Monday, June 27, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses Post E3 - The Nintendo Stream

Hello Hot Sauce Nation! SirOrin here with the final Post-E3 Hot Sauce Off the Presses! I did it! Are you proud? We operate on a two week cycle here so technically I'm not late!

The final event worth watching before the E3 show floors opened was the Nintendo Treehouse Stream on Tuesday morning. Ahead of E3 it was well known that all they were bringing was Zelda. This changed slightly at the last minute when they decided to briefly mention Pokemon Sun and Moon but for the most part this turned out to be true. They streamed all day with nothing but Zelda coverage. See my impressions below. (Sorry Azza, please feel free to correct my pokemon prejudice in the comments below!)

~ SirOrin


HotSauce Off the Presses for the Nintendo Stream

You see that Mount Doom? You can go there.
And everywhere in between too!

This stream was all about Zelda. That's not actually true, after an incredible opening trailer (and name reveal) for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, they spent a while talking about Pokemon. I might as well go ahead and get this out of the way. Pokemon Sun and Moon opened the stream for the first hour and I was bored out of my mind. Between the fact that they were focusing on the new pokemon in the game (which I refuse to acknowledge, Gen 1 for life), and I was so excited to see more on Zelda I could not wait for it to be over. I blame the blue seal with a clown frock around it's neck. Go ask Azza if there was anything meaningful because I erased it from my memory. I'm sorry, I'm a bad news editor!

When Zelda finally came out it was beautiful. The art style is a blend between the cell shading of Wind Waker and the paintbrush look from Skyward Sword. Although this isn't technically the first time we have seen a Zelda in HD, it is the first game designed for a modern Nintendo console in HD and it shows.

It appears that this is going to be a truly open world 3D Zelda entry. The demo they showed started with what is likely the opening moments and zone in the game. Several times they showed the map and the land mass in enourmous. There are also multiple "mini" dungeons scattered across the map that require some small puzzle solving to collect an item. They didn't show any full sized dungeons but did confirm they would be in the game.

The game also is riddled with systems. Stamina, stealth, body temperature, durability, cooking, the list goes on and on. The most game-changing system to me was the stamina/grip that allowed Link to climb to almost anywhere he could reach. In an open world game this will be a huge navigation bonus. Also, the items and the way they interacted with the world with physics was very impressive. Link can sled down hills on his shield!

All in all it is a huge change in direction from previous Zelda entries. My only possible concern is about whether all of these systems will have a meaningful impact on the gameplay or if they were just added in because other games use them. In particular, I got a very Monster Hunter vibe from some of the elements shown. Even so, I heard multiple people who were at the show say that the Zelda demo was the game of the show for them.

There were a few other Nintendo games at the show (I heard there were some behind closed doors demos of the next Paper Mario) but Zelda far and away took center stage and for good reason. It was disappointing not to see any mention of the NX but they said it wouldn't be brought up well before E3. It is a weird transition time for Nintendo as they get ready for their next console but it looks like they will be ending the Wii U and starting the NX with a show stopper with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses Post E3 - Sony Press Conference

Hello Hot Sauce Nation! SirOrin here with the next Post-E3 Hot Sauce Off the Presses! (Almost two weeks after the event is over! Oops!)

The final press conference for the day, and technically the show, was Sony. Nintendo had their own Tree House stream the following morning which I will talk about next time, but Sony was the grand finale to the conference schedule. Going in, there were a lot of questions. How much would they focus on Playstation VR? Would they bring up PS4: Neo (especially after Microsoft dropped the Project Scorpio bomb that morning)? Would they tease the audience once again with a Crash Bandicoot T-Shirt? The possibilities were endless! What we got was a trailer cornucopia, for better or worse. See my impressions below!

~ SirOrin


HotSauce Off the Presses for the Sony Press Conference


The general reaction to anything Crash Bandicoot related.
I'm not sure why, those games weren't that good. I said it.

The main thing I will say about this press conference as someone who watched it at home was that it was bizarre. Not because it wasn't impressive or that the announcements weren't entertaining but there was almost no stage presence. Besides the impressive orchestra providing the music to all of the trailers, it was just a giant screen playing trailer after trailer with some gameplay mixed in. This may have just been in stark contrast to the previous Ubisoft press conference but it was just strange. Anyway, onto the announcements!

The first enourmous reveal was the new God of War. Not only is Kratos back but he is played in third person, behind the back and in Norse mythology. As someone who was completely burned out on the series (I didn't finish 3 and never touched Ascension), this reinvigorated my desire to play as the angry bald man. The tone continued the trend set during E3 of Dads of War, started with Gears. You can tell a lot of game developers are entering their mid to late thirties and settling down with a family. Anyway, this looks great and I can't wait for it to come out!

Next was Days Gone, a post apocalyptic zombie game that utilizes the "flowing zombie" tech seen in World War Z. Other than me screaming at the player to stop shooting zombies and just run (seriously, there were hundreds of zombies and killing a dozen or two was making no difference), I didn't get much excitement from this. It looks great, and it's probably an early build but it's just more zombie fatigue on my end. I hope I'm wrong so I will wait and see.

There was a brief trailer to just reaffirm that The Last Guardian is still in fact coming out and they gave a release date of October. This was probably the best way to handle a game that has been in development hell for so long, just one last reminder before shipping the final product. It still looks like a glorified PS3 game but I really enjoyed Shadow of the Colossus so I will remain optomistic.

Another game on the verge of coming out that was shown off was Horizon: Zero Dawn. I have finally realized that this is basically a high-res, robot dinosaur version of Monster Hunter. As a decent fan of that series, I am excited to see this finally come out. I'm hoping there is more of a story than in those games because the world building could be very cool.

Next was the new David Cage game, Detroit Becomes Human. I have a soft spot for the craziness of his games and even enjoyed his last game, Beyond Two Souls quite a bit so I will definitely be checking this out. My biggest concern is that Until Dawn may have ruined these games for me. Until Dawn was a masterpiece in terms of narrative and player choice in my mind and hopefully this can live up to those lofty expectations.

Here is the big one. Resident Evil 7. The fact that this game exists is no big surprise. Resident Evil 6 was not very good but I'm pretty sure it sold well enough. The real surprise is that it is entirely in first person and completely playable in VR. There is a playable demo out right now for Playstation Plus subscribers and it is obviously heavily reminiscient to PT. That being said, PT was better. I'm excited to see how it turns out though, this is a bold direction to take the franchise in. Oh, and that graphic design with the VII turning into VIL in Evil was brilliant, give that artist a raise.

I will skim over most of the VR announcements because besides RE 7, there wasn't nearly as much as I expected. Farpoint is a FPS on an alien world that looks cool. Star Wars is doing a Battlefront X-Wing pilot VR thing. There is a Batman Arkham VR that could be good. And the Final Fantasy VR Experience just looks bad. Reports from the show floor say the FF VR game was one of the worst VR demos unfortunately. Still, I am still excited for my Playstation VR. If the Triple A studios won't provide the games I want I'm sure there will be several indie gems to keep me entertained. A release date was also confirmed of October 13th later in the show.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was next and looks like space Call of Duty. Nothing really new here in my eyes, just a campaign demo. The remaster of CoD 4 is still the most appealing part of this package to me, unless the multiplayer in it is just old maps in the current engine. I just want remastered versions of the old multiplayer (that was the one and only thing the Master Chief Collection got right).

Once again, Crash Bandicoot fans got both what they wanted and exactly what they didn't want. The old games are going to get a remaster after all but no new game was announced. Crash will be in the next Skylanders but I don't think anyone cares. People barely blinked at Bowser and Donkey Kong in the last game so I doubt this moves many extra units.

The two big finales (not counting the Days Gone demo I talked about or Lego Star Wars) were Hideo Kojima's next game and a PS4 exclusive Spider Man. First was Kojima's game Death Stranding starring Norman Reedus. This trailer was random image after random image and I was entranced. This game is probably EARLY in development, I doubt we will see it before 2018 at the soonest, but I am so curious to see what Kojima does next. Was the stolen baby an allegory for him and Metal Gear? Time will tell.

And finally was the Spider Man game being made by Insomniac. The press conference was a blur for me at this point and besides looking like a good looking spider man game, I didn't take much away from it. Insomniac makes good games and Sunset Overdrive was a good example of combat on the go so I expect this to be pretty good. 

And that was pretty much it. No real mention of the PS4 Neo, no on stage demos of the Playstation VR, no major platform changes or announcements. Just game after game. It was a good press conference and between God of War, Resident Evil 7, and Death Stranding there was a lot of big announcements. My only concern is that all of those big games are probably a year or years away from coming out. In the mean time I will be preparing for my virtual future in VR.
~SirOrin

Saturday, June 25, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses Post E3 - Ubisoft Press Conference


Hello Hot Sauce Nation! SirOrin here with part 4 of our Post-E3 Hot Sauce Off the Presses! (This is taking longer than I expected, please forgive me!)

Between the Microsoft and Sony press conferences was the Ubisoft press conference. They took EA's old time slot to give a little more breathing room after Miscrosoft this year. Going in, most of their announcements seemed obvious. Just Dance, South Park, Wildlands, The Division, and the recently leaked/announced Watch_Dogs 2 would take up the bulk of the show. Even so, there were a few surprises and I'm glad I watched. Read below for the in depth discussion!

~ SirOrin


HotSauce Off the Presses for the Ubisoft Press Conference




The original VR man, Levar Burton, on
the Ubisoft Press Conference

As usual, Ubisoft was both great and cringeworthy. Aisha Tyler was once again the host and has seemed to become very comfortable with the job. She seems to have a real genuine appreciation for Ubisoft and knows what she's talking about. Not nearly as much "Girl Wood" this year which was nice (not zero "girl wood" but less at least).

As Rubicon will tell you, opening with a Queen song is always a good way to go. The dance number and announcement of the new Just Dance 2017 was unsurprising except for at the end when it was said to be also for the "Nintendo NX". This is the first time a non-Nintendo company has confirmed a game for the system to my knowledge. Also, it was surprising to hear them call it the NX. Maybe that is the final product name after all.

After last year's reveal of Ghost Recon Wildlands, it was not surprising to have a lengthy demo of this cocaine fueled open world game. The comment comparing energy drinks to cocaine seemed crazy but I don't use either so who knows. The game looks fun, but based on the co-op demo they showed it seems to require a lot of communication and coordination. Hopefully it will be also playable as a solo game.

Once again they brought out Trey Parker and Matt Stone to talk about South Park: The Fractured But Whole. I don't know if the demo was too long or the interview was, but something about this just dragged on and the jokes weren't landing to me. I know South Park has been criticized for being just fart and poop jokes before but that seemed especially the case here. I thoroughly enjoyed The Stick of Truth so I remain hopeful, and the combat they showed seemed to be an improvement, but I was disappointed by what I saw so far.

The Division got more info on the DLC. Moving on.

Surprisingly to me, Ubisoft had a pretty decent time devoted to VR games. First was Eagle flight which seemed like a bizarre three on three game where you fly around as eagles. It may be fun with a headset on but was difficult to follow and understand the appeal of just spectating. Some of the shots of the players looking around on the stage in VR was INCREDIBLE though. I wonder how long before it won't be funny-looking to watch someone else in VR.

The second VR game they showed was the Star Trek: Bridge Crew game. It wasn't shown on screen but more of in a pre produced piece with several Star Trek actors across multiple generations. Levar Burton was the centerpiece and was then brought out on stage to discuss the experience. My main takeaway was that it is a communication game in the vein of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, or Space Team. It only has the movie license and not the show which is odd, and some of the movement and graphics seemed sub par, but it is an early build. I would play this with a group of people for sure.

Moving back into mainstream gaming, the next demo was on For Honor. I have never been excited about this game but the combat does look interesting. Stances and positioning your attacks seems key to winning at combat. It seems like the kind of game that will be frustrating until you get good at it.

My favorite surprise was Trials of the Blood Dragon (although this had leaked prior to the show due to ESRB and images getting out). I doubt I will play this unless it goes free to GWG or PS+, but I have always been impressed by the syle of the Blood Dragon games. Just the fact that they are making Blood Dragon into a franchise and pulling other game series to make them is crazy to me. My next hope is for Rayman Blood Dragon.

Watch_Dogs 2 gave us a new gameplay demo and trailer. The new game is set in San Francisco and features a new protagonist. It is goofy in a way that is hard to describe. I can't tell if the vibe of the game is serious or tongue in cheek. If they are trying to be serious then it comes off as tone deaf and if it is a parody then it doesn't make that obvious. The first game seemed to be a disappointment to most people but I still hold out hope for the possibility of this game. Ubisoft has made vasty improvements with sequels before (see: Assassin's Creed).

Finally they ended the show with Steep, an open world mountain sport game featuring skiing, snowboarding, wingsuiting and more. I have been a fan of these types of games in the past, particularly SSX, but this one came across as kind of bland to me.

At the very end the entire Ubisoft team came out following a montage of how they are a team of free and running developers. The undertones were obvious with the pending buyout from Vivendi. I hope Ubisoft remains free to make the games they want to, there have been some amazing work coming out from them over the years covering multiple genres and age ranges. I look forward to seeing them continue to make amazing software!

Thursday, June 23, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses Post E3 - Microsoft Press Conference


Hello Hot Sauce Nation! SirOrin here with part 3 of our Post-E3 Hot Sauce Off the Presses!

Monday morning kicked off the first of the big three shows with the Microsoft Press Conference. Lagging behind the Sony Playstation in sales, I was curious to see how they would handle being the current runner up. I was especially intrigued to see if they would even talk about the new and improved Xbox One that was leaked prior to the show or whether they would focus only on the slimmer Xbox One S. As it turns out, they leaned pretty hard into the new box called "Project Scorpio" at the end of the show. Read below for my full impressions.

~ SirOrin


HotSauce Off the Presses for the Microsoft Press Conference


I wondered if we would see both new console
models at the show. Spoiler alert: Yes
Microsoft Press Conference

Microsoft opened with the reveal of their new slim console, the Xbox One S. Other than being 40% smaller than the current system, it is also slightly more powerful and can support 4K video. Microsoft also rolled out their "Play Anywhere" cross-buy initiative which basically means all Xbox games are now also coming to PC. Expect to have to purchase them through the Windows store though. Microsoft has been slowly combining their Xbox and Windows catalogs so this isn't too surprising given the current market, but I am pleased to see it happening either way.

For their first game, Microsoft showed off the next Gears of War, including an extended co-op gameplay demo. I have never played the Gears series but to me it looks like more Gears. Also, General Raam is coming to Killer Instinct. That game is slowly becoming Smash Brothers: Xbox with characters from Halo, Gears, and the Rare lineup.

Next up was Forza Horizon 3 which looked like another Forza Horizon game, although the helicopter airdrop as an animation for players joining your server was incredible. Following speedy racecars was Recore, an interesting idea in a not very interesting looking game. After the show it came out that it is apparently only going to cost $40 which is somewhat strange. The B-tier game may be making a comeback.

I was surprised to see Final Fantasy XV on the Microsft stage, but also the boss fight demo they showed was not very exciting. I have seen demos for that game that make me want to play it, but seeing someone get knocked down by a behemoth over and over was not a good look. Next was The Division which got a DLC announcement. That game seems to have come and gone in our circle but it is Ubisoft's equivalent to Destiny so they will probably support it for a while. There was also another Battlefield 1 preview and somehow over the course of three days I am over all of this coverage already. You can tell they really want this to be the year Battlefield overtakes Call of Duty. Finally, the creators of Limbo showed off a teaser for their next game that looked quite good called Inside. And it comes out the end of this month which is also nice.

The console itself got some new features. Being able to play background music, the Cortana voice assistance, and a looking for group feature were the highlights. Also, they now sell customizable controllers on their website. Personally, I want to get one with an engraving that says "Playstation" on it. Also, the guy who screamed out "Chat Pad" during requested accessories is my hero.

There was a moment where Microsoft brought out Minecraft (which I keep forgetting they bought) and showed off all the cross buy features and it was bizarre seeing an iPad on stage at a Microsoft event. Even more bizarre was John Carmack wearing a VR headset promoting Minecraft. I was hopeful he would just go on an engineering rant for twenty minutes.

There was an indie game montage with a lot of cool looking games. It was not quite as exciting as it could have been since a large portion of these games are already available on PC but cool nonetheless. Their big feature on We Happy Few was one of my favorite moments of the whole event though. This game looks right up my alley and I can't wait to play this game. Despite looking similar to Bioshock I have heard that it is an open world, rogue-like of some sort. I'm hoping it turns out great.

I don't have much to say about Gwent since I haven't gotten around to The Witcher 3 yet but it is cool to see a studio like CD Project Red becoming a major force in the games industry. I remember being very confused about a lot of things in the first Witcher. So to see them become a premiere fantasy RPG right up there with Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age is inspiring.

They finally brought out Tekken 7, but it is taking forever to come to home console in my opinion. This game has been out  in arcades and at tournaments so I'm not sure what is taking so long, unless it is all of the story-mode features. It was weird seeing Akuma playing like Akuma in a Tekken game though. Was that a super meter?

Dead Rising 4 was already leaked but I was still happy to see it on the show. I like holiday themed games and have been a big fan of Dead Rising in the past. Staying on the zombie theme, State of Decay 2 was also announced which had a pretty devoted fan base. If they clean it up, it could be special.

Scalebound was back and just like Final Fantasy, it didn't show well to me. It was just a long and confusing boss battle that didn't show that Platinum Games flair I am used to. For some reason it kind of reminded me of Lost Planet which probably isn't a good thing.

My second favorite game at this event was probably Sea of Thieves. I have been curious about it since they announced it and the gameplay seems like a interesting take on the survival/co-op genres. My biggest problem will be to find a crew to man a pirate ship probably.

Halo came out with another preview of Halo Wars 2. If there was ever a game to benefit from all Xbox One games now coming to PC, this would be the winner. I think some people really like the first Halo Wars, maybe because it did a decent job of being a console RTS, or maybe because the whole idea of it was bizarre but it's coming back.

Finally, Microsoft went more in depth on the upgraded Xbox One known as "Project Scorpio". They make it sound like this console will have VR headset support but didn't clarify what that means. Given their existing relationship with Oculus Rift, that would make the most sense. This console is reported to be 4 times as powerful as the current Xbox One and will be the most powerful console when it comes out, even compared to the Playstation 4 Neo. Just like Playstation however, all Xbox One games will have to be compatible with both the new and old versions of the console. That most likely means the biggest improvements will be with things like frame rate, texture quality, possibly load times, etc. The fear is that the original versions of the consoles will have significantly worse experiences but I would be somewhat surprised to see this happen. If for no other reason than the fact that these consoles will most likely have a much larger install base for the remainder of this generation. I could be wrong, but I really hope not.

And that wraps it up for the Microsoft press conference. This was a much bigger write-up than I anticipated but this is one of the top 2 shows at the event. All in all, I think they did a good job. Combining PC and Xbox when they are behind the Playstation in sales is smart. There are some very good first party titles coming out and they seem to be keeping pace with 3rd party support. The biggest question to be answered is how the sales of the Scorpio compare to the Neo, or if they even matter. It should be a good year and future for Microsoft based on what we've seen.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses Post E3 - Bethesda Press Conference


Hello Hot Sauce Nation! SirOrin here with part 2 of our Post-E3 Hot Sauce Off the Presses!

The second conference of E3 was the Bethesda Press Conference. This was the second year in a row they have done a show and it looks like they are here to stay. Unlike last year there was no immediate game available like with Fallout Shelter but it was still a good offering.

~ SirOrin


HotSauce Off the Presses for the Bethesda Press Conference


Any press conference that focuses on Skyrim mods and
doesn't have Macho Man is a disappointment.
Bethesda Press Conference

After the success of Doom this year, it was only a matter of time before Bethesda and Id moved on to Quake. And the influence of Overwatch seems already apparent with what appears to be a FPS hero shooter. We need more time and information to make an informed opinion but it seems promising.

Several  years ago there was a really cool looking Blade Runner inspired trailer for Prey 2. That was completely scrapped but now there is a completely redone Prey coming. It seems very atmospheric and you appear to be on a space station/ship being hunted by an unknown creature. However, I'm not certain why this is being called Prey. It doesn't seem to be tied to the old series at all and I don't think that franchise carries enough clout that the name is going to improve sales much. But it does give Id some strong sounding titles in Doom, Quake, and Prey.

Bethesda next announced both Fallout 4 VR and Skyrim Remastered. Both of these things seem like they were probably already possible on the PC with mods, but they still looked impressive. Also, as expected, mods are coming to consoles very soon. But I wouldn't expect mods that improve graphics or add famous wrestlers to make it through certification.

Finally, the focus was put on Dishonored 2. I never got to play the first game but it was well liked for a stealth action game. This preview showed a large gameplay trailer and some various combat encounters. Visually, it was very stunning and looked quite interesting. It didn't sell me on getting this  day one but it does make me interested in going back and giving the first game a shot.

And that was it for Bethesda. Not a huge show but still strong enough for a company of their size. I look forward to next year where I expect the next Elder Scrolls game to be announced.

Friday, June 17, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses Post E3 2016 - EA Press Conference

Hello Hot Sauce Nation! SirOrin here with my "Post-E3" issues of Hot Sauce Off the Presses!

Yesterday wrapped up the final day of E3 and we had quite a few surprises as well as a number of confirmed leaks reveal themselves either on the floor or in a press conference. Below you will see my impressions of the various press conferences. Each day I will go over a different publisher. Overall I would say this was a solid year for E3 and it is my favorite time of the year for games!

Previously on TXK Hot Sauce: Mattikus continues to chronicle his journey through Valkyria Chronicles as well as opening his first packs in Hearthstone, Rex continues down the indie RPG path with To The Moon and Home, Keys has mercy on his teammates in Overwatch and Tree of Savior.

New/Upcoming releases we are excited about: Rhythm Heaven Megamix, Mighty No. 9 (I will believe this is out when I see it).
~ SirOrin

HotSauce Off the Presses for the EA Press Conference



This was by far one of the "high" lights of Battlefield 1.
#WEED3

EA decided to open the show with Titanfall 2, which was a great idea because this game shows amazingly well. It looks like the fast paced, multiplayer focused game we came to love in the first Titanfall and it is obvious Respawn knows how to make a FPS multiplayer game. However, the biggest draw for me was the addition of a single player campaign. The narrative they seem to be trying to tell looks very cool and I love a good sentient robot story.

As always, EA also spent a lot of time going over their sports lineup. I have played my fair share of Madden over the years, as well as dabbling in their other franchises. That said, I was pretty bored during this segment. But hearing the one kid explain how he broke his collarbone during a footrace with untied shoelaces had me rolling with laughter. These kids should not be handed a microphone.

Next was the trailer for Mass Effect and this is probably one of my most anticipated games over the next year. I am a huge fan of the series and am one of the people who didn't hate the ending to Mass Effect 3. This game is set in a distant part of the universe and looks really well made. It was surprising to see the Mako back but I also liked that in Mass Effect 1 so this was exciting to me and I can't wait to see more.

After a brief segment focusing on soccer, EA moved on to a smaller new IP called "Fe". Despite not really getting interested in many of EA's smaller games like Unraveled I highly respect them for putting a focus on new and small projects.

Speaking of things that are neither new, nor small. Star Wars will be one of the new backbones for EA. I expect a million Star Wars games to come out over the next few years and based on the trailers, I'm not wrong. I have enjoyed a number of Star Wars games, such as the Rogue Squadron games as well as the Dark Forces franchise, so I have high hopes, but by far the best looking Star Wars game they showed was the new Amy Hennig game with Visceral. It was a very brief scene shown but it looks incredible and she is great at building worlds and characters.

Finally, they ended with a huge Battlefield 1 segment including a "celebrity match" featuring some of the most intoxicated and high celebrities they could find in LA. Snoop Dog was literally smoking a joint and playing the game at one point (see above). And Jamie Foxx and Zac Efron looked completely lost, both in the game and in real life. As for the game itself, it mostly just looked like a World War 1 skin on Battlefield to me but I could be missing the nuance.

All in all it was a very good press conference, but you can tell this is a company that focuses mainly on sports and shooters. For better or worse.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

HotSauce Off the Presses for the Week of 6-09-16

Hello Hot Sauce Nation! SirOrin here with a "special" issue of Hot Sauce Off the Presses!

A-Kon went amazing for our streaming crew. The team who went down had an amazing time and we hope all of you enjoyed the tournaments on the channel!

On the news side of things, E3 news is coming hot and heavy. Rather than a traditional news post I am just going to go over the main leaks and pre-announcements so far. Once E3 proper wraps up, we will return for our impressions and the biggest announcements of the week!

Previously on TXK Hot Sauce: The TXK Hot Sauce crew streams tournaments at A-Kon 2016 in Dallas! Also, Mattikus begins work on the Valkyria Chronicles, Keys and company make sure the heroes never die in Overwatch as well as gets his MMO time in with Tree of Savior.

New/Upcoming releases we are excited about: Dangerous Golf, Mirror's Edge Catalyst and Kirby: Planet Robobot.
~ SirOrin

HotSauce Off the Presses for the Week of 6-09-16

So unlike most weeks, there will not be a big writeup with links to the big stories. Instead, I would like to simply list out all of the big pre-E3 game announcements. Some of these are confirmed while others are only highly rumored but either way we will have our answers in a few days. We will return late next week with impressions and to see how many of these turned out to be true. See you all on the other side!

Confirmed

Agents of M.A.Y.H.E.M. - A new game from the Saint's Row developers Volition.
Dishonored 2 - Previously confirmed but part of the leaked lineup for Bethesda.
Watch_Dogs 2 - This one leaked on some pre-roll Twitch ads but has now been confirmed.
Injustice 2 - Thanks to GameStop for this leak. That means we can expect MK 11 in about 2019.
Destiny: Rise of Iron - (DLC) This may have been announced but details will be released prior to E3.
Zelda (WiiU/NX) - This has been known forever but is probably the most anticpated single title at the show.

Rumored

Dead Rising 4 - Sequel to the Microsoft series, rumored to once again star Frank West.
Forza Horizon 3 - Sequel to the more open world series of Forza
Wolfenstein 2 - Sequel to the highly revered MachineGames entry Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Evil Within 2 - Sequel to the survival horror game from the creator of Resident Evil.
Prey 2 - Sequel to the 3D Realms game that is completely reworked from the previously announced Prey 2.
Skyrim Remastered - This one would make sense with the mod scene coming to the consoles soon.

Finally, I expect the details on the upgraded PS4 and Xbox One to finally be announced at the show (as well as the Xbox One Slim). It looks to be an exciting show and we will bring you all the info late next week. See you then!
~SirOrin