Phil Hornshaw

Former Contributor

Phil Hornshaw is an author, freelance writer and journalist living in Los Angeles. He is the co-author of The Space Hero's Guide to Glory: How to Get Off Your Podunk Planet and Master the Final Frontier and So You Created a Wormhole: The Time Traveler's Guide to Time Travel. He also spends a lot of time writing about video games.

What is Discord? What you need to know about the messaging app

Discord is a video game-focused voice and chat app that you'll want to start using if you're a gamer. Here's everything you need to know about Discord.

Guides         April 24

Sea of Thieves beginner’s guide: 16 tips for new pirates

There is a whole lot to know about sailing, plundering, and fighting other pirates in Sea of Thieves. Our tips will make you the best privateer on the ocean.

Guides         April 25, 2024

How to factory reset a PS4 to fix issues or for resale

In most cases, restarting your PS4 will fix any issues you're having, but sometimes a factory reset is the only solution. Here's how to factory reset a PS4.

Guides         March 19, 2024

How to sync a PS4 controller to pair it with a console or device

For owners of a PS4 or PS4 Pro system, syncing your controllers shouldn’t be an issue, but we’re here with our guide to clear up any confusion you might have.

Guides         March 12, 2024

‘Destiny 2: Forsaken’ review

"Forsaken" marks the biggest expansion yet for "Destiny 2," and though it starts slow with a revenge tale that doesn't quite work, it hits a stride in its later hours that will keep fans of the game invested for a long time, with plenty of fun things to do and weird places to explore.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ radiates energy in phenomenal action scenes

The best parts of "Mission: Impossible -- Fallout" are its grounded action sequences that have real stakes, both because of solid work with the movie's characters, and because of the realistic feel of practical stunts that elevate the movie above the usual summer blockbuster fare.

Entertainment Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ review

With smaller, more personal stakes than Avengers: Infinity War and a focus on characters, director Peyton Reed's Ant-Man and the Wasp gives us a more intimate look at a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that's just as fun, funny, and exciting as its universe-threatening counterparts.

Entertainment Reviews         April 25, 2023

You won’t just survive in an open world in ‘Dying Light 2,’ you can change it

There will be plenty of zombies to fight and run away from in Techland's open-world, parkour-filled action game "Dying Light 2," but the best part might be how your interactions with other survivors affect the game world as you fight to stay alive in it.

Features         April 25, 2023

‘The Last of Us Part 2’ demo looked so good we weren’t sure it was real

Naughty Dog's E3 2018 demo for "The Last of Us Part 2," shown off at Sony's press conference, was so fluid that some thought it might have been full of cutscenes and quicktime events. Turns out, it isn't — everything in the demo is done with systems players will use to survive in the game's hostile world.

Features         April 25, 2023

‘Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’ adds stealth and speed to the ‘Dark Souls’ formula

FromSoftware's "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" is a ninja spin on some of its "Souls" series ideas, but it's a lot quicker, gorier and more vertical.

Features         April 25, 2023

‘Dreams’ hands-on preview

Media Molecule's game-, movie-, music- and artwork-creation tool "Dreams" is going to make it ridiculously simple for anyone to make, share and play video games, and a lot of other things, with their PlayStation 4s. It really is as easy as it looks.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Destiny 2: Warmind’ review

The improvements to Destiny 2 that come with its second expansion, Warmind, are welcome, and it's a big step up from the last outing, Curse of Osiris. A lot of repetition means this still doesn’t feel like the top of Bungie’s game, though.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ review

"Avengers: Infinity War" brings 19 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies together into a climactic, incredibly fun climax that mostly does its heroes justice.

Entertainment Reviews         April 25, 2023

The history of Battle Royale: From mod to worldwide phenomenon

Battle Royale games like 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' and ‘Fortnite’ have become the biggest trend in video games. The genre is also pushing the envelope in streaming and eSports in a way that might reveal the future of the industry.

Features         April 25, 2023

The best by far: 10 years in, ‘Far Cry 2’ is still the most exciting of the series

Far Cry 5 had problems blending story and gameplay. It should take a page from the series’ most experimental entry, Far Cry 2.

Features         April 25, 2023

‘Tomb Raider’ review

Fast-paced action makes "Tomb Raider" a fun ride, but it doesn't offer much substance beyond that.

Entertainment Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘SOS’ hands-on preview

Multiplayer survival game "SOS" throws you into a "Survivor"-like island competition and pushes you to ham it up for an audience.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Dreams’ is a game about making games, and it goes as deep as you want

Part engine, part animation tool, part game-sharing social network, "Dreams" is as impressive as a creation tool as it is a video game.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Guacamelee! 2’ hands-on preview

Everything fans liked about 'Guacamelee!' is back in ‘Guacamelee! 2’

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Super Meat Boy Forever’ hands-on preview

"Super Meat Boy" sequel "Super Meat Boy Forever" was worth the wait, marrying easy controls with challenging, high-skill gameplay.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Shadow of the Colossus’ Remake review

A ton of exacting detail has been added to Sony's ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ remake, and revisiting it is a worthy endeavor. Just don't expect new content if you've played the original before.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Blade Runner 2049’ review

As our review explains, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ returns to a glowing dystopian future to tell a powerful new story.

Entertainment Reviews         April 25, 2023

The best weapons in Destiny 2, and where to find them

We've got a list of the best weapons you can find in Destiny 2 and where to find them, including ones from Curse of Osiris, Warmind, Forsaken, and Beyond Light.

Guides         April 25, 2023

‘Destiny 2’ review

Destiny 2 benefits from the years Bungie spent refining Destiny, making for a deep and varied shooter experience that’s the best place to enter its worlds.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘LawBreakers’ Review

“LawBreakers” adds speed and gore to the formula that “Overwatch” popularized, and the combination works surprisingly well.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus’ is a cautionary tale for America

Machinegames is looking to make its “Wolfenstein” games into a trilogy, and with its second installment digging into an alternate history America, it has a chance to dig into even more dark themes.

Features         April 25, 2023

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy review

In our Uncharted: The Lost Legacy review we explore what might be “Uncharted” at its best, with a shorter but tighter campaign that proves Nate Drake isn’t essential to the franchise.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Marvel Powers United VR’ Review

Marvel Powers United VR does a pretty great job of letting you feel what it's like to wreck bad guys with superpowers.

Features         April 25, 2023

‘Vampyr’: Our first take

Vampyr puts you in the difficult position of trying to protect the people of London from the Spanish Flu and other vampires as you wander the streets.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

In ‘Hunt: Showdown,’ Hell is other people – and also demonic creatures you banish for cash

'Hunt: Showdown' takes great ideas from lots of multiplayer shooters and mixes them into a tense and frightening horror stew.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Star Wars: Battlefront II’ review

"Star Wars: Battlefront II" is a bigger, better Star Wars game than its 2015 predecessor, despite some lingering flaws. Read more in our review:

Reviews         April 25, 2023

These are the best games we saw at PlayStation Experience 2016

This year’s PlayStation Experience expo was full of games that’ll make 2017 an exciting year for PlayStation 4 owners, but these five titles have our full attention.

Features         April 25, 2023

35 games we’re looking forward to in 2017

This year is chock-full of cool titles. Here are some of the most promising ones revealed thus far, from game-changing sequels to new concepts.

Features         April 25, 2023

With a slower pace and more scares, ‘Resident Evil 7’ goes back to bloody basics

Series Producer Masachika Kawata explains how “Resident Evil 7” gives a new spin on the series’ survival-horror origins.

Features         April 25, 2023