sphorti@gmail.com

Freelance video games/tech/political journalist. Former Digital News Editor of Property Week. Scroll through my home page for writing examples, or click on the sidebar for articles sorted by type: property/politics articles are under their own heading.

EGM • 6th January 2020

Pauline Jacquey’s World Tour: The unlikely journey of Ubisoft’s punk nomad fixer | EGM

Watching Pauline Jacquey clamber up the rusty red dumpster makes my nerves jangle. It’s nearly as tall as...

PC Gamer • 7th June 2019

What Anno 1800 gets wrong, and right, about colonialism and the Industrial Revolution | PC Gamer

Zoom in on a fishery in Anno 1800 and you'll see men dangling rods off the end of a rickety pier, while...

Eurogamer.net • 10th October 2019

Beating the Bully | Eurogamer

Bully designer Mike Skupa on Rockstar's crunch culture and genius, the death of the developer of Sleeping Dogs, and how grief fuels his own, new horror game...

Property Week • 29th November 2019

Birmingham regeneration sparks LGBT row | Property Week (£)

Residential development may pose threat to gay village nightlife.... (free registration to read article)

PC Gamer • 18th August 2019

How one phone call saved a tiny new studio and gave the world System Shock 2 | PC Gamer

"I was heartbroken," says Ken Levine. "I went away with my girlfriend and some friends up to Maine....

TechRadar • 7th January 2020

BioShock revisited: unpicking the complex, messy legacy of 2K's knockout franchise | TechRadar

The “would you kindly?” twist in 2007's BioShock remains one of gaming's best: you can't see it coming and yet, when...

EGM • 29th July 2019

Alex Hutchinson’s Pioneer Spirit | EGM

Alex Hutchinson’s final few months at Ubisoft Montreal were the worst of his career...

Ign • 23rd August 2019

Telling Lies Review | IGN

Solasta Is the Best D&D Game I've Ever Seen and It's Not Actually a D&D Game

VGC • 5th October 2019

Rockstar’s Bully 2 ‘fizzled out’ after ’18 months of development’ | VGC

Rockstar New England spent more than a year working on a sequel to 2006 fan favourite Bully in the early 2010s, going as far as...

PC Gamer • 2nd July 2019

Rampant racism and toxicity are driving players away from Mordhau | PC Gamer

For some players, Mordhau's fun combat has been tainted by a growing toxicity problem that sees racist, sexist and homophobic s...

Kotaku • 30th December 2018

Every Bar In Red Dead Redemption 2, Reviewed | Kotaku

Red Dead Redemption 2’s saloons are the hubs of their towns. Whether you want a full belly, a quick drink...

TechRadar • 30th November 2018

Vaulting ambition: Fallout 3 and the making of an RPG classic | TechRadar

One of Joel Burgess's proudest moments as Fallout 3's lead level designer was giving a big "F*ck You" to players. Literally...

More feature examples

EGM • 9th December 2019

Everybody's Gone: Dan Pinchbeck on Rebuilding The Chinese Room | EGM

The secret to game design, Dan Pinchbeck says, is dinosaur poop...

gamesradar • 31st July 2019

The 50 best Android games to download right now | GamesRadar

The Google Play store is a treasure trove of amazing titles, but sometimes it can feel like wading...

PC Gamer • 24th September 2019

How a Thai restaurant and a joke about the milkman inspired Psychonauts' best level | PC Gamer

The Milkman Conspiracy started, as many great things do, in a Thai restaurant...

gamesradar • 23rd October 2019

Pokemon Sword and Shield preview: Instantly familiar battling with a few very British twists | GamesRadar

My neighbour and Pokemon rival Hop won’t stop calling me “mate”, and I love it...

VGC • 3rd May 2019

Child of Light: Creators look back on Ubisoft’s surprising RPG | VGC

“I had people laughing at me in the corridor,” says Patrick Plourde, creative director...

PC Gamer • 16th December 2019

30 little touches in The Witcher 3 that show its amazing attention to detail | PC Gamer

CD Projekt went all out bringing Geralt's world to life with details you may have missed, even after a hundred hours....

Raconteur / The Times • 10th December 2019

Do video games have a social responsibility? | The Times / Raconteur

As the number of people playing video games grows, so does the appetite to create...

PC Gamer • 23rd October 2019

Encased is a promising, Fallout 2-inspired RPG entirely set inside a mysterious dome | PC Gamer

I’m in a crowd of gamblers, all craning our necks at flickering security monitors to watch a group of rats scurry....

Rock, Paper, Shotgun • 8th November 2018

10 years on, here’s how Dead Space went from horror to action horror in three games | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The first Dead Space turned 10 years old last month. It took me a month to get...

EGM • 23rd August 2019

As Game Budgets Balloon, Indie Devs Learn to Work Smarter | EGM

The creators behind Outer Wilds, Observation, and Void Bastards on getting more for less...

Rock, Paper, Shotgun • 26th June 2018

Clear 100 hours in your calendar, ‘cos CRPGs are here to stay | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

In the mid-to-late 2000s, publishers abandoned the CRPG genre – an acronym describing the very specific genre...

Kotaku UK • 29th April 2019

Splinter Cell Conviction is Still The Least-Subtle Stealth Game Ever | Kotaku UK

I stop smashing the bad guy’s head against a mirror in the gents’...

Rock Paper Shotgun • 21st June 2018

Four developers of scary games explain how to make scary games very scary indeed | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The inspiration for Alien: Isolation came from a simple thought experiment: what if somebody let a lion loose...

Kotaku UK • 28th February 2019

Kingdom Come: Deliverance's Latest DLC is Too Evil to Enjoy | Kotaku UK

Band of Bastards lost me somewhere between a joke about wanking – how to get a “well-polished helmet”...

Rock, Paper, Shotgun • 13th August 2017

Should kids be taught using Minecraft? | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

“The 14-year-old me was weeping inside” says Tom Bennett, the UK government’s school behaviour tsar...

PC Gamer • 8th November 2018

After 15 years, Max Payne 2's ridiculous physics still make it a must-play | PC Gamer

It took me a solid hour to remember why I loved Max Payne 2 when I booted it up the other week in honour of its 15th birthday...

More review examples

PC Gamer • 16th December 2019

Stormland review | PC Gamer

In small doses, Stormland soars above other VR shooters. As I scale its vast sci-fi bases, each vantage point makes...

Ign • 12th November 2019

Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Review | IGN

What Did You Think of The Mandalorian Episode 1?

pcgamer • 16th December 2019

Razer Viper Ultimate wireless gaming mouse review | PC Gamer

Razer’s new Focus+ Optical Sensor puts the Viper Elite at the top of the wireless pile. Some of its buttons...

PC Gamer • 5th August 2019

Streets of Rogue review | PC Gamer

On my first run, I'm an assassin, backstabbing enemies and slinging shuriken. Then I'm a jock, barreling...

Ign • 24th May 2019

Mordhau Review | IGN

I pull back my giant Zweihänder sword, ready for a stab, and then cancel my attack at the last second. My opponent...

PC Gamer • 4th March 2019

The Occupation review | PC Gamer

The Occupation, a game about investigative journalism, feels like a rough first draft of something spectacular...

gamesradar • 26th March 2019

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review: “Genius combat and a world that begs to be explored” | GamesRadar

Sekiro has the best swordfights in any video game. It leans too heavily on its mediocre stealth, but its...

Ign • 9th June 2019

Splitgate: Arena Warfare Review | IGN

As a rule, portal guns make everything better. In the case of Splitgate...

gamesradar • 22nd April 2019

Heaven’s Vault review: "A stunning setting, but the story fails to find its voice" | GamesRadar

Heaven’s Vault makes a world filled with robots, ancient...

PC Gamer • 22nd April 2019

Pathway review | PC Gamer

I’ve just watched four priestesses open the skies with magic crystals, send the Divine Chariot...

PC Gamer • 30th November 2018

Darksiders 3 review | PC Gamer

When you fight small groups of demons as the nimble Fury (who's one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), Darksiders 3 feels special...

Rock Paper Shotgun • 16th November 2018

Wot I Think – Ark: Extinction | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

I’ve built an army of inflatable flesh bags that puff themselves up to three times their normal size and then launch into the air like oversized, leaky balloons...

Science and tech writing

TechRadar • 7th January 2020

Amazfit GTR review | TechRadar

The Amazfit GTR is a solid budget smartwatch with deceptively good activity tracking, and its GPS is...

TechRadar • 12th November 2019

How to enable dark mode for Android | TechRadar

It's essentially a dark mode for your whole device that flips the color palette of all menus and nearly every native Google app...

TechRadar • 2nd July 2019

Living DNA review

Living DNA’s test is easy to administer and its results are clearly presented, but the vagueness of...

TechRadar • 29th September 2018

How long until we bring woolly mammoths back from extinction? | TechRadar

Part of Dr Tom Ellis – the “rational scientist” part – thinks that a group of researchers’ plans to bring back the woolly mammoth from extinction are just a “sideshow” of little...

TechRadar • 19th July 2018

How sharks and camels could be the keys to curing brain diseases | TechRadar

“I bleed the sharks every month or two,” aren’t the words you expect to hear from an assistant professor at Maryland University...

TechRadar • 19th July 2018

Google is building a smart city in Toronto – here’s what you need to know | TechRadar

We know Google can build phones, tablets, laptops, thermostats, watches, smart glasses (sort of) and driverless...

TechRadar • 20th July 2018

How good is face ID tech? It depends who you're looking for… | TechRadar

“You see it in movies all the time, they zoom in on a picture and it’s all pixelated and they say ‘enhance’, and you get this nice image,” says...

TechRadar • 27th July 2018

Eye tracking for gamers: seeing is believing | TechRadar

Gaming with an eye tracker feels like virtual reality-lite. It’s cheaper, easier to set up, and is already available in some of...

Additional writing examples

gamesradar • 23rd October 2019

The 25 best PC games to play right now | GamesRadar

Don’t worry about the PS5, because with a gaming PC you’re already set for the next generation...

Gamasutra • 23rd July 2018

What Mike Bithell learned in writing his first sequel: Quarantine Circular | Gamasutra

“I hate it. I absolutely hate writing,” says writer and designer Mike Bithell...

PC Gamer • 17th May 2019

How first-person metroidvania Supraland became a hit, and what's in store for the sequel | PC Gamer

It’s 2 pm in Germany, and David Münnich is ready for bed. His sleeping patterns have...

The Times / Raconteur • 26th November 2019

Home ownership: how proptech can get buyers on the ladder | The Times / Raconteur

For many first-time buyers, the dream of owning a home has never seemed further out of reach. Rising house prices in Liverpool, Manchester...

Kotaku UK • 19th July 2018

Pillars of Eternity 2's Secret Weapon is '90s-Style Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Books | Kotaku UK

From the ages of 8 to 11, I devoured as many choose-your-own-adventure books as I could get my sticky little hands on...

PC Gamer • 18th August 2019

I graduated from Skyrim's magic school without casting a single spell | PC Gamer

After six years holed up in Eagle's Nest, Bolrag the Orc dusts off his war axe for one last quest...

gamesradar • 12th November 2019

The 30 best PC games to play right now | GamesRadar

PC gaming has plenty going for it, namely a huge modding community, a range of hardware upgrade options and unparalleled...

PC Gamer • 8th November 2018

Call of Cthulhu review | PC Gamer

As I walk down a seemingly endless corridor, spotlights popping into life as I approach them, I spy a shadow through the window of a white padded cell...

PC Gamer • 13th February 2019

Vox Machinae is the best mech action game on PC right now | PC Gamer

My favourite thing about the mechs in Vox Machinae isn't their lasers, rockets or miniguns, but their horns...

PC Gamer • 7th March 2018

Is it worth cutting out Steam to sell indie games direct? | PC Gamer

On May 14, 2011, only one game was released on Steam: Jason Rohrer's tactical shooter . "It was on the Steam front page for...

Kotaku UK • 30th November 2018

All These Modern Pea Shooters Make Me Miss F.E.A.R.'s Stake Gun | Kotaku UK

Don't tell the tabloids, but a big part of any first-person shooter's charm is seeing the impact of your shots...

gamesradar • 23rd October 2019

The best games like Hollow Knight to play after you've beaten all those bosses | GamesRadar

So you’ve collected every charm, met every quirky NPC in Hallownest and bested every boss, but you still want more Hollow Knight?

PC Gamer • 23rd August 2019

Taking to the skies in Airborne Kingdom's floating toybox cities | PC Gamer

City builder Airborne Kingdom seems like it's going to be a simple escapist fantasy. "In 2019, when everything is...

GamesMaster • 8th June 2018

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire review | GamesMaster

Obsidian’s old-school sequel is a stone-cold classic...

TechRadar • 29th September 2018

Weaving through the streets of Hong Kong with Sleeping Dogs’ designer | TechRadar

I’m running after a bandit through North End’s night market, crashing over colorful stalls and sending skewers of meat flying as...

VG247 • 27th September 2018

FIFA 19 review – in off the crossbar | VG247

Anthony Martial has just scored a belter. He picked the ball up 35 yards out, ghosted past one defender with a shimmy of his...

VGC • 5th June 2019

The Secret E3: What actually happens at E3 Judges Week? | VGC

A month before 70,000 people descend on Los Angeles for E3, video game developers welcome a much smaller group of...

PC Gamer • 8th September 2018

Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 Review | PC Gamer

Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 reminded me just how good Konami's football games can be—and why I've been playing FIFA instead...

pcgamer • 18th August 2019

Grading the best and worst schools in PC gaming

You tear home from school, barge through the front door, sprint upstairs to your desktop and…you’re back at school again...

PC Gamer • 18th August 2019

How to set up a college gaming club and keep it going | PC Gamer

A college or university gaming community is a great place to meet like-minded people while enjoying the hobby you love....

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