1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

The Showdown Effect Beta Impressions

the-showdown-effect-bannerWho doesn’t love the good old action movies of the 80s and 90s? There’s something epic about one man taking down a horde of terrorists and other baddies using nothing but a couple of guns, a ton of ammo and a few well-timed catchphrases.

While action movie games haven’t really translated over to video games, with the exception of Uncharted (though that’s more Indiana Jones action-adventure than an Arnie/Sly/Bruce action flick), the folks at Arrowhead Games are giving it a try with The Showdown Effect. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Of Misogyny and Oscar-Hosting Men

I don’t know if you noticed but I’ve dropped my former trademark “after the jump” that I’ve been using on link-offs for the last four years. I felt like it was time to just drop it and let the links and my commentary speak for themselves. So, let’s kick this post off with Jennifer Lawrence telling us what she thinks of Seth MacFarlane.

What was the big story of the Oscars? That would be the terrible and sexist hosting job by Seth MacFarlane. (The New Yorker)

Before you say that Amy Davidson thought MacFarlane was terrible because she was a woman, men also thought MacFarlane was horrible. (World’s Most Famous Man)

Who doesn’t love hearing about Manti Te’o’s hoax? Maybe I’m just saying that because I hate Notre Dame. Anyway, here’s Deadspin boss Tommy Craggs talking about the story… Again… (Sports Journalism)

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3 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

The Detailed Breakdown of Mass Effect 3: Reckoning Multiplayer DLC

mass-effect-3-reckoning-02-geth-juggernautThe final Mass Effect 3 multiplayer add-on pack is being released today. BioWare says that today’s Reckoning DLC will be the fifth and last free piece of downloadable content for ME3’s multiplayer mode.

As usual, BioWare is being tight-lipped about the details of Reckoning. If you do enough digging, you might be able to piece together what you’ll get when you download the DLC. But why do that when we’ve already compiled all the info and rumours about Reckoning for you. Continue reading →

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Formula One: 2013 1st Barcelona Test Recap

f1-2013-barcelona-test-1-ricciardo-hulkenbergAs per usual, the Formula One circuit will run a pair of pre-season tests at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain. While it’s not the first test of the year, it’s the first one that teams and driver will use to properly gauge how they stand heading into the season. That’s because the teams will spend two weeks in February and March here but also a weekend in May for the Spanish Grand Prix.

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Sunday Link-Off: A Leg to Stand On

jasmine-tookes-victoriassecret13-07Good news! I’m finally back at Lowdown HQ after being away for the last month or so. Hopefully I can pick things up a bit instead and drop a few more original posts and opinion columns. But since it’s Sunday, it’s time for the links. First, it’s new Victoria’s Secret model Jasmine Tookes.

So you’ve probably heard quite a bit about the Oscar Pistorius case but aren’t quire sure what happened. Here’s a graphic that illustrates what Pistorius says he did. Drawing it out this way sure raises some questions. (National Post)

But while this it seems as though Pistorius’ case doesn’t have a leg to stand on, the culture of South Africa means that this case is far more complex than we give it credit for. (Toronto Star)

Another famous athlete charged with murder gives his opinion. What does OJ think of this case? (Kinston Free Press)

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Entertainment Link-Off: Fear the Dark

nadine-velazquez_fhmg_msp1Since it’s Saturday again, it’s time for another dose of the Entertainment Link-Off. Time sure flies as we are closing in on the end of February. Two noteworthy releases in theatres this week include the sci-fi/horror alien flick Dark Skies and the other film would be Snitch starring Dwayne Johnson. The latter might look like another typical action vehicle for The Rock but who doesn’t like a good rock’em sock’em movie right? Plus it has some eye candy like Nadine Valazquez…

After the jump, Michael Bay and Megan Fox kissed and made up, Christoph Waltz takes on the Romans, watch Ben Affleck’s atrocious first short film, Alison Brie tests her freestyle rapping skills and get over here for another run at Mortal Kombat: Legacy.  Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Bungie’s Destiny: Much Ado About Nothing (Yet)

destiny-teaser-posterNot surprisingly, Bungie’s unveiling of their in-development Destiny to an assembled group of gaming press was massive news. After all, Bungie developed the Halo franchise, produced five well-received games in the series and have moved on to a much-anticipated new IP that will be published by Activision.

If you checked any of the major gaming blogs or news sites, Destiny’s unveiling wasn’t a one post piece of news. Writers dedicated multiple posts to news about the game but all those posts had one thing in common. Bungie didn’t unveil anything of substance about Destiny. Continue reading →

2 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Mass Effect 3 Signs Off with Its Final Two DLCs

mass-effect-3-citadel-screenshot-01As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Whether you loved it or hated it, Mass Effect 3’s journey is finally coming to an end. Yesterday, BioWare announced that they would release the final two pieces of ME3 DLC, one each of single-player and multiplayer, over the next two weeks.

Both of the DLCs announced confirmed the rumours that had been circulating the interwebs for months. The single-player DLC is the Citadel DLC. Multiplayer will see the addition of the Reckoning DLC.

Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Video Games

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Review (or A Car in a Boat in a Plane in a Hedgehog)

sonic-and-all-stars-racing-transformed-box-artI’ve never been a Sega guy. I grew up with a classic NES and had Mario rather than Sonic. Even my one friend who did have a Genesis (or Mega Drive, if you’d prefer) didn’t have a Sonic game. (He did have a game on the classic Stallone movie Cliffhanger so maybe game buying wasn’t his parents’ forté.) From there, I got a PS1 so I largely missed out on everything Sonic and Mario Kart related in my youth.

And that created a very real problem when it came to reviewing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. It was described as fan service for long-time Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog fans and a Mario Kart clone. Well, I can’t exactly evaluate a game based on that when the Sega game I had the most playing time with was ATP Tour Championship Tennis.

Looking at SASRT (God, that’s a terrible acronym. That’s what happens when you make a game with an obscenely long and ridiculous title.) from a racing game enthusiasts perspective didn’t give me much cause for hope. After all, saying that Sega would only put out an exceptional Sonic game would omit the existence of Sonic Free Riders which was so universally panned that it makes Aliens: Colonial Marines look like Skyrim by comparison. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: The Medium is the Message

cintia-dicker-si13-08I know updates have been a little random lately but I hope to have things back to normal by next week. Granted, sometimes I’m not sure what normal is around these parts but I’m sure we’ll all sort it out eventually. In the meantime, here’s my favourite SI Swimsuit model Cintia Dicker.

Just to prove that I’m very fair and balanced with my dissemination of political links, here’s a not at all right-leaning article about how the Obama White House is able to control the message out of 1600 Penn. (Politico)

You thought the possibility of Ashley Judd running for the Senate was all a big laugh didn’t you? Well, the GOP is taking it seriously. They’ve already created an attack ad against her. (New York Times)

A recent Gallup poll says that only 3.5% of Americans are gay. Could that number possibly be accurate? (The Atlantic Wire)

After the jump, the evil of Bleacher Report, trolling the Beliebers and Vanna White on The Price is Right. Continue reading →