Alexmcmillan, Author at Hard Drive

Lore Dump Incoming: Guy In Crime Documentary Just Sat Down In an Empty Chair

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Brad Waters

Get ready for a good old-fashioned lore dump, because this kinda gruff-looking guy just showed up 40 minutes into this crime documentary and sat down in a chair framed by ominous shadows. He’s definitely about to blow our goddamn minds.

What makes us so certain? Isn’t it obvious? Every crime documentary ever has its craziest moments when a dude sits down in a chair. A dude sitting in a chair is the Marvel-characters-in-a-boardroom-with-their-arms-crossed of the crime documentary genre. Remember when that guy in the Fyre Fest documentary, Fyre, sat down in a chair and said he was literally ready to suck another man’s dick to get bottles of Evian water supplied for the Fyre Festival? Yeah, that’s the level of lore we’re about to receive from this guy.

Although he hasn’t even started spouting his undoubtedly intricate lore yet, due to the fact that this man’s top button is undone, which suggests a level of comfortability or informality, we’re willing to bet he’s a childhood friend of the victim. Or maybe he’s a former detective who was on the case years ago but has since retired to become a humble pastry chef. Oh, wait, shush, he’s starting to talk now.

The name “Phil” just popped up in a chyron beneath the guy’s face as he was starting to talk about how it all started years ago. But hold on, this couldn’t be the Phil, could it? The one that we know from the court depositions gave the killer the idea to fake his wife’s suicide to claim her inheritance during a brief encounter when they were both drinking at a local bar?

The editors just slapped some Gaussian blur on everything in the shot but the guy in the chair. Holy shit. This lore dump is about to go crazy.

Wait a minute, a chilling piano sting just scuttled into the soundtrack and a question mark popped up next to the name “Phil”. He’s talking about how Phil was just an alibi that he used while going out to drink. His name isn’t really Phil? Then who is this guy? Who was he all along?

Holy shit. The whole thing just shifted into a sepia-tone flashback with photos of this guy’s grandfather and his journals. The grandfather was a legendary detective, and he was working on the side of law enforcement the whole time? Wow, we really hope someone turns all of this crazy lore into a video game.

How to Level Up Pokemon Faster in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Kaan Serin

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s new open world means that you can go anywhere in the Paldea region from the very beginning of the adventure. With so much freedom, it’s easy to stumble onto high-level Pokemon that you’re unprepared for accidentally. Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to level up Pokemon faster and farm for XP in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

Our method involves going to North Province (Area Three), eating Ham Sandwiches, and hunting wild Chansey’s to get thousands of XP per battle easily. Chansey’s are easy to defeat at any level, so you can use this method in the early hours of Scarlet & Violet or in the late stages to level up weaker Pokemon.

Where To Level Up Pokemon Faster In Scarlet & Violet

To take advantage of this XP exploit, you’ll need to travel to North Province (Area Three.) Luckily, you can get to North Province the minute you get access to Koraidon and Miraidon. Getting to North Province doesn’t require the ability to swim or fly, so it’s possible to use this method to prepare for the Titan battles in the Path Of Legends quest line.

Simply set a destination on the map for North Province (Area Three), then begin your trek. Ride Koraidon or Miraidon through the South Province, West Province, Asado Desert, and Glasdeo Mountain until you reach the grassy hill next to a Team Star base.

You’ll encounter plenty of high-level Pokémon during the journey there, so if you’re not sufficiently leveled, be sure to avoid wild Pokémon. For example, the Chanseys in North Province (Area Three) will be around Level 46-55.

How To Use The Ham Sandwich To Farm Quick XP in Scarlet & Violet

A Ham Sandwich is essential for this method of fast XP farming. One of the Meal Powers for a Ham Sandwich is Encounter Power: Normal – this will make normal-type Pokémon more common in areas where they naturally appear. This means that eating a Ham Sandwich will cause an endless drove of Chansey to pop up in the area, giving you plenty of XP fodder.

To make a Ham Sandwich, you’ll first need to prepare your ingredients. You’ll need ham, pickles, mayonnaise, and mustard to create a Ham Sandwich. You can buy these ingredients at the various delis across Paldea’s towns and cities.

Once you have the ingredients, set up a picnic table from the menu and select the Ham Sandwich. After a quick sandwich-making mini-game, you’ll get the buffs associated with the sandwich. Now that you have a full belly, you’re free to hunt the sea of innocent Chansey as much as you want.

Defeating The Wild Chansey: Level Up Pokemon Faster in Scarlet & Violet

If your party of Pokémon are at slightly lower levels, defeating the Chansey can take a long time, but it’s still possible. Chansey has quite a low Attack stat, so they’ll really struggle to knock out any of your Pokémon. Chansey also has a low Defense stat, even though its Special Defense is high. As a result, you should aim to use Pokémon with more physical moves that can deal more damage to Chansey.

The only move you need to watch out for is Soft-Boiled, which will restore Chansey’s HP. If you’re not dealing enough damage to Chansey to offset the healing, wait until its PP has run out. You could instead try to paralyze Chansey using an electric-type move to stop it from regenerating.

If the wild Chansey are still too much of a threat, your best option is to use a ghost-type Pokémon against Chansey. Chansey is a normal-type, meaning its normal-type attacks will not affect a ghost Pokémon. The opposite is also true, so make sure you use TMs and teach your ghost-type Pokémon moves of various types.

Every time you defeat a Chansey in this area, your main Pokémon will receive ~5,000 XP, while the other Pokémon in your party will receive 1,000-3,000 XP, depending on their level. Low-level Poké-friends can level up multiple times after one quick battle with a Chansey.

Alternatively, you could auto-battle multiple Chansey once you’re at a higher level than them. However, this will only net a few hundred XP per Chansey rather than a few thousand.

Either way, using Ham Sandwiches to spawn wild Chansey is currently the best way to farm for XP and level up your Pokémon fast in Scarlet & Violet. Happy hunting!

God of War Ragnarok Nornir Chests: Forbidden Sands Chest

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Ian Ager

The Forbidden Sands area of Alfheim opens up after your first jaunt to Vanaheim. As long as you’ve found sigil arrows, you can do this Nornir Chest. You’ll find the first Nornir Chest in this region easily enough, but finding the other Forbidden Sands Nornir Chest is a bit trickier.

Where to Find the Forbidden Sands Nornir Chest

Start out by finding this wall in the northeastern part of the Forbidden Sands, underneath the Elven Library. You’ll need to break through the small section at the base with your melee attacks.

Inside, you’ll find the Chest, surrounded by some Hive Matter and some statues.

First, remove the Hive Matter by throwing your Leviathan Axe at this mirror crystal to the left.

God of War Ragnarok Forbidden Sands: Nornir Chest Puzzle Solution

This chest is one of the three braziers style puzzles, but the braziers are all too far away for Kratos’ blades to reach. Luckily, you’ve got Sigil arrows by now, so with a little outside-the-box arrow placement, the coals aren’t too hard to light.

You can light the brazier to the north with a single large sigil bubble, then a follow-up sigil arrow into the fire, like so:

Looking southward in the cave, you’ll find a brazier with a little cooking fire down the hall behind it. Use your companion’s sigil arrows to chain two larger sigil bubbles together, then hit the fire with another sigil arrow.

The final brazier is hidden behind a Hive shutter. Place large sigil arrow bubbles on the pillar and cave lip just below it, so that you can chain an explosion from the brazier you just lit to the brazier behind the shutter. Then, fire a sonic arrow at the shutter to open it, then switch back to sigil arrows and fire one at the lit brazier to detonate the chain and spread the fire up.

Your reward is an open Nornir Chest! Enjoy your apple or blood mead! Still on the hunt for Nornir Chests? Check out our guide to find the Nornir Chest in The Barrens!

How to Evolve Girafarig Into Farigiraf in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Daniel Solomon

As is tradition with the series, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is out on the nostalgia offensive, coming for your hearts and wallets by offering new evolutions for older Pokémon. Farigiraf, Girafarig’s new Paldean evolution, is arguably more deserving of its official designation as a “long neck Pokémon,” and while it’s not a tricky one to evolve, there is a critical step to be mindful of in the process. Read on for the low-down on how to evolve Girafarig.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: What Level Does Girafarig Evolve?

If you wanna get your hands on the new psychic giraffe evolution, you’ve first gotta catch a Girafarig. They’re a common find in West Province, near to Porto Marinada. Make your way through the Asado Desert and once you’re back in pastures green, there’ll be plenty of ‘em knocking about.

To then evolve your Girafarig into a Firagarif, you’ve got to level it up to 32, at which point it can learn the Twin Beam move. This is the vital step we mentioned earlier – if you don’t learn the move, then your Girafarig won’t evolve.

All is not lost if you don’t learn the move there and then though, as you can now remember past moves through the Rotom Phone menu. If you check the summary of your Girafarig in there, you’ll see the option to remember moves. So long, move tutors! Nice knowing you!

Twin Beam is a unique move to Farigiraf, which is currently the only known Pokémon that can learn it. Aside from it being vital to trigger the evolution, here’s some stats about the move itself:

Type	Psychic
Category	Special
Power	40
PP	10
Accuracy	100%

Like most Special category moves, Twin Beam doesn’t make contact, meaning you won’t face contact penalties, such as you’d face for hitting an opponent with a physical category move if they’d just used Spiky Shield. It’s also unaffected by Magic Coat and Snatch, though an opponent using Protect will block the move. Mirror Move will copy it, too.

There you have it – the pair of palindrome Pokémon are now yours for the battlin’. And while you’re out in Paldea building up your Pokédex, be sure to check out our guide on how to evolve Greavard too.

Street Sign Trampled by DDR Fan

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Kyle Erf

NEW YORK — A directional street sign that had fallen to the ground was spotted and absolutely trampled by a local Dance Dance Revolution enthusiast, sources have confirmed.

“Yeah, that dude went fucking apeshit on that arrow on the ground,” said Renee Barrett, a bystander that witnessed the incident. “I’ve never quite seen anything like it. It looked like he was just minding his business, and then when he saw that sign he dropped all of his shit on the ground like it was some kind of instinct and he just started stomping on it in some of the weirdest ways I’ve ever seen somebody stomp on anything.”

Other onlookers identified the man’s peculiar style of trample dancing as that of an avid Dance Dance Revolution player.

“Oh yeah, I’d recognize that unmistakable style of flailing anywhere, that’s one of those DDR guys,” said Albert Day, a local citizen that was passing by. “My brother got into that shit pretty heavy in college. My parents were really worried for a while until I told them it was relatively harmless. They believed me until he shattered his ankle, too. Anyway, I think that guy’s playing it wrong. I mean, there’s not even music or anything. He’s sort of just jumping up and down on that arrow on the ground, as far as I can tell.”

As of press time, the guy trampling the street sign had apparently called a few of his DDR friends and they were taking turns stomping on the street sign.

Film Historians Restore and Colorize Robert Eggers ‘The Lighthouse’

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Zachery Eubanks

LOS ANGELES — A group of film historians led by director Peter Jackson have digitally retouched and colorized Robert Eggers’ black and white 2019 film The Lighthouse to widespread acclaim.

“He would have loved to see this,” said Jackson, who previously oversaw the colorization of World War 1 footage for his documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. “I imagine budget constraints or equipment troubles resulted in needing to use the primitive cinematography techniques displayed in his film. Sadly, we may never know the real reason for the black and white footage. Either way, I’m glad we can finally bring Eggers’ vision to life after all of these years… these three long years.”

Online film aficionados took the opportunity to reevaluate and praise the bygone film.

“Oh yeah, the improvements are tremendous,” said Twitter user Trevor “@HollywoodBricABrac” Grant. “I enjoyed the film originally for what it was, a cheap little black and white flick with some incredible performances. But now that it’s been fixed I can see what color jackets everybody is wearing and stuff like that and deduce what it all means thematically. I don’t usually like watching old movies, but in this case I’m glad I made an exception!”

Viewers weren’t the only ones delighted to hear about the film’s restoration.

“Oh hot dog, it’s about fucking time,” said Willem Dafoe, one of the stars of The Lighthouse. “I remember going to the set every day and marveling at it the composition of it all: the colors, the contrasts, the blue water in the background. I couldn’t wait to see it on the big screen. And then at the premiere, I’ll never forget it, the thing looked like a goddamn I Love Lucy episode. I wouldn’t have wasted a month in the cold making that movie if I knew it was gonna look like a student film. These [colorization] guys are doing the lord’s work.”

As of press time, Jackson and their crew had turned their attention to the first couple episodes of WandaVision.

Steven Spielberg Reveals ‘The Fabelmans’ Is Inspired by His Real Childhood Experience of Being Raised by Paul Dano

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Camden Brazile

LOS ANGELES — Director Steven Spielberg, whose latest film ‘The Fabelmans’ releases this week, revealed that the film is a deeply personal exploration of his own childhood experience of being raised by actor Paul Dano.

“I’ll never forget when I was six, my dad sat me down and said ‘My name is Paul Dano. I’m an immortal being from far away, and in seventy years you’re going to cast me in one of your films,’” Spielberg explained. “From that point on, I was hooked on all things film. I had so many questions about how a camera worked, what made a good script, and why my dad disappeared for twenty years only to reappear as a child in ‘There Will Be Blood.’ This new movie is very much about myself, my journey as a filmmaker, and Paul Dano’s seemingly fluctuating imprint on the timestream.”

Dano explained that working with Spielberg was a challenging yet rewarding endeavor.

“It’s a bit intimidating working with Steven, who’s one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and also my son from sixty years ago,” Dano said. “The material is so powerful, but I was able to connect with the character right away after realizing it was fulfilling the prophecy I created back when he was in middle school. It was tough not intervening all those years, but it was all worth it to play this character and close the loop in the timeline once and for all.”

Critics have already taken note of the deeply personal father and son moments in ‘The Fabelmans.’

“Dano has such a light touch as an actor, and the scene where he sits his son down and tells him that he has no choice but to become a director to further his own father’s career years later is so touching,” said Vulture film writer Nathan Welder. “It made me think of my own childhood, when Paul Dano was my dad.”

At press time, Spielberg admitted that he wishes he cut the scene where his mom buys a monkey, because “obviously none of that shit ever happened.”

Mom Explains to Son That Her New Boyfriend Is Officially Canon

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Kevin Podas

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Courtney McBride announced to her son Aidan McBride this week that her new boyfriend, Steve Adams, is now officially canon to the McBride family household.

“Aidan asked me why Steve was moving in some of his things this week, and I explained that it’s because Steve is officially canon now,” Courtney said. “He’s going to be driving Aiden to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and watching him on Saturdays when I have to work. Steve’s addition to the canon of our household wasn’t an easy decision to make, but he’s good with Aiden, so I felt that upgrading his profile on the McBride family wiki was the right choice.”

Aiden appeared to take the news of Steve’s canonization in stride.

“After so many filler arcs and ‘boyfriend-of-the-week’ scenarios, I’m glad mom finally decided to settle down,” said Aiden, who has gotten invested in previous boyfriends only to be left hanging in the end. “Steve takes me to get ice cream after baseball games even if we win or lose, and doesn’t tell mom if I stay up late playing Minecraft on a school night. Really couldn’t have asked for a nicer guy to be canonized.”

According to those familiar with the situation, Steve was relieved to hear that he would be sharing the same licensed, authorized universe with the McBrides going forward.

“No one was really sure if I mattered to the plot or not for these past seven months, and sometimes I started to worry that all this character development would go to waste,” said Adams. “It’s comforting to know that I will be integral to the family’s storyline from now on.”

At press time, Courtney and Steve were already focused on creating the next addition to the team, an entirely new character to be named soon.

Kyle Rittenhouse Is Coming to ‘Dead by Daylight’

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Brandon Puff

Dead by Daylight is getting a massive new free DLC update, with players now getting to hunt down survivors as iconic killer Kyle Rittenhouse!

Background:

Rittenhouse, the famed Kenosha Washington shooter, has been awoken by The Entity to patrol the Dead by Daylight maps, gunning down generators and hooking innocent protestors. Rittenhouse comes complete with his trusty assault rifle, and is available with both his trademark backwards baseball cap plus surgical gloves skin and his courthouse suit ensemble.

In Dead by Daylight lore, The Entity was remarkably impressed with the 19 year old’s ability to kill without remorse or punishment, and recruited Rittenhouse after giving him a special appearance on its late night conservative talk show. Now, he wanders the all-new RNC map looking for liberal stragglers to meet their demise.

Gameplay and Perks:

Players can utilize Rittenhouse’s signature ‘Self Defense’ perk, allowing him to claim self defense after hooking a survivor, giving him a short speed boost to avoid persecution or reprisal.

Rittenhouse’s ‘Second Amendment’ perk lets him abuse oversights in the U.S. Constitution to improve his primary weapon as the match goes on with no form of cooldown or legislation delaying his attacks.

His third unique killer perk is ‘Stand Your Ground’, allowing him more precise aim on fleeing, unarmed targets.

His passive ability ‘Carlson’s Blessing’ affords him a special endorsement from the dark energy of Tucker Carlson, effectively giving Rittenhouse a buff against all minority survivors, causing any non-white survivor to suffer a bleeding effect for thirty seconds after being hit.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: 10 Best Early Game Pokemon

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Kaan Serin

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet features the first open world in the mainline series, meaning you have more options than ever for the best early game Pokemon. Plenty of different Pokémon species are waiting in Paldea’s opening areas, so we’ve compiled a list of the best early Pokémon to catch before the first two gyms. These Pokémon will give you an edge in the opening gyms but will also cover types that will be useful for the rest of the game.

Since gyms are non-linear this time around, we’re classing Cortondo Gym (Bug Gym) and Artazon Gym (Grass Gym) as the first two since they’re the lowest-level gyms and the closest to the game’s opening city, Mesagoza.

Growlithe – Best Scarlet & Violet Early Pokemon

Growlithe can be caught in the rocky roads leading to Artazon, South Province (Area Three.)

There aren’t many fire-type Pokémon to choose from in the early hours of Scarlet & Violet. So, Growlithe is naturally an excellent pick to counter the bug and grass Pokémon in the first two gyms and across the world of Paldea.

Growlithe then evolves into Arcanine when exposed to a Fire Stone, making it one of the more formidable fire-type picks in the game. Arcanine also has the Intimidate passive ability, which lowers enemies’ attack stat at the beginning of battles.

Eevee: A Flexible Fit for any Team

Finding an Eevee is rare, but if you wait at Cortondo until nighttime, you might get lucky and find an Eevee roaming outside the town.

Eevee has been a mainstay in the series for generations, and its host of Eeveelutions makes Eevee one of the most popular picks in every game. You can evolve Eevee into a dark or psychic type Pokémon through leveling up, or you can wait until you find some stones to evolve Eevee into a specific type, like fire, water, electric, ice, etc.

Eeveelutions are quite situational in PvP settings, but for an average playthrough of the single-player, Eeveelutions are adorable and reliable Pokémon to have in your roster. Jolteon, in particular, has incredible speed stats. So if you’re looking to fill a type gap in your roster, keep an Eevee around.

Psyduck: Best Early Game Pokemon (Scarlet/Violet)

Psyduck can be found in many of the game’s opening areas, mainly around pools of water. Simply look for any ponds, lakes or rivers, and a gang of Psyducks should be lounging about.

Psyduck is a formidable water type Pokémon that will be essential in battles against fire/rock types. Buizel is another early-game water type; however, Psyduck is a more versatile and durable fighter.

Psyduck also has access to a host of psychic-type moves, making it a good pick against fighting and poison types. Psyduck itself is not a psychic type Pokémon, so it won’t be vulnerable against the bug Pokémon in Cortondo gym.

Best Early Game Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet: Nacli

Nacli is a rock-type Pokémon that can be caught on the dusty roads in South Province (Area Three.)

Nacli is a decent early game Pokémon since it can quickly deal with the many flying and bug-type Pokémon common in the opening areas. Nacli also evolves into Garganacl, which boasts impressive defense and HP stats. In addition, the Nacli line of Pokémon are currently the only critters that can learn the all-new Salt Cure attack, inflicting ⅛ of a target’s maximum health every turn. Water and Steel type Pokémon are more vulnerable to this attack.

A Classic, Reliable Flying-Type: Starly

Starly can be caught in several areas and is particularly popular on the road leading to Cortondo gym.

A flying type is a must-have in any Pokémon party, especially during the game’s early hours, since flying types are strong against both bug and grass type Pokémon. There are other flying types in the early areas, but Starly’s very high attack and speed stats make it the better choice. In fact, Starly evolves into one of the best “starter birds” in any of the mainline titles. So if you want a long-term flying type to commit to, Starly is an excellent choice.

An Alternate Flying Type Choice: Fletchling

Groups of Fletchling are also abundant in the fields leading up to Cortondo gym in South Province (Area Two.)

Fletchling is another great pick if you’re looking for a reliable flying Pokémon to deal with the first two gyms easily. However, Fletchling’s true strength comes when it fully evolves into Talonflame, a dual flying-fire type creature. This will eventually give you an edge when it comes to the Ice-centric gym in the later stages of the game.

Best Pokemon S/V Early Pokemon Choices: Hoppip

Hoppips can be found in multiple early-game areas, including the road up to the school in South Province (Area One.)

Hoppips have very good special defense stats, making them resilient fighters in tough battles. As a grass Pokémon, Hoppip will help you against the various rock/ground type Pokémon you’ll surely encounter in the early areas. Hoppip also evolves into a grass-flying type, negating its weakness to flying-type moves.

Hoppip’s biggest strength early on is its status-inducing moves like Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. These status effects will greatly help in catching tough Pokémon in Paldea.

A New Early Fairy Type in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet: Fidough

Fidough can be found in many early game areas, including the green fields in South Province (Area One.)

Fidough is an all-new fairy-type dog Pokémon, introduced in Scarlet & Violet. Fairy types are strong against dragon types, which are abundant in the late-game. Fidough evolves once at Level 26 into Dachsbun. Findough’s defense stats are exceedingly good, which could save you in close-call battles requiring endurance.

Mareep: Early Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet

Mareep can be found in South Province (Area Two) on your way to Cortondo gym.

Mareep, the fluffy electric sheep, can be a solid electric pick that can be useful throughout the entire adventure in Paldea. You’ll encounter plenty of flying and water-type Pokémon during the early hours of the game, so an electric type like Mareep will easily handle these encounters. In addition, the water gym that you encounter mid-way through your adventure will also be significantly more straightforward with a Mareep by your side.

Gastly (Best Early Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet)

Gastly can be found in various areas of South Province during nighttime.

Gastly is a ghost-poison type Pokémon meaning it will be particularly strong against the grass gym in Artazon. In general, Gastly’s evolutionary line is a strong long-term addition to your party. Gastly’s speed and special attack stats are especially strong, allowing it to get the upper hand in battles by going first. Ghost type abilities are also strong against Ghost type Pokémon, so you’ll be able to deal massive amounts of damage in the Montenevera gym, as long as your Gastly goes first.