Saturday, January 30, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses for the week of 1-30-16

Hey Everyone, SirOrin here! 

This has been a busy week for us at Hot Sauce Nation. I rolled the dice in space with Tharsis, Rex explored the world of FNAF, Mattikus continued to take the Fight to the Streets, AzzA had an old-school Secret about Mana, Ant proved just how Mega his Man was, and we got the whole gang together to Risk some Rain. 

We hope to continue to make Wednesday night a regular Playdate night and involve our community as much as possible. Stay tuned to the schedule to see what we will be playing next! Now, on to the top stories affecting video games this week.


HotSauce Off the Presses for the Week of 1-30-16


If the delay was to make the box art look
like the Mega Man 1 cover, I'd be all in.

For the third time, the spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise has been delayed. Launched as a Kickstarter campaign by Mega Man creater Keiji Inafune with his new development team Comcept, Mighty No. 9 was funded in under 48 hours with an excited group of backers. Since then it has had a rocky release schedule. The past two delays have been announced mere weeks before the intended launch date. This most recent delay is reportedly due to "bugs...with matchmaking". At this point I'm less surprised about another delay and more surprised about... matchmaking? What even is Mighty No. 9 at this point? I am all for developers taking time to get the game right, but this has to have left a bad taste in the mouth of all the Kickstarter backers who paid and have been waiting for the game for over a year. Especially over a feature they may not have even cared about when backing the project. The new anticipated release date is "Spring 2016".



They look like such friendly murderous
animatronic nightmare creatures. 
Five Nights at Freddy's World Getting a Five Finger Discount

After a surprise early launch, Five Night's at Freddy's World is being pulled from Steam. Its creator Scott Cawthon apologized for the game missing important features and has now removed it from Steam entirely. He has asked that Valve allow all players who purchased the game be refunded their money if they wish. When his update to the existing game is finished it will replace the existing demo on Gamejolt and be free of charge. Anyone who purchased this game at launch should consider contacting Steam for their refund. I'm looking at you Rex!



Hmm.... Must be an error, competitive
Catherine is nowhere to be seen.
EVO 2016 Gets New Details and a New Venue!

While the rest of the world is getting excited for the Super Bowl, fighting game fans have a whole other reason to be hype. The 2016 EVO lineup and venue have been announced. For those of you who don't know, the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) is the most high profile fighting game tournament on the scene. The nine official games in the tournament are shown here and it will once again be taking place in Las Vegas. Pools through Semi-Finals will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with Sunday's Finals culminating at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Open up the salt mines!




EA's old logo just oozes nostalgia.
EA is the Latest Big Developer to Exit E3

One of the biggest and most controversial studios is now exiting the show floor of E3. Similar to the way Nintendo has moved their press conference in house, Electronic Arts (EA) will be broadcasting and hosting the "EA Play" event in the days leading up to E3. This marks another major player to exit the main floor of E3 following Konami's exit and Nintendo and Bethesda doing their own independent press conferences. This is somewhat surprising considering there are likely to be some major announcements from them this year including Mass Effect: Andromeda and Mirror's Edge. Either way, those are some big shoes to fill on the E3 show floor.




Because apparently "Pawn Store" seemed tacky.
Gamestop Now Buying and Selling Used Developers

Watching a market you built an empire on disappear into the digital ether must be hard. Gamestop has been trying to find ways to diversify their portfolio for at least 5 years now. Buying flash gaming site Kongregate, opening cell phone trade-in stores, and now publishing video games. Partnering with Insomniac (of Spyro/Ratchet & Clank/Resistance fame), they are working as publishers on a new game called Song of the Deep. Set to be released digitally, Gamestop will also exclusively carry the physical disc of the game. This is a strategic risk and we will see how it pays off. My guess is that they will try and get you to pre-order it.


- TXKSirOrin

Saturday, January 23, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses for the week of 1-23-16

So I was thinking of highlighting the news stories in gaming that have stood out to me and their related articles. If you guys are interesting in seeing this be a regular feature, let me know in the comments below!


HotSauce Off the Presses for the week of 1-23-16:


Nintendo has deemed your level unworthy.
The Time Has Come for the Pruning of Unpopular Mario Maker Levels

At launch, Nintendo warned that levels that do not get played may eventually be removed from the servers and that time seems to have come. This is not unprecedented as many levels using "exploits" such as invisible blocks had previously been removed from the servers following a patch that removed them from the game. Also, Nintendo is constantly checking the uploaded levels for inappropriate content and words. Perhaps the most damning thing about this story in my opinion is that once a level is deleted it cannot be re-uploaded online without rebuilding the level entirely. Not even modifying the existing level will suffice. This seems rather extreme for a potentially good level that just may not have gotten any exposure. Either way, all you creators out there should watch closely and make sure your levels haven't been removed.



I have included a screenshot of Hitman GO
because it is the best Hitman game.
New Hitman Game Preorders Cancelled, Now Episodic

When the next Hitman game was originally announced it was supposed to be a hybrid "early access" release. A few of the areas would be available at launch but over time the remaining locations would become available. Square Enix has since changed their entire release model and it will now be episodic with the first episode and location (Paris) being released for $15. Any existing pre-orders for the game have been refunded to those people on all platforms. Interestingly, consumers cannot cancel pre-orders themselves on many digital services but the developer can, which has sparked some mild controversy. I have never gotten into any of the Hitman games (other than Hitman GO on iOS which is an amazing puzzle/board game) so I am curious to see how this new game turns out.



Watching someone else play a game you could be
playing? Sounds dumb, let's watch some golf instead.
ESPN embraces Esports

After a few minor attempts to broadcast various games on ESPN (Heroes of the Storm and DOTA 2 come to mind), they have officially launched their own esports coverage... on line at least. Only a few weeks removed from Activision buying MLG and their CEO Bobby Kotick claiming this was to create the "ESPN of esports", ESPN became the ESPN of esports. I highly doubt we will ever see an "ESPN E" channel added to their lineup but it is cool to see the world's leader in sports coverage begin to dip their toes into video games. Let's just hope it's not quite as cringe-worthy as when Shaq is involved.


So help me god if there is a water level and
poisonous seaweed... **BEEP BEEP BEEP**
Platinum Games is Making a TMNT Game!

After releasing "Transformers: Devestation", which is by all accounts an amazing fan service game, Platinum is now turning their eyes on another throwback title from our childhood. I have played enough bad Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games in my life to be weary of getting my hopes up but with the degree of Platinum and screenshots like these it's getting hard to contain myself. I mean, Bebop has a purple mohawk and yellow sunglasses!!!!




Get Over Here!!! ... to consoles only...
Mortal Kombat "Finishes" PC Support

Anyone who tried to play Mortal Kombat at launch knows how much of a hot mess it was. Crashing bugs, patches that wiped saves, etc. The dust seemed to have settled more or less, but now Warner Brothers is once again angering it's PC players. The newly announced "improved" online support as well as the next DLC pack are both going to be console exclusive. This is an ongoing trend with Warner Brothers and PC support. Just a few months ago Batman Arkham Knight was pulled entirely from the PC, only recently returning to sale. I'm sure the market is tiny compared to the one on consoles but begs the question: Why even release on a platform you aren't going to support? Sadly, it makes it seem simply like a cash grab and it is disappointing for such great games as Batman and Mortal Kombat.



A bigger controversy is why are there so many
Fire Emblem Amiibos?
Nintendo Continues to Fumble With Fire Emblem: Fates

Nintendo can't seem to please anyone with it's sexually ambiguous character in Fire Emblem: Fates. This article explains the major issues regarding the alleged "drugging and gay conversion" that were potentially present in the upcoming title. It is good to see Nintendo becoming more open to all lifestyles as well as being politically correct, even if the messaging is difficult to parse sometimes. Ultimately, this is a slow moving company in many ways. They only recently discovered things like "The Internet" and "HD Graphics" so it's no surprise that they have fumbled their way into the modern day societal norms. Awakenings was one of my favorite 3DS games in the past few years so I am very excited to play this, I will be curious to see how they alter the dialogue to deal with this in the final product.


These were the news items over the past week that stood out to me. Were there any major announcements or stories that I missed? Let me know your opinions/suggestions on these and other stories in the comments below.

- TXKSirOrin

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Back From KIT 2016



Whats up everyone!  I just got back home yesterday from KIT2016 (Kumite in Tennessee).  A couple of friends from Longview TX came along for support and get there hands on Tekken 7.  We all had a blast getting to play lots of matches with locals and other players form different states.  I would like to thank everyone for all the support from the tweets on Twitter and Facebook messages this weekend.  I went 3-2 on both Killer Instinct and Ultra Street Fighter IV.  I didn't do to bad but,  I should have done better.  I was able to be on stream 3 times in the games I played.  The biggest highlight for me is almost putting CD JR. in losers on my first round in pools in Killer Instinct.  I'm looking forward in the months to come to go to more Fighting game tournaments.

A Pic of Dale, Nick and Myself at the tournament floor!


I picked up a new Ps4 Stick in my collections this weekend as well! :)

Just a heads up of my followers in my twitch.tv/TxK_Mattikus channel.  I will be in streaming the schedule rotation on  the Txkhotsauce Channel.  I will give you updates on when I'll be streaming.  Details later.  Thanks for all the support!

TxK | Mattikus

Monday, January 18, 2016

TXKSirOrin's Top Ten Games of 2015

Everyone loves a good top ten list and this past year was one of the better years in gaming that I can remember. There were so many different kinds of games that came out, I imagine everyone has a very different list than one another. I personally didn't play a lot of the AAA games this year. Any game with a campaign over 10-15 hours probably didn't make the cut. Even so, I still had an amazing time with games this past year. So without further adieu...

Better late than never right?


10: Mortal Kombat X – So I missed the boat last generation and never played Mortal Kombat 9. When this game came out early this year I played through both back to back. If MK 9 was The Justice League then MKX is Teen Titans, a lighthearted campaign with well paced story-telling and excellent visual design. The hardest thing for fighting games is getting the fans to accept new characters but MKX nailed it. The entire roster is filled with classic throw backs and interesting new ones. The game feels tighter than MK9 and more balanced as well. The alternate fighting styles of each character adds depth to each character and overall it was an excellent game.




9: A Telltale Games Series: Game of Thrones – This game hit me with two things I love. Narrative driven storytelling/gameplay and the world of Westeros. Using the character likenesses of many of the actors from the show and telling a side-story in the Game of Thrones universe, Telltale's adventure game really captured the essence of what makes that show great. With a shocking twist at the end of the first episode all the way to the thrilling final chapter, it was hard to put down. As they say, when you play the Game of Thrones you either win, or you die.



8: Rocket League – GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!! What a surprise this year for all Playstation Plus members. This game snuck in from nowhere and went on to become one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year. After a rough start (server issues), Rocket League supported its community all year with free additions to the game and making all DLC cosmetic only. Even so, I gladly threw them a few dollars to whiz around the field in a Back to the Future Delorean. It is probably the most effective soccer (football) game at teaching actual fundamentals of the game to ever come out. Watching your opponents rush the ball like 5 year olds while your team has a dedicated forward, mid and goalie is extremely satisfying. Oh, and the explosion after scoring a goal is the most gratifying addition ever.



7: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – I’ve been chasing that feeling of fast paced shooter ever since Call of Duty: Ghosts. While Titanfall was too large and Advanced Warfare was too hectic, Black Ops 3 is the perfect blend of player maneuverability with excellently designed maps. The perks and character specific power-ups make every play style feel viable and fun. While our squad may never be able to replicate the 300+ game win streak we had in Ghosts, we still have a great time when we get a full six man team together and blast all the BKs (Bad Kids) on Xbox.



6: Jack Box Party Pack 2 – As long as Jack Box continues to make these game collections, I will continue to put them in my top 10 list. The way they make these games accessible to everyone, whether they regularly play video games or not, is what makes these special. Using your phone to make up believable lies in Fibbage, hilarious answers in Quiplash, or working together to defuse bombs in Bomb Corp, there is nothing else quite like the Party Pack. If Earwax and Bidiots were better designed, this would have easily made my top 5.


5: Final Fantasy: Record Keeper – I feel weird putting a Free to Play mobile game with microtransactions in my top games of 2015 but I can’t deny how much of this game I have played. This game replaced Hearthstone as my go-to mobile game by hitting a nostalgic nerve I have for all the old Final Fantasy games. Playing like the SNES games with an addicting loot/EXP grind, this is the perfect game to pick up and play when waiting with your phone. DeNa has made incredible improvements over the year since launch to make the game more user friendly and enjoyable overall. And the Dopamine rush of pulling a 5 star item for one of your favorite characters is what you want in a game like this. By the way, this game is totally playable with little to no money investment. I have probably spent $20-40 over the year on discounted Relic pulls but they were not at all necessary.



4: Amello – From the moment I saw the trailers for this game I knew I would love it. Described to me as Game of Thrones meets Watership Down, this digital board game meets all of my strategy game desires. With four ways to win and a diverse group of characters with unique special abilities, this game provides incredible depth both in solo and multiplayer games. Any table top fans should give Armello a shot. It is a beautiful and well designed strategy board game and one I plan on going back to often.



3: Bloodborne – I have a confession. I never could get into the “Souls” games. I don’t know if it was the obfuscated rules of those games or the brutal difficulty but they just couldn’t hold my attention. Bloodborne changed that. Between an amazing world design with perfectly interlocking shortcuts, to the simplified but still very diverse weapons and playstyles, Bloodborne latched on to me from start to finish. The balancing act of knowing whether to turn in your “souls” and level up, or push forward toward the next bonfire were always at odds, and every death felt like my fault and not the game’s. The joy I experienced after each brutal boss battle was unparalleled (I’m looking at you Rom). For whatever reason I am still uninterested in Dark Souls but whenever they announce a Bloodborne 2, I will be there day one.



2: Mario Maker – The game to end all (2D) Mario games. There is an endless supply of amazing levels popping up every day on Mario Maker and not enough time to play all of them. From the music and auto-scrolling levels to the intensely difficult platforming and puzzle levels, Mario Maker has it all and more. This is truly my “desert island” game. This game feels designed for the streaming community. The loop of building a level, submitting it to an online player, and watching them fail and succeed at all of your tricks and traps is amazing. Nintendo has continued to support this game with updates and has done an excellent job of listing to its fans. Checkpoints, evolving power-ups, new sprites, everything has been top quality. The only 2 blemishes on an otherwise perfect game are the lack of interconnected levels, or “worlds” and a poorly built in game sorting system. Even with those problems, this is still the best 2D Mario game to ever be made. Period.



1: Until Dawn – This is not the best game of 2015, but it is hands down my favorite. A game about a group of teens in a remote cabin is the perfect set up for a choose-your-own-adventure horror and it is executed perfectly (just like some of the teens ... okay, I’ll stop). No matter how bad your life choices, the game will continue to funnel you towards the end, but every play through feels like your own. Two years ago, Tell Tale took the Adventure game to the next generation with The Walking Dead. Unfortunately, their game design has stalled and evolved very little. Until Dawn breaks this game design into the next generation and then runs with it. Amazing visuals, excellent acting, and a riveting story line with incredible set pieces, this is the best horror game to come out in years.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

TXKAzzAlane Streams That Dragon, Cancer Tuesday at 5PM Central Extra Life 2016

I'm not sure how to say how I feel about my next stream. Excited or happy sound creepy. Not dreading it as much as one would think might be the best way to describe it. I will be playing That Dragon, Cancer to launch our 2016 Extra Life donations on Tuesday, January 12 at 5PM Central.  We won't be spending much time pitching Extra Life until November, but I couldn't pass up the chance to start with the launch of this game.

That Dragon, Cancer tells the story of the Green family as they care for their son, Joel, who had brain cancer. I don't know much beyond that. I want to have the moral support of my regulars, like Idiotwithajob, MathGeek314, homohustle, twonky, and our G2G friend, as well as any new comers who would like join me.

I have a dear friend who had a much shorter, but similar struggle. I wrote about her on my Extra Life page and will continue to honor her and remember her daughter with each year I do Extra Life. Please watch and consider donating to Children's Miracle Network hospitals directly or through Extra Life.

Tausha Madison "Maddie" Kirkley (December 8, 2004 - July 24, 2013)
Maddie fought her fight at Arkansas Children's Hospital. If you prefer donating directly or donating toys, please consider doing so in her memory or in honor of her mom, Penny Dew.

The game's creators have asked that everyone celebrate the release of the game by having pancakes for dinner. You can sign up on their site to say you are joining them. The sign up is just below the trailer and pre-order forms.

See you Tuesday
AzzAlane

Sunday, January 3, 2016

1/3/16RexStrider is back for Sunday Mario Maker streams! + MORE

Holidays over. its a new year. ITS TIME FOR SOME MARIO MAKER!

lets keep it simple ;3 TODAY. at 9pm CST- Rex is going to be playing your Mario Maker stages LIVE

WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET YOUR MARIO MAKER LEVEL PLAYED LIVE!

Simple. 

1. Post your Twitch name and level code in the comments bellow ( plz god no spring levels...)

2. Follow TxkHotsauce

3. Be there, be awesome. http://www.twitch.tv/txkhotsauce ^.-

 EZ MODE 

 RULES 
1. New stage devs take priority. I will play  another level from you if everyone in chat has had a go though XD
2. Be cool to each other. Constructive criticism works, but don't just be a douche.. we can tell.. we have a douche meter... dont ask
3. No springs 
4. First rule of Lesser dog...you DONT pet lesser dog 



January Challenge

The Buddy Challenge
Make a stage were your buddy aka a goomba,turtle,bowser? WHOEVER helps you through the stage and maybe vice versa!! He dies, you die! Examples coming soon!
+MORE?

SMASH IS BACK!!! and a new challenger approaches
.. 
Smash starts at 12AM CST! Win a set. you win a game! that simple! I got 3 games to give out? maybe more?? SHOW UP AND GEEETTTTTT DUNKED OOOOOOON!!!
And when im done with that im playing more tomb raider ;3 ( still gotta beat it so I can trade it fast >.> Its getting good btw XD )

How to enter!

  • Follow TxkHotsauce ( seems fair XD) 

      • Add My Nintendo ID: RexStrider and I will add you to the game while I host! ( you have to be in chat) 

      • Order will be decided by comments! Comment your ID name twitch name after you added me. 

  • If you want a rematch after yours is done,  comment in this blog " *COIN* " , your ID and twitch name. ARCADE STYLE



1/6/16 Hatoful Boyfriend 2: A new year of BIRB DATEING with RexStrider

Its happening
Its coo~
The Hatoful Boyfriend sequel DLC stream is happening everybirdy!






I enjoyed the last game ALLOT .. mainly due to its out of left field moments. Hopeing for the same experience with the DLC/ sequel XD






WHAT??: Its a dating simulator were you date birds....or is it?...O.O... yep that describes this well enough I think ;>


Time: January,6,2016 at 3pm Central Standard Birb time

Place: http://www.twitch.tv/txkhotsauce
Chat: PM a Caretaker to get into #Mttstudios and then get into the stream chat! Cool place for Undertale chat, content, gaming, music, voice chat, PM, + MORE




Dreemurr.com Discord Chat server #Jerry

Giveaways?: Sure why not ? You just have to be in dreemurr chat #mttstudios and I'll do a raffle or 2.. or 3.. or- ( most likely will give away a bunch of random games :> ) a Follow would be nice too ;3

BONUS GIVEAWAY FOR ARTISTS!!

I will have a special copy of Hatoful Boyfriend and 2 extra game for all who submit any art made for the stream! Can be ANY type of art  ANY quality ( as long as it makes me lol ;3) and as long as its SFW!


Submit here on my tumbler:
http://rexstrider.tumblr.com/submit
PAST submissions! Thank yall again so much! THESE ARE ALL SO AWESOME!!!
By Chara
By KoopaKiy
By Twonky


Please tweet this to your friends :>