Gary Kerls, Author at Hard Drive

Madden 24 Cross Platform Guide: Is Madden NFL 24 Crossplay?

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Parker Johnson

Itching to utilize Madden 24 crossplay? We’ve got you covered! Here’s everything you need to know about cross platform capabilities in Madden 24 online.

Increasingly, crossplay has become more of an expectation than a luxury. Pioneered by the major multiplayer games from Epic Games like Fortnite & Rocket League, crossplay has been a great boon to bring players together across platforms. Sports games, though, have been a bit slow to adopt this practice into their games. Luckily, the latest Madden entry breaks this trend. It’s still annoying to claim your pre-order bonus, though. Some things never change.

Does Madden 24 Have Crossplay?

The short answer is that yes, Madden 24 supports cross platform play! Finally, after years of waiting, players are able to play with other players on Xbox and PC. It’s been a long time coming, and Madden 24 finally delivered this long-anticipated feature. While not much is added between releases of sports games, this is a great addition that will enhance many players’ experiences.

It’s important to note, though, that because the current-gen and last-gen versions are so different, you can only access crossplay features on the current-gen versions of the game available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. For instance, this means that players on Xbox One can’t play with any platforms outside of Xbox One. This is an unfortunate limitation, but does make sense given the large gap between the two versions of the game.

Can I Play Cross Platform with Friends?

Does Madden 24 support crossplay? Luckily, yes!

Yes! To be able to utilize crossplay Madden 24 features with friends, you just need to add your friend through the EA connect interface. To open this interface, press right stick on your controller. This will show you all of your platform friends, and well as give you the opportunity to add new ones. Add your friend here to play any multiplayer mode that allows you to play with friends.

That’s all you need to know about Madden 24 crossplay. Check out our guide on the best Madden 24 passing type to get a key tool in your arsenal to beat your cross platform friends.

Every ‘Street Fighter 6’ Character Ranked by How Quickly They’d Beat Me in an Actual Fight

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Mark Roebuck

Following months of playing Street Fighter 6 and taking two kickboxing classes at a gym before I was asked not to return, I’ve been wondering lately how I might stack up in real life were I to find myself toe-to-toe with the roster of my new favorite fighting game. Here’s my honest assessment of how I would stack up in combat against each character, ranked by how quickly I would be beaten senseless by them!

19. Luke – 34 seconds

Would undoubtedly be quicker, but I am able to tell a quick joke that makes Luke laugh for a second instead of pummel me. As I approach my laughing opponent to try and strike him, he proceeds to punch me in the stomach so hard that I fall asleep standing up. Everyone in attendance agrees they’ve never seen anything like it.

18. Jamie – 32 seconds

This guy’s taking drinks, so I’d underestimate him, and I think that’s part of the whole point of that Drunken Master stuff. I know that, and still I fall for it. Jamie’s style is a real crowd pleaser, so this is the physical assault most likely to gather a cheering audience. I think Jamie would milk it for a few extra seconds before I threw up all over myself and ruined everyone’s fun.

17. Kimberly – 31 seconds

Though it’s one of the longest, this is actually one of the more embarrassing ass beatings I would endure at the hands of the Street Fighter 6 roster. Sure, getting shredded in less than ten seconds by JP is a bummer, but at least it’s over that much quicker. The way Kimberly just has so much fun throwing me a beating though, dancing to music, spray painting me and shit. Just knock me out, will ya?

16. Blanka – 24 seconds

Okay, I don’t want this to come off the wrong way or be insensitive, but I’m usually pretty good with animals? Is that okay to say here? I think I could talk nice to Blanka for a little bit before he got mad and tore my face off. Yikes. Hopefully he just electrocutes me for a while and calls it good once it inevitably goes south.

15. Cammy – 20 seconds

I’m not sure why, but I have a gut feeling if I stood there for a second at the beginning and pretended I knew how to fight, Cammy might size me up for a moment or two, prolonging the inevitable thrashing I will receive. Before she can size me up fully, I lunge for one of her shins, betraying everything I had planned to do moments before the fight. It really shows that I don’t know what I’m doing, and Cammy proceeds to beat my ass.

14. Guile – 18 Seconds

It’s not that Guile would need the full 18 seconds to knock my dick in the dirt, it’s just that he seems like a nice guy so I bet he’d spend a good five to ten seconds shrugging and asking the ref if everybody involved was serious. Then I’d slap him while he was talking to the ref and he’d proceed to stomp me out like I was on fire. Oh yeah, I’m fighting dirty in these by the way. It’s Street Fighter people. What would you have me do?

13. Zangief – 15 seconds

Zangief is a really nice guy, so while I desperately swing for his groin area, he ponders the most civil way to dispatch an opponent as outmatched as me. Eventually he decides a simple rear naked chokehold should do the trick, except he underestimates my pitiful defense and bone strength and puts me down for good. Zangief kills me.

12. Juri – 13 seconds

Technically, the knockout comes several seconds before the 13-second mark, but Juri finishes her combo and continues knocking my lifeless body around for a little while longer than she really has to. Those seconds count against you, Juri!

11. Dee Jay – 10 seconds

I don’t feel great about it, but I would probably taunt Dee Jay about the quality of his music, prompting a one or two punch knockout. Maybe a kick or two thrown in there. Because of my remarks. Of all of my beatings, this is one of the more impassioned ones.

10. Ken – 8 seconds

With a lot of these guys that have been around for so long, there’s a bit of a star power factor that just makes this “fight” even more unfair. I can barely process that I’m fighting Ken from Street Fighter II, let alone mount a proper defense for his iconic moves. One or two hits and I’m done here. Straight up.

9. JP – 7 seconds

JP gets to rough my ass up with a cane. How is that fair? His swiftness and increased range mean he’d certainly be wailing on me before I was even through my first quip about his old age. We’re ranking by time here, but just for the record, this would certainly be one of the most savage beatings I endured!

8. Ryu – 6 seconds

This whole thing isn’t very honorable, so Ryu wouldn’t be thrilled with that, but once it sinks in that this is a real fight like any of his other matchups, he’ll just lay me out with a nice kick to the head and send me to sleep for a couple of hours. Quick and humane. Goodnight everyone!

7. Lily – 5.5 Seconds

Oof, this is my fight with JP all over again, except she’s much younger and has two weapons! I think I’d straight up rather get swept up in a tornado than fight this little girl with her two paddles. As for the fight, I think I’d try to run away here at first, and that’s why this is at a five seconds instead of just the one or two.

6. Manon – 5 seconds

It’s not cool at all, but I would go on the offensive here, coming out screaming and running right at Manon, hoping to feign some sort of aptitude at fighting. It doesn’t work, and she does a judo takedown on me, the combination of her strength and my momentum lodging me into the ground like a cartoon character that had been in an explosion. Several bystanders will band together afterwards to pull me out of the ground.

5. Marisa – 4.5 seconds

Marisa would snap me in two and keep the half she liked best.

4. Rashid – 4 Seconds

Okay, so obviously this list is just a bunch of two legged people in an ass kicking contest, but Rashid has the power of wind, too? That’s gonna help in a lot of events where every second counts, like beating the shit out of me, for example.

3. Chun Li – 3 seconds

Chun Li would have a lot of rage to let out on me, due to all the years of sexual objectification. I’m a pretty unassuming looking white guy, so I have a target on my back the size of my entire back. The beating administered to me will be swift and without mercy. Ouch!

2. E Honda – 2 seconds

This is just how long it would take him to physically reach me. And then I’ll never be seen again.

1. Dhalsim – 0.5 second

Dhalsim’s long arm smashes my face like that Pantera album cover before I know what’s even happened. On the bright side, he won’t get on top of me and pummel me like a lot of these other guys did. Dhalsim’s pretty peaceful, despite knocking me on my ass quicker than anybody else.

Madden 24 Best Passing Type Guide: Which Pass Style is Best?

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Parker Johnson

Curious about the best passing type in Madden 24? We’ve got you covered with our guide to the best pass style in the new Madden game. Read on to learn how to pass with the best of them in the latest installment in the storied football franchise!

Choosing the passing style is one of the first things that new players do to configure their game, along with options like their favorite team. But, with three options that don’t explain much, which option is optimal for most Madden players? Here’s an overview of every choice, and how to choose the best Madden 24 passing type for you.

Madden 24 Pass Style Overview

Players have three options to choose from: Classic, Placement + Power, and Placement + Accuracy. You initially choose from these 4 when you first boot the game, but you can always change this by going to the Game Settings section in the settings menu from the main menu, or even the pause menu mid-game when playing offline. None of these pass styles are required online, so it’s up to personal preference of which Madden 24 passing type is best for you.

Classic is pretty close to what seasoned Madden players are used to. Press the receiver’s button to pass the ball to them, press a shown button to catch, and that’s about it. You can use some different controls to switch up your passing (hold a receiver’s button for a bullet pass, for example), but most of how a pass plays out is ultimately up to your QB rating.

Placement + Power (shown in the settings menu as just “Placement”) is another option, which departs pretty far from what players may be used to. This gives players a meter that appears when a player passes for them to hold down the receiver button to place a pass more effectively. In my experience, this version just felt like an extra step to get to the same results I would get on Classic.

Placement + Accuracy is a more advanced version of the Placement + Power style. This features the meter in the P+P style, but also includes a reticle for players to aim to be more accurate. Competitive & dedicated Madden players might get a lot of value out of mastering this system, but for more casual Madden players, it can be pretty intimidating.

What is the Best Madden 24 Passing Type?

Overall, for most players, Classic will likely be the best passing type to choose. It’s by far the simplest of the three options, and is far easier for players who have never played Madden, or even just those who took a few years off. If you’re a yearly grinder, though, mastering Placement + Accuracy could be pretty rewarding. Getting used to the meter & reticle can help you make up for shortcomings of a low-rated quarterback or throw under pressure. If you try one style and don’t like it, though, remember you can always head to the settings and change your choice!

That’s all you need to know about choosing the best passing type in Madden 24! Hopefully this accelerates your setup process so you can get on the field ASAP. While you’re here, though, check out how to claim the Madden 24 pre-order bonus!

Bethesda Reveals ‘Starfield’ Installation Will Require 120 GB of Disk Space and Two Empty Rooms in Your House

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Mark Roebuck

ROCKVILLE, Md. — As gamers heavily anticipate Bethesda’s new sci-fi RPG Starfield, developers have revealed that a full installation will require over 120 GB of disk space plus two entirely empty rooms in your home, sources have confirmed.

“Okay, that’s a little strange,” said local gamer Zack Coleman. “The big file thing I can understand. It really sucks, but every big game that comes out seems to think it’s the only one worthy of space on your hard drive these days. It’s a real drag. I have more memory than ever, yet for some reason I can still only keep three games installed on my computer. As if that’s not bad enough, I guess I have to clear out a couple rooms of my house? What for? I’m skeptical, but I’m gonna clean out the den and the downstairs bathroom and hopefully that’s good enough.”

Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard confirmed the unusual installation request.

“Look, this game has 1,000 planets to explore, isn’t that just ridiculous?” asked Starfield’s director at a press conference earlier today. “So yeah, with that, we have a pretty big install file. I think considering the amount of game we’re giving you, it’s completely reasonable. And as for rearranging your house, well, we haven’t said too much about this, but when players start to get far enough in Starfield they will have to order and install a special series of PC gaming servers we’re pioneering. Just some extra computing power to get you through the last half of the game. It requires two rooms in your home and it looks like a very old NASA setup. I’m afraid anything else in the room with it will be burned and ruined, including your pets. So please be careful when the time comes.”

As of press time, Howard had closed his press conference by telling the crowd that he would personally be sending a couple of movers to any Game Pass Ultimate subscriber’s house that needed help making space for Starfield.

‘Five Night’s at Freddy’s’ Stream Horrified By Surprise Jumpscare

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Camden Brazile

CINCINNATI, Ohio — The audience of popular Twitch Streamer IShowSpeed was reportedly frightened today by a sudden object flying out of nowhere during the horror gameplay.

“I was just sitting there watching my favorite streamer play some live Five Nights at Freddy’s, when all of a sudden, boom, something unexpected jumped out toward the screen,” said Twitch subscriber Eric Mathew. “It was a pretty calm stream, so I wasn’t expecting something so scary to just suddenly fly out toward my face like that. It was terrifying, I thought it was coming right at me.”

The streamer, Derrick Watkins, also known as IShowSpeed, expressed his surprise at the unforeseen scare.

“It was just as shocking to me as it was to everyone else, you can never get too comfortable playing one of those games, especially if you’re in nothing but boxers,” Watkins said. “When you’re playing horror games on stream, it can be easy to forget you’re not the only person there. Broadcasting live to thousands of people. But when you see all the comments pour in after a scare like that, you know your surprise isn’t alone.”

At press time, sources reported that IShowSpeed’s Twitch account was jumpscared by a sudden DMCA takedown

Madden 24 Pre-Order Bonus Guide: How to Claim & Use

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Parker Johnson

Trying to figure out how to claim your Madden 24 pre-order bonus? Luckily, you aren’t alone. As is common with many video games in the current landscape (especially sports games), players who pre-order a game are rewarded with some kind of bonus.

Of course, the latest Madden is no exception to this. Players who pre-ordered the game can get some light boosters to accelerate their experience. Here’s what you need to know about the Madden 24 pre-order bonus, including how to claim & use it.

How to Get the Madden 24 Pre-Order Bonus

The standard edition of the game comes with the following pre-order items:

Josh Allen Elite Player Item
Choice of 2 Strategy Items
NFL Marble Bills Gear

To claim it, the first thing you’ll want to do is ensure that you’re logged into your EA account. If your top-right logo says “Sign Into EA Account,” you’ll still need to log in to your account. Press R2 or your platform’s equivalent to sign in to your EA account.

After you have ensured that you’re signed in, to claim the MUT Madden 24 pre-order bonus, you’ll need to go to your notifications. The easiest way to do this is to press the button shown next to your username (on PlayStation, it’s the touchpad). This menu should show you the items you’ve received. For example, for the Josh Allen Elite Player & Strategy Items, the notification will read “You’ve unlocked a MUT item!”

For the Marble Bills gear, just create or load your superstar and go to “My Superstar,” then “Edit My Superstar.” If a red dot is shown, your gear is there. It’s also worth noting that for each of these I had to restart my game on the home screen three times. If your items aren’t appearing,

That’s all you need to know about how to claim your pre-order bonus in Madden 24! Now, get out on the field and grind your chosen mode until the inevitable next game comes out. If you’re scouting around for a team, though, check out our guides on the best quarterbacks to find your guy to build a franchise around.

How to Play Dark & Darker: Where to Buy & Download

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Michelle Pereira

Want to know how to play Dark & Darker? Dark and Darker was a sleeper hit after its original alpha and beta playtests late last year. Controversy struck in early 2023, with Nexon claiming copyright infringement against the developers Ironmace, leading to the game being delisted from Steam, and from being potentially listed at all on any of the other heavy hitters in the digital distribution business. With the official release of Dark and Darker on August 7th, you might be wondering how to go about getting your hands on the game. This guide will list the currently available avenues for purchasing and playing the game.

Where Can You Buy Dark And Darker?

Dark and Darker is PC exclusive at this time, and while not currently listed on Steam, Epic Games, or GOG, it can be bought directly from the official website of the developer, Ironmace. The shop lists the game in two editions: Standard Edition with just the game and some in-game currency for $35, and Founder’s Edition: Hold The Line with the same as well as some exclusive unlocks and emotes for $50. Registration with email verification is necessary for completing the purchase. Additionally, it requires an account with Xsolla, which handles payment processing.

Alternatively, Chaf Games also lists the game at the same prices for each edition. While Chaf Games is officially a subscription-model based gaming platform with a fairly large catalogue, it is also serving as a digital distribution storefront for Dark and Darker in particular. Once again, registration with email verification is necessary, but no additional steps are required.

How To Play Dark And Darker On PC

If you buy the game directly from Ironmace’s website, the developer also has its own launcher, dubbed Blacksmith, that must be downloaded in order to run the game.

Chaf Games has its own desktop app as well, which must be downloaded to run the game. The subscription-model catalogue of other games is available for an additional monthly fee of $6.99 per month. It should be noted that the subscription model alone does NOT include Dark and Darker yet.

That’s all there is to know about how to buy and play Ironmace’s freshman hit Dark and Darker. Check out our coverage of other upcoming releases, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon.

Batman Villains Ranked by How Much I’d Like Them to Give a Speech at My Wedding

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Mark Roebuck

I’m sick of talking about the best Batman actor or movie. Which one do you think would give the best speech at a wedding? Man, what a great question. I’m already married, so this is merely a thought exercise, but please don’t mind if I wonder about it for the next few minutes here. For the purposes of the subsequent piece, I’m thinking they wander in and someone gave them a microphone. More of a Bill Murray situation than like, Scarecrow is my best man, you know? Anyway, here’s a ranking of Batman villains based on how well I think they’d do on my big day.

Man-Bat

Look, I don’t know who gave Man-Bat a microphone, but it’s an absolutely terrible idea. I’m not sure he can speak, and my mother would almost certainly be in hysterics. It’d be a win if he doesn’t hurt anybody. Never a good thing to say about someone as far as their speeches go

Penguin

I can just see it now: Penguin tries to get through a speech, gets a little flustered, then just lets my whole fucking family have it with some gas that’ll knock them out. My wife’s family, too. No one likes public speaking, Penguin. No reason to knock everybody out. Now the timing is all messed up for the rest of the evening cuz everyone was unconscious for 40 minutes.

Bane

Bane’s gonna bring the room down, there’s just no way around it. He’s in a really tough spot, because even if he said something very kind, you’d think he was just being sarcastic or waiting to deliver some threat at the end. Oh god, Bane is telling me I’m about to embark on a journey that will last my entire life. Is he going to break my neck?

Killer Croc

Similar territory to Man-Bat here, but I don’t know, I trust Killer Croc a little more. I think he’d make an effort, put on a suit, and maybe spoil the moment by reading a joke he found on the internet that he didn’t realize was racist. It’s okay, Killer Croc. It’s not your fault.

Catwoman

I don’t care how funny or well-delivered her speech is, there’s almost zero chance Catwoman doesn’t make it weird by being overly seductive the whole time. Read the room, Catwoman. My grandparents are here.

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is probably going to be some combination of preachy, lovesick, and drunk. She’d admonish the crowd for all of the plants they killed to make the arrangements and then start crying about how beautiful everybody looked before ending the speech abruptly. Hopefully the night ends with her singing with the band and not trying to fight everyone.

Mr. Freeze

Mr. Freeze is going to do two things: insist on turning the temperature down in the reception hall, and getting emotional about his dead frozen wife or whatever her deal was. You might get a “cold feet” pun or something out of him, but by the end of the speech, I bet he’s brought everybody down.

Scarecrow

“I can see what Mark’s biggest fear is, his in-laws coming to visit on Super Bowl weekend!” I think if Scarecrow was a sport about it, he could deliver a great wedding speech. Hopefully he doesn’t make my aunts and uncles think there’s bugs crawling all over them or anything like that.

Joker

This is kind of a tough one, because who knows if it’s gonna be a fun Cesar Romero Joker or a darker Heath Ledger type. I do believe regardless of intent, the speech itself is the kind of thing Joker would kill. He’d be self-deprecating, sneak in some cracks about the local commissioner everyone hates, and he might even pretend like he was stealing a steak knife off of someone’s plate as a gag. Whether he goes on a kill-crazy rampage afterwards or not is really tough to say, however. But you bet your ass the speech would be good.

Two-Face

I think Two-Face would do a great job. He’s got a history of public speaking, never hesitates to dress up, and could do a really great bit where he’s pacing back and forth and sort of doing a good cop/bad cop deal about the pros and cons of marriage. You old dog, Two-Face. You only got one heart, but we all know it’s huge.

Riddler

Everyone’s gonna love The Riddler! He’d tell funny little jokes about why I’m gonna be a bad husband or how my wife could’ve done better or something. Then all of the punchlines of all of his zingers would connect to some larger message about love and happiness and finding the right person to spend the rest of your life with. Everyone will be thrilled with The Riddler’s speech until they realize their wallets were stolen by his henchman while it happened.

Tutorial NPC With Social Anxiety Assumes Everyone’s Gonna Skip Her Dialogue So Why Bother

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Naomi Krause

THE NETHERHELM — Local tutorial NPC Tanya reportedly didn’t want to give her dialogue on account of everyone probably just skipping her dialogue anyway, according to those familiar with the situation.

“Yeah, you can open up your menu or whatever with the triangle button to select a spell. I dunno. No one ever listens to me anyway. This is so dumb,” Tanya said to a supposed Chosen One, awkwardly kicking a rock around with a boot that was laced up to her inner thigh. “You’re probably not even hearing what I’m saying right now. Just the first few of every sentence. Nobody listens to me, nobody cares. It’s alright, I’m used to it, I guess. When I was a kid— But my parents— And I didn’t— 300 times! Like are— That’s why— The Galinseck army will attack by dawn. I just hope you’re ready.”

The Chosen One, a plucky young boy named Kevin, said the interaction made him uncomfortable.

“I wouldn’t skip her dialogue if she wasn’t so weird about it. But like, once she starts getting into this whole sob story about how she’s an introvert and doesn’t know why anyone talks to her at all and blah blah blah,” Kevin explained nonverbally through a series of shrugs and head-nods. “And so I try to get the gist of each sentence and then I skip ahead. But it always ends up screwing me over. Because now I have no idea how to upgrade all my skills and there’s a lot of them.”

At press time, was seen awkwardly heading out of the local village without saying goodbye to anyone.