Unlocked

Another week brings another important new update in Xbox's huge acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. Microsoft is making it clear that Call of Duty will continue on PlayStation - and come to Switch - so we discuss the ramifications of that decision for Xbox. Plus: Cyberpunk 2077 comes to Xbox Series X, our thoughts on Netflix's BioShock movie, impressions of The Cuphead Show, and more! TIMECODES: 0...

Rockstar has officially acknowledged Grand Theft Auto 6's development, so we spend time mulling over some key questions: When will it be out? Will the long gap between GTA 5 and GTA 6 help or hurt it? Where will it be set? What do we want out of it in terms of main characters, gameplay features, etc. Plus: Infinity Ward confirms the next Call of Duty game and we debate what big and small steps the...

Sony has purchased Bungie, who has meant so much to Xbox and its history, that we can't help but discuss the deal. We look at what it means for the future of Bungie on Xbox, remember our favorite Bungie-made moments on Xbox, and more. Plus: our reactions to the Halo TV show's new trailer and release date, and more! TIMECODES: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:10 - Sony Buys Bungie for $3.6 billion 00:32:12 -...

We can't stop thinking about last week's landmark Xbox acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, so on this week's podcast, we're talking about A) Who Microsoft might strategically target for acquisition next, and B) our dream Xbox-Bethesda-Activision-Blizzard project collaborations and IP revivals. Plus: Respawn announces THREE new Star Wars games, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

Xbox continues its spending spree, buying Activision-Blizzard for almost $70 billion. We spent almost the entire podcast discussing it, from future game exclusivity to Microsoft's role in cleaning up Activision Blizzard's toxic workplace culture to whether or not so much consolidation is a good thing for the video game industry. Join us for the biggest Xbox story of the year (because we can't imag...

We have a random assortment of Xbox topics to discuss this week, from Dying Light 2's supposed 500-hour play time, Amazon getting the Fallout TV show off the ground with a big name attached, Xbox Game Pass landing another big third-party game on day one, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy New Year! Xbox Game Pass gets 2022 started in a big way - by dropping the entirety of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition onto Game Pass. We discuss the legendary RPG series, the importance of its presence on Game Pass, and more. Plus: what we played over the holiday break (hint: Halo Infinite multiplayer), Tencent's stealthy infiltration of the games industry, and more! Learn more about your ad...

The hosts of IGN's four major podcasts (Game Scoop, Unlocked, Beyond, and NVC) unite, Avengers-style, to discuss 2021's biggest games on each platform, as well as look ahead to what's coming in 2022. We hope you enjoy this special episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that Halo Infinite's campaign has been out for a little while, it's time to go into full spoiler mode and discuss our thoughts on the story! Find out what we thought of the (Legendary) ending, Cortana, Master Chief, The Pilot, The Banished, and more! WARNING: Do NOT listen to or watch this episode if you haven't finished the Halo Infinite campaign yet/don't want to be spoiled. Or just skip ahe...

This week's episode is all about Halo Infinite. We can FINALLY talk about it now that the review embargo has lifted. We discuss everything we did and didn't like about Master Chief's glorious return,. but don't worry – this conversation is spoiler-free. We'll do a full Halo Infinite spoilercast on next week's episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy holidays! As we push into the final (huge) month of the Xbox year, we discuss Amazon's rumored Mass Effect TV show. Can it work? Who should it focus on? Who should star in it? Plus: Halo Infinite multiplayer impressions, Scalebound's director speaks candidly about the canceled Xbox exclusive, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our second episode this week tackles the biggest topic in the Xbox world right now: Halo Infinite. From the surprise early release of the free-to-play multiplayer suite to our impressions of the campaign, we spend a lot of time talking Halo. But we also spend a lot of time talking about the top 5 best original Xbox games ever in celebration of the console's 20th anniversary. Join us! Learn more ab...

Xbox creator Seamus Blackley joins us for a special episode commemorating the 20th anniversary of Xbox. He shares stories from the early days of building the Xbox at Microsoft, discusses what he thinks of Xbox and the gaming industry now, and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Xbox crew spends a ton of time digging into the just-released masterpiece that is Forza Horizon 5, including why we love it, and we feel like it's finally getting its due as a series after all these years. Plus: we're less enthusiastic about Call of Duty: Vanguard, huge games like Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, and Marvel's Midnight Suns get delayed, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Is id Software moving onto Quake after Doom? Job postings suggest that might be the case, and we discuss what we'd like to see out of what would be Xbox's next major exclusive first-person shooter. Plus: Miranda and Ryan tell you about their visit to 343 Industries to play Halo Infinite, Sega and Microsoft forge a new partnership, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

With six minutes of new Halo Infinite campaign footage to chew on, we spend a lot of time in this episode reacting to the footage we've all been waiting over a year to see. We talk about the open world, the improved graphics, the ray tracing (or the lack thereof), the boss battles (?), and more! Plus: Halo's former art director stars a new studio at EA, and we dream about what he might be making....

A plethora of new details about Avowed emerged this last week from Windows Central's Jez Corden who reports that it's deep into development and will feature destructible environments, and elements Pillars of Eternity fans are familiar with. We brought Jez on the show to discuss his Avowed piece along with Miles Dompier, also of Windows Central. In addition to Avowed, Xbox news has not slowed this...

It's the busy fall games season and we've got a LOT to talk about, from Forza Horizon 5 preview impressions (spoiler: it's absurdly good) to Back 4 Blood first impressions, the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remasters being real, Ubisoft's latest uninspiring announcement in Ghost Recon Frontline, and more. Plus a special show announcement! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Xbox boss Phil Spencer reaffirms his commitment to supporting the Japanese game market and Japanese-developed games. We discuss what needs to happen and what we'd like to see. Plus: our impressions of Big Team Battle in Halo Infinite's second weekend of multiplayer test flight #2, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two big topics dominate this week's episode. First and foremost is our recap and analysis of the first weekend of the second Halo Infinite multiplayer test flight. We were all incredibly impressed by what 343 has put together so far. And second, we discuss the unexpected news that Square Enix-owned Crystal Dynamics, makers of Tomb Raider, will be partnering with Microsoft's The Initative studio on...

Battlefield 2042's short delay has set up a heck of a Fall/holiday season for first-person shooter fans. We discuss each of the five major FPS games out between now and the end of the year: Far Cry 6, Back 4 Blood, Call of Duty: Vanguard, the aforementioned Battlefield 2042, and Halo Infinite. And please welcome back guest panelist NeoGameSpark! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Beloved original Xbox classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (aka KOTOR) is back as...a timed PlayStation 5 exclusive? We discuss the strange circumstances of this long-awaited revival, from the exclusivity deal to the developer behind it and more. Plus: we get psyched for Halo Infinite's next multiplayer test flight, Grand Theft Auto 5's next-gen edition gets delayed, and more! Learn more...

Alan Wake is back and we are incredibly excited. Will this lead to the long-awaited sequel? We discuss... Plus: it's time to give Psychonauts 2 its flowers after an incredible journey that began in the early days of the original Xbox, so we do just that on this episode. Also: Miranda's "meh" reaction to Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer beta, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Halo Infinite finally has a release date, and it's not what any of us would've guessed. We analyze what the December date may or may not mean, celebrate both the unsurprising special-edition Halo controller and the definitely-surprising special-edition Halo Infinite Xbox One, discuss the negative reaction to the Saints Row reboot, give our hands-on impressions of Far Cry 6, and more! Learn more ab...

We recorded this episode live immediately following the Xbox Showcase at Gamescom. We discuss why we thought this was a poor overall showing for Xbox due to pacing and notable game absences like Halo Infinite, Bright Memory Infinite, Scorn, and CrossfireX. But we also go over the really cool stuff, like the Forza Horizon 5 custom controller, xCloud coming to console, new indies like Midnight Fight...