George Yang

PCMag • September 28th, 2023

Alan Wake 2 Preview

Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2 shakes up what you thought you knew about the series. The first game had many combat segments that were broken up by light exploration and puzzles—gameplay elements that carry over to the upcoming sequel.

CNN • September 21st, 2023

We demoed Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth — and it’s incredibly promising

The release of Final Fantasy 7 was a hallmark for Japanese RPGs back in 1997. So when Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched in 2020 for PS4, there were high expectations. Needless to say, the remake surpassed them. With its updated battle system and incredible visuals, it was one of the best games of that year.

Digital Trends • September 12th, 2023

Assassin's Creed Mirage is taking me back to 2007

Ubisoft bills Assassin’s Creed Mirage, its upcoming stealth adventure launching this October, as a return to the franchise’s roots. Go back to the original Assassin’s Creed in 2007 and you’ll find something that looks entirely different from the massive open-world of Valhalla. It was a more focused experience with an emphasis on methodic and stealthy gameplay, all taking place in Jerusalem.

Crunchyroll • August 23rd, 2023

IMPRESSIONS: Persona 3 Reload Sings, Persona 5 Tactica Stacks Up & More From ATLUS

Sega and ATLUS has a stacked few months ahead with games such as Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Persona 5 Tactica and Persona 3 Reload headed for release. I recently got the chance to check out early demos for each of these games, so if you're wondering how they're shaping up, I've got you covered.

CNN • July 25th, 2023

Armored Core 6 is an adrenaline-filled action romp — and just as hard as Dark Souls

From Software is best known for the Dark Souls franchise, and many consider the studio’s smash hit, Elden Ring, to be one of the best games of 2022. Does the developer follow up with another Dark Souls-type game? No. Instead, From Software develops a new installment in the Armored Core franchise called Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. It’s the first mainline entry in the franchise since 2012’s Armored Core V and 2013’s Armored Core: Verdict Day.

Digital Trends • June 19th, 2023

Eternights is an RPG romance sim with a horror twist

Whenever I watch post-apocalyptic or zombie media, I always have one lingering question: are people still horny in the end times?

In Eternights, an upcoming action-dating sim hybrid from developer Studio Sai, the answer is yes.

GamesRadar • June 12th, 2023

Sonic Superstars preview: Captures the magic of retro Sonic games

Sonic may be one of gaming's most iconic characters, but his games have been roller coasters of quality. As a character, Sonic has always struggled to adapt to 3D environments, where his blazing speed always seemed to fit more appropriately in 2D settings – utilized an open world structure, and critical reception was mixed to say the least.

CNN • May 22nd, 2023

We played six hours of Final Fantasy XVI — and we’re seriously impressed

After spending about six hours with Final Fantasy XVI across three separate demos — which were made specifically for this media experience and may differ from the final game — the early story has me intrigued as the main cast’s character dynamics are fascinating. The combat and gameplay are frenetic bursts of action and cinematography that’ll keep you engaged until the next story beat.

Digital Trends • October 24th, 2022

The Devil in Me is the most interactive Dark Pictures game yet

Each new entry in Supermassive Games’ and Bandai Namco’s The Dark Pictures Anthology is incrementally better than the last. Last year’s House of Ashes was the most enjoyable entry I’ve played thus far, as the game had noticeably improved lore and cast of characters. While it would have sufficed to tell another good story in The Devil in Me, Supermassive added one extra twist that makes the upcoming Dark Pictures entry much more engaging than the ones before.

Digital Trends • October 21st, 2022

God of War Ragnarok's exploration is already a show-stealer

There’s a lot to praise in 2018’s God of War, but one of its best features came from its semi-open world design. Players could traverse Midgar via boat to discover hidden areas, complete sidequests, and fight new enemies. The more players progressed, the more areas opened up for Kratos and Atreus to explore.

After playing about seven hours of God of War Ragnarök, the sequel to God of War, I can tell you that Santa Monica Studio has only doubled down on that aspect.

Digital Trends • August 25th, 2022

The Devil in Me might be the scariest Dark Pictures game yet

With Supermassive finally finding its footing with The Dark Pictures Anthology, I was looking forward to what the next anthology entry and season one finale, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me, offered.

Digital Trends • August 9th, 2022

The DioField Chronicle makes real-time strategy feel like a JRPG

Japan isn’t exactly known for real time strategy games. That’s why I was surprised to discover that The DioField Chronicle was a real-time strategy game, and not a turn-based tactics one like the Fire Emblem series. In terms of gameplay, this already sets The DioField Chronicle apart from other similar titles in the genre as Japanese strategy games lean heavily toward turn-based and grid-based tactics.

In a hands-on preview, I played around three hours of The DioField Chronicle, which consisted

Digital Trends • July 6th, 2022

Live A Live preview: Unique, but inconsistent, RPG storytelling

Live A Live was originally a Super Famicom game released in 1994 that never made its way out of Japan until now. Remade in a new visual style similar to that of Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy, Live a Live is a beautiful game, but it’s not without some inconsistencies.

Digital Trends • May 26th, 2022

The Quarry might just live up to Until Dawn's horror legacy

I absolutely loved Supermassive Games’ 2015 horror title Until Dawn. The interactive drama had intriguing supernatural lore and impeccable pacing that kept me engaged throughout the entire experience. Since then, I’ve been mixed on Supermassive’s output with its Dark Picture Anthology series, hoping that it could recapture the magic I felt with Until Dawn.

That’s the direction in which the studio’s upcoming game, The Quarry, seems to be going for me.

I went hands-on with The Quarry and played

Bloody Disgusting! • October 25th, 2021

[Hands-On Preview] 'Shin Megami Tensei V' is Shaping Up to Be a Modern Spin on 'Nocturne' - Bloody Disgusting

Shin Megami Tensei V is the latest entry in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise coming to Nintendo Switch on November 11. This series, while having a sizable fanbase, has been overshadowed by its spin-off franchise, Persona. The last fully original 3D game in the series was 2003’s Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne for the PS2, which was remastered for modern hardware back in May this year.

Sega and Atlus provided Bloody Disgusting with a hands-on preview of the opening hours of Shin Megami Tensei V

Inverse • June 30th, 2021

'Great Ace Attorney Chronicles' is the cult series’ 'Yakuza 0' moment

Are you ready for the trial of the century? The nineteenth century, that is.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is the perfect starting point for franchise newcomers. The series dates back to 2001 and has cultivated a dedicated fanbase, selling more than 8 million units worldwide as of March 2021. The collection brings two older titles — The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and the Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve — to players outside of Japan for the first time.

Capcom provided Inverse with an earl

GameSkinny • June 16th, 2021

Wolfstride Preview: Black and White Mech Fights

Wolfstride is an upcoming turn-based RPG game about mechs from Ota Imon Studios and Raw Fury. It was revealed back in 2020, and it was recently showed off at E3 2021.

Wolfstride is definitely an interesting game to look out for when it eventually releases. We even named it one of our most-anticipated turn-based RPGs of the year. I was able to play a brief demo build of the game and I came away intrigued by what I’ve seen so far.

In the demo, you control a character named Shade, who unsurprisin

Gfinity • April 20th, 2021

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Preview: The Same Game, For Better And Worse

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is the title that put the RPG series on the map. Originally releasing on the PlayStation 2 in 2003, the title received critical and commercial acclaim. Now, it’s coming back for modern hardware as an HD remaster. After having played a 3-hour preview of the game, it definitely is a remaster and not too much else, for better or for worse.

The protagonist of the game turns into a half human-half demon hybrid being after an apocalyptic event called the Conception oc

GameSkinny • April 2nd, 2021

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... Preview, First Impressions: Automata Renewed

When I first played NieR: Automata on PlayStation 4 in 2017, I was amazed by the smoothness of its combat, especially compared to the original NieR. Platinum Games did a fantastic job making Automata’s minute-to-minute gameplay feel exciting and responsive.

Now comes NieR Replicant ver. 1.22474487139..., a remaster/remake of NieR Replicant, which is the "alternate version" of NieR only released in Japan, featuring a different set of main characters and a few other minor tweaks.

Ahead of the ga

Only Single Player • March 2nd, 2020

Final Fantasy VII Remake Battle System has Remnants of the Original - OnlySP

OnlySP got a hands-on preview of the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo at PAX East 2020. The demo provides a taste of how Square Enix managed to take one of the best role-playing games of all time from 1997 and reintroduce the story to a new age of gamers by modernizing the battle system and controls, but also making sure that remnants of the original battle system remain.

The demo starts off in the Sector 1 Reactor at the Mako Reactor’s Core. Both Cloud Strife and Barrett Wallace are playable in t