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
12,320 (490 reviews)
First Article
Wed 21st, November 2012
Avg. Review Score
7.2
Find Them On
Muck Rack
  • News Right, Here's What Final Fantasy XV's Season Pass Gets You

    Now we know, kind of

    In case you didn't know, Final Fantasy XV's getting a season pass, because, well, it's 2016 and this is video games. The pass was spotted on the North American PlayStation Store last night, but Square Enix hasn't revealed anything about the content that it includes, meaning that, as far as we're concerned, the whole thing's...

  • News Final Fantasy XV Gets its Inevitable Season Pass Reveal

    No series is safe

    Not even your most beloved franchises are safe from the season pass it would seem. The Digital Premium Edition of Final Fantasy XV, which is available to pre-order on the North American PlayStation Store for $84.99, comes with the aforementioned pass, while regular digital pre-orders can be upgraded to include it. So, what does...

  • News Destiny: Rise of Iron Details Creep Out of the Darkness

    Light levels rising

    And so it begins. It was only a matter of time before we started getting flooded with information regarding Destiny's upcoming September expansion, and Game Informer's got the scoop on a load of new details. For starters, the light level cap is getting raised beyond what we had initially thought. Right now, the light level...

  • News Diablo III Patch 1.14 Is Out Now on PS4

    More Torment for your trouble

    Diablo III's latest patch is out now on PlayStation 4. Detailed last week, update 1.14 adds three new difficulty levels: Torment XI, XII, and XIII. It also updates a bunch of legendary items and makes slight changes to various character classes. Blizzard's loot based role-playing game has been knocking about on Sony's...

  • News You Can Download August's Free PlayStation Plus Games Now

    Stay positive

    August's PlayStation Plus games are now available to download in Europe, so get signed in and add those bad boys to your library of backlog despair. This month's selection should launch later today in North America. In case you've forgotten, August's controversial offering includes Tricky Towers and Rebel Galaxy on PlayStation 4,...

  • News DOOM, Fallout 4 Lead Big Bethesda PSN Sale in North America

    Fallout 4's season pass is going cheaper, too

    There's a sale on Bethesda titles and downloadable content happening right now on the North American PlayStation Store, covering the company's catalogue on both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Obvious standouts include discounts on current-gen games like DOOM, Fallout 4, Wolfenstein: The New Order, and...

  • Feature 5 Things Berserk Needs to Get Right on PS4, Vita

    Glory on the battlefield

    Berserk is a superb manga series from Japanese artist Kentaro Miura. It's dark fantasy with a capital D, and it's more than deserving of a video game adaptation that does the original work justice. Fortunately, prolific publisher Koei Tecmo is on the case, and it's got Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force doing the heavy...

  • News The Demon with the Greatest Name Is Playable in Berserk on PS4, Vita

    Enter Nosferatu Zodd

    Now we're talking! Nosferatu Zodd, one of Berserk's central characters, is going to be playable in the PlayStation 4 and Vita adaptation. The supremely powerful demon, who can alternate between humanoid and beast forms, will surely be a blast to use in Koei Tecmo's upcoming hack and slasher. We imagine that it won't be long...

  • News Bethesda Still Working with Sony to Get Fallout 4 Mods on PS4

    It clearly isn't going smoothly

    In case you hadn't noticed, mod support for Fallout 4 still hasn't arrived on Sony's system. Mods were originally intended to launch on PlayStation 4 back near the start of summer, but after hitting some sort of snag, the functionality was put on hold. However, after about a month of silence, Bethesda has revealed...

  • News Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Is Done and Dusted

    Augmented for launch

    Hurrah! It's always good news to hear that a game's development has been polished off, and this time around, Eidos Montreal is the studio that's celebrating. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is ready to rock its bionic socks off on PlayStation 4, the company happily announced on Twitter. Grizzled agent Adam Jensen is back for this one,...

  • News Destiny's Challenge of the Elders Won't Be the Same Starting Next Week

    So random

    Bungie's bringing a big change to Challenge of the Elders starting next week. The Destiny activity, which sees a fireteam of up to three Guardians take on an assortment of enemies while dealing with various gameplay modifiers, is being randomised from the 2nd August. In other words, the developer will no longer be setting the rules and...

  • Poll Are You Happy with August's PlayStation Plus Games?

    Remain calm

    It's safe to say that August's PlayStation Plus reveal didn't go down too well - we haven't seen such online rage regarding Sony's service in quite some time, but is next month's offering really that bad? We're going to let you answer that one. In case you're out of the loop, August's selection includes Tetris-like block puzzler Tricky...

  • News Four Years Later and Blizzard Is Still Working on Updates for Diablo III

    A new patch is incoming

    Blizzard's currently working on yet another update for Diablo III, which is set to launch in the relatively near future. Patch 2.4.2 will introduce three new difficulty levels - namely Torment XI, XII, and XIII - and naturally, you'll be able to nab better and better loot as long as you're strong enough to tackle them. The...

  • News Destiny: The Collection Is Supposedly Coming to PS4 in August

    One month before Rise of Iron

    With big expansion Rise of Iron out in September, we were betting on Activision releasing a new all-in-one Destiny package, much like it did when The Taken King launched last year, but as it turns out, the publisher may have other plans. Indeed, Destiny: The Collection has been spotted on Amazon, and it's supposedly...

  • News Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2 Has Giant Namekians

    Big green

    Good news if you're planning on playing as a Namekian in Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2, as it looks like the fighter's going to feature giant transformations. The title's latest gameplay trailer shows off a load of fresh footage, and if you watch closely enough, you'll be able to pick out a custom Namekian character ballooning in size before...

  • News People Really Aren't Happy with August's PlayStation Plus Games

    Remember to turn caps lock on

    PlayStation Plus announcement day is always good for a laugh, but we doubt that anyone who has to handle Sony's social media accounts is smiling right now. Following today's Plus reveal - you can see the full list of August's games through here - PlayStation fans have grabbed their pitchforks and taken a good old stab...

  • News Metal Gear Solid V: Definitive Ex Emerges on Amazon

    We need intel

    What do we have here then, Boss? Metal Gear Solid V: Definitive Ex has popped up on Amazon.co.uk, which, we assume, is some sort of Game of the Year edition. There's no information to be gleaned from the listing whatsoever, other than it's a product from Konami. So, what would a definitive edition of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom...

  • News No Man's Sky Gets Gritty in New PS4 Gameplay Trailer

    Survival of the fittest

    With so many variables at its core, you're bound to stumble across trouble in No Man's Sky at some point. Whether it's aggressive alien life, environmental hazards, or evil robot drone things, you're going to need to look after yourself and your ship as you explore the stars. And what do you know, the title's latest trailer...

  • News Japanese Sales Charts: The PS4 Software Drought Continues

    At least a new Vita game's in the top 20

    We're starting to feel bad about asking you lot to give these Japanese charts articles a click - there's just nothing particularly interesting happening in the Land of the Rising Sun when it comes to Sony's systems, and it's probably going to stay that way until the PlayStation 4 gets a few new blockbusters...

  • Review Fallout 4: Vault-Tec Workshop (PS4)

    Digging not-so deep

    Fallout 4's penultimate slice of downloadable content comes in the form of the Vault-Tec Workshop - another settlement-based add-on in which you follow a series of short, simple quests while building your own underground vault. This certainly isn't your typically large expansion - as you can probably tell from the price tag - but...

  • News Fallout 4 Vault-Tec Workshop Is Finally Out on PS4 in Europe

    Time to get building

    Just a quick heads-up from us: Fallout 4's latest slice of downloadable content, Vault-Tec Workshop, is now available via the European PlayStation Store following a slight delay. The add-on, which lets you create your own underground vault through a series of new quests, was supposed to launch at midnight, but it never showed...

  • News A Big PS4 Firmware Update Is Incoming

    You can sign up for the beta now

    We guess it's that time again, eh? Sony's revealed that there's an important firmware update in the works for PlayStation 4, and you can get an early look at its new features via an upcoming beta. If you're in North America, you can sign up through here, while those of you in Europe should click through here. So,...

  • News Berserk on PS4, Vita Gets Smashed with a Delay in Japan

    Still no specific release date in the West

    Berserk, the Warriors-style adaptation of the dark fantasy manga and anime series of the same name, has been hit with a delay in Japan. The bloody hack and slasher was due out on the 21st September, but it's now been pushed back more than a month to the 27th October. The delay could potentially have an...

  • News Fallout 4 Vault-Tec Workshop Is Missing on PS4 in Europe, Bethesda's Investigating

    Going underground

    As with previous additional content for Fallout 4, the Vault-Tec Workshop was supposed to launch at midnight on PlayStation 4 here in Europe, but that apparently hasn't been the case. It's now the early hours of the morning here in the UK - at the time of writing - and as far as we can tell, there's still no sign of the add-on...