George Yang

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

Selected Works

Game Developer •

Why Microsoft thinks 2024 will be the year of Xbox

The 2023 Xbox Games Showcase had a strong showing as Xbox Game Studios revealed its lineup of new titles coming later this year and beyond. During a roundtable after the showcase, titled “What’s Next for Xbox,” four Microsoft executives discussed the future of the Xbox platform: Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, corporate vice president Sarah Bond, head of Xbox Studios Matt Booty, and Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard.
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.
Variety •

How ‘God of War Ragnarök’s’ Thor Was Inspired by The Hulk

“God of War Ragnarök” is one of 2022’s most explosive video games. Focusing on Norse mythology, the game features the folklore’s most iconic figures such as Heimdall, Freya, Odin, and Thor.

Thor, in particular, has received tons of attention due to his prominent role in the game and overall popularity in pop culture. Thor has many layers to him, both physically and emotionally. Variety sat down with narrative director Matt Sophos, art director Raf Grassetti, and voice actor Ryan Hurst to talk about how Sony Santa Monica approached the god of thunder.
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

IGN •

Tales of Arise Producer Is Open to Bringing Older Tales Games to the West

In 2021, Bandai Namco’s Tales of Arise took home the award for Best Role Playing Game at The Game Awards. Since its release, it has gone on to sell over 2 million copies across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Two years later, it’s getting a new story expansion called Beyond the Dawn , which takes place one year after the events of the main game. The party of six meets a young girl named Nazamil, who is half Renan and half Dahnan, fated to fall under the curse of a mask.
Nintendo Life •

Review: The Legend Of Nayuta: Boundless Trails - A Solid Port Of This Unique PSP Spin-Off

The Trails series is known for its incredible worldbuilding through many different games, including Trails of Cold Steel, Trails from Zero, and Trails to Azure, as well as Trails in the Sky. The events of those games culminated with Trails into Reverie, which finally got a localized release this year.

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, however, has absolutely no connection with the mainline games.
Digital Trends •

If you love Starfield, try this sci-fi gem on Xbox Game Pass next

Starfield is one of the biggest games of 2023, both figuratively and literally. It’s Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years and a monumental landmark for Microsoft — a company that’s struggled to deliver consistent first-party hits this console generation. On top of that, Starfield’s scope is absolutely massive. It’s a grand space-faring adventure filled with multiple planets, storylines, space battles, and gunfights.
Eurogamer •

How to get your first ship in Starfield

In a sci-fi space RPG like Starfield, it’d be remiss if you didn’t have a ship to fly around with across the vast galaxies.

A ship allows you to explore the many planets, engage in spaceship combat, visit Staryards and maybe even do a little bit of smuggling. First, however, you need to get your first ship in Starfield.

But don’t worry! Starfield provides you with your very own ship early on in the game. In fact, you get it much sooner than you think: at the beginning!
Eurogamer •

Starfield romance and romance options

You can do many things in Starfield. You can traverse galaxies, raid enemy bases, and even fall in love. Who doesn’t love a good romance story set in space?

At the time of writing, we’ve found four characters you can have a romantic relationship with in Starfield. They’re all members of Constellation, Starfield’s main faction. Where Baldur’s Gate 3 went wild with romance options like making out with a bear, Starfield decides to keep love simple and realistic.
CNN •

Starfield promises Xbox gamers a lot — and it mostly sticks the landing

Starfield is Bethesda’s latest sci-fi role-playing game and Microsoft’s biggest release this year. Microsoft acquired Bethesda a few years ago in order to bolster its lineup of first party games. With titles like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo already being announced for multiple platforms, it was going to be awhile before gamers saw Bethesda games becoming fully exclusive to Microsoft platforms.
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