Protomen Frontman Admits ‘Volume III’ Is Taking So Long Because He’s Stuck Writing Difficult Yellow Devil Song

Posted on by Jacob VanGundy

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Fans of The Protomen have been waiting for the band to finish their Mega Man inspired trilogy for over a decade now. Frontman Raul Panther III has broken his long silence to explain why the album is taking so long: Yellow Devil. 

“I finished the rest of the album in 2011,” The singer recently admitted. “But I just can’t finish this Yellow Devil song. I’ve come close a bunch of times, just a few notes away from the perfect song. Then it all falls apart and I have to start over. It’s incredibly frustrating but I just can’t stop. I’ve actually broken a lot of guitars raging after attempts to finish the song which has slowed things down too.” 

When pressed for details Raul explained why the song is so difficult to write and perform. 

“It’s a really complex song,” Panther III said. “It’s this big, nineteen-part song about an epic battle against a giant yellow robot. To keep things fresh I never play those parts in the same order. It’s a big part of why it’s such a struggle, but I think it’ll be worth it when I finally finish. There’s also a moment I can never quite get vocally, a high note in the center of one part that’s just a little too high for me to hit. I’ve started to visualize it as a sort of glowing red eye in the middle of the song. If I could just hit that eye every time…” 

Drummer Reanimator Lovejoy has expressed concern for his bandmate’s mental health. 

“Raul has absolutely lost it,” Lovejoy claims. “He just keeps working on that one song and refuses to move on. We don’t really need the song, Yellow Devil isn’t even a character in the story, he’s just a big robot guy. The rest of the band has been trying to get him to move on to something else, even if it’s not The Protomen. Commander B. Hawkins suggested we pivot into a folk-rock Zelda band but Raul said he just needed one more try. He’s been saying just one more try for years now.” 

At press time, the third Protomen album still has no release date as they refuse to rely on savestates.

Easter Egg: Entering the Name ‘Thrillhouse’ in ‘Simpsons Hit and Run’ Makes Your PS2 Explode

Posted on by Hard Drive Staff

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Hey, so this is pretty cool. Longtime devotees of 2003’s The Simpsons: Hit & Run have discovered an Easter Egg that’s remained hidden for 20 years. In a subtle nod to the classic season seven episode ‘Marge Be Not Proud,’ if the player enters their name as ‘Thrillhouse’ their entire PS2 will explode right there on the spot! 

“That’s so cool,” said local gamer Alec Knapp, watching as firemen put out the blaze consuming his childhood home. “A reference is one thing, but when we see Milhouse enter his name into the megapopular Bonestorm game Bart wants more than anything, his hair is blowing back to show just how exciting that part alone is. There’s no way they could make wind blow my hair back, but detonating my entire entertainment center is pretty dang close!” 

When contacted about the well-hidden secret, developers of the game played it real cool by acting like they didn’t know what anyone was talking about. 

“No, there’s no way we could have done that or would have done that,” said Nigel Brooke, one of the lead programmers on Hit & Run. “It sounds like someone might have been playing on a very old PlayStation 2, possibly in a set up with way too many wires and fire hazards, and that’s probably what really happened. The timing is merely a coincidence. We might have made Homer say ‘Woo hoo!’ or something like that, but no way we would’ve blown up people’s PlayStations.” 

Despite the clear danger inherent to the combustible Easter Egg, the game’s reputation seems to have grown even higher among its many fans since the discovery. 

“Wow, that’s next level,” said local fan Maddison Cline. “I knew about the things like if you played the game on Halloween or Christmas the main menu was all different, but I had no idea that the right name could turn your PlayStation 2 into a little bomb. Or a big bomb, depending on what model you’re playing on. This sounds weird, but I think I’m gonna try it?” 

As of press time, readers probably shouldn’t enter their name as ‘Thrillhouse’ in The Simpsons: Hit & Run on the PlayStation 2, but we haven’t heard anything about the GameCube, so it miiiight be okay? 

Call of Duty MW3 Release Time Guide: When Can You Play?

Posted on by Noah Hunter

If you’re wondering what the release and unlock time of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is, you’ve come to the right place. The latest entry in the long-running franchise is a direct sequel to last year’s Modern Warfare 2, which introduced plenty of new mechanics while refining those found in Modern Warfare. 

Playing early can give you plenty of an advantage against enemy players. So, here’s everything you need to know about when you can play this year’s Call of Duty. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Release & Unlock Time

Modern Warfare 3 will release on November 10 across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Battle.net & Steam. The game can be accessed at the following times, depending on your time zone:

  • November 9 @ 9 PM PDT
  • November 9 @ 11 PM CDT
  • November 10 @ 12 AM EDT

As you can see, this release follows the standard midnight release schedule that the Call of Duty franchise has utilized in previous years. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Is There Early Access?

Yes, there is an early access period. This access is only for the campaign, and it is available now across all platforms for those who pre-ordered the game. Additionally, it is worth noting that the edition does not matter for this perk. So, players with the Standard or Vault Editions can play the campaign now.

Can You Preload Modern Warfare 3?

Price in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3)

Finally, you are able to preload Modern Warfare 3. Preloads will be available across all platforms starting Wednesday, November 8.

To preload, you must head to the game’s page on your platform of choice’s store. From there, select ‘Download’, and the game will automatically begin downloading to your console. You should make sure that you have adequate space available, as MW3 will need at least 152GB of space.

That’s what you need to know about the Call of Duty MW3 release time! Getting ready for MW3 multiplayer? Check out all the maps available right here!

The 20 Best Star Wars Quotes I Can Remember Off the Top of My Head

Posted on by Mark Roebuck

A long time ago, someplace really far away…

If you grew up watching the Star Wars trilogy like I did, then that and about a dozen other lines are permanently etched into your brain, whether you like it or not. There are a couple of pretty good lines in those other eight movies they made, too. The scenes and dialogue are so vivid, they live in my head, where I can replay them any time I’d like. With that in mind, here are my 20 favorite Star Wars quotes that I can recall perfectly without looking them up or anything, no problem. To infinity and beyond! 

 

#1. “I’m Luke Skywalker, I’m here to rescue you and use the bathroom if they’ve given you one.” – Luke Skywalker

Who can forget Luke’s iconic line when Luke first meets Princess Leia? Subsequent rereleases and Special Editions have scrubbed the second half of the line, but us old school fans still quote it whenever we ask a comic book store if they have a toilet we can use.

#2. “Do, or do not. See if I give a shit.” 

Yoda just had that unique way of talking, didn’t he? Not hard to tell why he’s a fan-favorite. 

#3. “Luke, I am your Poppa.” – Darth Vader

I get goosebumps every time I see this scene. Well, I imagine I would at least. Haven’t actually watched it in a long time. I’ve seen Spaceballs a bunch, though. 

#4. “Meesa use force like the Jedi!” – Jar-Jar Binks

Jar-Jar Binks is controversial to say the least, but you have to admit, the part where he cut Darth Maul in half with only his mind is sick as hell, if I’m remembering correctly. 

#5. “I am Emporer Palpatine, and I am back for some reason” – Palpatine

Chills. Absolute chills.

#6. “I feel pretty good about all of this.” – C-3PO

Fans have long adored C-3PO’s never say die attitude, encapsulated well by his signature catchphrase, repeated throughout the saga. Love that guy. 

#7. “Man that was a hell of a Star War.” – Luke Skywalker

Part of what makes The Empire Strikes Back such an unforgettable film is this beautiful ending, where the rebels reflect on being down, but not out.

#8. “Chewbacca, put down the gun!” – Han Solo 

I don’t think any of us saw this part coming in The Force Awakens.

#9. “I need more gasoline for my motorcycle.” – George Lucas

Alfred Hitchcock gets a lot of attention for his cameos in his work, but George Lucas was also known to slip himself into his films, often at the expense of a scene’s purpose. Fans still aren’t sure why this part needed to be in A New Hope, but whatever. It’s his movie. 

#10. “The rebels are using a shiny droid I made when I was a little kid.” – Darth Vader

Many have said that the reveal in The Phantom Menace that Anakin build C-3PO was a pointless inclusion that was strangely not mentioned throughout the rest of the saga, but those fans must have forgot about this pivotal scene in Return of the Jedi (or maybe it was Empire!) where Darth Vader tells Palpatine all about it. 

#11. “Meesa blow up the Death Star now.” – Luke Skywalker

The ending of A New Hope, where Luke accepts that he is indeed destined for great things, might still be the strongest one in the franchise.

#12. “Oooh, will someone please throw me into that giant worm’s mouth? I want to see something.” – Boba Fett

Truthfully, Boba Fett doesn’t get a ton to do in the original trilogy. Still though, it’s nice that Lucas recognized that this scene stealing bounty hunter at least deserved a happy ending.

#13. “(Series of beeps)” – Obi Wan Kenobi

It’s so weird when Obi-Wan starts making beeping noises at R2 and they have a whole conversation. Still, their chemistry always makes me laugh.

#14. “May the force be with y’all motherfuckers.” – Mace Windu 

Look, I know this one didn’t really happen. But can’t you just hear it? 

#15. “Luke, I can think of nothing I’d like less than to be burned to death right here on my own property.” – Uncle Owen 

Crazy foreshadowing when you think about it. 

#16. “Hey, what happened to the outfit we gave you?” – Jabba the Hutt

We spend so much time ogling over Leia in that outfit, we never stop to think about just where in the heck she got that thing!

#17. “You know, I think I was kind of a Stormtrooper one time.” – Finn 

Man, the intriguing introduction to his character in The Force Awakens sure had petered out by Rise of Skywalker, huh? 

#18. “We’re gonna get you guys” – AT-AT

Wait, did these guys talk? Or did I just do that voice all the time when I watched the movie? No, I think they talked, right? 

#19. “Come on Luke, there’s got to be a bathroom somewhere in here.” – Princess Leia

Some people think there’s just too much bathroom stuff in A New Hope, and I sort of see what they mean, but I don’t care. I love this movie. I think they ad-libbed a lot of that bathroom stuff, too. 

#20. “My name is Rey. Rey Gun.” – Rey

What a poetic way to wrap up a saga chock full of ray guns. A clever detail many viewers didn’t notice until a second or third viewing. These movies are filled with that stuff. 

Everything We Know About ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’

Posted on by Mark Roebuck

That time of year is upon us again. In between Halloween and Christmas is another yearly tradition with horrifying origins, and I don’t mean Thanksgiving. No, I’m talking about the yearly release of Call of Duty. This year they went straight back to the drawing board and came up with Modern Warfare 3, a direct sequel to last year’s Modern Warfare 2, the first time they’ve done that since, I don’t know, a while. Who cares? Anyway, here’s everything we know about Modern Warfare 3 so far! 

Inspired by a real, as-yet-unannounced actual war

Politicians and Activision have both claimed we should be getting the first trailer for our new war sometime this holiday season. Talk about “Modern” Warfare!

Actual Army recruiters plan on using the game as a tool

It reminds me of the time a guy I was playing in Rocket League asked if I wanted to come over and crash cars in real life. No, dude. I just want to play this game.

It will feature modern celebrities

Streamers and artists you’ve never even heard of. You can complain about the kids today, but it’s you. You’ve changed.

If you’ve purchased an NFT gun somewhere, it can be used in the new Call of Duty

Hahahaha no, not really. I hope you didn’t buy an NFT gun.

Will institute first ever Video Game Draft shortly after release if player counts aren’t satisfactory

If you’re 18-24, I hope you like Warzone!

Will probably have Zombies mode

I mean, right?

People that purchased the Premium Special Edition can log on early

Players that purchased the upgraded edition will be able to access the game 15 minutes ahead of everybody else. Enjoy!

There’s guns in there

A bunch of guns

Campaign will give players more choice than ever before

MW3 even includes the option to walk up to a PS4 and play a series of other games in there. Whoa!

Audio tweaks

The screams of your enemies burning alive have never sounded more vivid. Let’s hope those are enemies at least! Haha

Craig’s gonna get it

Craig always gets those games man, he’s so lucky.

Controversial campaign

‘The War on Canada’ plotline has already generated some of the most controversy the series has ever seen.

Will only be available at certain times of day for Sony players

As part of a recent legal settlement, PlayStation players will be able to log on after midnight on alternating days. Xbox players, meanwhile, can do whatever they want.

Weekly in-game challenges

Holy fucking shit, call the President.

Brand new minigames

After the gulag proved to be such a hit, MW3 players will now be able to waterboard their victims for extra experience points!

Remove dead opponent’s actual skin and wear it around if you want

This is too much, guys.

Weekly challenges

Try and tell me you saw this one coming. There’s just no way.

Dead Island 2 Haus Guide: How to Start Haus DLC in DI2

Posted on by Richard Tammaro

Dead Island 2’s highly anticipated Haus DLC is out now, offering up more zombie slaying fun with an eerie cult backdrop. The Haus DLC features new weapons, a new main story and some additional side missions, a new area to explore, and some surprises! Heavily influenced by Hollywood B-movies fans can expect more of the same humor and charm (or maybe cringe) that carried the base game’s story. Now, all of that sounds great; however, the game doesn’t do a great job explaining how to actually access the DLC content. Here is how to start Dead Island 2 Haus DLC.

How to Start Dead Island 2 Haus DLC

First, let’s go over a couple of basics: To play the Haus DLC, you need to purchase the DLC. This DLC is included in the Dead Island 2 Expansion Pass, which can be purchased on its own or bundled with the base game and some extra goodies in the Gold Edition version. Additionally, the Haus DLC can be a standalone purchase; however, players still need to own the base game to access it.

How to start the Haus DLC in Dead Island 2.

So you’ve got the DLC downloaded, but how do you actually access it? Players first need to complete the entire main story of the base game. After doing so, return to Emma Jaunt’s mansion in Bel Air and head to the downstairs back entrance. This leads to the garage and the tennis courts.

Across from the tennis courts will be some bottles on a small table with your invitation to join the cult. As you get close, this should also be marked by the Haus logo on your hud. Interact with the invitation to begin the Haus DLC.

Nintendo Fans Tease Doug Bowser for Having Same Name as Iconic Mario Villain ‘Doug’

Posted on by Hard Drive Staff

REDMOND, Wash. — An unpleasant trend online sees gamers poking fun at Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser for having the same name as the iconic villain Doug from the Super Mario Bros games.

“Nintendo ACTUALLY hired a guy named Doug, there’s no way,” said one popular online post. “What are the odds of that? I’m not saying they shouldn’t hire a qualified guy just because he’s got the name of one of the most sick and twisted Mario Bros. villains there’s ever been, but still. You gotta admit it’s weird as hell. Hard to take anything he announces seriosuly. I’m stuck on the ‘Doug’ thing.” 

Nintendo reportedly has tried many things to help players discern Doug Bowser from Doug, the monster that has attacked the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapped Princess Peach on numerous occasions. 

“It’s two different things altogether, really,” said Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo. “I’m not going to lie, there are some pretty glaring similarities, like their bald head, speech patterns, and overall build, but to pretend that you’d somehow confuse one for the other, or that this was anything other than a bizarre coincidence, is absolutely foolish. No one scrutinized us like this when we promoted Tony Metroid.” 

Though Doug is a bit more obscure than other beloved Mario characters, devoted remain amused by the coincidence. 

“That’s gotta be on purpose, right?” asked local gamer Glenn McCall when he first learned that Nintendo is actually ran by a dude named Doug. “That’s the most on-point name for a guy since Anthony Weiner couldn’t stop sending people pictures of his weiner. Man, imagine what it’s like to be at Nintendo and you have to call the guy ‘Doug’ with a straight face every day. That’s got to be impossible.” 

As of press time, Doug Bowser was seen in the Nintendo cafeteria insisting everyone just call him “Bowser,” from now on. 

“It Worked Before”: Jonathan Majors To Be Replaced in MCU by Emperor Palpatine

Posted on by Patrick Sullivan

LOS ANGELES — A recent Variety article revealed Marvel’s plan to replace the archvillain Kang, played by alleged domestic abuser Jonathan Majors, with Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars films, sources confirm. 

“We took a lot of cues from our contemporary Disney franchise, Star Wars, and realized we could do whatever we wanted, including throwing out unresolved plotlines just to give the people what we assume that they want,” said Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios. “What the people want is less of this Kang guy and superhero crap, and more of Ian McDiarmid hamming it the fuck up on the big screen. So that will become the focus of our upcoming Phase Five!”

While interest in big superhero movies has been waning over the past few years, Feige is sure that clumsily hamfisting the Star Wars franchise into the MCU will surely lessen the franchise fatigue audiences are feeling.

“Look, this worked before when we did it with The Rise of Skywalker, and everyone loved it,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “So when Kevin Feige came to me and asked for how to solve his current problem with Kang, I had the perfect solution. The way I figure, we can do this another three or four times before people start catching on that it doesn’t make any sense. I’m trying to get Palpatine into the next season of The Bear as we speak.”

While Emperor Palpatine was what leadership at the MCU ultimately chose to replace Kang with, others on the shortlist included Thanos, Jeff Bridges’ character that died in the first Iron Man movie, Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, and that one bird from Iron Man 2.

“Honestly, I’m just happy to have another opportunity to play a character that’s just a pure evil little dude,” said Ian McDiarmid, the actor portraying Emperor Palpatine in the next seven MCU movies. “No spoilers, but in the next Avengers film I’m finally thwarted by electrocuting myself yet again.”

UPDATE: After the originally publication of this article, Feige held a press conference announcing that they were also going to start adding Power Rangers to the MCU in an effort to ‘get whatever flavor of nerd we can interested in this shit again.’

100 Thieves Now Down to 80 Thieves

Posted on by Parker Johnson

LOS ANGELES — Earlier this week, esports juggernaut 100 Thieves announced that they will be laying off roughly 20% of their workforce, bringing the brand down to only 80 Thieves.

The founder and CEO of 80 Thieves, formerly 100 Thieves, Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, iterated to employees in an internal memo that letting employees go was a tough decision.

“Choosing the 20 thieves to let go of was no easy task,” said Nadeshot. “When you get a group of people this talented, it’s hard to let any of them go. But, when you start spinning off your mildly successful esports venture into a bunch of other things, it turns out that it burns even more money than a regular esports team. Especially when you’re using the same roster of 100 people for all of that.”

A laid off member of the company, Sam Sytsma, expressed relief for being done with the organization.

“Honestly, thank god,” Sytsma said. “I signed on to play VALORANT, but because Nadeshot insisted there was only gonna be 100 of us, I had to work on all the other shit too. One day I was a professional gamer, the next I was selling energy drinks or helping code a video game.”

“I’ve wanted to leave for a while, but the logo guy worked really hard on that 100 Thieves design.” Sam continued. “Making him make an all-new one for ’99 Thieves’ seemed cruel. I guess they just had this one ready ahead of time.”

Another former member of the company, John Jones-Popp, seemed angry at the baggage the company name will give him.

“Come on, man. I’m trapped in esports for life now,” John lamented. “You think any normal company is gonna hire a guy who spent two years at a place called ‘100 Thieves?’ Oh well. Guess it’s time to go to another place and wait for their esports growth bubble to pop too.”

At press time, Nadeshot was considering changing the organization to “Around 60 or so Thieves” in the coming months.

Cities Skylines 2 Rotation Guide: How to Rotate Buildings & Objects

Posted on by Richard Tammaro

Trying to figure out how rotation works in Cities Skylines 2? Cities Skylines 2 features tons of different options when it comes to building your dream city. But does that really even matter if you can’t make your city look the best it possibly can? Undoubtedly, while building your city, something you place will come out just not looking right. Whether it is a small object or the tallest skyscraper, luckily you can rotate objects and buildings to the perfect angle. Here is how to rotate buildings and objects in Cities Skylines 2.

How to Rotate Buildings & Objects in Cities Skylines 2

Every object and building in your city can be adjusted, customized, and rotated in Cities Skylines 2. When you click on a placed object or building the game will present a bunch of options in a taskbar at the bottom of the screen, but you don’t even need to interact with the taskbar when making positional adjustments. After selecting the object or building, simply click the right mouse button and whatever you selected will rotate 25 degrees.

If you need to be more precise to get that perfect look, you’ll need to select the object or building and hold the right mouse button. While holding the right mouse button, move your cursor and whatever you selected will rotate with your movement. But, perhaps you aren’t getting that granular movement you were expecting? That might be caused by the toggle snap feature being turned on. This option will automatically snap the object or building into the “correct” position if you are rotating adjacent to a road. You can turn the toggle snap feature off using the taskbar menu. This will allow you to make the tiniest adjustments possible to every object and building in your city.

Keep in mind that buildings still need to connect to roads, so depending on your angle you may receive a warning that a road is required. Simply build a connecting road and the Cities Skylines 2 rotation job is done! To continue building your idyllic city, check out our guide on how to change road direction!