Articles by Phil Iwaniuk, Contributor

Ad creative by day, wandering mystic of 90s gaming folklore by moonlight, freelance contributor Phil started writing about games during the late Byzantine Empire era. Since then he’s picked up bylines for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, IGN, USA Today, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, VG247, Edge, Gazetta Dello Sport, Computerbild, Rock Paper Shotgun, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magaine, CVG, Games Master, TrustedReviews, Green Man Gaming, and a few others but he doesn’t want to bore you with too many. Won a GMA once.

Articles by: Phil Iwaniuk

Assassin’s Creed Infinity isn’t a game, but it might be a way to sell you NFTs

By Phil Iwaniuk published 16 September 22

The point of the platform was left conspicuously unspecified in Ubi’s announcement blowout.

A player character in Ooblets with a large backpack and look of surprise on their face

Ooblets is not a Pokémon-killer – it’s much too friendly for that

By Phil Iwaniuk published 4 September 22

How wholesome is too wholesome?

A close up of a ray traced eye in Battlefield V

Nvidia's new tech is a poor imitation of true ray tracing

By Phil Iwaniuk published 31 August 22

It sells GPUs and promises next-gen visuals - but can we even agree on what ray tracing is?

The Chicago Bears attempt to take the field without passing.

I played an entire season in Madden 23 without throwing a single pass

By Phil Iwaniuk published 28 August 22

They say it’s a passing league. I say: HB inside drive x1000.

A player points at the camera in Madden.

Madden 23 still plays a decent game of football – just like the last eight or nine did

By Phil Iwaniuk published 24 August 22

The latest NFL game is another casualty of EA’s ‘no next-gen features on PC’ policy.

A first-person view of a rocket launcher pointed at an air ship in Black Mesa

Half-Life’s remakes, de-makes and fan sequels show why Half-Life 3 was a no-go

By Phil Iwaniuk published 20 August 22

Half-Life’s wake is littered with projects that failed to revive the magic. Why would Valve volunteer to join that list?

A group of Payday 2 characters look forwards the viewer, someone in a skull mask stands at the front, with fire at their feet

The creeping evolution of Payday 2, the biggest game no one talks about

By Phil Iwaniuk published 21 August 22

Nine years after release, Payday 2 is still in Steam’s top 20 – but it’s a totally different game.

Sleeping Dogs protagonist Wei Shen vaulting over a counter while firing a gun

A decade on, Sleeping Dogs is worth celebrating as the plucky underdog to GTA 5

By Phil Iwaniuk published 17 August 22

If 2011 was the year of "I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee," 2012 was surely the year of "you look like you could use a pork bun."

Dead Cells has years of life left in it, as the new free update proves

By Phil Iwaniuk published 12 August 22

Enter the Panchaku marks Dead Cells' mid-life point, but don’t buy it a Jeremy Clarkson autobiography yet, there’s life left in it.

Why virtual reality is about more than gaming, and your mom will love it

By Phil Iwaniuk last updated 9 August 22

PlayStation Gamer Not just for gaming, says Sony: so what does the Wii-loving 50-plus demographic think of it?

The curse of Aliens in gaming, and how Aliens: Dark Descent can break it

By Phil Iwaniuk published 20 June 22

Opinion It's easy: just capture the granular essence of the 80s movies down to the last terminal, and develop an inherently inspiring game to boot.

It was impossible for Starfield to impress at Summer Game Fest

By Phil Iwaniuk published 15 June 22

Starfield is not Howard’s end – it’s a vast and intricate game that doesn’t look at its best in a condensed combat sequence.

Screenshot from Fable's cinematic reveal trailer. Fairy looking at a flower

Summer Game Fest 2022: The biggest no-shows

By Phil Iwaniuk last updated 15 June 22

Oh sure, there was Starfield. But what about the Not Starfields of this world?

Forza Horizon 5 featuring sports cars and a plane

Forza Horizon fastest car list: the best vehicle for every occasion

By Phil Iwaniuk published 9 November 21

Guide We’ve rounded up the fastest cars for every occasion in Forza Horizon 5, so make room in your garage.

Forza Horizon 5 barn finds: car locations and new gifting system explained

By Phil Iwaniuk published 9 November 21

Guide We've rounded up the location of every barn find in Forza Horizon 5 and what cars are hidden there.

HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless review

By Phil Iwaniuk published 26 October 20

We give our verdict on the Hyper X Cloud Stinger Core Wireless headset.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600P Gen 2 review

By Phil Iwaniuk published 15 August 20

We take a look at the latest version of Turtle Beach's Stealth 600 headset for PS4, with an Xbox version also available.

How Sony and the PS4 can win the battle of E3 2015

By Phil Iwaniuk published 11 June 15

Battle of E3 Momentum's with the Japanese giant and by focusing on Morpheus, not the HD remasters, it could widen the gap.

SteelSeries Siberia RAW Prism review

By Phil Iwaniuk published 5 February 15

Looking to hit the more budget-oriented end of the headset market comes the rainbow-centric RAW Prism.

Turtle Beach Ear Force Z60 review

By Phil Iwaniuk published 4 February 15

Turtle Beach's Z60 gives its hefty 60mm drivers a 7.1 surround sound workout with DTS Headphone:X.

Why Uncharted 4 WILL be affected by the Naughty Dog exodus

By Phil Iwaniuk published 29 April 14

PlayStation Gamer Big names have left the project and Sony needs to acknowledge that these losses will have a wider impact.

Why NBA 2K14 is the PS4 RPG to beat

By Phil Iwaniuk published 22 April 14

PlayStation Gamer If you think role playing is always a geeky grind, sports sims will make you think again.

Is this the super-addictive PS4 game we've all been waiting for?

By Phil Iwaniuk published 15 April 14

PlayStation Gamer A zombie-filled MMO for the PS4, H1Z1 is the latest DayZ-a-like and it looks awesome.

Is Sony's Driveclub PS4 delay the death knell for a genre?

By Phil Iwaniuk published 8 April 14

PlayStation Gamer As Sony's first party racer goes 'back to the drawing board', can traditional racing games survive?

Why you should be knee-deep in PS4 indie games right now

By Phil Iwaniuk published 1 April 14

PlayStation Gamer The PlayStation 4 is lacking big budget titles, so get stuck into some impeccable indie games instead.

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