George Yang

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

Opinions and Lists

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.
Digital Trends •

PS Vita's forgotten Silent Hill game deserves a revival

One of my favorite franchises is the Tales series, and in 2014, when Bandai Namco announced that the Vita-exclusive Tales of Hearts R was being translated into English, I went out and bought Sony’s handheld with my hard-earned college job money. Like any good gamer trying to justify their purchase, I started seeking out more Vita-exclusive games. That actually introduced me to many other franchises that I never would have otherwise tried.
Digital Trends •

This PlayStation Vita classic deserves a remaster next

If there’s one thing that the PlayStation Vita delivered, it was great Monster Hunter clones after Capcom’s hit series jumped ship from PSP to Nintendo 3DS. The list included games like Koei Tecmo’s Toukiden, Bandai Namco’s God Eater, and Gungho’s Ragnarok Odyssey Ace. While these mission-based games were perfect fit for the Vita’s pick-up-and-play lifestyle, they were also available on PS3.
Digital Trends •

This underrated Switch RPG will hold you over until Persona 6

I remember back in 2014 when I was keeping my eye out for any rumor I could find about Persona 5. Having seen the teaser trailers of the game, I was so excited to see it finally release in 2015. That year passed without it launching. When Persona 5 was released in Japan in September 2016, the wait for its April 2017 international release was excruciating. During that time, there was another game that caught my attention: Tokyo Xanadu.
Digital Trends •

After Skull and Bones, try this excellent pirate game

Skull and Bones was envisioned as an expansion of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s naval combat mechanics, but its scope became increasingly bigger during development. Even Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that it was a “AAAA” game to justify charging $70 for it. But what if you could experience a pirate adventure that only costs about half as much money and that also has charming characters? You can if you try Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew.
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