dorkymohr

More than a few companies made announcements during their press conferences related to games being available for free during E3. A lot seemed to be efforts to get you into their dedicated game download clients but if you don't give a fuss about that here are some games available for free now and for a limited time.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops III available for free for Playstation Plus subscribers. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0002-CUSA02290_00-BLACKOPS3GAME000
• For Honor (Starter Edition) available through the UPlay https://free.ubisoft.com/promotions/for_honor/26/pc/login
• Quake Champions I think Bethesda has a launcher app but it's also free on steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/611500/Quake_Champions/
• Ziggurat I don't think this is tied to any specific e3 announcement but it's free for a limited time on GoG Galaxy and GoG's site. https://www.gog.com/game/ziggurat

Have I missed any special promotions so far during E3? I realize a lot of sales go on during E3 but I wanted to have a clean list of stuff that is available for no, money down!

Absolutely, but I've made friends at work and I'm able to tell who would take it in good humor.

Spelunky, Celeste, Soldat, Super Mario Maker, Worms: Armageddon

and Cave Story, because I read @brunothethird 's list.

lol nice

Billy Mitchell... Since the deep state has it out for our King of Kong, our Cultan of Centipede, our Mr. Ms. Pac-Man, I've decided the only way to help our hero out is to review a single 5oz bottle of World Famous Ricky's Louisiana Hot Sauce bought off Amazon for $9.95 plus shipping. No prime 2-day delivery on this one boys, Bezo's got enough scratch.

Right off the bat, the packaging is remarkably un-Billy. There's no imagery of retro games, patriotic symbols, or even Billy's name anywhere. This is maybe the most surprising part of the whole experience to me. A lot of marketing in the hot sauce business is based on bravado and posturing, something that Billy has never shied away from. Instead a crude cartoon chicken is featured most prominently on a very primary color focused backdrop and text treatment. A bit hokey and amusing but nothing that strikes fear into the heart of the potential consumer.

It's SO unlike Billy Mitchell that I was still unconvinced that he had anything to do with this despite there being photos of him with an arm around a jug of this stuff and giving a proud thumbs up. Eventually I discovered a URL on the label that read rickeyshotsauce.com. Instead of more information all I found was a dead domain. Digging deeper I found a listicle on a site called Paste Magazine that said that Rickey's is a restaurant chain within Billy Mitchell's family. It still begs the question who is "Rickey" and how he's managed to keep what is presumably Billy's most famous sauce unadorned with Billy's name and face.

Moving onto ingredients, again we have a modesty that seems to run antithetical to Mitchell's larger than life persona. Only four simple ingredients: Louisiana Aged Red Cayenne Peppers, Vinegar, Garlic and Salt. There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of these ingredients. Plenty of amazing sauces use similar ones as a jumping off point or just by themselves. I happen to like cayenne a lot and there's nothing wrong with simplicity but there are certainly more complex tasting peppers out there. Additional note: if you see an ingredient list like this, typically it's safe to store outside the refrigerator, which is convenient! Sauces with more additives such as fruit should be stored in the fridge.

As for taste, I'll divide it into a few different quadrants. Flavor-wise you can taste all the ingredients and they're not overpowered by the heat. It doesn't last too long though, just as I'm getting the garlic and vinegar essence they start to quickly fade and I'm left with something that is vaguely ketchupy. For the type of hot sauce this is the heat is pretty up there and it does linger, though still nothing someone would start crying over if they weren't expecting it. Interestingly, this is a pretty thick sauce. A far cry from a watery Tabasco, this will stand up as big globs on eggs or tacos. Downside to that is that I could barely get it out of the bottle with the rubber spout that it was bottled with. I ended up removing it.

Rickey's is a sauce that doesn't run with the bad boys that have you chugging milk with your nose running. It's busy hanging out with the good ol' boys Sriracha, Franks Red Hot, Cholula, Tabasco, Tapatio, etc. This is a sauce you put on food, not in food, it's a condiment. That said, it doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from the others in its class. If you had to compare, it's somewhere between Franks and Cholula, two very popular sauces that each have aspects that give each their own identity that stands out. Rickey's is unremarkably decent but chances are it'd be on no ones mind if it didn't have a tangential namesake to Billy Mitchell. Add to that that it's much harder to find without forking over too much money just so you could review it on a videogame forum. Three stars out of five.

★★★☆☆

I always thought Dinklage as a pseudo Mitchell was way to spot on and clever for how not-clever the movie is.

But I like da show!

The atmosphere is everything. Whatever else in the movie that doesn't stand up to scrutiny is overshadowed by what an amazing tone/mood/setting/experience it is.

I'm actually very relieved this xmas. My parents are moving condos and my brother has a newborn baby girl so we're all just avoiding the xmas travel and instead going to see each other on new years. As a family we all shared and went through a lot this year so it's nice that we're all on the same wavelength as we wrap up the year.

I pretty much live off youtube. I often just get sick of traditional TV and much prefer youtube channels that offer more niche, less scripted, less stressful entertainment. For fun, I've also decided to just ignore gaming related channels as they often share a lot of similarities across multiple channels. This is somewhat inspired by the bombcast email of weird youtube rabbitholes you've gone down, but I genuinely enjoy these so they're not just for gawking at.

Worth It by Buzzfeed Video:

Buzzfeed is like often pretty cringey with how bubbly and millennial-y it is. This series is my favorite though. It's a unique concept where they try various foods at different price points.

Mark Kermode (and Simon Mayo)

Very thoughtful film critic. Part of a british radio show. Brief but gives you all you need to know about a movie.

TabiEats

These two do food reviews in Japan, usually mostly fast food and snacks. They're really adorable.

Primitive Technology

No commentary at all. Just a dude making crazy living implements entirely from scratch. Like literally, everything he makes is just from dirt, twigs and rocks.

TNT Amusements

Might be cheating a bit with this one since it is technically "gaming". A Pennsylvania Pinball and Arcade repair shop with an owner born with the heart of a showman. Todd jokes with his employees who don't quite get his vibe, and edits his own videos in a way that would make Tim and Eric blush. Super endearing.

Hot Ones by First We Feast and Complex

You've probably heard of this one, because it's blown up like crazy. It's an interview show where the guests and host (sean who's great btw) eat progressively spicier chicken wings as the show goes on.

Numberphile

Science and math. A lot of this channel often goes over my head. But it's so unapologetically nerdy and fascinating.

The Tommy Edison Experience

An extremely infectious personality who's also blind. Frank and honest, he's open about describing his experiences to his viewers.

BAR-TIMES

Japanese cocktails. It's relaxing watching people who have honed their craft so finely. Makes you feel classier by watching.

Dead Mall Series by This is Dan Bell

Urban exploration. Focus is on malls that have been abandoned. Like attending a funeral for capitalism.

So what are some of yours?