George Yang

NME • 18th May 2022

'Eternal Threads' review: a time travel jump that just almost makes it

time travel mechanics can make for some unique experiences, like the narrative puzzle game Eternal Threads. It follows Agent 43 as they are tasked with traveling back in time to 2015 in order to prevent six people from dying in a house fire. However, it’s not that simple. Agent 43 can’t stop the event from happening but has to engineer a series of events that enable all six housemates to survive the inevitable blaze. • READ MORE: Uematsu’s prog-rock influences are what makes ‘Final Fantasy”s mus

Complex • 16th May 2022

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

Digital Trends • 12th May 2022

Xbox delays mean 2022 is now the Nintendo Switch's year

Nintendo has had quite the year so far, and it’s starting to look like it’ll maintain that momentum through the end of 2022. With the company’s competitors delaying major holiday releases left and right, the runway has been cleared for Nintendo to blow past Sony and Microsoft despite doing so on a five-year-old console.

PCGamer • 12th May 2022

Trek to Yomi review

Trek to Yomi copies the style of Akira Kurosawa's iconic black and white samurai films: rice fields blowing in the wind, villages burning, a great black swirling vortex in hell. Okay, so Trek to Yomi goes to some places Kurosawa's films didn't. But the path there is littered with glitches, and I only stuck it out through the finicky, floaty combat to see where my samurai's descent into madness would lead him.

Inverse • 11th May 2022

6 years later, the most underrated travel game deserves a sequel

Remedy Entertainment’s 2016 game, Quantum Break, assumes that the past cannot be changed, incorporating the Novikov self-consistency principle. This foundational theory leads to some of the most satisfying and airtight time travel rules ever represented in a video game.

GamesRadar • 4th May 2022

Sifu devs on the challenge of bringing Mandarin Chinese to the action brawler

Sifu is a game that relies heavily on Chinese culture. And, in its attempt to create something authentic to its source material, and adhere to cultural differences, developer Sloclap sought to include Mandarin Chinese voiceovers from the game's launch.

Rock Paper Shotgun • 22nd April 2022

How Chinatown Detective Agency is making a cultural impact

Chinatown Detective Agency is a point and click adventure game that takes place in Singapore in the year 2037. It follows a young detective named Amira Darma as she starts up her agency to solve cases. While futuristic Singapore has secrets hiding at every corner, the case she ends up working on takes her all over the world. I spoke with Mark Fillon, creative director at General Interactive Co., about the inspiration behind the game’s themes, characters, and scope.

Inverse • 20th April 2022

Infuriate your friends and family with the 16 best shortcuts in 'Mario Kart 8'

slow down. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has only gotten better in the years since its initial 2014 release for the Wii U, and the Switch version continues to hold strong in video game sales charts month after month. Whether you’re a Moo Moo Meadows newbie or a Rainbow Road master, shortcuts can help you shave precious seconds off of your time.

Inverse • 18th April 2022

Where to find and catch all 18 legendaries in 'Pokémon Legends: Arceus'

in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an exhilarating experience. Not only do they contribute to your Pokedex count — taking you one step closer to becoming a Pokémon Master — but best of all, you get an incredibly strong Pokémon that will help you conquer the toughest challenges in the Sinnoh region.

GameSkinny • 6th April 2022

Chinatown Detective Agency Review: A Neon-Dripped Global Adventure

Chinatown Detective Agency is inspired by classic point-and-click adventure games like those in the 1980s Carmen San Diego franchise. This time, though, the setting is 2037 Singapore in a cyberpunk aesthetic. Following a young private investigator named Amira Darma as she takes cases from different clients, Chinatown Detective Agency unravels a sinister plot that will take her all across the world.

Crunchyroll • 1st April 2022

INTERVIEW: How A Manga Inspired Portrait Of Shohei Ohtani Made It On The Cover Of MLB The Show 22

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani took the 2021 Major League Baseball season by storm. Earlier this year, PlayStation and Sony San Diego announced that he would be the cover athlete for the MLB The Show 22 video game. In particular, the game’s MVP Edition includes a steel book featuring a drawn manga version of him on the cover.

NME • 22nd March 2022

'Rune Factory 5' review: a fantastic transition with some growing pains

Rune Factory 5 belongs in the genre of farming sim games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. However, what makes the Rune Factory series stand out is its RPG elements. Rune Factory 5 has a great blend of features from both genres and is a game that can be played at any comfortable pace. • READ MORE: ‘Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga’ preview: an ambitious package of galactic fun Rune Factory 5 starts off with the player losing their memory and finding themselves in a town called Rigbarth

Inverse • 21st March 2022

'Ghostwire: Tokyo' is Bethesda's latest terrifying tourist trap

When I beat the final boss of Ghostwire: Tokyo, I was bewildered by a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. Ghostwire: Tokyo’s vision of Shibuya is eccentric and captivating. Exploring every nook and cranny to learn more about the Japanese myths and legends that inspired the game makes for a compelling gameplay hook. It’s a shame that despite some interesting ideas, parts of the story campaign feel like they were left on the cutting room floor.

CNN • 16th March 2022

The best PC games you need to play right now

PC is the most versatile platform within the gaming ecosystem. The best gaming PCs and gaming laptops can deliver exceptional performance that bests even the latest consoles in some scenarios, and the variety of titles on the platform is mindblowing. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the best PC games you can play now, from the latest triple-A blockbusters to innovative indie experiences that’ll work on just about any machine. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the highest-rated and acc

Tom's Guide • 14th March 2022

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin review

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an incredibly fun game, filled with bombastic combat, which also expands on the existing lore of the original Final Fantasy. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an incredibly fun game, filled with bombastic combat, which also expands on the existing lore of the original Final Fantasy. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a modern interpretation of the original Final Fantasy for the NES. The game follows a man named Jack Garland a

NPR • 9th March 2022

'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.

Washington Post • 3rd March 2022

Review | ‘Triangle Strategy’ is a worldbuilding wonder let down by lousy voice acting

The story unfolds on the continent of Norzelia, which is divided into three countries: Glenbrook, Aesfrost and Hyzante. Thirty years ago, the three nations warred over the land’s precious iron and salt resources. Their rocky truce is jeopardized when one nation, seemingly out of nowhere, decides to invade another. Protagonist Serenoa Wolffort and his companions must navigate the delicate power structures and political influences of each nation to restore peace; acting on behalf of House Wolffort

GameSkinny • 24th February 2022

Atelier Sophie 2 Review: The Best of Both Worlds

Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is a fantastic sequel to 2016’s Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. It utilizes many of the new mechanics found in more recent Atelier titles while also keeping its own identity within the franchise. It’s surprisingly deep and offers a bright new adventure that builds upon the first game. It follows Sophie Neuenmuller and Plachta following the events of the previous title. They both get sucked into a mysterious wormhole a

GGRecon • 23rd February 2022

Elden Ring Review: "Difficult But Rewarding, Exhilarating And Giant"

When stumbling across the first optional boss, the Tree Sentinel, within the first 10 minutes of starting Elden Ring, I knew I was in for a wild ride. I died during my first encounter, but I managed to sneak past the boss and continue my journey, hoping to return when I got stronger. Elden Ring is everything players would expect from a FromSoftware game: difficult but rewarding. It’s an exhilarating and giant game where players can craft their own adventure at their own pace.

Inverse • 16th February 2022

'Monark' review: High-school fantasy becomes a supernatural slog

If it happens all the time, it’s not that special. After defeating the arrogant first boss of Monark, I felt a keen sense of accomplishment as the results screen flashed what I assumed was an elusive ‘S’ ranking. By defeating the baddie in a certain number of turns and preventing any of my allies from dying, I was able to gain a substantial experience point bonus at the end.