Podcast Unlocked

Happy New Year! We begin our first episode of 2025 by discussing some changes happening on the podcast before getting into what you really care about: Xbox games! We talk about what we played over the holidays and then talk about two sequels that are likely still pretty far away: The Elder Scrolls 6 and Mass Effect 5. When will we see TES6 next when it's already been over six years since its official announcement? And will the Paragon/Renegade system return for Mass Effect 5? Join us to discuss it all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our final show of 2024, we look ahead to 2025 and give Microsoft some advice in the form of do's and dont's for Xbox in the new year. Thanks so much for listening all year long, and we'll see you next week for the start of a new and exciting year of Xbox! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IGN has announced its Xbox Game of the Year, so now it's our turn to talk about our individual picks for best Xbox game of the year. And then we look ahead and discuss our personal most anticipated Xbox games for 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We react to this week's big event, The Game Awards, and the many reveals it brought with it, including The Witcher 4, Elden Ring Nightreign, gameplay for The Outer Worlds 2, and so, so much more! #GOTYWatch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is here, and we discuss in great (spoiler-free) detail why we think it's the best Xbox exclusive in years. Plus: our predictions for reveals we'll get at next week's Game Awards, Xbox Game Pass's December lineup, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Thanksgiving to our USA listeners! In the spirit of the holiday this week, we're discussing the Xbox games we're most thankful for. Not necessarily the very best ones, but the ones that mean a lot to us that we're thankful for. Special guest: David "Fame2K" Whitaker from LV1 Gaming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our STALKER 2 reviewer Michael Higham joins us to discuss his thoughts so far as he's neck-deep in Xbox's big new exclusive first-person shooter. Plus: we discuss the Game of the Year nominees announced for this year's Game Awards, including whether or not an expansion pack should be included. We also talk about what we want from Amazon's live-action Mass Effect TV show, lament how Splinter Cell remains cursed after the long-gestating Tom Hardy-led live-action movie is announced as officially dead, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take-Two's CEO keeps insisting that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released in 2025. Do we believe him? We discuss why (spoiler) we don't. Plus: a new Phil Spencer interview sees the Xbox boss being quite candid about both an Xbox handheld and the future of exclusives on Xbox hardware, and we have a LOT of thoughts. And we kick things off with a report from IGN contributor Travis Northup, who just got back from Montreal to preview Compulsion Games' new game South of Midnight. Join us! This week's show is Ryan McCaffrey, Stella Chung, Travis Northup, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

November 9 marks the 20th anniversary of Halo 2's release. We celebrate one of the greatest Xbox games ever by welcoming fellow veteran Xbox gamer Danny Peña from Gamertag Radio to share memories of playing it for the first time, ranking the original dozen multiplayer maps, plus a little surprise from a special guest. This week’s show is Ryan McCaffrey, Destin Legarie, Danny Peña from Gamertag Radio, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We celebrate our perfectly-timed-for-Halloween episode 666 with Rod Fergusson, the super-nice franchise head of one of gaming's most evil franchises, Diablo. Rod talks about the new Diablo 4 expansion pack, Vessel of Hatred, the new Spiritborn character class, his reaction to Gears of War: E-Day as the former studio head at The Coalition, and even what his Gears 6 would've looked like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With STALKER 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle all releasing one right after another later this Fall, Xbox is set to seriously cook at the end of 2024. Destin gives his glowing hands-on impressions of his recent STALKER 2 preview session, Seth Macy joins us to gush about Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Ryan will give his hands-on impressions of Indy...soon. Plus: former Halo senior developer Joseph Staten is back on the free agent market after Netflix shut down its AAA gaming studio, Halo Infinite's rumored battle royale mode was real before getting canceled, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We went on the air live, immediately following the latest Xbox Partner Preview livestream. We gave our in-the-moment reactions to Xbox's fantastic presentation that included several reveals, including Remedy's Left 4 Dead-style session-based 3-player co-op multiplayer FPS, FBC Firebreak. We also discussed the adorable dog factor powering The Legend of Baboo along with Wuchang Fallen Feathers, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Alan Wake 2's Lakehouse expansion, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, Subnautica 2, and plenty more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our resident Xbox crew (including Miranda!) reacts to and analyzes the huge Halo news of all future projects being moved to Unreal Engine 5 as well as the studio rebranding from 343 Industries to Halo Studios. We predict what the next mainline Halo game is, what we might get before that, how it ties into a possible PlayStation debut for the franchise, and much more! Download the Opera GX: IGN Edition browser at http://Opera.com/gx/ign Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Xbox crew discusses the new STALKER 2 making-of documentary, and how it's a must-watch even if you aren't interested in the game. Plus: Ubisoft admits that Star Wars Outlaws has underperformed its sales expectations, leading us to suggest where the company should go from here in the bigger picture. We also talk about Tango Gameworks's new owner Krafton's plans for Hi-Fi Rush 2, Obsidian's possible expansion of Pillars of Eternity into a new genre, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bloomberg video game industry reporter Jason Schreier joins us to discuss his new book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment (out October 8) sharing crazy stories about the prestigious developer that Microsoft just bought as part of their $69 billion acquisition. Plus: Ubisoft delays Assassin's Creed Shadows, Splinter Cell is back...albeit on Netflix, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We open this week's Xbox podcast at IGN by giving our hands-on impressions of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Then we discuss another EA game, Battlefield. We've got new details about the next game in the venerable first-person shooter series, and we talk about what we want out of it and what we think it needs to do in order to get back on top. Plus: more Microsoft layoffs, some good news on the Skate reboot, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We open this week's Xbox podcast by marking Destiny's 10th anniversary and then discussing the present and future for both the long-running shooter and Bungie itself, as well as what's riding on Bungie's next big project in Marathon. Then we give our thoughts on the Minecraft movie teaser before moving into our main topic: the PS5 Pro's widely panned unveiling and what it means for Xbox in both the present and the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's Xbox show delves into two notable games that Xbox boss Phil Spencer discussed having the chance to sign but didn't – plus one crucial one he did. Plus: Black Myth Wukong's Xbox absence is explained, Enotria: The Last Song's developers publicly call out Team Xbox for a lack of support, Stellas impressions of Call of Duty Black Ops 6, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Star Wars Outlaws, arguably the first big game to hit Xbox this Fall season, has arrived, and we've got thoughts on what we've played so far. Plus: we discuss some of the biggest announcements to come out of Gamescom (Mafia: The Old Country, Borderlands 4, and others), which games we're most excited about playing for the remainder of this year, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan and Destin are joined by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams to discuss our extended new looks at two of Xbox's biggest upcoming games: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which both Ryan and Kahlief got a lengthy behind-closed-doors look at; and Avowed, which Destin and Kahlief both got to play. We are super excited for both and we want to tell you all about them. Plus: it turns out Indy is a timed exclusive, so we discuss how Xbox fans are feeling and what it signals for the future of the platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices