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
12,222 (488 reviews)
First Article
Wed 21st, November 2012
Avg. Review Score
7.2
Find Them On
Muck Rack
  • News Japan Loots a Dragon's Crown Cross-Play Patch [Updated]

    The more the merrier

    Atlus has confirmed that the patch is indeed heading to North America, and will be "arriving very soon". The publisher also states that more details are on the way. [Original story] Despite the fact that you can transfer your save file between the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of Vanillaware's RPG beat 'em up Dragon's Crown,...

  • Review Dragon's Crown (PlayStation 3)

    Picture perfect

    Atlus has forged something of a rocky relationship with European gamers. It's hard to remember a time when its titles haven't been delayed for seemingly ridiculous periods before making the journey overseas – but thankfully, the Japanese publisher has somehow managed to deliver quality games over and over again. Developer...

  • First Impressions Hitching a Ride in the Stalling Grand Theft Auto Online

    Grand Theft Manual

    Unless you've been hiding away from the federal government for the past week, you'll have no doubt heard about Grand Theft Auto Online's rough start. Connection problems plagued the highly anticipated multiplayer addition to Rockstar's opus, as the title's servers crumbled within minutes of it going live. Even if you were lucky...

  • Game of the Month September 2013 - Grand Theft Auto V

    Everyone's a criminal

    September has come and gone, bringing with it a slew of great PlayStation gaming. Here at Push Square, the reviews brought some varied scores across the board, with only a handful of titles making the cut to be nominated for Game of the Month. Although let's be honest – you knew what was going to win all along, didn't you?...

  • News Samurai Warriors 4 Is Planning an Attack on PS3 and Vita

    It's a Date

    On the march to release in 2014 in Japan, Samurai Warriors 4 will mark the return of the main series to Sony's platforms after the third instalment launched as a Nintendo Wii exclusive, but was later ported to the PlayStation 3 in an attempt to garner further sales. Never shy of large character rosters, Koei's fourth game will feature a...

  • First Impressions Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z Covers Us in Zombie Blood

    No braaains

    The weird Ninja Gaiden spin-off that is Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z surprised us during a recent hands-on. For a series that's always been known for its gory disposition, it feels like proceedings may have gone a little bit overboard, with so much blood and mutilation that we found it difficult to discern what was even happening on screen...

  • First Impressions Sailing Around Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's Open Waters on PS4

    We can almost smell that salty sea air

    Only a short time away from launch, Ubisoft has been bombarding the web with countless promotional trailers, developer commentaries, and swag-heavy competitions for months now – but not even this avalanche of content could prepare us for the sense of freedom that we experienced during a recent Assassin's...

  • News Tales of Symphonia Chronicles Brawls Online with First Translated Trailer

    Lloyd Irving, wake up!

    Regarded by many fans as the best game in the Tales series, Tales of Symphonia first launched in Japan in 2003 and the following year in western territories for the Nintendo GameCube. Despite releasing to decent sales and general critical acclaim, the title was also ported to the PlayStation 2 after a short while in Japan in...

  • First Impressions Sliding and Slicing in Warframe on PS4

    Named and framed

    Occupying just three PlayStation 4s at Sony's Eurogamer Expo booth, Digital Extreme's free-to-play co-op sci-fi romp shared the same floor as juggernauts like Killzone: Shadow Fall and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Warframe's presence brought a homey feel to the otherwise bustling show, as members of the development team talked...

  • News Media Molecule Is Thinking Big with Tearaway

    Whole world in your hands

    Media Molecule's Rex Crowle and community manager Spaff opened up on the Eurogamer Expo developer sessions stage earlier today, where they walked a captivated audience through a live demo of the PlayStation Vita's premier papercraft title, Tearaway. The upbeat duo were eager to emphasise the concept behind the game, in...

  • Weirdness The Last of Us Almost Ended on a Musical High

    Song for slaughter

    First shown at PAX, Sony has released a video detailing a rather ridiculous motion capture take of The Last of Us' ending. The finale, which was originally entirely cinematic, takes a strange but wonderful turn as Maureen's actress Merle Dandridge is secretly told to sing her lines by director Neil Druckman. Incredibly, Troy...

  • Review Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter HD (PlayStation 3)

    Not-so-clever girl

    Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter HD harkens back to a time when games were simple and focused. Back in the day, the gameplay spoke for itself so there was little need for a narrative, and your overall goal was clear and simple: rescue the princess, shoot the demons, or in this case, hunt the dinosaurs. You play as a nameless hunter,...

  • Review Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 3)

    Three is a magic number

    Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. These three personalities are at the very core of Grand Theft Auto V – one of the most anticipated games of this console generation. Everything that happens within the title revolves around the trio, from the gripping get-rich-quick heists that punctuate the story to the side activities that...

  • Review Dragon Fantasy: Book II (PlayStation 3)

    Less is more

    A direct sequel to Dragon Fantasy: Book I, Dragon Fantasy: Book II continues the story of Ogden and his party. It's still full of cheeky humour, silly dialogue, and old school JRPG gameplay – but does it improve enough upon its predecessor? Developer Muteki Corporation could have easily stuck to what it had already created with the...

  • News Grand Theft Auto V Gets Issued A PSN Download Delay [Updated]

    Pre-release now available from 16th

    : Developer Rockstar has clarified just when you'll be able to download your pre-order, depending on your territory. In Europe, you'll be able to download the pre-release on Sunday the 15th of September at 3pm BST, while in the US, you'll have to wait until Monday the 16th of September, at the rather late time of...

  • News EDGE Reckons That PS4 Has A Power Advantage Over Xbox One

    Uh oh

    Here we go again, er, again. Citing numerous sources and contacts, EDGE has published some rather saucy information regarding the difference in power between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. The article states that Sony's next generation machine is around 50 per cent faster than its competitor, while multiple development sources describe...

  • News See What Makes Assassin's Creed IV On PS4 Next Gen

    Shinier than a chest of gold

    Are you ready to point your spyglass at yet another Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag trailer? Of course you are! This time Ubisoft explains exactly what sets the PlayStation 4 version apart from its current generation brethren. The video provides an interesting glimpse into the title's visual design, showing off and...

  • Rumour Grand Theft Auto V Caught On PS4

    Amazon.de lists next generation release

    Once again, Amazon's German arm has outed a potential release, and this time, it's a big one. The website lists Grand Theft Auto V - which releases in just under a week on current gen consoles - as a PlayStation 4 title. There's no hint of a possible release date, but the simple fact that it's there adds...

  • News Call of Duty: Ghosts Takes Shooting Into Outer Space

    Explosive single player trailer has it all

    Fresh from Activision and Infinity Ward comes this latest trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts, which is all about the single player campaign. Opening with a gunfight set in space, the video is just as bombastic as you'd expect. We even catch a glimpse of Riley, the game's canine mascot, wrestling with someone...

  • News Continue Your PS3 Final Fantasy XIV Adventure On PS4 At No Additional Cost

    Gen jumping

    If you're currently busy questing to your heart's content in the luscious world of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn on PlayStation 3, you may be happy to know that you'll be able to carry your progress over onto Sony's next generation console. And the best part? You won't have to pay a penny. If you've purchased Square Enix's initially...

  • News Strategy RPG Natural Doctrine Plans A Release On PS3, PS4, And Vita

    Cross-cross-play

    Kadokawa Games' first solo-developed title was announced earlier today at Sony's morning press conference. The game in question is a strategy RPG that'll be released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Vita - what more could you want? The trailer that accompanies the announcement is moody, monochrome, and intriguing. The strangely...

  • News Guilty Gear Xrd Sign Will Be Brawling On PS4, Too

    Get in gear

    During Sony's Japanese press conference earlier this morning, it was confirmed that Arc System Works' gorgeous new brawler will be taking the fight to PlayStation 4, as well as PlayStation 3. Due out in 2014, Guilty Gear Xrd Sign will mark the series' first departure from the use of sprites, and instead will utilise the Unreal engine...

  • Review Puppeteer (PlayStation 3)

    Ahead of the game

    Within minutes of starting Puppeteer, it's clear that it's an absolutely stunning game. The art style, the animation and the sheer amount of detail packed into each and every visual asset make the title a joy to behold. Trailers and screenshots simply don't do the product justice – this is something that you need to see in motion...

  • Game of the Month August 2013 - Rayman Legends

    Legendary status

    August was a busy month for the team here at Push Square, in which we reviewed 21 new releases in total. Of course, only one game can be awarded the prestigious Game of the Month accolade, and so we looked to the highest rated titles, which included wildly anticipated adventures such as the ridiculous Saints Row IV and the magical...