Podcast Unlocked

On our final episode of the year and of the decade we look back on our favorite Xbox games of the decade, including both first-party exclusives and memorable third-party offerings. Plus: a recap of the rest of the non-Xbox Series X elements of last week's Game Awards and more! Happy Holidays and New Year! See you in January!

Direct download: Unlocked_424.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 7:44pm EDT

Emergency Unlocked episode! We simply HAVE to talk about Microsoft's big announcement at The Game Awards, in which they announced both the name of Project Scarlett and what it looks like. It's the Xbox Series X, and they also showed Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 running in-engine on the new console! Dig in for 72 minutes of our reactions and analysis.

Direct download: Unlocked_423.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 4:41pm EDT

Huge week of Xbox news! Project Scarlett's lower-cost option, Lockhart, is back in play. We discuss what it means for Xbox's next-gen efforts. Plus: the Xbox finally gets a proper Major League Baseball game, and it's...Sony's?! Also: 2K opens a new studio to make a new BioShock game, IGN's Game of the Year winner Control miiiiiight be coming to Xbox Game Pass, Resident Evil 3 Remake is official, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_422.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:35pm EDT

Lots of Scarlett next-gen talk this week! Hear why Cyberpunk 2077 won't be coming to Scarlett as soon as we think - and neither will VR. Plus: leaked concept art gives us our first glimpse of Playground's next-gen Fable reboot (allegedly...), Resident Evil 3 might be getting remade, Saints Row will return, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_421.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:00pm EDT

On this blazin' episode of our Xbox show, we look back at Xbox's past this week as the original Xbox turns 18, sharing our favorite (not best, although they're often one and the same!) games from Microsoft's first console. And then we look ahead into the future, recapping X019's Inside Xbox livestream and discussing everything we liked and everything we didn't that Microsoft is cooking up now.

Direct download: Unlocked_420.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 4:41pm EDT

Microsoft's big X019 fan event in London is imminent and we've got lots of details, including which TWO DOZEN games are playable there. Plus: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is curiously omitted from EA's EA Access service, we unbox this year's absolutely glorious fan-made Unlock Block Trivia Challenge trophy, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_419.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:01pm EDT

Lots of huge Xbox news to discuss this week, from Ubisoft games that are now coming to Xbox Scarlett (Watch Dogs Legion, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Gods & Monsters) to Scarlett games we'll have to wait a bit longer for (Battlefield 6, Battlefront 3). Plus: our hands-on impressions of Diablo 4 (!!) and Overwatch 2, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_418.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:46pm EDT

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Chad Michael Collins joins us in the second half of the show this week for an interview about acting in one of the biggest games of the year. That interview starts at 42:04 if you'd like to skip straight to it. In the first half of the show, we give our Modern Warfare campaign and multiplayer impressions, detail a fantastic new program from Microsoft that might help ease the sting out of Scarlett's next-gen launch price tag, discuss Fallout 76's new $100 per year service option, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_417.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 7:15pm EDT

#ad #TacoBellPartner First we show off Taco Bell's new Eclipse Xbox One X giveaway bundle (with the new Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller!), and then we discuss Obsidian's new RPG The Outer Worlds with reviewer Dan Stapleton. Plus: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order impressions & more!

Direct download: Unlocked_416.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 9:47pm EDT

We're joined by two developers from The Outer Worlds, the new first-person RPG from new Xbox first-party studio Obsidian Entertainment: co-director Leonard Boyarsky and narrative designer Nittai Poddar. It launches on October 25 (including straight into Xbox Game Pass!). We discuss the origins of the project with respect to Boyarsky's Fallout background, crazy things that have happened during playtesting, the importance of The Outer Worlds' deep character creator, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_415.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 10:51am EDT

New PlayStation 5 details emerge – particularly about the controller – so we discuss what it might mean for the Scarlett's gamepad. Plus: Brandin finished reviewing Ghost Recon Breakpoint and talks at length about his likes and dislikes, Ryan gives his impressions of the Oxenfree developer's new game Afterparty, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_414.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:57pm EDT

Microsoft Flight Simulator. Yes, MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR! We discuss why it probably belongs on your radar. Plus: Bungie's future after Destiny, Ghost Recon Breakpoint's launch, and Gearbox's strange feud with voice actor Troy Baker.

Direct download: Unlocked_413.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:45pm EDT

We're shot out of a cannon this week! Our Xbox crew recaps the news from this week's Inside Xbox, highlighted by the public Project xCloud preview. Plus: the rumored Batman: Court of Owls game, how Xbox owners are getting shortchanged in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and our Gears 5 spoilercast (at the end of the show, so if you don't want to hear it, you won't miss anything else!).

Direct download: Unlocked_412.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 9:12pm EDT

Ryan and Brandin discuss and analyze the week's Xbox news, including the big changes proposed for E3 2020 and how they should make the event better, Ubisoft's doubling-down on large-scale blockbuster games, Gears 5's fast start on Xbox Game Pass, Madden's big sales and the surprising #2 selling game of August, the return of The Game Awards, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_411.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:01pm EDT

Our Xbox crew gives in-depth impressions of Gears 5's multiplayer as well as Borderlands 3. Plus: a surprising departure at Bethesda/Zenimax, a bit more on the next Resident Evil project, and the awesomeness that is Banjo and Kazooie appearing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Direct download: Unlocked_410.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 7:22pm EDT

Our Xbox crew discusses the Gears 5 campaign now that the review embargo has lifted (don't worry, no spoilers!). Plus: our impressions of Ghost Recon Breakpoint after playing six hours of it, Cyberpunk 2077's surprising multiplayer announcement, Telltale's even more surprising sorta-resurrection, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_409.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:57pm EDT

Destin and Brandin return from Gamescom and talk to Ryan about everything they saw there - including a playable build of Marvel's Avengers. Plus: Mortal Kombat's crazy new DLC characters, first impressions of the just-released Remedy game Control, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Astral Chain, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_408.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 7:42pm EDT

On this week's Xbox show, new talent takes over Halo Infinite, Phil Spencer gives an idea of what to expect performance-wise from Xbox Scarlett, Gears 5 comes out swinging at Gamescom, PUBG does an awesome thing, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_407.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:56pm EDT

Lots of industry news to cover on this week's Xbox show! The former head of DOOM developer id Software has landed in an unexpected new location. Plus: Hello Games mastermind Sean Murray has started thinking about what's next after No Man's Sky, Call of Duty won't be changing its business model anytime soon, a former PlayStation-exclusive developer will now be making games for Xbox, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_406.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:09pm EDT

IGN's Monster Hunter expert Casey DeFreitas makes her Unlocked debut to give her impressions on the upcoming Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion. Plus, the crew discusses 343's commitment to a solid Halo Infinite experience on Xbox One, how The Outer World's toughest difficulty setting will completely change the game, and Ninja's move to Mixer along with the streaming service's odd clothing policies.

Direct download: unlocked405.mp4
Category:general -- posted at: 6:23pm EDT

A keen-eyed Halo fan discovered an interesting audio Easter egg hiding in the Halo Infinite E3 trailer. We play it for you and speculate about what it means. Plus: the Xbox Dashboard is getting another refresh, the Blair Witch game finally shows itself, classic Doom games get re-released on Xbox - but things don't go super smoothly for Bethesda, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_404.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 4:19pm EDT

Miranda and Brandin host Unlocked 403 in what feels like a very summer episode, which you can interpret as you will. The two discuss Hideo Kojima's comments on game streaming, the Gears 5 Tech Test, and their thoughts on Netflix's The Witcher trailer. 

Direct download: unlocked304.mp4
Category:general -- posted at: 7:10pm EDT

As we break in our brand-new studio, our Xbox crew discusses why Square seems to have had a change of plans with regard to an Xbox release of Final Fantasy VII Remake. Plus: the director of Halo Reach has a new first-person shooter, The Division 2's director contemplates a single-player spinoff, Gears 5 says no to smoking, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_402.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:31pm EDT

On this week's Xbox show, we give our hands-on impressions from the first weekend of the Halo Outpost Discovery fan experience, discuss a new Batman release from Rocksteady (not a new game, sadly), talk through the small glimpses we've been getting at Playdead's new post-Inside game, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_401.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:15pm EDT

As rumors suggest that Xbox Scarlett is now one console instead of two, we discuss what that means for Xbox heading into the next generation. Plus: Alan Wake 2 is a lot more possible now than it was last week, EA executives forego their bonuses, the co-creator of Dead Space is making a narrative-driven game for PUBG Corp, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_400.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:02pm EDT

Gears 5 boss Rod Fergusson joins us for an entire show of Gears talk, from taking over the beloved franchise from Epic to Gears Tactics to Gears 5 to Project Scarlett, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_399.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 7:18pm EDT

We continue our Xbox E3 recap by discussing most of the rest of Xbox's press conference announcements, including Bleeding Edge, Ori 2, Minecraft Dungeons, Gears 5, Blair Witch, Battletoads, and Avengers (even though that last one wasn't in the Xbox conference).

Direct download: Unlocked_398.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 4:00pm EDT

Film and TV star Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley, The Big Sick, Men in Black: International, Stuber) joins our live-from-E3 episode to recap Microsoft's biggest Xbox E3 announcements. We'll deep-dive into the rest on the next episode!

Direct download: Unlocked_397.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:36pm EDT

On this week's Xbox show, we discuss the biggest E3 leak so far in Watch Dogs 3, gush over the just-released Outer Wilds, address Rainbow Six Siege's plan for next-gen, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_396.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 3:27pm EDT

On this week's Xbox show, it's time once again for a beloved pre-E3 tradition: making our Xbox E3 predictions! We discuss what could happen with regard to Xbox Scarlett's release date and specs, Halo Infinite, a new Xbox Elite controller, and more! Plus: our take on the big Call of Duty: Modern Warfare rumor, why Dead Island 2 is still alive, what Saints Row and Red Faction developer Volition might be up to, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_395.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:59pm EDT

On this week's Xbox show, Sony and Microsoft announced a partnership. Yes, you read that right! We talk about their mutual cloud-gaming initiative. Plus: Call of Duty's development gets thrown into turmoil for next year, so we examine what effect it will have on the future of the franchise. And did Ubisoft just announce Splinter Cell or were they just "joking"? All that and more on this week's Unlocked!

Direct download: Unlocked_394.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:02pm EDT

On this week's Xbox show, the crew discusses their Rage 2 impressions and their thoughts on Red Dead Online's official launch and all the new content coming with it. Despite being just a few weeks away from E3, there's still other announcements rolling out, including the reveal of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the unfortunate, concerning news from the Starbreeze financial call, and more.

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Category:general -- posted at: 5:30pm EDT

Ghost Recon appears to be returning soon, as does Call of Duty. We debate what each might look like. Plus: Sea of Thieves Anniversary Update impressions, PlatinumGames laments how Microsoft has been treated in the wake of Scalebound's cancellation, Tekken x Street Fighter is probably never happening, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_392.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:22pm EDT

On this week's Xbox show, willl the Sonic the Hedgehog movie set video game movies back a decade or turn them into high art? Plus: Kansas City Chiefs fans have to reckon with the Madden Curse as the first details of Madden NFL 20 are announced, Games With Gold for May have been revealed, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_391.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 3:49pm EDT

Our Xbox crew gives our impressions of the just-released Mortal Kombat 11, discusses Respawn's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and why we're optimistic about it, speculates on the motive behind the return of a Call of Duty co-creator after a six-year retirement, and more! Plus: how much next-gen will Microsoft talk at E3?

Direct download: Unlocked_390.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 5:20pm EDT

Ubisoft seems to have teased the next Assassin's Creed game in The Division 2! We discuss the apparent Viking theme and its likely next-gen debut. Plus: Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold might be bundled together, an anonymous millionaire wants to set up a real-life battle royale (and we have ideas! Boy, do we have ideas!), we get a few new tidbits of Borderlands 3 information, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_389.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:05pm EDT

Lots to discuss this week! James Duggan's impressions of The Division 2 and how it compares to other loot shooters. Plus: our headliner is Borderlands 3. It's finally official, but what kind of game will it be? We each give our take. We also detail the just-announced monster FPS Darkborn, wonder about Ubisoft's E3 press conference, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_388.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 4:39pm EDT

Our Xbox podcast crew gives detailed impressions of the just-released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice as well as Remedy's upcoming third-person action game Control. Plus: a look back at the Elder Scrolls games that helped make the Xbox great as the franchise celebrates its 25th anniversary this week, more rumored details of the all-digital Xbox One S, a bit of Mortal Kombat 11 talk, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_387.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 4:42pm EDT

Original Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studios returns with a game that sounds an awful lot like Left 4 Dead...literally and figuratively. Plus: we try to predict Bethesda's just-announced E3 press conference, No Man's Sky keeps building, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_386.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:49pm EDT

Another major publisher decides to skip its E3 press conference in 2019. We discuss what we think EA's decision means for Microsoft. Plus: Halo MCC gets Reach, Mortal Kombat 11 goes for the gusto in the story department, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_385.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

A new report suggests the disc-less Xbox One S will be announced next month. We speculate on price, who it's aimed at, and more! Plus: Borderlands 3, Apex Legends' sweet revenge for Respawn, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_384.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

We dive deep into the credible rumors surrounding Microsoft bringing Xbox Game Pass to the Nintendo Switch. Plus: Microsoft considered hiring Gearbox to make Halo 4. How would THAT have changed history?? Also: HoloLens 2 and its potential future in the Xbox ecosystem, and we say goodbye to our beloved Shark.

Direct download: Unlocked_383.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

Our Xbox crew deep-dives into Xbox's two biggest new releases, Anthem and Crackdown 3. Plus: BioWare says Mass Effect will return, but how and when? We discuss...

Direct download: Unlocked_382.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

IGN's Xbox crew discusses Apex Legends enormous success and it's potential, the future of EA, and a traveling Halo Amusement Park that may be headed your way.

Direct download: Unlocked381_021219_Audio.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

Our Xbox crew has a lot to chew on this week! Apex Legends reactions and impressions, Crackdown 3 impressions, Xbox Live's stunning extension to Nintendo Switch, Xbox's big E3 2019, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_380.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

Three major games dominate the water-cooler conversation this week, including the controversial Anthem VIP demo, plus the releases of Resident Evil 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3.

Direct download: Unlocked_379.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

EA has been having a tough time with Star Wars: What went wrong and can it be fixed? Our Xbox crew discusses that and more on this week's show.

Direct download: Unlocked_378.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

Bungie is now a free agent. Here's what it means for Xbox fans. Will Microsoft buy Bungie again? Will Destiny 3 happen? What's after Destiny? Plus: Phil Spencer briefly mentions the future at CES, Resident Evil 2's demo is popular, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_377.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

IGN's Xbox team kicks off the new year by discussing some of the games we're most excited about. Plus: one new Alien game not for Xbox and one that is, From Software's mystery new games, and more!

Direct download: Unlocked_376.mp3
Category:Podcast Unlocked -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

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