What planes and airports are available in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

Now that Horizon Zero Dawn has made the trip from PS4 exclusive to PC, you’ll need to know if your machine can handle it.

Rumours swirled for a long time before Horizon Zero Dawn’s PC release was officially announced. The fact that Death Stranding – which uses the Decima Engine developed for Horizon Zero Dawn – was announced (and subsequently released) for PC seemed to only add fuel to that fire.

Then, earlier this year, Horizon Zero Dawn’s PC release was confirmed by Sony.

The release window we were given at the time was “summer 2020” which was, after a time, narrowed down to August 7, 2020. That’s just two days away. But if you’re thinking of picking it up for PC, you’re going to need to know if your machine can handle it.

Minimum Horizon Zero Dawn system requirements

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core [email protected] or AMD FX [email protected]
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 (3 GB) or AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 100 GB available space

Recommended Horizon Zero Dawn system requirements

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core [email protected] or Ryzen 5 [email protected]
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 100 GB available space

All told, those aren’t too onerous, but we don’t know what the target resolutions and frame rates are for the “minimum” and “recommended” specs.

And it is a sign of the times that even the minimum Horizon Zero Dawn system requirements require at least 3 or 4GB of VRAM on your graphics card. That rules out a bunch of lower-end systems and cut-down, mobile graphics cards. The requirement for DirectX 12 will also automatically exclude some older, lower-end systems that might otherwise get close to the specs.

Here’s every real-life song – original, licensed recording or cast-recorded cover – featured on The Last of Us Part II soundtrack.

The Last of Us Part II must’ve been a licensing nightmare. There’s that official Taylor 314ce guitar, for one thing, before we even get to the tunes. And we’ve already seen how rights expiry can disappear games from sale, so when Naughty Dog told Sony’s licensing team they wanted Pearl Jam and a-ha (among others) on the soundtrack? That was probably not a popular decision.

But in addition to Gustavo Santaolalla’s original score, there are a whole bunch of licensed songs that made it onto the Last of Us Part II’s soundtrack. (We only wonder what didn’t make the cut, given some of the massive names that did. Let us know if you didn’t get any songs you pushed for, Neil.)

Some of the licensed songs on The Last of Us Part II soundtrack are the original versions, played as background or incidental music. Others are covers, played in part or in full by characters in the game. What’s really neat is that the voice actors behind Ellie and Joel, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker respectively, played guitar and sang the vocals in the motion capture studio. There’s no sneaky session musicians or dubbing going on here.

Rehearsal. #TheLastofUsPartII @TheVulcanSalute @shannonwoodward pic.twitter.com/XKjJDTJb8H

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) June 28, 2020

So, here’s the full list of every licensed song and cover on The Last of Us Part II soundtrack.

Spoiler warning: This article will contain general location, character and story spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.

Through the Valley – Shawn James (original recording)

It’s super quiet and difficult to make out, but Ellie listens to this on a Walkman in a flashback scene right before Joel gifts her the guitar.

Bonus: This is also the song that Ellie sings while playing the guitar on the trailer for the game from the PlayStation Experience event in 2016.

Future Days – Pearl Jam (covered by Joel, Ellie)

Here’s an interesting one. You first hear Joel playing Future Days for Ellie as he gifts her that beautiful Taylor guitar, then throughout the game, you’ll hear snippets of it, played by Ellie. It includes the lyrics “if I ever were to lose you, I’d surely lose myself” which is thematically appropriate for The Last of Us Part II. So far, so sensible.

But did you know that Future Days appears on Pearl Jam’s Lightning Bolt album, which was released on October 11, 2013? That’s interesting because “outbreak day” – when the Cordyceps brain infection struck – happens on September 27, 2013. So in the fictional universe of The Last of Us, Pearl Jam never actually got to release Lightning Bolt.

So how does Joel know a song that was never released? Game director Neil Druckmann has the answer:

But how did Joel know @pearljam's Future Days if the song didn't drop until October 2013 — a month after Outbreak Day? Glad you asked! You see… it was performed live and posted on youtube months prior to the album's release. https://t.co/WEQmwPrE7L pic.twitter.com/g6Wa3GcMUh

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) June 28, 2020

I mean, sure, it sounds a little like a retcon, but it technically works.

Bonus: There’s a poster for Pearl Jam’s Lighting Bolt in the music store Ellie visits with Dina in Seattle.

Take on Me – a-ha (covered by Ellie)

In a game filled with violence (spoiler warning on that article) and the bleakest parts of the human character, there are a few small moments of light. They’re pretty few and far, and they decrease as the game goes on, but one of the nicest comes just after Ellie and Dina arrive in Seattle.

In the aforementioned guitar shop, Ellie finds an acoustic guitar that’s locked away inside a hard shell flight case. She pops open the case, tunes the guitar, and sings a song for Dina. That song? It’s a beautiful acoustic rendition of 80s pop anthem Take on Me, by Norwegian synth heroes a-ha.

For a game that’s split the discourse so heavily, it probably speaks volumes that this – a hands-off cut scene, of characters having a pleasant singalong – is my favourite bit of the game.

Hydrogen – M|O|O|N (Hotline Miami soundtrack)

When Ellie is looking for Nora at the hospital, she happens upon a member of the WLF who is playing on her PS Vita. Ellie interrogates the girl at knifepoint and, ultimately, kills her when she fights back. But the game she’s playing? It’s hyper-violent shooter Hotline Miami. (A game that asks, “do you like hurting other people?” which can’t be a coincidence, given The Last of Us Part II’s themes.)

But the song that’s playing is the thing, here, and that tune is Hydrogen by M|O|O|N.

It Was a Good Day – Ice Cube (original recording)

This is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from Ice Cube, but you can hear this classic tune playing in the WLF hospital as Ellie listens in on Nora being questioned by other WLF soldiers looking for Abby.

The Winding Sheet – Mark Lanegan (original recording)

The brilliant Mark Lanegan – vocalist for Screaming Trees and latterly with Queens of the Stone Age – released his first solo album, The Winding Sheet, in 1990. The title track from that album appears on the soundtrack for The Last of Us Part II. You’ll hear it on the boombox at Owen’s aquarium.

Christmas Wish – Roberts, Fletcher, Sturrock (original recording)

This modern Christmas tune is playing during one of Abby’s flashbacks at the aquarium with Owen.

Rock Around the Christmas Tree – Fiddy, Burdson (original recording)

Another Christmas tune from the aquarium flashback at Christmas.

Ecstasy – Crooked Still (covered by Ellie)

Ellie plays this one as part of one of the guitar minigames when she’s having trouble sleeping, at the farm with Dina and JJ.

Little Sadie – Crooked Still (original recording?)

This is the song that’s playing at the dance, during the flashback where Ellie and Dina kiss for the first time.

(We’ve put this down as “original recording?” with a big question mark because it’s not clear if the performance in the game is supposed to be just the original record, played over a PA system, or if it’s supposed to be a “live” band at the party.)

Ain’t No Grave – Crooked Still (original recording)

This is the song Ellie puts on with JJ when Dina requests some tunes to wash up to. Or, more specifically, this is the track on the B-side of the LP, where Ellie starts the needle. The album is Crooked Still’s Shaken By a Low Sound from 2006, and Ain’t No Grave is the seventh song on the record.

But what’s interesting is that a bunch of other Crooked Still tunes crop up in the game’s credits, but this appears to be the last time we hear them. So where are they, exactly? If you go and dance with Dina straight away, they’ll move to the backyard to hang out laundry and the music will end. But if you don’t interact with Dina immediately, you’ll also hear…

Ecstasy – Crooked Still (original recording)

The eighth track on Crooked Still’s Shaken By a Low Sound.

Mountain Jumper – Crooked Still (original recording)

Track number nine on Shaken By a Low Sound.

Railroad Bill – Crooked Still (original recording)

Track ten on Shaken By a Low Sound by Crooked Still.

Wind and Rain – Crooked Still (original recording)

The final track on Crooked Still’s Shaken By a Low Sound.

Young Men Dead – The Black Angels (original recording)

You’ll hear this one playing on a stereo as you battle the Rattlers in Santa Barbara.

Helplessly Hoping – Crosby, Stills & Nash (covered by Joel)

This is a tricky one because it’s not in the game’s credits. Presumably, the snippet of fingerpicking is so short and with Joel not singing any of the lyrics, licensing wasn’t a concern. But in the game’s final flashback between Joel and Ellie, Helplessly Hoping is the song you hear him playing on his front porch when Ellie disturbs him.

Unknown – Unknown (covered by Ellie)

The final song that Ellie plays – or, at least, attempts to play – in The Last of Us Part II is pretty unrecognisable. She lost two fingers on her left hand in the final fight with Abby and can no longer form those chords.

It’s a safe bet that it’s probably Future Days by Pearl Jam, given the chord progression Ellie’s trying to follow and the song’s significance to the story, but it’s hard to say for sure. (And that’s exactly the point, right?)

Wayfaring Stranger – Johnny Cash (covered by Ellie and Joel)

This is the song that plays for the final few minutes of the credits for The Last of Us Part II. But don’t give up that easy – there’s still a post-credits surprise (of sorts) after the end of the trailer.

Bonus: True Faith – New Order (covered by Ellie)

This is the song that Ellie plays on the TV spot for The Last of Us Part II.

It’s also something that Naughty Dog got into trouble over, because it’s very clearly inspired by (if not directly copied from) Lotte Kestner’s 2011 arrangement of the New Order classic.

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Forgotten what happened in the original The Last of Us? You’ll want to read our comprehensive story recap. Found this guide useful? Please consider supporting Thumbsticks or buying us a coffee to say thanks.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is back, almost 40 years after its debut. What are the system requirements to play the latest version of your dad’s favourite flight simulator?

Microsoft Flight Simulator launches on August 18, 2020. There are three versions you can buy at launch, which include different combinations of planes and airports depending on how much you spend.

But the question is, what can you run Microsoft Flight Simulator on?

The short answer is, just Windows PC, and just via the Windows Store. At least, for now. Microsoft is reportedly exploring more distribution options for its very serious plane game, with other storefronts like Steam on the cards for later.

It’s also thought that we might see Microsoft Flight Simulator on the Xbox Series X generation of consoles, but the Xbox One generation can’t quite handle the expansive, global flying experience. Which is weird, because when you look at the following system requirements for Microsoft Flight Simulator, it doesn’t look too dissimilar to the power behind the Xbox Series X.

But Microsoft is keen to make sure that games are as cross-platform and cross-generational as possible. The 6 TFLOPs Xbox Series X might be good enough to handle Microsoft Flight Simulator, for instance, but the OG Xbox One – which is rated around 1.3 TFLOPs – would struggle to handle it. And with Microsoft unwilling to split the generation, console players will have to wait for the Xbox Series X, which rocks 12 TFLOPs of GPU power.

Anyway. Back to the present, and the PC system requirements for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Microsoft Flight Simulator system requirements

• OS: Windows 10 (version 1909 or higher)
• CPU: Intel i5-4460, Ryzen 3 1200
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 770, Radeon RX 570 | 2 GB VRAM
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Storage: 150 GB
• DirectX: DirectX 11

And that’s it. There are minimum system requirements, but no recommended ones. But as is always the case with these things, the more horsepower you can throw at it, the better. If you want to get the absolute best out of Microsoft Flight Simulator, you’re going to want to be at the top-end of the GPU tree.

Warning: This article will contain general location, character and story spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.

You’ll be familiar with the title screen of The Last of Us Part II, even if you’ve not played the game. Why? Because reviewers tweeted out the title screen weeks before the game even released. (A secondary embargo for when you can tell people you’ve got the game – and limiting the visual bits you can use on your social media to just the title screen – is now a thing. It’s weird, we know.)

But you know what the title screen looks like, that’s the important thing. It’s a small motorboat, bobbing around, in the fog. It’s simultaneously serene and ominous, something that The Last of Us does especially well as a series.

When you complete The Last of Us Part II, however, the title screen changes. There’s the obligatory New Game Plus mode, of course, but the visuals have changed, too.

It’s still a boat – a similar-looking one, at that – but it’s in a different setting. Gone is the fog and the gloom, replaced instead with waves, crashing on a sandy beach, and a circular white building in the distance.

Where is it, though?

Where is the location in the new title screen of The Last of Us Part II?

First up, the straightforward bit: It’s Santa Catalina Island in Southern California, or just Catalina for short.

You might be thinking it could be absolutely anywhere, but that round, white building is really distinctive. Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

(It’s not exactly the same angle and the design is slightly stylised, but the building is the Catalina Island Casino Ballroom and Theater, in case you were wondering. It’s located in Avalon, the largest settlement on Catalina.)

Don’t worry if you thought you’d missed something on your playthrough, though. You don’t actually visit Catalina, the location of the new title screen, on a playthrough of The Last of Us Part II.

But it is somewhere that’s been mentioned in the game. Here come the spoilers. Seriously. Get out of here if you’ve not finished The Last of Us Part II yet.

What’s the significance of the new title screen in The Last of Us Part II?

So, you’ve nearly completed The Last of Us Part II. You’ve done the prologue, including the upsetting bit. You’ve completed the three days of Seattle as Ellie, then you’ve gone back and done it all again from Abby’s point of view. You’ve been to the farm with Ellie, Dina and the potato, and now you’re back in Abby’s shoes, in Santa Barbara.

Why? Because, before he died, Owen had been fixing up a sailboat and planned to make his way from Seattle to Santa Barbara, looking for the Fireflies.

Abby and her friends were all originally Fireflies. They were displaced and joined the WLF looking for a new cause after the Salt Lake City incident with Joel and Marlene, but Owen had been hearing rumours that the Fireflies were getting the band back together.

He had heard from multiple people that the Fireflies had a presence in Santa Barbara. Abby dismissed it all as rumour at the time, but with Owen now gone and no other focus for her and Lev, chasing down the Fireflies seems like as good a plan as any other.

So they heard to Santa Barbara and – after trading a pistol for some information – find themselves on Constance Avenue, looking for number 2425.

The house is empty but, hidden in the basement, they find a small barracks with beds, supplies, and a radio. Next to the radio, Lev finds a list:

• San Diego KGFS183
• Big Sur KBSG583
• Catalina Island KZRQ639
• Los Angeles KSPG374

They proceed to call what they presume to be Firefly bases and get nothing but static. Abby has all but given up hope when “Catalina” responds. She introduces herself as a former Firefly and asks to come in. They test her on who was in charge at her last post, at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. When Abby answers correctly – it was her father – she and Lev make to leave for Catalina, then get abducted by a group of human traffickers called the Rattlers on the driveway to the house.

And we all just assumed that it was the Rattlers on the radio, right? Messing with people, perhaps. Or, more likely, using whispers, the promise of a group of Fireflies to lure people to the house, and the radio as a notification that someone had stepped into the trap.

Fast forward right to the end of the game. Ellie has upped and left Dina and the potato to continue the search for Abby and vengeance, and found her strung up on “the pillars” by the Rattlers. She cuts Abby down, Abby grabs Lev, and they make their way to a pair of small motorboats, in the fog, on the beach. We catch a glimpse of the original title screen, from a different angle.

You think everything’s done, then Ellie has one more stab at revenge, an exercise in futility that sees Ellie lose two fingers, and the pair sitting in the shallow water, spent. There’s no fight left in either. They get in their separate boats and leave.

One final sequence plays, with Ellie returning to the farm to find Dina and baby potato have left, presumably to move back to Jackson. Then the credits roll, followed by the new title screen.

We know the boat on the beach isn’t Ellie’s. She’s back in Wyoming, an entirely landlocked state with no coastline. So by process of elimination, that means the boat on the new title screen must belong to Abby and Lev.

So what does it mean? What’s the significance of the new title screen after you complete The Last of Us Part II?

If you look closely at the digital recreation of the Catalina Island Casino you can see flags, flapping on its roof. That’s not unusual; the building sports flags year-round. But with a quarter of a century passed since the start of the outbreak, any flags that were left there after the apocalypse would surely have blown away or decayed by now. Which means someone must be maintaining the flags. Which means someone must be living at the Catalina Island Casino.

We can’t say for sure that it’s the Fireflies. We don’t know for sure that the person Abby spoke to is genuinely with the group. But what we can say for certain is that Abby and Lev have travelled to Catalina Island to check it out.

That’s definitely their boat, and that’s definitely Catalina.

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Forgotten what happened in the original The Last of Us? You’ll want to read our comprehensive story recap.

The apartment 302 safe code in The Last of Us Part II isn’t actually written down, which makes it a bit trickier to find than the others.

So you know the drill by now. You find a safe in The Last of Us Part II, then you need to find a code to open it and access the goodies inside. (Don’t get too excited. The goodies are usually two shotgun shells and a bottle of rubbing alcohol; it’s hardly the crown jewels.)

Often, the code is literally written down for you. There’s a note, left by a (presumably-no-longer-a) survivor, advising their friends or loved ones how to access their disappointing trove. Or as chance may have it, allowing the player to nab some supplies.

Sometimes, the code isn’t written down at all. Instead, the note maker has left a clue, a nod to the environment to find the code. That might be a winning lottery ticket or a suspiciously short wireless password. But in the case of the apartment 302 safe code, it’s not so obvious.

You’ll find reference to the safe on a note that’s been passed back and forth between two apartments. After the evacuation of downtown, by chance, next-door neighbours realise they’re not alone. Both apartments chose not to leave, for reasons their own. But far from the “humans are the real monsters” narrative pushed in The Last of Us Part II and its ilk, these neighbours, who probably never spoke in the before times, begin communicating. Getting to know one another. Helping each other out. Sharing freshly baked cornbread and vodka. It’s heartwarming stuff.

We can track their conversation, back and forth, on a scrap of paper passed under locked doors. Then tragedy strikes and apartment 302, following a death, readies to leave. They pass a note under next door advising them of the code to the safe, telling them to help themselves. Next door writes back a thank you but declines the offer, which means there’s still something in the safe for your grubby little mitts.

But what is the apartment 302 safe code? The clue to this one is in the apartment number:

“I’m leaving our door unlocked and some supplies in our safe. Combo is our apartment number then your apartment number.”

The apartment you’re standing in is 302. You can see that from the board in the room, and it’s also mentioned in the note. So you go to the safe and try 302-303 and nothing happens. Why? Because in some buildings, like houses on some streets, the apartment numbers are even one on side of the corridor and odd on the other.

That actually makes the apartment 302 safe code 302-204.

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Forgotten what happened in the original The Last of Us? You’ll want to read our comprehensive story recap. Looking for more The Last of Us Part II safe codes? Head over to our guides section.