Author Profile
Darren is Hookshot Media’s Operations Director, with a particular focus on the people side of the business across Nintendo Life, Push Square, Pure Xbox, Time Extension and Steam Hype. His role covers recruitment, HR and employee development across the company.
A lifelong video game fan, Darren grew up with the ZX Spectrum before quickly graduating to the Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo. He went on to earn a Computer Science degree from the illustrious University of Bradford before cutting his teeth in the corporate world at Nokia and later Worldpay. That probably gives you a reasonable clue as to how old he is now.
At Hookshot, Darren works closely with the company’s directors and editorial teams, supporting a fully remote workforce spread across the UK and internationally. Part of the job is making sure people feel connected, supported and able to do their best work, rather than simply existing as a collection of names in Slack.
When he isn’t doing that, Darren can usually be found watching films, running, lifting heavy things or, occasionally, actually playing video games.
Latest Reviews
Review Just Dance 2015 (PlayStation 4)
Because I’m happy
Another year brings another instalment into Ubisoft’s multiplatform dance juggernaut, predictably entitled Just Dance 2015 this time. The aim of the game is as simple as it gets: you have to replicate the dance moves that the on-screen silhouette dancers perform in time with the music and as accurately as you can. The ethos is...
Latest Feature Articles
Guide Best PlayStation Christmas Gifts 2024 - PS5 Consoles, Games, Gift Cards, Accessories & More
The best PlayStation presents and stocking fillers
If you're on the lookout for the best Christmas presents for PlayStation fans, we've got you covered right here on this page. The holiday season is right around the corner, so we've been busy tracking down some of the best gifts for your friends and family. Below, you'll find excellent present...
Guide How to Extend the Cable Length of Your PS4 Camera
No DIY required
The PlayStation 4's camera sure is a nifty bit of kit: you can while away the hours in The Playroom or simply control your console with your voice. You can even play Just Dance 2014 with it if you're so inclined. One of the only downsides to this nifty tech is Sony's insistence on using a proprietary cable plug. Sure, it looks like...
Interview Double Helix Games on Carving Out a New Strider for PS4
Studio taking it all in its Strider
It’s all change at Double Helix Games, with online retailer Amazon recently announcing that it had acquired the company outright. Fortunately, the takeover has not disrupted development on the studio’s promising Strider reboot, which is set to cut your console of choice to pieces on
Feature Must-Have PlayStation 3 Games - Darren's Picks
Monster trucks and caped crusaders
To introduce you to the team we've put together here at Push Square, we asked each team member for two PS3 games they considered absolutely essential. Here, operations director Darren Calvert reveals two of his favourites. MotorStorm: Pacific Rift: MotorStorm: Pacific Rift picks up the adrenaline-fuelled racing...
Interviews Firemint - Flight Control HD
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away...
Flight Control HD is coming to land on PSN in Europe and Australia tomorrow. This time of course it's got PlayStation Move support and has been translated to glorious HD. To coincide with this imminent arrival we took the opportunity to fly some questions over to Firemint's Community Manager, Alexandra...
Latest News Articles
News PS4 Firmware Update 2.01 Now Live
217.2 MB of added stability for your PlayStation
As much as we applaud Sony's efforts at rolling out its recent firmware update to version 2.00, which added new and exciting features to the PlayStation 4, many have noted an unfortunate glitch which makes it impossible to turn the super system back on once it's been put into Rest Mode. Thankfully...
Video Shining a Light on Lara Croft's Light Bar Torch in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Will it keep you warm during Winter?
When the PlayStation 4 was first announced by Sony last year, the platform holder made a handful of next generation promises which we feel that it has delivered on. For starters, the visuals are far superior to its ageing accomplice, the touchpad is able to add depth to certain genres, and the general interface...
News CEO Kaz Hirai Certainly Thinks Sony Has the Wow Factor
Also adores the Kylie Minogue song
Sony boss Kaz Hirai certainly made an engaging keynote speech at CES 2014. Among other things, he announced cloud streaming service PlayStation Now, looked back at previous company success stories, and outlined some more recent highlights such as Media Molecule’s delightful paper-based platformer
News PlayStation 4 Stock on Its Way to Argos in the UK Soon
Keep your eyes peeled
Following up on the tantalising news that PS4 stock has been trickling into GAME stores today, we reached out to Argos to see what its stock situation looks like. If you're desperately trying to source a console this side of Christmas, it certainly looks like it's worth keeping your eyes on Argos to see when its next...
News No LittleBigPlanet 2 Until January Next Year
Sackboy won’t be in Santa’s sack this Christmas!
One of the most anticipated upcoming Move-enabled games has to be Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet 2 which was due for release in November 2010. It’s all set to build on the excellent LittleBigPlanet from 2008 and add tons of new level-building functionality that will knock your socks off. So...
