boogie | Review | 17 September 2007 |
| Resistance: Fall Of Man | Review | 28 June 2007 |
| Formula One CE | Review | 14 June 2007 |
| Ridge Racer 7 | Review | 23 May 2007 |
| PS3 vs XBOX360 Games | Feature | 23 May 2007 |
| PS3 vs XBOX360 Comparison | Feature | 22 May 2007 |
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | Review | 19 April 2007 |
| Trackmania United | Review | 20 March 2007 |
| Guitar Hero 2 | Review | 2 January 2007 |
| Yakuza | Review | 26 November 2006 |
| eGames and Entertainment | Game Event | 21 November 2006 |
| GAME1 Melbourne | Game Event | 20 November 2006 |
| Lego Star Wars 2 | Review | 25 October 2006 |
| Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth 2 | Review | 1 October 2006 |
| Over G Fighters | Review | 16 August 2006 |
| Guitar Hero | Review | 27 July 2006 |
| Saints Row | Preview | 27 July 2006 |
| Galactic Civilizations 2 | Review | 17 July 2006 |
| Battlefield 2: Modern Combat | Review | 2 July 2006 |
| Burnout Revenge | Review | 7 June 2006 |
| Singstar Rocks | Review | 21 May 2006 |
| Red vs Blue Interview | Interview | 6 May 2006 |
| Rampage Total Destruction | Review | 28 April 2006 |
| Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | Review | 18 April 2006 |
