Podcast Unlocked

Podcast Unlocked Episode 212: How Much Content Is Enough for $60?

On this week's Xbox show, Rainbow Six Siege's map count leads us to wonder how it'll be received. Plus: Fallout 4's season pass annoys us, Star Wars Battlefront gets a mini-fridge, we're excited for the imminent New Xbox One Experience Dashboard, Xbox One gets two new games in a genre it sorely needs them in, and more! Also: after we recorded, Ubisoft issued a correction to their developer who was quoted as saying Rainbow Six Siege will ship with 10 maps. It will actually be 11.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 211: The 'Xboy' Handheld Was Almost Real

We make an otherwise slow Xbox news week interesting by discussing notable 9/9 gaming birthdays, discuss former Xbox boss Robbie Bach's comments on how an 'Xboy' handheld almost came to exist, analyze what we learned about Destiny thanks to a court decision involving a former longtime Bungie employee, and give our ideas for what rides we think should be at Ubisoft's planned real-life theme park in Malaysia. 

Podcast Unlocked Episode 210: What the Xbox One Elite Console Will and Won't Do

Microsoft's newest Xbox One console bundle is extra special because it includes the hot new Elite gamepad as well as a 1TB SSHD hard drive. We break down the benefits you can expect as well as whether or not it might be worth upgrading to. Plus: we analyze Halo 5's newly released opening cinematic, take a guess at the real reason DICE is doing a Star Wars Battlefront beta, dry heave at Square Enix's pre-order incentives for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and...oh yeah, we give away a custom Gears...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 209: Should Master Chief Be Unmasked?

Mitch and Ryan shake and bake their way through this week's Xbox show, tackling, among other questions: Will we ever see Master Chief's face? What are the odds of Xbox One actually getting original Xbox backwards compatibility functionality? Should you take Just Cause 3's $50,000 cash prize, or the mysterious actual real-life island they're offering? And much more! Polite College Duke Nukem stops by as well!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 208: Rainbow Six Siege's Bold Decision

This week's Xbox show analyzes Rainbow Six Siege's daring delay and what it means for the franchise this year and in the longer term. Plus: we express sadness (but not anger) regarding the absence of Big Team Battle from Halo 5's launch, theorize what Gearbox might do with Duke Nukem now that their IP ownership lawsuit is settled, discuss Forza 6's new "mods," and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 207: Grand Theft Auto 6 Is Gonna Be HUGE

This week's Xbox show recaps Gamescom from the IGN guys who were there, explains why the Halo 5 console bundle might not be such a good deal, details how the Halo TV show isn't dead, laments Capcom's remakes/remasters-or-bust strategy, and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 206: Xbox Just Killed it at Gamescom

After Xbox's killer Gamescom, we just couldn't wait until Wednesday to do our next show. So here we are, talking about everything from Gamescom, including Halo Wars 2, Crackdown 3, Scalebound, Quantum Break, Homefront: The Revolution, the Halo 5 Xbox One console, new ID@Xbox games, strange Destiny news, Xbox One TV DVR functionality, and Xbox One's downright ridiculous 2016 lineup!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 205: Our Xbox Gamescom Predictions

Microsoft is set to have a big presence at Gamescom. So, we play our ol' predictions game, making 12 Xbox predictions for what we think might happen. Plus: Tomb Raider's exclusivity is dated, 343 explains the lack of any split-screen multiplayer support in Halo 5, Windows 10 begins rolling out to change the Xbox ecosystem forever, and much more.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 204: Brothers in Arms and the Return of WWII Shooters

As news of a new Brothers in Arms game starting development surfaces, we revisit the smart, stellar, historically-based first-person shooter/strategy series and why we'd be excited for it to return – as well as if it could help bring WWII shooters back in general. Plus: all of Sony's marketing dollars still won't let you play Star Wars Battlefront on PS4 first, Xbox One gets another clever bundle, and much more! Special guest star Jared Petty joins the Unlocked crew this week.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 203: Our Xbox Games of the Year (So Far)

With the year half over, it's time to give our picks for our Xbox Games of the Year...so far. Plus: the latest chapter in the Hideo Kojima/Konami divorce is as wacky as ever. We wonder if there will even be another AAA Metal Gear game, and who might do it. Also, Dead Island 2 has lost its developer, so we debate who might pick up the ball on that and run it into the end zone. Furthermore, two $200 special editions of upcoming big games generate wildly different reactions from us, and finally...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 202: What if Microsoft Bought AMD?

It's impossible to follow the once-in-a-lifetime episode 201, but we do our best by dissecting a rumor that suggests Microsoft may be looking to buy Xbox One and PS4 chipmaker AMD. What would it mean for the current consoles? How about the Xbox 4 and PlayStation 5? We discuss it in detail. Plus: we lament some of the E3 Game Critics Award winners and give our take on the first trailer for Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 201: Phil Spencer, Peter Moore, and Seamus Blackley Reunite and Reminisce

We don't believe three generations of Xbox leadership have ever been brought into the same room before to share secrets and stories of Xbox history. Until now. In a once-in-a-lifetime episode, Xbox creator Seamus Blackley, Head of Xbox during the 360 launch Peter Moore, and current Head of Xbox Phil Spencer talk for 90 minutes about all three Xbox consoles, including beating Sony in the living room, where the Duke controller came from, how Gears of War influenced a critical decision for the ...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 200

Episode 200 finally happened, and it happened live with 450 IGN fans in San Francisco. It was an incredible event where we celebrated the history of Xbox, sharing our favorite original Xbox and 360 games as well as those of the fans in attendance. We even snuck in a teaser for a very special episode 201! We hope you enjoy listening if you couldn't make it, or reliving it again if you did!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 199.5: Xbox E3 Reactions and Analysis

We are all finally back from E3, rested, and ready to bask in the glory that was the week of Xbox awesomeness at the show. Sea of Thieves, Cuphead, HoloLens, Halo 5, and so much more all blew us away. We analyze what worked (almost everything) and what didn't (there isn't much) about Xbox's just-completed E3, and paint a pretty bright picture for Xbox in 2016 while we're at it. Join us for this epic episode!

Podcast Unlocked at E3 2015: Phil Spencer Interview

In the wake of Microsoft's fantastic E3, we sat down with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer to discuss everything from backwards compatibility to Kinect, Xbox Live Arcade, winning the console "war," and much more. NOTE: this interview was recorded the day before Summer Spotlight was announced, so when you hear Phil play coy with our question about whether or not he'd ever bring XBLA back, now you know why. :-)

Podcast Unlocked at E3 2015: Matt Stone and Trey Parker Interview

In this special mini-episode, bucket-list edition of Podcast Unlocked, we sit down with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the Emmy Award-winning, Tony Award-winning, and Oscar-nominated comedy geniuses. They've got a new video game, hilariously titled South Park: The Fractured But Whole, that serves as a follow-up to the New Kid's adventures in The Stick of Truth. Here, Stone and Parker discuss the game, how they see the show ending one day, whether or not we'll ever get a Book of Mormon movie ada...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 199: Reacting to Huge Halo 5 News

In light of the big Halo 5 campaign details and multiplayer bomb dropped by 343 Industries, we spend a good chunk of the show getting SUPER EXCITED for Halo 5. Plus: reactions to the 1TB Xbox One announcement, a talk about how Forza is a victim of its own success, why we love Mirror's Edge Catalyst's new title, and much more. And, yes, there's another In-N-Out bet made over Games With Gold and, specifically, PoolNation FX.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 198: Fallout 4 Reactions

You know what we're talking about this week: Fallout 4. Join us for a 26-minute reaction segment to the announcement and the trailer. We discuss what gameplay elements the trailer suggests, why we think we're going to get a very long demo at E3, when we think the game is coming out, and more. Plus: what the Gears of War developer's studio rebranding means for the series, why the Rise of the Tomb Raider teaser trailer bugged us, details on the big Unlocked 200 celebration, and so much more! I...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 197: Our Best and Worst E3 Memories

As E3 2015 approaches, each of our Xbox podcast crew shares his best – or worst – E3 memories. Plus: we get teased by Halo 3: ODST releasing for Xbox One (but ultimately it didn't), teased by a real baseball game on Xbox (nope, it doesn't have the MLB license), and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 196: Your E3 2015 Xbox Predictions

Podcast Unlocked Episode 195: Does Star Wars Battlefront Need Iron Sights?

We react to Star Wars Battlefront bucking the recent years' trend of using iron sights in the upcoming first-person shooter. We also give our take on the newly announced Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Plus: why we're happy about The Division's delay, all of LEGO Dimension's toy tie-ins leak out early, praise for the May Xbox One System Update, and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 194: We Guess Titanfall 2's Release Date

EA drops some vague release date windows for Titanfall 2 and Mirror's Edge on their quarterly earnings call, so we take more specific shots at pinning them down – as well as detailing why DICE's E3 presentation of Mirror's Edge will likely either send the game's hype train ahead at full speed or derail it completely. Plus: Disney Infinity 3.0, more Star Wars Battlefront talk, our thoughts on The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 193: What the Gears of War Remake Must Do To Excite Us

We try to find humor in what is otherwise a downer of a week: the Astro A40 Xbox One gaming headset isn't good, Silent Hills is canceled and Konami doesn't look long for this world, Black Ops 3 fails to excite us, Batman: Arkham Knight's DLC Season Pass is laughably expensive, and more. On the bright side, it looks like we're getting a Gears of War 1 remake/update, Halo 5: Guardians may finally let us play with Master Chief's best Spartan-II buddies, State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 192: Why We're Worried About Star Wars Battlefront

Fierce debate grips the Unlocked crew this week, as we discuss whether Star Wars Battlefront is offering enough content out of the box to justify its $60 price. Is this the new normal? What lessons can we learn from Titanfall and Destiny? Mitch and Ryan even make an In-N-Out bet about it. Plus: we speculate on what Phil Spencer means by the expected "new, exclusive IP" for Xbox at E3 this year, how stoked we are about Mass Effect 4 after a pile of gameplay details purportedly leak, the never...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 191: Guitar Hero Live vs. Rock Band 4

With World Music Game War II official, we break down the surprising pros and cons of Guitar Hero Live and Rock Band 4 and ultimately come to a pretty happy conclusion. Plus: a government agency whines about the Xbox One's power consumption rates, and then whines again when Microsoft pledges to fix it. We respond. Meanwhile, Destin isn't happy about Destiny's latest expansion, House of Wolves, and Xbox One owners will get first crack at Star Wars: Battlefront this fall.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 190: Deus Ex: Fankind United

The announcement of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided has the Unlocked crew standing as Fankind United. Yes, we're excited. We break down the newly revealed new-gen sequel, including where we think it's heading and how we prefer to brush up on the last game. Plus: Quantum Break gets officially moved to 2016 (called it!), former Xbox executive Don Mattrick escapes his first post-Xbox job on a golden parachute, Phil Spencer would like to see Banjo in Super Smash Bros. (plus: who we think should make a ...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 189: What Halo 5's Release Date and New Trailers Mean

The weekend gave us not one but two Halo 5: Guardians trailers, and you needed to see both of them in order for your mind to be fully and properly blown. We dissect what each trailer's version of the truth means, and we talk at length about Halo 5's surprising October release date – including what it means for the rest of Microsoft's holiday Xbox One lineup. Plus: a nugget of Gears of War 4 news to chew on, a couple of April Xbox One system update features we really like, and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 188: Why Kojima's Possible Exit Isn't a Surprise

Noted Metal Gear fan Max Scoville joins Podcast Unlocked this week to discuss the whole (alleged) Kojima/Konami fiasco. And we have what may be an unpopular opinion about the entire thing. Plus: why the hell is there a Russia-only Halo Online game for PC? Will the next Xbox hit in 3-4 years instead of 7-8? What's the deal with Conker in Project Spark? Also: Shark Finnegan explains how to get thrown out of a Denny's.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 187: What We Want From Titanfall 2

Now that Titanfall 2 is a real, confirmed thing, we've got some ideas as to what it needs. In fact, we all agree on what that is. Meanwhile, we give a refresher course on the long-dormant Homefront: The Revolution now that it's been officially delayed to 2016. Plus: another hilarious round or marketing-spun NPD results, Rory McIlroy Highlander-kills Tiger Woods, and more. Also be sure to watch the full video episode of the podcast on the IGN Xbox One app if you haven't tried it!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 186: Our Most Emotional Gaming Moments

A discussion about our early Ori and the Blind Forest impressions turns into an impromptu chat about our most emotional gaming (and movie) moments. Plus: we have a theory on the timing of this week's Halo: The Master Chief Collection Xbox One bundle, another theory about how Kudo Tsunoda's promotion proves last week's Phil Harrison rumors, why Quantum Break would be better off releasing in 2016 regardless of the validity of this week's rumors, and more! Plus: a very personal, 40-minute inter...

Podcast Unlocked 185: What Is Battletoads Going to Be on Xbox One?

What a packed show! Chris Charla, the head of Microsoft's ID@Xbox program, stops by for a chat about choosing indie games for the program, how crazy (in a good way) Cuphead is, and more. Then we talk about Phil Spencer's latest Battletoads tease, freak out because Rock Band 4 is a real thing, discuss our experience playing one of GTA Online's Heists, and much, much more.

Podcast Unlocked 184: Battle of the Bands

On this week's IGN Xbox podcast, we discuss running out of Xbox One hard drive and what decisions go into choosing an external hard drive to buy. Plus, rumors suggest that both Rock Band and Guitar Hero may be returning for the new consoles (and why we're FREAKING OUT), Microsoft makes a genius move to partner Forza with Fast and Furious, Batman: Arkham Knight's 'M' rating, why MMOs are finally hitting Xbox consoles, and much more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 183: Marty Gets Battle-trolled

This week's episode of Podcast Unlocked is packed! We predict what Bethesda will announce at their first-ever E3 press conference in June, including Fallout 4. Plus: reacting to Phantom Dust's developer shift, lamenting Shadow Realms' cancellation and what it means for 4v1 games, making our picks from the ongoing Xbox Ultimate Game Sale, and remembering Super Mario Bros. 3 and how it changed our lives as we note its 25th (USA) anniversary.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 182: On the Phone with 343

Halo 5 dominates our show this week, as not only do we talk to 343 Industries Halo 5 Studio Head Josh Holmes and Multiplayer Designer Quinn DelHoyo about what they learned from the now-completed Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta (skip to 1:02:57 for that), we also discuss all the changes made as a result of player feedback. Plus, a release date for the Halo 5 art book suggests that Halo 5 might not ship in November as we've all been expecting. We discuss why that might make a ton of sense. ...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 181: Our 2015 Xbox Predictions

Four editors. Three predictions each. That means we've got 12 Xbox predictions for 2015 that you can hold us to come Christmas-time. Plus, we can bet on them! Which of us is Nostradamus (probably none of us), and which of us is Nostra-dumb-us (probably all of us)? Plus: A few Sony games look like they're on their way to Xbox, Condemned 3 might happen, Grand Theft Auto V's sales numbers continue to astound us, Dying Light isn't being ignored (yay!), and more.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 180: Is the Xbox 360 Dead?

The Xbox's sales are down year over year for the fourth quarter, largely due to dwindling Xbox 360 sales. So it's time to wonder: is the old console toast? Also, IGN tech editor Alaina Yee joins us to share her first-hand, behind-the-scenes account of the Windows 10/HoloLens event she attended last week at Microsoft Campus. Plus: EA makes bank, the Xbox One's controller gets a firmware update, and we give you an In-N-Out Burger history lesson you absolutely didn't ask for.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 179: Phil Spencer Is a T-Shirt Tease

Packed show! We distill the Windows 10 event down to what it means for Xbox, including the HoloLens AR glasses that may sound familiar if you remember "Fortaleza" from the big Xbox One leak in 2012. Plus: we reflect on the Halo 5 beta, the Xbox One goes back to $349...again, and Undead Labs CEO Jeff Strain sits in for an epic 50-minute interview that covers his fascinating past working at Blizzard, his present-day State of Decay success, and his online future.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 178: Revealing Our Game of the Year Votes

IGN's Game of the Year has been announced. We discuss how we cast our individual votes. Plus: a big MOBA hits Xbox One, Forza Motorsport 6 gets announced...in Detroit, Microsoft may be bringing back a "beloved" strategy game, Xbox One wins an Emmy(?!), and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 177: Let's Buy the Blinx Trademark!

As Microsoft abandons their trademark on show favorite Blinx: The Timesweeper, we discuss what we'd do with it if we bought it (which we might). Plus: what does the Xbox One going back up to $400 mean for 2015? Will Xbox Avatars ever matter on Xbox One? Will Far Cry 5 pit you against...vampires? And what will Xbox One developers do with more power thanks to the newest XDK tools? Oh, and we give a warm Podcast Unlocked welcome to new IGN host Max Scoville. Say hi, won't you? Thanks to Walter...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 176: The Outtakes of 2014

We'll be up front: you might not even like this episode. It's a collection of random, out-of-context outtakes from the past year of Xbox podcasting. Strange stories. Off-topic conversations. Alex Solomita's 15 minutes of fame on ESPN. On the other hand, some of you might think it's hilarious. So give it a listen. It's only 16 minutes long. Then let us know what you think! If you find it boring and/or dumb, we won't do it next year. But hopefully you'll get some enjoyment out of it. And besid...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 175: All Halo Breaks Loose

"I'm not even supposed to be here today!" We'd planned to be on holiday break this week, but too much Halo happened! First, 343 Industries announced that Halo 3: ODST will be brought to Halo: The Master Chief Collection in 1080p/60fps – for free! And that an Anniversary remake of "Relic" would be added to MCC for free as the seventh Halo 2 Anniversary map. On top of that, we spent all weekend playing the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta during an early access period. Needless to say, we h...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 174: Listener Appreciation

As the year winds to a close, Microsoft celebrates a November NPD victory. What about December? What about the future? Will they put the system's price back to $400? We discuss. Plus: the big annual year-end Xbox games sale has begun, Grand Theft Auto V finally delivers a peek at online heists, remasters get an ultimatum from us, and more. Oh, and THANK YOU for listening this year. We appreciate your support more than you know!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 173: We'll Miss You, Street Fighter

Sony strikes back, securing Street Fighter V exclusively after Microsoft bagged Rise of the Tomb Raider. We discuss the situation, as well as what other games this could happen to. Plus: after Sony's PlayStation Experience Event, should Microsoft do something similar? Also: Adr1ft gets announced, The Witcher 3 gets delayed, and much more. Most importantly, we welcome back Jared Petty!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 172: Tales from the Black Friday

We catch up on everything we saw and played over the Thanksgiving break, including passionate (spoiler-free) discussions about Sunset Overdrive, Tales from the Borderlands, Game of Thrones, Limbo, and more. Plus: Xbox One's Black Friday success and whether or not the $350 price point will revert back to $400, Xbox's neverending struggles in Japan, hackers targeting Xbox Live, and much more.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 171: Dreaming of Half-Life 3

As Ryan's old friend and podcasting partner Dan Amrich sits in to discuss Rocksmith 2014 for Xbox One (which Dan now works on), the crew discusses their thoughts on Xbox One's first birthday and the big Microsoft giveaway that goes with it. Plus: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's campaign, Dumb & Dumber To, game show video games (like 1 vs. 100!), Titanfall's just-announced Deluxe Edition, and more!

Podcast Unlocked Episode 170: Launch Woes

What should be a celebration of one of the biggest weeks of the year for Xbox games is instead clouded by rough launches for both Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Assassin's Creed Unity, as well as online issues for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. We discuss what the root of the cause might be, as well as what recourse gamers have to combat Day One woes. Plus: Halo 5 multiplayer impressions, Just Cause 3 gets announced, Game of Thrones game details from Telltale, Phil Spencer sees a new...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 169: Cheeseburger in Paradise

The world's #1 Xbox podcast crew discusses the significance of the Xbox One price drop, and there's a *slight* chance we get derailed into an In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack vs. Five Guys cheeseburger conversation. Also: Destiny 2 gets confirmed, and we discuss what we want out of the sequel. Also don't miss our Grand Theft Auto V new-gen chat about the new first-person view, and when we might see a slimmed-down refresh of the Xbox One.

Podcast Unlocked Episode 168: Max Hoberman Talks Halo 2

If you don't know how Max Hoberman is, here's the elevator pitch version: he's not only the Halo 2 lead multiplayer designer, but he helped invent all of the amazing party and matchmaking systems that Halo 2 pioneered that we all now take for granted. And now, he has his own studio, Certain Affinity, where they build maps for many multiplayer games, including Halo 2 DLC, Halo 3 DLC, Halo 4 (shipping version and DLC), various Call of Duties, and now Halo 2 Anniversary. Max shares some incredi...

Podcast Unlocked Episode 167: Phil Spencer Interview

Microsoft Head of Xbox Phil Spencer makes his first Unlocked appearance in a year, dicussing a range of topics including when certain features will be added to the Xbox One via the monthly system updates, what he wants out of the next Gears of War, why there is no special-edition Halo-themed console to pair with The Master Chief Collection, what the hell Rare is up to, and much, much more. 

Podcast Unlocked Episode 166: Xbox Is a Hell of a Drug (Mule)

Find out what happens when four guys get busted for trying to use an original Xbox to smuggle cocaine. At the very least, it produces the funniest moment in the history of the show. Also, a new Halo game got announced, HBO Go will soon be usable on Xbox 360 or Xbox One without a cable/satellite TV subscription, a new Assassin's Creed Xbox One bundle provides pretty good value (and we share our favorite special-edition consoles ever), and much more.