George Yang

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

Selected Works

The New York Times •

Modern Warfare 4: Why Its Green Roofs Matter

Five minutes into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s campaign, one of its main characters, Pfc. Park Hyun-jun (played by Young Mazino of the show “Beef”), talks briefly with his squad mate Sgt. So Jae-woo about possibly re-enlisting in the South Korean marines. While So wants to make a career in the military, Park wants out as soon as possible. When North Korea invades moments later, Park and his squad retreat into a supermarket as destruction engulfs the country around them.
The Ringer •

How ‘Call of Duty’ Got Dethroned in 2025

There are very few constants in the video game industry. The decades-long console wars waged by PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo are winding down. Business models are evolving to prioritize subscription services, free-to-play games, and microtransactions. And our gaming libraries are increasingly digital, with physical copies becoming collector’s items. But if there’s one thing that you could always count on amid the upheaval, it was Call of Duty’s overwhelming dominance. That is, until 2025, when the shortcomings of the online shooter’s latest incarnation, combined with a concerted attack by two rival games, conspired to take Call of Duty down.
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 New York Times •

Modern Warfare 4: Why Its Green Roofs Matter

Five minutes into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s campaign, one of its main characters, Pfc. Park Hyun-jun (played by Young Mazino of the show “Beef”), talks briefly with his squad mate Sgt. So Jae-woo about possibly re-enlisting in the South Korean marines. While So wants to make a career in the military, Park wants out as soon as possible. When North Korea invades moments later, Park and his squad retreat into a supermarket as destruction engulfs the country around them.
Crunchyroll •

FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE Producer Keisuke Nakashima and Director Hiroto Furuya on the Vision Roster, Combat System, and More

Square Enix surprised fans when it announced OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 last year, a reimagining of its mobile game, OCTOPATH TRAVELER: Champions of the Continent. This iteration of the game would get rid of the gacha-driven mechanics of the original and focus on being a premium single-player release.

Now, Square Enix is taking this approach once again with FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE, a rework of the now offline mobile game FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS. Like OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0, FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE sheds its mobile roots in favor of a more streamlined classic RPG experience, along an overhauled battle system.
Push Square •

Review: Tales of Eternia Remastered (PS5) - Classic PlayStation RPG Shows Its Age

Growing up, Tales was one of my favorite Japanese RPG series, one that I wished got as much attention as Final Fantasy and Persona.

With the success of the latest entry, 2021’s Tales of Arise, Bandai Namco has sought to port some of the older games to modern platforms. Many of them have aged well, including Graces f, Xillia, and Berseria.

Now, the publisher's digging into the vault even further with Tales of Eternia Remastered Remastered. While it tells a timeless story about bonds and friendship, the gameplay hasn’t held up completely, 26 years later.
Bloody Disgusting •

'Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse' Review: A Gorgeous 2D Return To Form For The Series

Silent Hill is not the only Konami franchise coming back in a big way. The much loved Castlevania series now has a new entry since 2014’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. It’s back in 2D too! Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is a triumphant platforming comeback that’s enticing to explore and challenging to master, while simultaneously bursting with charm and personality.
Eurogamer •

007 First Light Jungle Heist walkthrough

007 First Light has received its first expansion called the Extended Operations DLC. One of its new missions includes one called Jungle Heist, which takes place in Vietnam, the setting of Mission 8: Time to Die in the campaign.

You can find Jungle Heist in the Tactical Simulation section on the main menu and it’s listed under Operations. Need help completing Jungle Heist? We’ve got you covered with the Jungle Heist walkthrough down below.
MMORPG.com •

Preview: Phantom Blade Zero is the Chinese Cultural Gaming Revolution We Need

With an incredibly stacked year of game releases, we’re still not done yet in October. After all, the juggernaut of them all, Grand Theft Auto VI, isn’t coming until next month in November. With every other game trying to launch away from its blast radius, S-Game’s Phantom Blade Zero isn’t afraid of weathering the storm. It’s one of the last big original releases before then.
Nintendo Life •

Review: The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - Remastered (Switch 2) - A Huge Upgrade For An All-Time Great

Getting The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to run on the original Nintendo Switch was an achievement in itself. Some obvious concessions had to be made, especially surrounding the visuals. Character models looked rather murky and the foliage around our protagonist Geralt had to be drastically toned down.

With The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered, that issue has mostly been resolved. Thanks to the increased power of the Switch 2, this adventure has never looked better. Although some performance inconsistencies remain and a few combat overhauls not having as much of an impact as hoped, this is the definitive version of one of the best RPGs of all time.
Roger Ebert •

Formative Action Series Comes Roaring Back with "Gears of War: E-Day"

“Gears of War” doesn’t hold the same gravitas as it did 20 years ago, but “Gears of War: E-Day” is the best the series has been in a long, long time. While its campaign is fairly by-the-numbers standard for a third-person shooter, the game’s cast is engaging enough to elevate it. The pacing can be a bit of a slog sometimes, but the fantastic movement, gunplay, and visuals make all-out firefights an experience to behold.
But Why Tho? •

Former Diablo Devs Discuss Arkheron's Greek Myth-Inspired Underworld And More

Last year, Bonfire Studios unveiled its debut game, Arkheron, a dark fantasy adventure that looks strikingly similar to modern Diablo. Of course, that’s not a coincidence. Bonfire Studios is made up of Blizzard veterans, including founder Rob Pardo, who was the CCO of Blizzard until 2014.

Arkheron now conducts weekly playtests and is on its way to becoming a game you should definitely keep your eye on. I went hands-on with Arkheron, and it’s got some interesting features that separate it from its inspirations. I also spoke with Pardo about Arkheron’s dark aesthetics, gameplay evolution, and its future business plans.
Stardust Magazine •

LE SSERAFIM’s PUREFLOW Tour Cools Down a Hot Los Angeles

know I’ve mentioned LA’s unusually hot weather this year plenty of times, but it had finally settled down a bit by the time LE SSERAFIM arrived for the first North American stop of their second world tour, PUREFLOW.

The timing felt fitting for a tour built around their latest album, PUREFLOW PT. 1, which arrived in May with fluid, elegant visuals and water imagery reflecting its more laid-back and somber sound. Much of that atmosphere carried over to the show, which felt like a much-needed rush of cool air while still bringing the heat you’d expect from LE SSERAFIM.
IGN •

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter Review

One of the biggest hurdles of the Trails series was how to introduce its world to new players when almost every game is interconnected through multiple follow-up entries. After all, the original The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky subseries was only on PC and older handhelds like the PSP. Fortunately, developer Falcom remedied that with the excellent Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter remake last year – finally, an approachable way to start where the trail began with a slick 3D makeover and updated gameplay. Swiftly following up with a remake of Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, this RPG retains all of the best qualities of the original version, such as its story, side quests, and characters, while simultaneously giving it that visual and gameplay overhaul to fit modern standards.
Anime News Network •

Final Fantasy VII Revelation is an Overwhelming Joy

The final chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy is almost here. After seven long years, I've been waiting to see how Square Enix would iterate on each entry. The first one was much more streamlined, while the follow-up, Rebirth, went full open-world. Final Fantasy VII Revelation continues where Rebirth left off, with an even larger one.

I spent one hour playing Final Fantasy VII Revelation, and I came away overwhelmed, yet impressed. There's simply so much to do, including exploring the open world, playing mini-games, chasing side quests, and of course, fighting.
Anime News Network •

Hands-On Preview: Gundam Rogue Orbit Brings Smooth Action Mech Gameplay

When Bandai Namco revealed Gundam Rogue Orbit a few months ago, it was poised to be an entry that's meant to bring in new Gundam fans. I interpreted that this would mean Gundam Rogue Orbit would be a more approachable game and a conventional action game.

I recently got my first hands-on with Gundam Rogue Orbit, and spent about 45 minutes playing it. So far, it seems like my hunch was right, but that's not necessarily a knock on its part! The gameplay feels smooth and exhilarating, much like a modern action game.
MMORPG.com •

Preview: Final Fantasy Resonance Brings Classic Turn-Based Combat Back With a New Twist

For the past decade or so, fans of Final Fantasy or otherwise have been vocal about the series' shift towards real-time action with the most recent entries, like Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy XIV. Instead of sticking to its turn-based combat roots, Square Enix sought to change with market expectations and player feedback. So more action-oriented gameplay was implemented.

But it seems like Final Fantasy fans are about to have their cake and eat it too. While it’s unknown what direction Final Fantasy XVII will go in, Final Fantasy Resonance is here to fill that void in the meantime. I played about 1 hour and got a sense of what it's all about.
Crunchyroll •

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen's Naoto Oyama and Kento Kinoshita on Player Feedback and What to Expect From the Expansion

Fans have come to expect Dragon’s Dogma 2 to receive an expansion after the first game had gotten one, called Dark Arisen. Capcom finally delivered, two years after Dragon’s Dogma 2’s initial release in March 2024. Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen features a new story, region, and expanded gameplay mechanics that’ll have players invest even more time into the dense RPG.

I spoke with producer Naoto Oyama and game director Kento Kinoshita about their inspiration behind the new additions to Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen and developing a Switch 2 version of the game.
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