Murray Robertson Avatar Image

Murray Robertson


30 games reviewed
78.0 average score
80 median score
73.3% of games recommended
Are you Murray Robertson? If so, email [email protected] to claim this critic page.
Mar 11, 2014

With so many games sticking to the template, it’s refreshing to see innovation in the shooter market. While it lacks a compelling narrative and the content feels rather slight, Titanfall is a supremely confident, energetic and thrilling game which has the potential to shake up this stagnant genre.

Read full review

Apr 30, 2014

Although notable as the first game to use Unreal Engine 4, the graphics are perfunctory and drab. If only more effort had gone into crafting an interesting environment rather than relying on the game to conjure its own random shocks.

Read full review

May 27, 2014

Since its first reveal, the game’s graphical prowess has been toned down and, despite the delays, it’s still a buggy release. However, Watch Dogs is an ambitious open world shooter. It may lack GTA V’s detail and polish, but its hacking mechanic is likely to inspire many more games to come.

Read full review

Feb 10, 2015

Titanfall breathed fresh air into online shooters before repetition quickly wore off the sheen. And unless Evolve is properly supported after release, it will likely suffer the same fate. But, as it stands, this is a brave new take on the genre. Its varied mechanics are quick to learn and hard to master, and it's worthy of attention from anyone tired of the endless cycle of military shooters.

Read full review

Dec 6, 2018

RDR2 presents players with a huge, realistic and varied environment to explore, brought to life with the kind of weather, lighting, shadow and particle effects that its forebear could only dream about. And with Read Dead Online (a true MMO experience) due to launch soon, RDR2 should keep gamers busy until the next time Rockstar heads out west.

Read full review

The graphics, particularly lighting and shadow effects, have come a long way and really show up last year's Black Ops 4. Crucially, every weapon is exhilarating to fire, bolstered by fantastic animation and sound design, and during frenetic firefights that audio has to be heard to be believed. It's a shame that the multiplayer remains underwhelming but the campaign is outstanding.

Read full review

As its unwieldy title suggests, unlike 2016's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered there are no multiplayer modes included which does make this an incomplete experience, although when its predecessor was resurrected its multiplayer lobbies were frustratingly sparse. Despite its testing difficulty spikes, Modern Warfare 2 is still an exciting, globe-trotting adventure which looks great on modern hardware.

Read full review

Nov 12, 2020

Watch Dogs: Legion is a technically ambitious game which manages to capture the essence of its real-world location, including some of its real-life socio-political battles. Its 'play as anyone' feature isn't quite the game-changer it might appear, but if you've always yearned to recruit a gang of senior citizens to usurp a corrupt political administration from within then Legion can make your dreams come true.

Read full review

Cold War is a brilliant – if short – campaign, and it boldly ushers Call of Duty into the new age of consoles with typically gorgeous presentation and a fun, twisty tale that joyfully exploits the entrenched paranoia of its novel setting.

Read full review

Feb 3, 2021

There's no real need to play the previous two games beforehand as most levels are stand-alone adventures and the overarching storyline isn't that interesting, although if you do already own them then it's possible to integrate them into Hitman 3 from the same game system. It's a tremendously replayable series, with challenges, 'mission stories' and leaderboards all teasing brand new ways to approach each level. IO Interactive recently announced their next project: a brand new James Bond game, a licence (to kill) for which they're clearly a brilliant match. For now, their legacy is a trilogy of perfect stealth action-adventures. It seems inevitable that one day Hitman will return.

Read full review

While Left 4 Dead is a clear influence, Fireteam Elite really hasn't grasped the notion that players need some room to breathe and collect their thoughts. Nowhere is safe, and the constant onslaught quickly becomes tiring. While missions only last about 20 minutes, they're unwaveringly stressful, and there's so much to take in that the motion tracker – annoyingly located on the far right of the screen – is practically redundant. If it's just you and the Working Joes on a squad then Aliens: Fireteam Elite can feel like hard work; it's very much at its best when played with friends, basking in the nostalgia of this resilient series.

Read full review

Nov 1, 2021

Back 4 Blood is exciting, terrifying and often seriously stressful. Like its esteemed predecessors, there's plenty here to encourage repeat play. Here's hoping they reinstate Versus mode to complete the package.

Read full review

House Of Ashes is the grandest yet of the Dark Pictures Anthology. It's technically audacious, with big storytelling and compelling character design. And while it's a relatively short game, there's plenty of fun to be had by trying to engineer different outcomes.

Read full review

Nov 10, 2021

Call Of Duty: Vanguard is less enticing than its recent forebears and that's a real problem when it's facing its own competition with free-to-play battle royale CoD: Warzone riding high (not to mention rival Battlefield 2042 out later this month). But with a solid multiplayer mode on offer, there's enough here to keep fans occupied over Christmas at least.

Read full review

Dec 1, 2021

Battlefield's USP has always been its large-scale battles, and 2042 delivers these bigger than ever before. After some serious teething problems it's now in a much better place. The (slightly) futuristic arsenal is punchy, there are many more gadgets than we're used to, and its vehicles will always be a great test of teamwork and patience. It does feel a little sparse at present but much more is promised, and based on the support given to previous entries in the series, its future is in safe hands.

Read full review

Jan 14, 2022

Where God Of War comes into its own is through its extraordinary combat mechanics, with Kratos' Leviathan Axe one of the most satisfying gaming weapons ever. Presented as a single camera shot, the game is technically audacious with awe-inspiring backdrops, gigantic foes and detailed animation which brings real pathos to these characters. Among all the Sturm und Drang, it's ultimately an intimate tale of familial bonding, and a story that will stay with you long after it ends.

Read full review

The co-op PvE shooter has entered something of a renaissance recently, particularly thanks to the success of Back 4 Blood, although whether or not Extraction has the staying power to sustain an active community remains to be seen. Exploiting the popularity of the Siege universe is a canny move, but for every Left 4 Dead (still going strong) there's an Evolve (now long defunct). Extraction's high difficulty, even on the easiest setting, walks a fine line between alienating casual players and giving hardcore survival fans something to chew on. But the enduring familiarity of its specialists gives it a fighting chance.

Read full review

May 12, 2022

Although the plot can't quite live up to its predecessor's superb twist, it's compelling enough to drive the story over 10 hours to a satisfying conclusion. While Resident Evil Village doesn't add anything transformative to the genre, it liberally pays homage to some of the very best bits from a series that's – incredibly – endured for more than a quarter of a century. If only it had better capitalised on its most striking character. Still, she's a vampire, so maybe next time?

Read full review

And so to the finale. If you're new to the trilogy then just ignore the naysayers and enjoy the ride. Long since Mass Effect 3 sent fans into a rage they've had Game of Thrones and The Rise of Skywalker to focus their ire, but this game's ending deserves no such hostility. The failure of 2017's Mass Effect: Andromeda thwarted Bioware's plans to expand the universe (exploring a different galaxy) but a sequel to the original trilogy was announced in December. In the meantime, this is audacious, epic storytelling filled with wonderful characters and spectacular locations, the likes of which we've not seen since and we're unlikely to see for some time.

Read full review

Oct 5, 2022

It wouldn’t work at all if the player hadn’t put in hours of preparation, although some might find their patience is stretched before the penny drops. Charlotta Mohlin (Agents Of SHIELD) deserves praise for her extraordinary work in these scenes, alternating between malevolent entity and misunderstood victim. Underpinning it all is a breakout performance from Manon Gage. If she wasn’t utterly convincing as the story’s doomed ingénue then the whole narrative would fall apart. Immortality is a remarkable moment in gaming and it’s hard to imagine how Sam Barlow could ever top it.

Read full review