George Yang

Digital Trends • July 22nd, 2024

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection is only the beginning | Digital Trends

Capcom stands out from other fighting game developers by constantly bringing its old games to modern audiences for both new and veteran players. Following 2022’s release of Capcom Fighting Collection, Capcom is releasing its second compilation, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, later this year. The hotly anticipated package includes seven games from the Marvel vs. Capcom subseries from the 1990s.

Crunchyroll • June 17th, 2024

Metaphor: ReFantazio is the Perfect Middle Ground Between Persona and Shin Megami Tensei

Metaphor: ReFantazio is Atlus’ brand new IP. Atlus is well known for creating the Persona series, but now the studio is taking what it's learned over the past several decades to take a stab at the fantasy genre rather than the typical Japanese high school life.

Crunchyroll • June 12th, 2024

Monster Hunter Wilds Builds on the Solid Foundation of World

When Monster Hunter World was released in 2018, it took the ahem world by storm. Its immense popularity skyrocketed the series to new heights and sales figures, finally bringing it to the mainstream spotlight.

Now, almost seven years later, Capcom is following up lofty expectations with Monster Hunter Wilds. I was able to catch a 30-minute hands off demo of the game, and it looks like a worthy successor that builds upon the solid foundation set by World.

Digital Trends • June 10th, 2024

Sonic X Shadow Generations gives Shadow the spotlight he deserves

Back in 2011, Sonic Generations came up with a unique idea: combining Sonic’s classic 2D side-scrolling self with his modern 3D self. That made for a fun mix of two distinct kinds of Sonic levels. A lot has changed since then. With 2022’s Sonic Frontiers, the series finally took the next step to transition to an open world, for instance.

Digital Trends • June 4th, 2024

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is already wiping the floor with me

Elden Ring was unanimously 2022’s Game of the Year. While many other fantastic games were released throughout the year, Elden Ring shut down all competition when it dropped in early March. It swept at awards shows and even landed a Game of the Year spot here on Digital Trends.

Digital Trends • March 27th, 2024

Stellar Blade feels more like a Soulslike than I was expecting

Korean developer Shift Up first made a name for itself with mobile games like 2016’s Destiny Child, a turn-based RPG, and 2022’s Goddess of Victory: Nikke, an on-rails third-person shooter. Now, Shift Up is throwing its hat into the ring of AAA game development with Stellar Blade, an action game starring a young woman named Eve who is trying to reclaim Earth from an invading alien species.

Digital Trends • March 11th, 2024

Rise of the Ronin is a grab bag of gaming's greatest hits

When I grappled to the roof of a building using my hook, I felt like I’d played Rise of the Ronin before. That’s not a bad thing; I’ve played many of Team Ninja’s previous games, but it felt oddly familiar, in a bloody comforting way.

PCMag • February 7th, 2024

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Hands On With the Year's Most Anticipated RPG

The long-awaited sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake is less than a month away, and with it comes new gameplay mechanics that build upon its predecessor. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth goes open world, which might make some series fans leery due to the video game industry's overreliance on the design structure in recent years. However, Rebirth’s charming characters, exciting action, entertaining side quests, and strong world building feel like a natural extension of Remake.

Digital Trends • December 13th, 2023

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a fitting Suikoden successor

Spiritual successors have been quite popular during the last several years. Bloodstained launched as a spiritual successor to Castlevania, Yooka-Laylee tried to be the same for Banjo Kazooie, and Mighty Number 9 tried to capture the spirit of classic Mega Man games with mixed results. Not all of them have been successful, but nostalgic players still look for those types of games to recreate the magical experiences they had as kids.

Digital Trends • December 12th, 2023

Tekken 8 is the series' most approachable entry yet

The fighting game genre has always had some barriers to entry, with top-level play requiring hundreds of hours of practice to master combos, positioning, and character matchups. The high skill ceiling has often pushed away more casual players from participating, sometimes making them feel inadequate compared to more seasoned competitors.

Fangoria • December 11th, 2023

Alone in the Dark Leans More Toward Adventure Than Horror

The Alone in the Dark franchise has been around since 1992, and its debut game is often credited as the creation of the survival horror genre. While its first several entries received mixed to positive reception, attempts to bring the franchise to the modern age have been less than stellar. The 2008 reboot was average, and 2015's Alone in the Dark: Illumination was critically panned.

Digital Trends • December 7th, 2023

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is RPG multiplayer done right

The Granblue Fantasy franchise originated in the mobile and web browser space as a turn-based gacha game with microtransactions. The franchise has since expanded to include the 2D fighting game Granblue Fantasy Versus, its upcoming sequel Versus: Rising, and the action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink.

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