Paradox Interactive announces that The Showdown Effect is now available in North America for Windows and OS X, offering Arrowhead Game Studios' take on "a world where every single action movie from the 80s and 90s is happening concurrently." This release trailer attempts to show off such a world in under a minute, and they plan a Twitch live stream of the game on Thursday at 2:00 pm EST. Here's the announcement:

NEW YORK — March 5, 2013 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and an abuser of diplomatic immunity, today released The Showdown Effect, a new multiplayer action title from Arrowhead Game Studios. In a world where every single action movie from the 80s and 90s is happening concurrently, players must shoot, slash, dive, roll, punch, and quip their way to victory to become the last cliché standing. The Showdown Effect is available for PC and Mac in digital stores worldwide, for a list of retailers please check out www.theshowdowneffect.com/buy.

Witness The Showdown Effect — the impossible chaos that occurs when an amnesiac clone, a grizzled cop, an inscrutable martial arts master, a plucky teenage genius, and other action hero archetypes are thrown together in a pile of guns, explosives, and assorted bludgeons. Featuring stylish 2.5D graphics, fast-paced white-knuckle gameplay, TwitchTV integration, and an endless supply of one-liners, The Showdown Effect allows up to 8 players at once to go head-to-fist in a variety of free-for-all and team-based game modes.