April 2022

Today Mages revealed a lot of gameplay of its brand new science adventure visual novel Anonymous;Code.

“Brand new” may be fighting words for this game, considering that it was announced all the way back in 2015 (at some point, it was supposed to come on PS Vita).

Over the years, it was delayed, and then delayed again, and so forth, but it appears that this time it’s really on the final stretch.

In the video below you can see plenty of gameplay played directly by producer Chiyomaru Shikura. It’s the Nintendo Switch version and provides a deep look at what the game offers.

If you want to see more, you can also take a look at the previous trailer.

Anonymous;Code will release in Japan for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on July 28.

At the moment, no announcement has been made about a western localization, but lately, Spike Chunsoft has been rather good at bringing the franchise west, so there certainly is hope to see this one as well.

Today, on April Fool’s day, PlatinumGames has announced that they’ve got 9 new games in the works and that they are all a part of the NEO-Classic Arcade series. You can check out more about this totally legitimate announcement, including the names of the games, a brief description, and a comical trailer, right down below.

PlatinumGames’ NEO-CLASSIC ARCADE series carries on the spirit and fun of classic gaming using modern technology.

On February 22, 2022, the first title in the series, SOL CRESTA, was released. (Now available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Steam!)

And on April 1st, 2022, PlatinumGames announced new plans for the “NEO-CLASSIC ARCADE” series at the “SHOCKING 10: Announcement of 9 All New Titles” press conference. Check out the video from the press conference!

Riot Games has today got in on the April Fools’ Day act with the announcement of a new Widejoy gameplay mode, which is something of an inside joke that Valorant fans are likely to find amusing.

For anybody not up to speed, the meme occurred during Valorant’s Episode 3 after a Killjoy player card image was mistakenly added to the game in a stretched resolution by the development team. It soon became a bit of a gag to don the player card, and it was quickly named Widejoy for its appearance. Technically, it was a glitch that needed fixing, but the community saw the funny side and it has become etched into Valorant legend.

Unfortunately, it was later fixed in a subsequent patch, which actually saw petitions start to bring it back. That never led to anything, but Riot is apparently well aware of the meme and is today making light of the fact in its advertisement of the definitely not serious Widejoy mode.

As you’ll see in the trailer, the game mode plays out as a standard game of Valorant, except for the fact that Widejoy is playable in all her stretched-resolution glory!

She’s back. Did you miss her? pic.twitter.com/WoswpIjwdc

— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) April 1, 2022

In other more serious recent Valorant news, you can check out our article wrapping up everything there is to know about the game’s upcoming Agent codenamed Bounty Hunter.

Speaking to Game Infarcer, Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, among others, and president of From Software, shed light on his creative process – specifically saying criticisms of his most recent directorial effort, the lauded Elden Ring, were misunderstandings of deliberate design choices.

"I've seen people on the internet say the lock-on feature in Elden Ring is bad, that it never seems to choose the closest enemy to the player, leaving them completely vulnerable to attacks while they try and correct it" Miyazaki said. "Have you ever been in a fight? Ever had to deal with the threat of getting your ass kicked in? Do you think you'd be singularly focused on one opponent? No, in the rush of the moment, your lizard brain takes over, and your mind oscillates between the numerous threats surrounding you. It's hard to concentrate. We kept this in mind when designing Elden Ring. We implemented a very complex algorithm that makes your lock-on miss the target you want nine out of ten times." 

While Elden Ring's boss fights are generally fantastic, many have pointed to the Fire Giant as an outlier. Due to the creature's immense size, accurately reading attacks proves difficult for many players, who have taken to various social platforms to voice their frustration. The main issue is: if you have to be directly under the giant to attack at its ankles, then you can't see when the Fire Giant is swinging down upon you. 

Again, Miyazaki balked at the idea that this was somehow a design flaw on From Software's part. 

In an astounding feat of mental gymnastics, acclaimed video essayist The Intellectual Gamer's (TIG) latest YouTube video spends two hours and 42 minutes breaking down why Sifu reminds him of No Country For Old Men – the movie, not the book, as specified by TIG at minute 36.

The thesis of TIG's video, opened with a paragraph from Diana Athill's 2009 memoir, Somewhere Towards the End, which fades from the screen too quickly for the reader to finish, is such: "In Sifu, as you progress through the game, you get older and older. And also, you're in a country: China. Which, given the number of people you must fight in Sifu, you might say, is …" At this point, TIG lowers his voice to nearly a whisper to emphasize his point but mostly sounding creepy. "... no country for old men."

Throughout the video, found here at the link, TIG lays out his argument, never indicating what themes from either media are even remotely similar rather than drawing a parallel between the name No Country For Old Men and the fact that Sifu has a mostly-maligned mechanic where the character ages. 

Bringing his thesis to a personal level and couched between ad reads for Manscaped and Nord VPN, TIG reveals we, too, are aging. "I'd like to leave you with one thought. All of us will be old one day," TIG astutely says in the video. "When that happens, what country will there be for us? Until then, I'll Sifu on the other side." 

Geoff Keighley, host and creator of The Game Awards and G4TV.com, invited the Game Infarcer team to his Los Angeles apartment for an exclusive, early look at this year’s production of Summer Game Fest. 

Keighley – best known for his long-time admiration of game designer Hideo Kojima, the long-time admirer of actor Norman Reedus, the long-time admirer of motorcycles – begins reading from a small teleprompter situated in the center of his living room. 

“We’re really excited about SGF this year. The event will be in-person for the first time ever, and we’ve prepared an amazing show to celebrate,” Keighley says. In addition to exclusive reveals and updates to fan-favorite games, attendees can look forward to a Gillette-themed soft pretzel food truck and a black-tie mixer presented by Raid: Shadow Legends. “But that’s not all we have in store for you,” the showrunner excitedly tells us.  

For the first time in the show’s 24-month history, Geoff Keighley himself will be taking to the stage for a heartfelt dance routine set to “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. 

“It was tough to keep this under wraps for so long,” he explains. “On top of working with dozens of vendors, sponsors, and the entire cast of Fast & Furious 9, I had to watch a lot of video tutorials on TikTok. Needless to say, I’m so proud of the team for keeping this a secret until now.” Unaware we’re already friends on the popular social media app, Keighley briefly explains the concept of TikTok to me, likening it to “if Instagram had a baby with Just Dance.”

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release: December 7, 2021

Patch 6.1 of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is just two weeks away, and in today's Letter from the Producer Live presentation, Square Enix revealed the trailer for the upcoming content. 

Titled "Newfound Adventure," the footage shown from the new quests, raids, and other content is refreshingly adventurous, especially after spending an entire expansion on saving the world and more from threats that have been building since the outset of Final Fantasy XIV in 2010. Now that those worries are behind us, it's going to feel nice to go on some light-hearted escapades. 

Four US senators have voiced concerns about Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, urging the Federal Trade Commission to consider the impact on workers before approving the proposed merger. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Cory Booke raised this in a joint letter to the FTC chair yesterday. Considering that Actiblizz are facing many, many, many accusations of discriminatory and abusive working conditions, and that the CEO who reportedly intervened to protect one alleged harasser is still happily with the company, they're worried that the merger might make things worse.

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The most despicable, awful and down right evil thing I’ve ever done in a video game was during a Dark Side playthrough of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. At the end of the side quest Honest Debt, you convince a man to either spare or gun down a rather horrible chap who wronged him greatly. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about that - I’ve encountered the same thing dozens of times in games - but what comes after is a real doozy.

Not content simply with nudging the fella into giving in to his worst impulses, I then proceeded to persuade him to wipe the very memory of his nemesis from the galaxy, up to and including hunting down his friends and family members. Bastilla Shan, noted Jedi do-gooder, pointed out that neither she nor the Jedi council would approve. I was giggling like a schoolgirl.

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With the release of Death Stranding Director's Cut on Wednesday, I've been reminded of two important things this week. Firstly, that Kojima's bonkers hiking postal sim is still one of the best open world games around. If you haven't read my full thoughts on the new Director's Cut, please do consider having a gander. The second most important thing is that Death Stranding's photo mode remains just glorious, brilliant fun, and it therefore felt appropriate, nay, necessary to give my good old BB Boys another trip for the album.

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The best moment of any good puzzle game is when it rewires your brain and you suddenly feel like the smartest person in the world. That moment when you look at a puzzle and think to yourself, “Oh…that would work!” and then it actually does and you feel amazing. But a great puzzle game should also be filled with…

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Twitch just can’t seem to scrub porn off its platform. Thanks to the “Boost This Stream” feature the Amazon-owned company introduced last October, viewers are paying to promote, or “boost,” sexually explicit content onto the platform’s front page. Unsurprisingly, Twitch has paused the boosting feature indefinitely.

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If you’ve played Borderlands, you’ve played Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Gearbox’s latest, a fantasy twist on the loot-shooting series for which the studio is known, feels a lot like the previous four games—and 400 expansions and events—in the series. You shoot a bazillion guns. You find a bazillion more.

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April Fools’ is finally upon us, or as our UK editor John Walker likes to call it: “International Lying Day.” Never fear, readers. We Kotaku bloggers are vigilantly keeping alert for any announcements that seem a little bit too good or too weird to be true. Not me, though. Some April Fools’ jokes are too good to not …

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Insiders at r/GamingLeaksAndRumors have leaked a set of shocking new screenshots revealing one game journalist’s YouTube watch history – and the results are alarming. Alongside videos like “Easy Authentic Ramen at Home” and “How to Tie a Tie for Beginners,” Redditors have spotted a gaming tutorial titled “Kirby Forgotten Land – First Boss Guide.” Understandably aggrieved, commenters flooded social media, sharing a Change.org petition calling for the journalist’s immediate termination. 

“Imagine getting paid to play video games, and you still suck at them,” reads one post from user BayonettasHusband0, while another frustrated commenter changes the subject, stating, “Nintendo is so lazy. It’s literally just a copy and paste of Mario 64 with a new character. You should be embarrassed even to play this game.” 

Responding to the waves of backlash, the journalist’s recent Twitter post pleads, “Please leave me alone. My 9-year-old son was using my iPad.” Unsatisfied with the professional’s blatant attempt at saving his job, a user with a Hatsune Miku profile picture says, “Typical games journalists and their stupid Apple devices. Probably bought it with the money he got from scoring Pokémon Legends an 8.75.” For context, the journalist’s review of Pokémon Legends: Arceus is slightly higher than average, as the game’s current Metacritic score is a measly 82.

In an effort to bolster his awards show, host Geoff Keighley has announced a bold new category for the 2022 Game Awards: The Game of the Week award.

“This prestigious award recognizes exceptional titles that pushed the boundaries of game design and captured players' collective attention and imagination for up to seven days,” Keighley explains. 

Guerilla Games' Horizon Forbidden West scored the first nomination. The well-received follow-up to Aloy’s 2017 adventure took the gaming world by storm until it suddenly didn’t, thanks to Elden Ring – a game critically lauded as the best game in the history of forever – stealing its thunder(jaw) a week later. 

Despite being a seemingly logical nomination and the fact that the awards are months away, that hasn’t stopped journalists and influencers from weighing in on whether or not Horizon deserves the accolade and speculating on other titles that could run against it. 

“I think it’s worthy,” says critic Josh Pardue. “I really enjoyed roaming Forbidden West’s stunning landscape atop my robot horse-thing until Elden Ring came out. Now all I think about is From Software’s magnum opus. I still like Horizon, but now I can’t help but wonder why my robot horse can’t double jump too. Shouldn’t it have rocket hoofs or something?" 

“Um, Nobody Saves the World, anyone?” tweeted Twitch streamer ChristiePlayz. “That game rocks and didn’t even get an hour in the spotlight before getting utterly buried by Xbox’s multi-billion dollar purchase of a problematic publisher. Nobody should win this award.” 

Pixelated platform fighter Rivals of Aether is getting a sequel and a glow-up with Rivals 2. The indie development studio behind the series Aether Studios revealed the first trailer for the game today, and it's definitely not a joke.

Rivals 2 jumps to detailed 3D models, a huge visual change from the 16-bit inspired sprites from the original. The footage shown looks gorgeous, showing HUD-less gameplay of three Rivals duking it out. Fiery lion Zetterburn, the wind wielder Wrastor, and the poisonous frog martial artist Ranno all make their return and have plenty of screentime showing off their updated looks and moves. 

Click here to watch embedded media

While new characters weren't shown in the trailer, new mechanics were. Those who are familiar with Super Smash Bros. may be very comfortable with the additions. Shields are being added as a defensive mechanism, as well as grabs to counter them. Also, "throws look cool," says an FAQ answer for why they've been added to the game. More nuanced questions and answers for changes being made to the combat in Rivals 2 can be found on the game's FAQ page.

Steel yourself for more stylish exploration and violence next year with Hyper Light Breaker, a follow-up (but not a sequel) to 2016's Hyper Light Drifter. The "action rogue-lite adventure" will explore a new land in the same world, and this time in fancy 3D-o-vision. Plus, online co-op! Check out the announcement trailer below.

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WowGrandma78, the elderly streamer who’s been broadcasting on the platform since January 2020, celebrated her 80th birthday last month. To honor her eight decades around the sun, WowGrandma78 is hosting a multi-day sub-athon on Twitch, which entered day 15 as of this writing. It’s unclear whether she plans to stop…

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18 quintillion planets, and you still can’t get away from the worst people on Earth. To wit: The central nexus of No Man’s Sky, a region of charted space known as the Galactic Hub, was recently menaced by a troll who players say is a “neonazi.” Developer Hello Games has banned the griefer, permanently, but players…

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Loot shooter series Borderlands is about picking up a shiny new gun one minute and throwing it away for something more powerful the next. TIny Tina’s Wonderlands continues this trend, but with a few added wrinkles that can end up trolling unsuspecting players who aren’t paying close enough attention.

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It’s been nearly nine years since the evocative pixel-art action RPG Hyper Light Drifter first took my breath away in its Kickstarter teaser. Now developer Heart Machine has a successor planned and it’s just around the corner. It’s called Hyper Light Breaker, it will be 3D instead of top-down, and it’s coming to Steam…

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Today Square Enix released a new trailer of the upcoming Mana mobile game Echoes of Mana.

The trailer showcases the cast of new and returning characters from several games of the series. We also get to see plenty of gameplay and a look at the way the story will be narrated.

It’s also a reminder that the pre-registration campaign for the game is ongoing.

You can check it out below.

Echoes of Mana (in Japanese the title is Seiken Densetsu: Echoes of Mana) is coming in spring 2022 both in Japan and in the west.

Below you can read a summary of the story.

You awaken, surrounded by nothingness except for a single tree.
The Mana Tree—the very source of all life,
and yet, it is set to soon disappear…

The last sanctuary in a place where all has already been lost.

Only the Mana Sword can save the Mana Tree and the worlds still weaved in its branches.
If only the sword were not lost as well…

Guided by the Mana Goddess, you must venture into patchwork worlds, meeting friends and foes both familiar and brand new as you piece together memories through the Echoes of Mana.

Last week, the official website for Masamune-kun’s Revenge confirmed that the anime had been renewed for a second season. Today, just a little while after an April Fools prank regarding a third season, a brand new promotional trailer for the sophomore season of the anime has been released.

You can check out the trailer and an official synopsis of the series premise right down below:

As an overweight child, Makabe Masamune was mercilessly teased and bullied by one particular girl, Adagaki Aki. Determined to one day exact his revenge upon her, Makabe begins a rigorous regimen of self-improvement and personal transformation.

Years later, Masamune re-emerges as a new man. Handsome, popular, with perfect grades and good at sports, Masamune-kun transfers to Aki’s school, and is unrecognizable to her. Now, Masamune-kun is ready to confront the girl who bullied him so many years ago and humiliate her at last. But will revenge be as sweet as he thought?

Masamune-kun’s Revenge first premiered as an anime back in January 2017, with its manga running in Ichijinsha’s Monthly Comic Rex magazine from 2012 to 2018, featuring a total of 10 volumes.

For more on Masamune-kun’s Revenge and other anime-related content, be sure to check out all of the other articles we’ve got for you down below. That includes plenty of features, news, and quizzes that fans of the genre will surely love.

Paramount+’s Halo television show is now in full swing, already featuring plenty of action between The Master Chief and the alien Covenant race. While the combat is thrilling and intense, something seems like it is missing.

After you watch the edited clip of lore accurate weapon sounds below, you’ll know exactly what that missing element is.

Originally created by Youtuber Eliteious, the video above was cut together by Youtuber Visioncy, and shows just how natural the Assault Rifle, Plasma Pistol, Chaingun Turret, and Magnum video game effects sound when overlayed with the television show.

What do you think of the sounds? Should they have been used from the get-go? What are your opinions on the show in general thus far? Be sure to let us know in the comment section below.

And don’t forget to check out the rest of Eliteious’ channel, which features plenty of great Halo content from the tv series and video game franchise alike.

The Halo television series is also available now on Paramount+ and currently has two episodes out. For more information, be sure to check out all of the related features, news, and quizzes we’ve got for the series down below.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Nintendo Switch

I’ve been a big Kirby fan for a while now; he’s always been my main in Smash (down b brick spam 4-life), and previous games have always been simple yet enjoyable. Despite also being pretty easy itself, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first time I’ve truly been addicted to a title in the franchise.

Like most stories surrounding everyone’s favorite pink circular vacuum, Kirby and the Forgotten Land starts out with a mysterious event that our titular protagonist is tasked with solving. This time around, instead of taking place on Popstar, his home Planet, Kirby is pulled through a mysterious vortex to a new world that gives him a unique and mysterious power, known as Mouthful.

Mouthful expands Kirby’s ability to suck in and use the power of objects, now allowing him to essentially morph into larger objects like cars, hang-gliders, and vending machines. This small but effective addition to the copy mechanic the series has always been known for is a blast, and opens up gameplay and puzzle mechanics considerably.

Minigames like racing, time trials, and much more are available in fun new ways thanks to Mouthful, not to mention how amusing it is to see Kirby take the form of something like a cone. It’s honestly really impressive just how much variety they were able to get out of the mechanic, and is very reminiscent of the Cappy mechanic in Super Mario Odyssey.

Hot off the heels of releasing its successful Steam Deck portable console, Valve has already unveiled a powerful new member in its family of portable PCs: Steam Deck+.

Besides boasting a considerable power bump, the device’s most striking feature is the clamshell-style design that allows Steam Deck+ to be closed, similar to Nintendo’s line of DS handhelds. The top half boasts a 14-inch 4K touchscreen. A full keypad and trackpad occupy the bottom half. This innovation will be a godsend to mouse and keyboard players looking to line up precision headshots in CS: GO on the, well, go. Don’t worry, console fans: Steam Deck+ features two USB ports for plugging in your gamepad of choice. 

It may be bigger, but the Steam Deck+ remains a portable-first console. We spent a day transporting the device inside several backpacks and satchels and found it comfortably fits inside the average-sized luggage. It also feels nice to place the hardware on our laps while sitting or lying in bed, but we are concerned with how hot the bottom becomes while playing high-spec games at max settings. One of our editors suffered first-degree crotch burns while testing Cyberpunk 2077 on the bus. 

Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: 343 Industries
Release: December 8, 2021
Rating: Teen

There's only room to go up, right? The Halo series has been a rollercoaster thus far, and episode two proved to be one of the lower parts of the ride. Join us on this bonus episode of The Game Informer Show as we break down what we liked and hated from this week's adventure.

Click here to watch embedded media

Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iOS, Android
Publisher: 505 Games
Developer: ArtPlay
Release: June 18, 2019 (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC), June 25, 2019 (Switch), December 3, 2020 (iOS, Android)
Rating: Teen

Announced today via a press release, Epic Games is partnering with HBO Max to promote a number of the streaming service's exclusive offerings – the first being the fictitious high school drama taking the internet by storm. The official Fortnite X Euphoria crossover event promises to introduce several exciting features to the battle royale, including unlockable emotes, weapon wraps, and of course, exclusive battle pass skins. Reprising her role as troubled-teen Rue Bennett, Zendaya returns to the Fortnite item shop only months after her debut as MJ in last year's Spider-Man: No Way Home event. 

The featured skin can be purchased with 2,800 V-Bucks, the game's premium currency, and features Rue's iconic unkempt look. By completing in-game challenges, players can upgrade the avatar with the protagonist's maroon hoodie that hasn't been washed since the show's first season. Lastly, you can complete your look with Bennett's Back Bling, a torn-up backpack sure to be confiscated by Principal Hayes. 

"We really wanted to bring the world of Euphoria to life in our game," says Creative Director Donald Mustard. Speaking about new map locations Moonlight Rollerway and East Highland High School, Mustard continues, "Our number one priority was to make these places feel authentic for fans of the show. Not only are the halls of East Highland crawling with hostile bully NPCs, but we also wanted to make these teenagers look nothing like real-life teenagers. No, these are fully-matured, aging adults. This is Euphoria, after all." 

Once in a great while, a game comes around that changes the face of what’s possible in the medium. A title that infuses enrapturing environmental storytelling, unforgiving strategic battles, and graphics that challenge our perception of the uncanny valley. From developer Human Hand comes Rock Paper Scissors, a reimagining of what we thought the hands were capable of.

Click here to watch embedded media

Rock Paper Scissors is deceptively simple. Players choose three separate ways of conquering their opponent in a highly technical duel of the minds. A player forms their hands into iconic tools of destruction in an attempt to best their opponents in the quest for glory. Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, paper beats rock, and the cycle continues. The latest free-to-play multiplayer phenomenon seems easy to pick up. Still, if the publisher’s latest Twitch influencer campaign is any indication, players will have to come in expecting a tactics-heavy experience if they wish to succeed. The amount of strategy found in Rock Paper Scissors is staggering.

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New additions and changes will be coming in the upcoming Season 2 for Halo Infinite, developer 343 Industries announced in a Halo Waypoint blog post today. The blog post details much of the feedback given during the game’s first season, and how the studio plans to implement desired features or fixes into the game.

As announced last month, the new Arena map Catalyst and new Big Team Battle map Breaker will be added to matchmaking on the first day of the season. Game mode King of the Hill will also be introduced into multiple playlists alongside the returning Attrition mode.

Some of the changes coming in Season 2 include asymmetrical Weapon Rack spawns in BTB will be fixed, melee fights should be more consistent with less players awkwardly running through others or missing, a damage increase to the Ravager weapon, and the Warthog should be less prone to flipping or bouncing while driving.

The blog post also addresses that the team will be continually improving PC performance during Season 2 and beyond and has no plans to give the option to disable crossplay, only that future updates will bring “improvements to our anti-cheat systems to help ensure better matchmade experiences.” Check out the full list of changes and explanation in the blog post.

Halo infinite is now available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. The game’s Season 2 will be called Lone Wolves and is scheduled to launch on May 3.

Today Microsoft and third-party developers had news to share about Microsoft Flight Simulator and its add-ons.

First and foremost, Microsoft has released the public beta version of Sim Update 9, which is scheduled to officially release on April 26.

You can find the patch notes here and an details on joining.

We then hear that Carenado is bringing a Pilatus PC-12 to the simulator.