George Yang

George is a freelance writer specializing in video games and other entertainment.

Selected Works

The Guardian •

Can boba tea be high-protein and tasty? I tested 14 flavors to find out

Americans are obsessed with protein, but they’re not all gulping raw eggs out of a glass like Rocky. The last decade has given us protein bars, shakes, cereal, pancakes, chips, crackers, jerkies. More recently, Asian American entrepreneurs have made their own contribution to this protein bonanza: protein boba tea.Boba tea (or bubble tea, as it’s also called) originated in Taiwan in the 1980s before becoming a phenomenon in the United States in the last decade.
Rolling Stone •

How Hidetaka Miyazaki Made 'Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree,' His Biggest Expansion Yet

Elden Ring was undoubtedly 2022’s Game of the Year, winning numerous awards across different shows and publications. With its dark fantasy atmosphere, punishing combat, and challenging difficulty, players keep coming back for more. It was also developer FromSoftware’s first open-world game, so it needed to have more content than any game that the studio had made before.
Variety •

‘The Boys’ Star Karen Fukuhara Makes Her Video-Game Debut With ‘The Callisto Protocol’

Developed by Striking Distance Studios, “The Callisto Protocol” is a survival horror game set in the Black Iron Prison on one of Jupiter’s moons, Callisto. Players assume the role of an inmate named Jacob Lee, played by “Transformers” and “Shotgun Wedding” star Josh Duhamel. He meets Dani Nakamura, the leader of a resistance group called Outer Way, and together they must uncover the Black Iron Prison’s dark secrets and escape with their lives. Dani is portrayed by “The Boys” star Karen Fukuhara.
Digital Trends •

The Mega Man Battle Network esports scene is thriving in 2023

Imagine that your Nintendo Switch didn’t have the ability to connect online and that the competitive game you’re currently playing only supported local multiplayer. It’s a little hard to picture in 2023, right? That’s what Mega Man Battle Network fans had to deal with during the early 2000s. If you wanted to have a battle with your friend during Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance days, they’d have to be within your immediate vicinity and have a Link Cable available to connect two GBAs.
Complex •

The Live-Action ‘Halo’ Series Delivers High Impact Sci-Fi Storytelling

Taking video game plotlines and adapting them for television has had a shaky past. What kind of story should the series portray? Should it be an exact retelling of the source material? If so, why not just play the game itself? For gamers and television fanatics, it’s important that a new experience is created that’s appropriate for the medium. This challenge is what Paramount+ has taken on with the critically acclaimed Halo series (streaming now on the platform). Taking the iconic Xbox franchise
NPR •

'Shadow Warrior' tries to mend its flawed history with race by recasting its hero

Shadow Warrior 3 is the latest in a series of blood-soaked action games following assassin Lo Wang. It's got plenty of gunplay, sword fights, and fantastical monsters, but for the first time in its 25-year history, it now features an Asian actor to voice its Asian protagonist. For years, Lo Wang was played by Jason Liebrecht, a white man, but for this title, publisher Devolver Digital and developer Flying Wild Hog tapped Hollywood actor Mike Moh for a more authentic cultural portrayal.
IGN •

Why Japanese Games Are Increasingly Releasing at the Same Time Across The Globe

Since time immemorial, Japanese video games have followed a typical release schedule. Launch in Japan first, followed by a localized release for other countries a few months, or even years, later. But this trend shifted dramatically in 2021. Many high-profile Japanese games such as Tales of Arise, Shin Megami Tensei V, and both Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2 have been launched day-and-date worldwide.

So, what has changed? A simultaneous global ship date allows Japanese games t
The Verge •

‘The little handheld that could’: examining the Vita’s impact a decade later

Christian Phillips still remembers the most jaw-dropping moment he experienced on the PlayStation Vita — and it was something that was never actually released.

Phillips, a former senior director at Sony, describes a tech demo that ultimately led to the PS4 game Days Gone. Sometime after shipping Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Bend Studio showed leadership the Vita tech demo that was similar to the famous Jerusalem scene in the movie World War Z.

The demo had a scene with a horde of zombies scramblin
Wired •

Orientalism, 'Cyberpunk 2077,' and Yellow Peril in Science Fiction

2020 has been one of the most tumultuous years in recent memory, but at least, in a few days, the most anticipated game of the year will come out. That game, Cyberpunk 2077, has already drawn both praise and criticism, but one of those criticisms is of how it handles different cultures—especially Asian culture, which is inextricably tied to the cyberpunk genre.

The Origins of the Cyberpunk Genre

The origins of the cyberpunk genre involve Western anxieties about the East. Techno-orientalism is
Washington Post •

How some savvy fans are preserving the PS3’s multiplayer games

It wasn’t hard to understand why players reached this conclusion. Although “Mercenary’s” servers eventually came back online (the reason for the shutdown is still unknown) Sony has earned a reputation over the past several years for unceremoniously shutting down multiplayer service for its first party franchises. In October, Sony announced that it was updating the PlayStation Network webstore to only feature PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 titles for purchase, effectively locking away PS3, PS Vi
Polygon •

The personal experiences that Lev and Yara’s actors brought to The Last of Us Part 2

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Both Ian Alexander and Victoria Grace had never worked on a video game before, and neither had any prior experience with performance capture. However, in a recent interview with Polygon, both agreed that playing the Seraphite siblings in The Last of Us Part II was one of the most transformative experiences they ever had.

Alexander plays Lev, a former member of the in-game extremi

Latest Work

The Guardian •

Can boba tea be high-protein and tasty? I tested 14 flavors to find out

Americans are obsessed with protein, but they’re not all gulping raw eggs out of a glass like Rocky. The last decade has given us protein bars, shakes, cereal, pancakes, chips, crackers, jerkies. More recently, Asian American entrepreneurs have made their own contribution to this protein bonanza: protein boba tea.Boba tea (or bubble tea, as it’s also called) originated in Taiwan in the 1980s before becoming a phenomenon in the United States in the last decade.
IGN •

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Review

With last year’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, Square Enix managed to successfully tow the line between recreating that authentic, old-school RPG experience while still offering plenty of modern adjustments so it didn’t feel outdated. Now it’s rounding out the original Dragon Quest trilogy with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, and it’s every bit as impressive as its predecessor. Individually, both games in this package still stand on their own, and Square Enix has added exciting new content in a way that feels natural.

Their combat systems and stories are a product of their time, with simple mechanics and very black and white motivations – but that’s part of the charm, as this approach oozes confidence in keeping things classic. And while I could have done without some returning difficulty spikes, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is the perfect send off to one of the best RPG trilogies of all time.
The Escapist •

Once Upon a Katamari review: A Throwback of Nostalgia

The Katamari series is a cult-classic that first appeared on the PlayStation 2 and was really unique for its time. In these games, you play as the Prince, a green humanoid creature who has to roll a ball around to capture various objects and create stars and constellations on behalf of his father, the King of All Cosmos.

Once Upon a Katamari’s chill yet surprisingly challenging gameplay and blocky aesthetic harkens back to those nostalgic PS2 days but with brand new stages and items to create an exhilarating modern gameplay experience.
Forbes •

‘Keeper’ Xbox Review: A Colorful And Digestible Journey

Double Fine Productions, the beloved developer behind the Psychonauts series, was acquired by Xbox Game Studios in 2019. Since then it has published two games: Psychonauts 2 and the upcoming Keeper.

Keeper continues the psychedelic aesthetic that Psychonauts left off, with its bold colors and light puzzle gameplay. It’s not a game that’ll light the world on fire, but it’s a brisk and meditative romp that won’t take more than a day to complete.
Fangoria •

LITTLE NIGHTMARES 3 Is Co-Op Horror Done Right

The horror genre is filled with gory, bloody, violent, and horrific games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Dead Space. In instances like these, the games are made for more mature audiences in mind. The Little Nightmares series tones it down a notch and relies more heavily on environmental and contextual storytelling. This time around, Little Nightmares 3 engages players more deeply with co-op and evolved combat, while retaining its unsettling atmosphere.
GamesRadar •

Find ALL the Ghost of Yotei Altars of Reflection? Oh go on then

Altars of Reflection in Ghost of Yotei give you skill points to unlock new abilities, and while some are in plain view, some are well hidden in this action adventure revenge story. You can reveal their locations by exploring the world, talking to people, buying maps from a Cartographer (who can be found at the locations listed below) and other methods. Or by using this guide where we've already found all 61 of them.
IGN •

Digimon Story: Time Stranger Review

Like so many ‘90s kids, I watched my fair share of monster taming TV shows growing up, Digimon included. And while an 8-year-old George enjoyed Digimon World 3 on PlayStation 2, it was 2015’s Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth (and 2017’s more refined Hacker’s Memory) that renewed my current interest in the series. I felt a sense of nostalgia playing it, and its unique evolution systems made it stand out amongst Pokemon’s omnipresent domination of the genre. A decade later, Digimon Story Time Stranger builds on that same foundation, but this time with a much bolder story that pays off well and a mostly compelling cast of characters. Combine that with engrossing turn-based combat and monster collecting mechanics, and Time Stranger shines as one of the best Digimon RPGs to date.
Forbes •

Why EA’s $55 Billion Saudi Deal Could Impact LGBTQ+ Games

Electronic Arts has been acquired by an investment consortium consisting of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners in a $55 billion dollar all-cash transaction. It’s the largest private buyout ever in history. Despite such a historic event on Wall Street, some gamers are worried about how the acquisition could impact the content in EA’s games, particularly around LGBT+ content.
Rolling Stone •

Gaming Has a Remake Problem. One Japanese RPG Shows Us a Better Way Forward

Hollywood has been trafficking in remakes for well over a century, swapping out casts and repackaging stories for each generation. This year, there was James Gunn’s Superman, which went back to the Golden Age well to kickstart a new DCU vision. There was also The Fantastic Four: First Steps, an attempt to reintroduce Marvel’s first family just a decade after a disastrous 2015 reboot. But while remakes are a dime a dozen for cinema, video games have long done the same, if not more.
Forbes •

‘Trails In The Sky 1st Chapter’ PS5 Review: A Masterful RPG

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a remake of the foundational 2004 Japanese RPG, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Since its release, the Trails series has 13 mainline games (with even more coming), spanning across all different platforms, with stories all interconnected with each other.That made it a daunting ask for newcomers to enjoy the series, as many of the games rely on players to know which events took place in others. Given that the original Trails in the Sky is the very first ga...
Crunchyroll •

Kazutoyo Maehiro and Hiroshi Minagawa on What They Want Fans to Gain From FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - THE IVALICE CHRONICLES

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS was first released in 1997 for the original PlayStation and has since been lauded as one of the best video games ever created. With its engrossing story, likeable cast of characters and deep gameplay mechanics, it has stood the test of time. Now, almost 30 years later, Square Enix has remastered the title as FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - THE IVALICE CHRONICLES, complete with graphical enhancements and quality-of-life additions to make it more accessible to more people than ever before.
Epic Games Store Blog •

How Battlefield 6’s Portal lets you build your own war

One of the standout new features in the Battlefield series is Portal, which was first introduced in Battlefield 2042. Portal enables players to create custom game matches called “Experiences,” and implement their own rules and gameplay options. This gave the Battlefield community tools that dramatically extended the game’s lifecycle. Now Portal is coming back in Battlefield 6, improved and better than ever.
Mashable •

Review: 'Ghost of Yotei' proves that the PS5 is still a winner

Sony and the PlayStation brand have hit a few rough patches in the last year or so. Aside from the standout success of Helldivers 2, PS5’s high-profile multiplayer projects have stumbled — from the cancellation of Concord to the shelving of The Last of Us live-service game. But single-player titles remain PlayStation’s strong suit, with hits like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Astro Bot, and Death Stranding 2 keeping the console top of mind for gamers.
The Escapist •

Hades 2 review: Reaching the heights of Olympus

In 2020, Supergiant Games’ Olympian-themed roguelite game, Hades took the world by storm with its charming art style, rewarding gameplay, and likeable cast of characters. The way that it combined storytelling and forgiving permadeath elements made it feel unlike any other game in the genre.

Hades 2 takes the solid foundation that its predecessor set and changes up the formula in smart ways to keep the sequel feeling familiar, yet wildly different, but still immensely fun.
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