William Murphy

BillMurphyMMORPG
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Favorite Games:
  • Ultima VII: The Black Gate
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • Guild Wars 2

172 games reviewed
80.0 average score
80 median score
72.1% of games recommended

William Murphy's Reviews

Bill Murphy has been blogging and pontificating about video games since 2002. Always ready with more to say than anyone could possibly want to read, he began his professional writing tenure at IGN's Vault Network as an Assistant Community Manager in 2006. Later he moved on to Ten Ton Hammer, and then finally landed a gig as Lead Writer at MMORPG.com and, which has evolved into his current role as Managing Editor. In 2017, he co-founded the all-games site GameSpace.com He lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his beautiful wife, two young sons, and small army of dogs and cats.
7.7 / 10.0 - Firefall
Aug 14, 2013

Somewhere along the way, [Red 5] got a little lost, but they're back on track and with a thriving but small community they're onto something very special. It's a little rough around the edges right now, but I'd heartily recommend Firefall to anyone who's sick of the same old MMO fodder. Just be prepared to roll with the work-in-progress nature of the game, and you might be pleasantly surprised at the fun on offer.

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May 2, 2014

ESO is an excellent MMORPG, with a lot to offer fans of The Elder Scrolls.

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8.2 / 10.0 - Child of Light
May 3, 2014

Child of Light is a beautifully rendered, fun, and fairly engrossing RPG that every fan of the genre should try. It does enough different to stand out from the pack, and I'm talking about more than its artistic styling. It won't drain forty plus hours of your free time, but for $15? Yeah, this one's worth the three Starbucks coffees it'll cost you and won't leave a bad taste in your mouth in the process.

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4.5 / 10.0 - Bound by Flame
May 9, 2014

Bound By Flame sounded promising every time we saw it... but so do most games. What we ended up with instead is an RPG trying to be as great as its inspiration but never coming close. Poor combat, poor story, and poor acting, all serve to make this "epic tale" one you'll want to skip. Do not buy.

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8.7 / 10.0 - Transistor
May 22, 2014

My biggest wish is for more of this game, a sequel or some DLC, because I want to see this world continued, and I want to play the combat until my thumbs bleed. I'm disappointed in its short play-length, but it can't be said enough that Transistor is a beautiful and unique RPG that every gamer should play. I can hardly wait to see what Supergiant will come up with next.

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8.4 / 10.0 - WildStar
Jul 4, 2014

WildStar is at once similar to and unlike any other game in the market. It pulls from worlds gone by, while forging new mechanics all its own. No one can know if this new universe will stand the test of time, but for now… I'm just going to dig in and explore Nexus, Cupcake.

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Aug 26, 2014

Lichdom: Battlemage is a fun, if shortsighted RPG with some fantastic upsides. Is it worth the asking price of $40? I'd say no at this point, and hold out for a Steam sale. It's definitely something fans of the old Hexen will enjoy, but fans of open ended RPGs will find Xaviant's game lacking. A solid effort, but not quite what I'd hoped for after seeing the game at PAX East this year.

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Sep 25, 2014

If you're a fan of open world RPGs, love the idea of killing and enslaving orcs, and aren't too worried about tweaking Tolkien to serve the purpose of fun, you owe it to yourself to buy and play Shadow of Mordor. Talion's quest right up there as one of this year's best and Monolith should be very proud of their work.

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Oct 7, 2014

[D]espite its shortcomings, Styx: Master of Shadows is an enjoyable hardcore stealth game with the light trappings of its RPG forebear. At $30 and offering around 15-20 hours of sneaky goodness, if you can overlook the poor combat and budget animations, chances are you'll find a lot to like in Styx.

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8 / 10.0 - Costume Quest 2
Oct 7, 2014

If, like me, you love the Halloween time of year and are nostalgic for the days of trick or treating and sugar-fueled nights… pick up Costume Quest 2 for its budget price of fifteen bucks and make it a new tradition every year. You'll be glad you did.

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7.3 / 10.0 - ArcheAge
Oct 31, 2014

In short, ArcheAge does a whole lot of things most MMOs never would dare dream, but the sad truth is that it's not exceptional at any one thing. And that, unfortunately, makes the grand idea that is ArcheAge a little underwhelming overall.

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7.4 / 10.0 - Lords of the Fallen
Nov 6, 2014

Lords of the Fallen proves there is plenty of room for more difficult, deep, and engaging RPGs in the world and does enough different to stand out from the pack. I sincerely hope we get a sequel, as I feel like Deck13 is only just beginning to build this world and carve a niche in the genre.

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7.2 / 10.0 - The Crew
Dec 11, 2014

Ditch the lame story, work in more customization and more exciting races, and The Crew is solid roadwork for what could be a fantastic MMO ride.

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Mar 16, 2015

In the end, is Type-0 worth the full $60 price? I'm one who believes gameplay is a greater than graphics alone, and while Type-0 looks a little dated due to its ported status it definitely makes up for the visual shortcomings with great gameplay. If you like Final Fantasy and third-person action combat… get it, and love it. It's worth your time.

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9 / 10.0 - Bloodborne
Mar 23, 2015

I could go on about Bloodborne, but I won't. I'll simply say that it's one of the best action RPGs I've ever played. It's brutally difficult, but never cheap, and it's one of the most atmospheric games in recent years. If you fancy hard games, if you love a good deep RPG that doesn't hold your hand, then you owe it to yourself to play this one. It's a shame it's only on the PS4, but frankly, Bloodborne is worth buying the system to play.

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Apr 6, 2015

Etrian Mystery Dungeon is almost confusing in its complexity beyond the first few dungeons, though seasoned RPG-ers will relish in this aspect. It's a game with few real faults, and well worth every penny.

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Apr 14, 2015

It may not be on the PC, but if you've been hankering for a good RPG mixed with shooter than doesn't leave you frustrated, this is what you've been waiting for. If, however, you've already played these games to death, you may want to just wait for the next entry in the series. You do have the option of bringing your save over to the Handsome Collection though, which is a nice bonus feature.

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May 29, 2015

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a stupendous achievement for CD Projekt Red.

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7 / 10.0 - Kyn
Jul 28, 2015

Kyn is a fun game. But it's also a little broken, a little bland, and a little weird.

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7.6 / 10.0 - Mad Max
Sep 10, 2015

Mad Max is a serviceable and enjoyable beginning to what I hope will become a series of games set in this world. Every legend needs to start somewhere, and the basics of greatness are here. Max and his Magnum Opus just need a bit more tuning and the helping hand of a good Blackfinger to get into true fighting shape.

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