Author Profile

Robert (or Rob if you're lazy) is an assistant editor of Push Square, and has been a fan of PlayStation since the 90s, when Tekken 2 introduced him to the incredible world of video games. He still takes his fighting games seriously, but RPGs are his true passion. The Witcher, Persona, Dragon Quest, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Trails, Tales — he's played 'em all. A little too much, some might say.

I grew up reading gaming magazines, and always wanted to write my own reviews about the games I loved. I got a chance to do just that while I was a college student, writing for several small gaming blogs in my spare time. I was also an avid reader of Push Square back when it was just Sammy. When the site came looking for new writers, I jumped at the chance. The rest is (ancient) history.

Experience

Robert began his games journalism career in 2012 as a freelance reviewer. In 2013 he joined Push Square as a Staff Writer, before moving into his current role as Deputy Editor in 2016.

In this role, Robert continues to write across the website covering news, reviews, guides and features.

More than anything, I just enjoy writing about games that resonate with me. There’s great satisfaction to be found in sharing your passion with a willing audience.

Timeline

  • 2012: Begins his career as a freelance reviewer
  • 2013: Joins Push Square as a Staff Writer
  • 2016: Becomes Deputy Editor of Push Square

Expertise

The first console Robert ever owned was the PlayStation 1, followed by a suitably long list of PlayStations! He’s also owned all of the main Nintendo handheld and home consoles from the mid 1990s onwards.

He chose the PlayStation 4 as his favourite console of all time, simply because so many of its games went on to become some of his absolute favourites.

RPGs are my favourite genre, because they tend to focus on characters and world building, which immerse me more than anything.

Robert’s Favourite Games

From the Archive

We asked Robert to pick out his three favourite pieces of work from across his personal archive, and tell us why he picked them!

The Witcher 3: Best Character Builds

My most-read article ever is a character builds guide for The Witcher 3, which I slaved over back when the game was brand new. I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together, and it was amazing to see it perform so well over the years.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Review

Mass Effect is my favourite trilogy in gaming, and I like to think I did the games justice by writing an in-depth review of the Legendary Edition, which basically encapsulated a decade's worth of my thoughts and feelings.

Interview: Falcom Boss Talks Everything Trails, Reverie, Importance of Western Fans, and More

As a big fan of the Trails series, interviewing Falcom's president was a big deal for me. This interview from 2023 is my favourite to date, thanks to some fantastic answers.

Username
ShogunRok
Articles
11,156 (454 reviews)
First Article
Wed 21st, November 2012
Avg. Review Score
7.2
Find Them On
Muck Rack
  • Review Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers (PS3)

    Seiya ain't so

    Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers is almost the very definition of 'anime fighter'. It's chock full of colourful playable characters, crazy storylines, and over-the-top voice acting. If you've ever tried a Dragon Ball Z or Naruto brawler, then you'll generally know what's in store here – even if the original anime never quite caught on...

  • Weirdness Naughty Dog Saves Otherwise Terrible VGX Awards with Joel Animation

    Naughty God

    Despite some incredibly interesting game reveals, like Telltale's Game of Thrones adaptation and Hello Games' No Man's Sky, it's safe to say that this year's VGX awards show was rather awful. With a script that was completely off the mark and jokes that failed to conjure even a single crinkled sm

  • Review Warframe (PlayStation 4)

    You've been framed

    Bolstering the PlayStation 4's launch line-up are a number of free-to-play games, including Digital Extremes' Warframe – a third person action RPG, full of loot, levelling, and co-op chaos. It's a combination that immediately brings to mind something like Mass Effect 3, especially when you consider that the game also features a...

  • Review FIFA 14 (PlayStation 4)

    Through on goal

    EA Sports' annual football franchise has enjoyed a good run of late, maintaining steady form over the past few years. The PlayStation 3 version of FIFA 14 was another solid step in the right direction, even if it was more about evolution rather than revolution, as we described in our review. Now, the game makes the jump to Sony's new...

  • News Killzone: Shadow Fall PS4 Patch Shoots Down Single Player Difficulty Problems

    DualShock 4s breathe a sigh of relief

    An uneven campaign that features too many scenarios where you're not simply gunning down Helghast has been a popular criticism of PlayStation 4 launch title Killzone: Shadow Fall. Thankfully, Guerrilla Games has its sights set firmly on your concerns, and has released a patch that puts an end to some of the...

  • Review SoulCalibur II HD Online (PlayStation 3)

    A tale of souls and swords, eternally re-bought

    When the original SoulCalibur II appeared on the PlayStation 2, it was universally praised for its fantastic 3D fighting engine, its diverse cast of characters, and its plethora of modes. Even today, Namco's brawler is remembered fondly by many as the series' greatest achievement. SoulCalibur II HD...

  • News Toukiden: The Age of Demons Slays European Vitas in 2014

    Demonic delivery

    Selling over 420,000 copies since its Japanese debut, Tecmo Koei's original demon-slaying property will be making its way to Europe in 2014, ready to carve up Sony's portable device on the 14th February. With an art style that closely resembles some of the publisher's other franchises - namely Samurai Warriors - Toukiden: The Age...

  • News Get Your Groove On, Persona 4 Dancing All Night Is Coming to Vita in 2014

    We love you Risette

    Imagine eagerly awaiting the reveal of a certain Persona 5, only to be shown the craziness that is Persona 4 Dancing All Night. Regardless of fans' disappointment at the time, this rhythm game has already got us grooving in the office. The dance-'em-up is set to spin into Japan in Autumn 2014 as a PlayStation Vita exclusive. In...

  • News Persona 5 Jumps Out of Your Dreams and into Reality

    Choo choo, all aboard

    After announcing a 3DS spin-off, perplexing our speech with Persona 4 Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold, and revealing a Persona 4-based dancing game, it looked like fans' dreams of a Persona 5 announcement had been crushed during Atlus' streaming event today. Thankfully, the incredibly ta

  • News Persona 4 The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold Will Be Perplexing Japan in 2014

    Say that again

    During today's much-hyped announcement event, Atlus released a trailer for Persona 4 Arena's sequel, Persona 4 The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold. Don't worry, it'll probably just be called Persona 4 Arena 2 in the West. Although we only get a few quick glimpses of gameplay, it looks very much like you'd expect it to. The only real...

  • News Here's Everything That You Could Ever Want from a Shin Gundam Musou Trailer

    Eight minutes of explosions

    We're well adjusted to the mayhem that's typically found in Dynasty Warriors games, but through this newest Shin Gundam Musou trailer, we've learned that the series' unadulterated chaos can be taken one step further. Stretching on for almost nine minutes, the vast video covers everything from the storylines that make up...

  • News Get Your First Glimpse of Freedom Wars' Gameplay Here

    What you'd expect

    With God Eater 2 making waves in Japan, hope for Sony's portable console is at a high in its home territory right now. Helping matters further is this intriguing gameplay trailer for Freedom Wars – a title that's also partly from God Eater studio Shift. While the video doesn't show too much, it does give a decent look at what...

  • News PS4 Dungeon Crawler Deep Down Gets All Emotional

    Is that you David?

    It's unhealthy to keep all of your feelings buried deep down inside of you, so that's why Capcom's free-to-play dungeon-exploring romp - er, Deep Down, will alter its atmospheric locations based on emotion. For those of you out of the loop, the stunning looking title dishes out weekly updates on its Japanese Facebook page, and...

  • Review Tearaway (PlayStation Vita)

    Royal mail

    It's been over five years since LittleBigPlanet made a huge impact on the gaming scene – its 'Play, Create, Share' slogan paving the way for what was almost a new genre entirely. With developer Media Molecule's latest title Tearaway we find a smaller but much more focused adventure that's delightfully charming, accessible, and...

  • News This New inFAMOUS: Second Son Trailer Will Light Up Your PS4 Life

    Neon nirvana

    Fresh from Sony's PlayStation 4 launch event in New York comes this typically stunning inFAMOUS: Second Son trailer, which features Delsin's neon powers all to the beat of Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box once again. Showcasing plenty of combat scenarios and some gorgeous looking cutscenes, we can already feel the hype building inside of us...

  • Weirdness South Park Tackles the PS4 and Xbox One Console War

    Stoking the flames

    Clearly not content with its own impending South Park: The Stick of Truth, the potty-mouthed animated series has taken it upon itself to tackle the never-ending topic of the console wars. The clip that we've embedded below sees the show's main characters split up after pledging their allegiance to either the PlayStation 4 or Xbox...

  • Feature Games of the Generation - Your Five Favourites

    Wrapping things up

    So here we are, at the end of a long journey that we've taken together. The PlayStation 4 launches tomorrow in North America, and we like to think that we've given a big old 'thank you' to the ageing PlayStation 3 by listing our Games of the Generation throughout the week. It took more effort than you might think to round up seven...

  • Review Battlefield 4 (PlayStation 3)

    Boom! Shake, shake, shake the room

    Almost every event that you're a part of in Battlefield 4 is punctuated by some sort of demolition or explosion. Pursued by a helicopter? It'll blow up sooner or later. Running up a flight of stairs? They probably won't be there on the way back down. Need to get past an armoured vehicle? Better blast it to bits...

  • Feature Games of the Generation - Robert's Five Favourites

    Putting it out there

    Welcome to Push Square’s all-encompassing Games of the Generation series. In the lead up to the PlayStation 4’s release later this week, we’ll be rounding up our writers in an effort to look back at some of their favourite PlayStation 3 games. These titles have been hand-selected personally by each individual author. It's...

  • Round Up Killzone: Shadow Fall PS4 Reviews Aim for the Skies

    Killbone?

    Changing the landscape of the gaming Internet in a matter of minutes, the PlayStation 4's launch line up is being judged today – and here we've provided several review scores for the eagerly anticipated Killzone: Shadow Fall. Early impressions are good, with the title managing to secure mostly high-end scores from major publications like...

  • News PS4 Exclusive Killzone: Shadow Fall's Launch Trailer Will Blow You Away

    Did you see that?!

    In need of that extra injection of pure hype in preparation for the PlayStation 4's launch in North America later this week? If so, look no further than this rather stunning trailer for launch title Killzone: Shadow Fall. We've known for months now that the sci-fi shooter will be a visual treat, but this video really blows away...

  • Game of the Month October 2013 - Beyond: Two Souls

    Here's your award, David

    November is finally here, the month in which Sony's next generation console is set to be unleashed in North America and Europe. The anticipation is becoming almost unbearable, but PlayStation's promising future hasn't stopped us from glancing back into its past to decide upon which of October's releases deserves our coveted...

  • News Mark Cerny Has a Knack for Answering Your PS4 Questions

    Words of wisdom

    Ever since the PlayStation 4's big reveal back in February, Mark Cerny has become one of the most prominent figures in the gaming industry. Despite being both the chief architect of Sony's next generation console, and lead director on launch title Knack, the bright-eyed genius still manages to find the time to answer questions asked...

  • Review Final Exam (PlayStation 3)

    Fight school

    The PlayStation 4 is fast approaching, and the PlayStation 3 is still drowning in new downloadable releases every week. The ageing system's PSN catalogue is fit to burst at this point, with stunning titles like Journey and The Unfinished Swan garnering more praise than most retail releases could hope for. Final Exam may not be as...