Then, once he was finished obliterating Larry Kooper, we sat down with Allan to explore his lifelong interest in all things gaming, and examine his gaming CV…

What was the first game you ever played?

Tetris, on Game Boy. We’re talking one of the original Game Boys too, one of the cream ones with a green and black screen. Old school! None of those transparent Game Boy Colours… I’d moved on by then.

Who was your favourite gaming character as a kid?

Ahhh… that’s a tough one. It’s either Mario, or Raiden from Mortal Kombat. Probably Raiden, because he’s cooler. Plus, if they had to fight, Raiden would absolutely batter Mario, let’s be honest.

What has recently been your go-to game?

I got myself a Nintendo Switch just before lockdown, so I’ve been playing Super Mario on that. A bit of Mario Kart, too. Some Zelda [Breath Of The Wild], and FIFA. Just classic games, really. Oh, and Worms: Armageddon!

What’s the most underrated game you don’t feel gets enough credit?

Worms, ha! No-one plays that game! Everyone I talk to about it that plays games always says, “Ah yeah, I think I might have played that back in the day, on PC,” and I’m always like “You need to play it man!” It’s very tactical. It’s one of those games that can ruin friendships and can clear out the cobwebs!

What’s the most overrated game that you feel gets too much credit?

Ah, Call Of Duty… I’m not a Call Of Duty man. Nah, that’s not for me. If you want to do shooting and that, let’s go TimeSplitters, GoldenEye, you know? Or Doom, on the PC. Those are my sort of games.

What game do you consider yourself to be the person to beat at?

Super Street Fighter II Turbo, or Mortal Kombat. I can destroy pretty much anyone on them. Not 13-year olds online, though. They’re too sick. They’re in a different world to me. I’m the kind of guy where even when I keep on winning, I keep on shouting at the other person and laughing. That’s me, man! My tactic’s just to jump a lot – you can’t catch me. I’m just doing somersaults over your head, kicking from behind.

What game do you wish you were the person to beat at?

I wish I even understood Fortnite, because then I could bond with my 14-year old nephew. Now I just sort of go into his room, pick up the pad and just pretend I know what I’m doing, when really, I have literally no idea what’s going on. Maybe I could finally get some respect from my nephew if could play that. Just an ounce of respect…

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen or heard when playing a game online?

Any time someone’s just battering everyone at a game, and then you hear their mum in the background call them down for dinner and you realise, “Oh, it’s a child” – just one with the skills of a Japanese game designer. That’s always pretty funny.

What is your proudest gaming achievement?

Ooh, probably the first time I clocked San Andreas… I think that’s the last time I remember feeling super proud, you know? Or, more recently, just playing FIFA and beating my flatmate 6-1, with Brazil. I just turned it off… That was it then, leave it on a high!

What would be your desert island game, and console to play it on?

GTA: San Andreas on the PS2… Thing is with San Andreas you’ve got missions, sports, flying around on a jetpack, going to a get a haircut… You can go around causing absolute chaos. It’s a driving game at the same time, too, and you can listen to music… It’s got everything in one. For me, if I’m going to survive on a desert island, I’m gonna need something that’s got everything in one, and that’s it.