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Preview: Hard Reset

There are a few things I look for in shooters: visceral, riotous violence, superb visuals, and excellent storytelling. This trifecta is unbeatable by my standards, and something few shooters fail to possess. However, there’s a good mix of all three in most of my favorite FPS titles, so I can deal. When I can’t have all three, I’ll allow one or the other when selecting a new run-and-gun fest to add to my library. I hoped to find my Holy Trinity of Shooters in Hard Reset, a suspiciously low-key release with preview builds floating around the email accounts of video game writers everywhere. Hard Reset, with its tongue-in-cheek moniker, comic-book inspired narrative panels, and gorgeous neon hues, came out of nowhere. One day, I hadn’t even heard of Flying Wild Hog or anything about an upcoming shooter with such a memorable name, and the next I’m jetting through preview code.

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Preview: Cho Aniki Zero

In the beginning, there was man. In the beginning of shooter Cho Aniki, there were many scantily-clad men. And it was good. Thanks to Aksys Games and their penchant for all things zany, us wacky American gamers are being given the chance to play through a brand new homoerotic adventure via the loving PlayStation Network. The downloadable title Cho Aniki Zero has been officially announced for a PSP release, and it’s looking rather buff.

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Preview: Storm City Games E3 Lineup

Tucked away in the back of the show floor was a tiny publisher known as Storm City Games, who beckoned to Chris and I with the promise of comfortable leather seating, bottled water, cans of soda, and delicious snacks. Oh, and there were games, too. As I neared the booth area I consulted with one of the PR people present, later identified as Tyler Ager, who looked positively baffled when I asked him if he was the person in charge of demoing their products.

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Preview: Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 3

Grab all your friends, turn your speakers up, and grab the alcohol if you’re shy. You’re gonna need all the courage you can get for Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 3. While hanging around the Konami booth waiting to check out some of our scheduled games, I hopped in a sound-proof box to belt out a song or two. Turns out I could only play through one song, as we had to run to check out NeverDead, but from my brief stint with the third installment (already?) of the series, I learned two things: Glee ruined “Time Warp,” and though their intonation and pieces of the song were different than the classic Rocky Horror Picture Show version, I still managed to score pretty decently.

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Preview: Ninja Gaiden 3

Ryu Hayabusa has plenty of kills under his belt, and Team Ninja are looking to play off of that as they look to the past in Ninja Gaiden 3, as they explore the fan-favorite character’s past and personal history. As I sat down with head of Team Ninja, Yosuke Hayashi, for a brief chat about the upcoming hack-and-slash ninja nightmare, Tecmo Koei was kind enough to allow me to play through a demo on the PlayStation 3 aided by Hayashi-san’s expert advice.

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