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

The completely un-scientific process of reviewing a videogame

By Phil Iwaniuk published 14 January 23

Thanks to print, websites, YouTube, and podcasts, videogame reviews have changed a lot over the years.

I’ve become obsessed with a simulation of the Titanic

By Phil Iwaniuk published 26 December 22

Games can help us preserve history like no other medium - and this one’s proof of that.

Here’s everything that happens when you lose your 118-hour Forza Horizon 5 save

By Phil Iwaniuk published 24 December 22

Lost your progress at the Horizon Festival? Head into the chillout tent and we’ll brief you.

The best games to play this Christmas now you’ve finally got a moment’s peace

By Phil Iwaniuk published 23 December 22

You're finally out of work and sweater-bound. So here's the best games to load up and revisit this Christmas.

You can't ignore the debt single-player games owe Call of Duty campaigns

By Phil Iwaniuk published 1 December 22

Modern Warfare 2 fights - and wins - wars on several fronts, but Call of Duty’s continuing campaign work is crucial

Pentiment shows how much freedom Fallout's devs have under Microsoft

By Phil Iwaniuk published 23 November 22

The RPG legends can pursue whatever passions they choose - so long as they deliver a Skyrim-beating blockbuster, too.

The Witcher remake is a chance to finally fix the series' worst part

By Phil Iwaniuk published 16 November 22

CD Projekt shouldn't stop at The Witcher, The Witcher 2 shared the same problem.

FIFA is a gold mine – and that's its biggest problem

By Phil Iwaniuk published 22 October 22

Broken PC version, tumbling metascores and the loss of gaming’s biggest franchise name - how did FIFA get there?

So long, Stadia – why Google’s cloud gaming platform failed

By Phil Iwaniuk published 22 October 22

The closure of the gaming service Stadia surprised many. In fact there were clear reasons why it happened.

Forza Horizon 5 Auction House: how to bid, sell cars, and make money

By Phil Iwaniuk last updated 4 October 22

Guide Keep an eye on your bank account with our Forza Horizon 5 Auction House tips to become a wheeler dealer, make millions, and save money on Autoshow.

Forza Horizon 5 money, a supercar speeds through a sun drenched area. Palm trees are in the background, lining the road.

Forza Horizon 5 money: how to make credits fast

By Phil Iwaniuk last updated 28 September 22

Guide Check out these Forza Horizon 5 money making tips to keep your bank account healthy at all times, letting you collect and upgrade your cars easily.

Lewis Hamilton holds his trophy aloft in F1 Manager 2022

How I gave Lewis Hamilton the win he deserves in F1 Manager 2022

By Phil Iwaniuk last updated 21 September 22

Frontier’s licensed management sim lets you give F1 the title fight we all wanted to see.

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 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.

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?

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.

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 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.

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