Author: Steve Murray

Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

E3 2013: The Sony and PlayStation 4 Roundup

sony-ps4-bannerSony had one simple mission heading into their 2013 E3 press conference: Don’t screw it up! Microsoft handed Sony an absolute gift at every turn from the Xbox One’s DRM to privacy issues to used games to rentals to the price.

Not only did Sony not screw up their press conference, they committed the video game console equivalent to homicide. Sony played the Rains of Castamere live on stage and slew the Xbox One in a bloody and violent way that saw them destroy Microsoft’s next-generation challenger in every way possible. Even George R.R. Martin was shocked at the carnage.

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

E3 2013: The Microsoft and Xbox One Roundup

xbox-one-logo-bannerAfter getting all of the ugly business about DRM, used games, TV, apps and always-connected Kinect out of the way before E3, Microsoft got down to the business of trying to actually trying to sell the upcoming Xbox One as a gaming console.

For their E3 press event, Microsoft came at us with scads of games, both multi-platform and exclusive to the Xbox One to make us forget about all the bad press about the last few months leading up to today’s big showing. Well, until they announced the launch price.

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IndyCar – Texas 550: Penske’s Two-Step

indycar-2013-texas-castroneves-climbing-the-fenceFor the first seven races of the season, Team Penske had been watching everyone else win races. You knew that it was just a matter of time before they broke through for their first win of the season and they did it in a big way in Texas. Helio Castroneves didn’t just win his first race of the season but dominated the field en route to the win which made him the seventh winner in eight races this season.

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5 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Video Games

Microsoft Has Lost the Console War Before It Started

xbox-one-logo-bannerThe Microsoft keynote event at E3 is about to begin and it doesn’t really matter. Over the last few weeks, Microsoft has repeatedly shot itself in the foot when promoting their upcoming Xbox One. They think that they can do no wrong with their next-gen console but the reality is that the can do nothing right.

Microsoft is walking into E3 thinking that they’re Justin Bieber, they’re on top of the world and full of swagger. They are Justin Bieber but everyone sees them as Justin Bieber, self-important douche, with a bit of Amanda Bynes’ delusional separation from reality.

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F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Tyres? What Tyres?

f1-2013-canada-vettel-victoryGiven the recent history of the Canadian Grand Prix and the controversy over the Mercedes GP tyre test, one would have assumed that tyres would have played a factor in the outcome of the race. While the tyres were a story, they weren’t the deciding factor of the Canadian GP as Sebastian Vettel stormed off into the distance en route to a dominant win. Don’t worry, though, there was plenty of off-track drama to keep us entertained.

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Sunday Link-Off: Home Is Where the Crack (Allegedly) Is

deborah-mace-saha13-05It’s Canadian Grand Prix race day so you know what I’ll be watching this afternoon. It’s also Sunday which means that you know what I’ve been up to for this morning. Let’s kick things off with newcomer to the blog, French model Deborah Mace.

You knew it was a matter of time before the press was able to find the exact house where the picture of Rob Ford with a drug dealer. (Toronto Star)

And that house has a bit of reputation for disreputable and illegal activities. (Gawker)

In a funny turn of events, Toronto blogger Toronto Mike actually had this story two months ago thanks to a comment on his blog. If only he knew that the comment was legit. (Toronto Mike)

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Caption This: June 1 – 7, 2013

Inspired by the Globe and Mail’s caption writing person, we waste our time writing funny picture captions for some of the more interesting photos we come across when blogging. So here are some of the best pictures from the past week with a funny (-ish) caption. Continue reading →

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Five Dream E3 Announcements for the Xbox One

xbox-one-console-bannerHaving written my dream announcements list for the PlayStation 4’s keynote at E3, I thought that it would only be fair to give Microsoft’s new console equal time with their own list of dream announcements for the Xbox One.

Now, I’m not an Xbox guy. I’ve never owned either of the Xbox consoles but at one point considered getting the Xbone before the official unveil. However, that unveiling had nothing that appealed to me. So for my dream announcements for the X1, I’ll try to balance between dream announcements for those firmly in Xbox’s camp and those still not sold in the Xbox One.

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Leave a comment Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Video Games

Five Dream E3 Announcements for the PlayStation 4

playstation-4-announcement-bannerSure, I could sit here and wax business about what I think Sony will announce for the PlayStation 4 because it will make sense from a business perspective. And as interesting as I like analyzing the business implications of the actions of the video game industry, I love to loosen up my tie, roll up my sleeves and just game.

So rather than go through the rumour mill for the five most likely announcements that Sony will make at its big E3 press event, here are the five announcements that I most want Sony to make for the PlayStation 4.

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F1 Power Rankings: Canadian Grand Prix

The Formula One World Championship briefly interrupts the European portion of the season for a quick fly-away adventure to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix. This is my favourite race of the season but not just because it’s my home race. The Canadian GP is famous for scads passing and being nearly unpredictable. It’s easily one of the most exciting races every year. I may have rank these drivers based on how they’re driving now and how they will do in Canada but we have no idea how this race will pan out.

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