George Yang

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

Opinions and Lists

Crunchyroll •

The 10 Best JRPGs of 2025 Worth Playing

After dominating 2024, Atlus had a surprisingly quiet year. The developer only released two games, one of which was a remaster and the other was the worldwide launch of Persona 5: The Phantom X. Atlus also focused on the newly launched Nintendo Switch 2, porting Persona 3 Reload onto the platform. Square Enix, as always, had a substantial year too, with games like Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles and Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D remake. Without further ado, here are 10 of the best Japanese RPGs of 2025.
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.
Vulture •

The 15 Best Stealth Games to Play After Metal Gear

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, out now, is a remake of Hideo Kojima’s classic 2004 game, Metal Gear Solid 3. The series set the foundation of stealth games that many games released in the 20 years since have taken heavy inspiration from. Stealth gameplay mechanics have been a cornerstone of video games and some titles have implemented their own unique takes on sneaking around bad guys.While Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta is more of a grounded stealth experience, other games have taken creative liberties with their settings and lore like the supernatural Dishonored and the futuristic Deus Ex franchises.
Stardust Magazine •

Head in the Clouds 2025: Day 2

Yung Kai and Piscee were up next, establishing a more laid-back tone with their sets. Of course, Yung Kai performed his most famous song, “Blue,” which I’ve heard a million times on TikTok. But it was nice to finally hear it in person, as its lyrics about falling in love really resonated with the audience.Number_I, Piao, Higher Brothers, and 4EveJonah Love and Japanese Boy Group Number_I switched up the atmosphere with hip-hop performances. Number_I stood out in particular as they had backup dan...
Stardust Magazine •

Head in the Clouds 2025: Day 1

Warren Hue, ARMNHMR, and BabebeeAdmittedly, my first Head in the Clouds festival was last year in New York, so I was actually unprepared for how much bigger this one in Los Angeles was. It was at least 10x the size, and the artists were split between two separate stages. At first, I wasn’t a fan of walking across festival grounds in order to check out all of the artists, but I quickly realized that the setup was necessary in order to keep the rotation of performers running smoothly.
Digital Trends •

Lunar Remastered Collection is my new favorite retro RPG package

In Lunar Remastered Collection, it’s the little touches that matter. For instance, the RPG collection reminds me that I love being able to save my progress any time, anywhere.

I remember playing Digimon World 3 on the original PlayStation when I was a little kid and not knowing what saving my gameplay progress meant, or even that I needed a memory card to do so. Every time I booted up my game again, I’d start from the very beginning, thinking that this was supposed to happen. Then I got a Game Boy Color and played my first Pokémon game, the Gold version. It was a fellow six year old child who taught me that I needed to save my progress by going into the menu.
Digital Trends •

The Nintendo Switch 2 is missing one small thing that speaks to a bigger problem

With the Nintendo Switch 2, it looks like Nintendo is finally catching up with its peers like PlayStation and Xbox. That’s not just about 4K visuals and 120fps framerates. For example, Nintendo finally has a unified account system, letting players carry over their original Switch purchases over to the upcoming console. Nintendo’s previous consoles and handhelds all had siloed digital purchases.
Digital Trends •

Suikoden I&II HD Remaster taught me to love random encounters again

I’m not a fan of random encounters in RPGs anymore.

As someone who had adult responsibilities on top of reviewing video games, I find my time to be much more valuable than when I was 13 years old. I get why they exist. Back in the day, implementing random encounters was a way to get around hardware restrictions, as it was too technically demanding to generate multiple enemies in an environment simultaneously.

Other times, random encounters were creative decisions meant to simulate the “randomness” of RPGs like Dungeons & Dungeons. With hardware limitation not being a problem nowadays, many games have gotten rid of random encounters in favor of visible enemies on the field. This lets players decide whether they want to engage in battle or not.
Polygon •

How Marvel Rivals does right by its Asian characters

Marvel Rivals took the game industry by storm when it was released in December 2024, proving that the hero shooter space still has plenty to offer after games like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends dominated the genre. The Marvel universe is composed of many different origins and cultures, and it’s impressive to see Marvel Rivals reflect that with such a diverse playable character roster. Marvel writers take real-life cultures and implements elements of their legends and stories to create new characters that can represent them. It’s a way for everyone around the world to be seen. The game’s representation is not just skin deep, though — its inclusion of Asian characters like Iron Fist, Peni Parker, Psylocke, and Luna Snow reflects that.
Digital Trends •

Tales of Grace F Remastered gives an underrated, influential RPG its due

The best Japanese RPGs are known for their unique battle systems, whether they’re turn-based or real time. Along with Ys, the Tales series was a pioneer of real-time combat in Japanese video games. As the Tales series ha evolved since its debut in 1995, its battle system has experimented with many mechanics, including traditional HP/MP bars for each character, a communal MP pool for the entire party, and switching between 2D and 3D combat.
Digital Trends •

Freedom Wars Remastered is the perfect Monster Hunter Wilds warm-up

This January is the calm before the storm. There aren’t a ton of major new video game releases coming this month, save for Dynasty Warriors: Origins, but February is going to be a stacked month for games. It’ll give us Civilization VII, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Avowed, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Monster Hunter Wilds. January, on the other hand, is filled with remasters and PC ports. Some of those games feel like perfect primers for February’s games. Case in point: Freedom Wars Remastered.
Digital Trends •

2024’s most underrated game turned me into a cheater

If there’s any video game genre that’s had as massive of an impact as the “soulslike” genre, it’s the roguelike genre. The gameplay loop of battling through procedurally generated dungeons, dying, and then starting over has such an engaging system that’s withstood the test of time. In 2024, there’s been plenty of fantastic roguelike games such as Hades 2, Balatro, and The Rogue Prince of Persia.
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