Masters of Unlocking: A Video Game Podcast

The wild west’s Pinkertons are still alive and are setting their sights on Take-Two, Rockstar, and Red Dead Redemption 2.  But could the suit have implications for the entire concept of “Fair Use” and have wide-spread impact on YouTube and game streaming?

Epic Set List

* Discussion of what video games we’ve been playing recently & give our spoiler-free thoughts:

* God of War

* Donut County

* Ripto’s Rage

* L.A. Noire

* Florence

* Among the Sleep

Video Game Pickups

* Limited Run Games

* Super Rare Games

* Intellivision

* Fang Controller Tower

What’s News

* Business & Law: Bungie leaves another partner at the alter.  Parting ways with Activision Blizzard prompts a shareholder lawsuit.

* Trademark vs. First Amendment: The real-life Pinkertons sue over Red Dead Redemption 2, but could the suit have implications for YouTubers & streamers?

* Psychology: The ESA is in talks with WHO about “Gaming Disorder.”

* Copyright: Another fan-developed remake of Konami’s infamous P.T.

* Hacks: Nintendo’s online subscription to add SNES games?

* Sales: Could the Playstation 4 break the Wii’s console sales record?

Main Event

* We look ahead to 2019 and discuss our most anticipated games, The games we are most intrigued by, and then reveal our 2019 gaming goals.

We take a look back at the year that was 2018 in Video Games – critical hits, critical fumbles, guilty pleasures, and more.

Epic Set List

* Discussion of what video games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* God of War

* Red Dead Redemption 2

* Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

* Spyro

* Jack Box Party Pack

Holiday Recap

* What did we do over our 2018 holiday break?

Video Game Pickups

* A holiday season full of gaming & game ephemera pickups

* VGCollectaholic completes a major North American set

What’s News

* Law: Police respond to a noise complaint & end up playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

* Sony: Our players demand single-player experiences

* Psychology: Do video game players respond to crisis differently?

* Collecting: NES Classic & SNES Classic production ends

* Industry: The growth of The Game Awards

Main Event

* Recaping the best and worst games from 2018

* 2018 games we wish we had played

* Things that intrigued us in 2018

After a lengthy hiatus following the close of Season One, Masters of Unlocking returns!  In this episode, we explore potential legal problems for Fallout 76, initial thoughts on Red Dead Redemption 2, ask the question “Are Loot Boxes gambling?” and more…

Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

* Fallout 76

* Red Dead Redemption 2

* Black Friday & Cyber Monday Pickups:

* We discuss our recent gaming-related pickups and scores from the 2018 Thanksgiving shopping holiday

* What’s News:

* Fallout 76’s bug-riddled release prompts one class action specialist law firm to investigate “deceptive trade practices”

* Valve discontinues Steam Link hardware

* Game guide publisher Prima Games will shut down in Spring 2019

* Sony will skip E3 2019 – are they prepping for a 2019 Playstation 5 announcement?

* Resident Evil movie reboot plans to return the cinematic adaptation to it’s horror roots

* Eiji Aonuma teases a Zelda: Skyward Sword release on Nintendo Switch

* Microsoft rumored to be releasing an Xbox One S console without a disc drive

* Main Event:

* We dive into an impromptu discussion of whether Loot Boxes are gambling, prompted by the United States’ Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announcing that they will investigate the practice of Loot Boxes

LIVE from Chicago, it’s Masters of Unlocking’s first anniversary episode!  This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the first-annual Cartridge Club Con (C3) in Chicago, Illinois.  We delve into Chicago’s rich history in gaming, including developers based here, games set here, and historic gaming events that occurred here.

Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Octopath Traveler (Nintendo Switch)

* Steamworld Dig 2 (Nintendo Switch)

* Sunset Riders (SNES)

* Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)

* Looney Tunes Basketball (SNES)

* Pickups:

* We discuss our recent gaming-related pickups and scores – what did we pickup on our trip to C3?

* Main Event:

* Caleb & Scott celebrate their trip to the first annual Cartridge Club Con by diving into video gaming’s history in Chicago.

* Games Set in Chicago

* Sports, mobsters, airports, light gun shooters, train simulators, arcade games, action games, and more…

* CES in Chicago (1972 – 1994)

* Game Developers in Chicago

* Midway arcade games and the legacy the developer left on the Chicago dev scene

We dive into a slew of gaming stories – Microtransactions, Google’s rumored console, gaming corpses, Nathan Fillion, ESPN & Overwatch , controller mods, Neo-Nazi scum, sex disorder, Fallout: New California, and more!  Plus we preview the Cartridge Club’s upcoming Chicago meetup!

Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Pillars of Eternity

* Horizon Zero Dawn

* A Profound Waste of Time (magazine)

* Pickups:

* We discuss our recent gaming-related pickups and scores

* What’s News:

* Why should we care about a Google video game console?

* Family of slain teen has viewing with him propped up playing video games, surrounded by his favorite things

* Even more indie games are coming to Nintendo Switch

* Nathan Fillion finally plays Nathan Drake… is it any good?

* ESPN/Disney ink exclusive broadcast deal with Blizzard for Overwatch League

* Neo-Nazis using online games as recruiting playgrounds… in case the internet didn’t already suck enough

* First video games, now Sex… is there anything fun the WHO thinks is good for you?

* We learn which member of the iconic 1990’s trio TLC “Hey Past Caleb…” had the hots for

* Score 1 for Anti Microtransactions – Middle-earth: Shadow of War is now microtransaction-free!

* 8bitdo releases kits to mod your classic OEM Nintendo, SNES, and Genesis controllers with wireless bluetooth

* Fallout: New California fan mod receives thumbs up from Bethesda

* Guerrilla Games is growing

* Main Event:

* Caleb & Scott are headed to Chicago for a Cartridge Club meetup (July 27 – 29)!  If you’re in the Chicago area, we’d love to say hi!  Drop us a line.

By now everyone knows that Toys R Us is officially dead… but could it be rising from the dead with zombie-like ferocity?  We discuss the juicy rumors of TRU’s potential return, the WHO’s creation of Gaming Disorder, a new Nielsen report on the gaming industry, and more!

Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Pillars of Eternity

* Horizon Zero Dawn

* A Way Out

* Pickups:

* We discuss our recent gaming-related pickups and scores

* What’s News:

* Just as Toys ‘R Us was closing the last of its stores this week, news broke that a comeback could be in the works!

* World Health Organization (WHO) officially classifies video game addiction as a disease – “Gaming Disorder”

* Sony unveils Playstation 4’s first wave of Greatest Hits releases – now called “Playstation Hits”

* Showtime officially greenlights Halo series

* Nintendo’s new CEO officially steps into office and has some interesting remarks that hint at the future of Nintendo

* The company behind Pokemon Go (Nantic) opens its AR platform to other developers

* We FINALLY get an update from Tetsuya Nomura on the Final Fantasy VII remake

* Main Event:

* Nielsen released their annual Games 360 Report exploring trends and behavior in video gaming.  We recap and discuss the report.  Download the full report and read along with us here!

E3 2018 is officially in the books!  We give a run down of the presentations from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Bethesda, CD Projekt Red, and Ubisoft and discuss our thoughts.

E3 Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Pillars of Eternity

* Bioshock

* Axiom Verge

* Recent Pickups

* Epic E3 Main Event:

* E3 2018 is officially in the books!  We give a run down of the presentations from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Bethesda, CD Projekt Red, and Ubisoft and discuss our thoughts.  Since this marathon episode runs nearly 3 hours , we provide timestamps below:

* Bethesda (timestamp: 0:21:20)

* Fallout 76, Rage 2, Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, Skyrim: Very Special Edition, Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI (Hammerfall??)

* Ubisoft (0:57:35)

* Beyond Good & Evil 2, The Division 2, Skull & Bones, Transference, Starlink: Battle for Atlus, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

* Nintendo (1:16:46)

* Pokemon, Super Mario Party, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, My Friend Pedro

* Sony (1:24:29)

* Ghost of Tsushima, Last of Us 2, Death Stranding, Spider-Man, Deracine, Control, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

* CD Projekt Red (2:07:06)

* Cyberpunk 2077

* Microsoft (2:10:41)

* New Studio Acquisitions

* Halo Infinite, Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, Battletoads, Gears of War 5

* Plus, we discuss some of our various “old man sports injuries”

We get ready for next week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) by taking a look at what has been announced/leaked thus far and what things we’d love to see. We also talk Best Buy, eSports, Let’s Plays, Fallout mods, and more!

Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Bioshock

* Axiom Verge

* Pickups:

* Scott closes in on completing the OG Xbox set (42 to go)

* What’s News:

* Best Buy ends Gamers Club Unlocked program

* New study says 1-in-10 people globally will be fans of eSports or Let’s Plays by 2022

* Overwatch League plans to add 6 new teams with an international focus for Season Two

* The gigantic “Fallout: New California” mod nearing completion – will Bethesda allow it?

* Main Event:

* E3 is next week, we discuss developer thoughts on leaks, explore pre-show announcements (like Fallout 76), and what items are on our wishlist for this year’s show.

If gaming has an all-digital future, then digital re-selling will have to be a thing.  Robot Cache, a new startup from the founder of Interplay and InXile launches with an eye on tackling re-selling of digital content.

Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* God of War

* Night in the Woods

* A Way Out

* Pickups:

* Caleb contemplates God of War

* Collector Tips: Tracking & Managing Your Collection

* Scott discusses the video game collecting database app and software suite Collectorz

* What’s News:

* Sony sets an end date to physical Vita cart production in the West

* Nintendo Switch Online runs $20 annually, includes cloud saves, online gaming

* Nintendo releasing a $20 play & charge stand for the Switch

* Nintendo is being sued by Gamevice over the Switch’s design

* Electronic Arts has record year & CFO calls SAAS model (aka digital sales & DLC) “the bedrock of our business”

* Microsoft to launch a disability-friendly Xbox controller

* Main Event:

* If gaming has an all-digital future, then digital re-selling will have to be a thing.  Robot Cache, a new startup from the founder of Interplay and InXile launches with an eye on tackling re-selling of digital content.

Sony & Nintendo recently released their 2017 fiscal year earnings reports – spoiler: they both did pretty damned well!  We dive into the results and ask what’s next?

Show Notes

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what games we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Okami HD

* Pickups:

* Scott buys ~900 OG Xbox games and a bunch of sealed Lynx games

* Caleb buys Nintendo Labo and gives his thoughts

* What’s News:

* Fortnite Scholarships: coming to a university near you

* Atari VCS (formerly Atari Box) pre-orders announced… why you shouldn’t care

* Capcom & iam8bit partner for Mega Man NES/SNES repros

* Game collector finds drugs inside NES carts

* Loot Boxes deemed illegal gambling in Belgium

* Valve acquires Firewatch developer Camp Santo

* The Loss Levels – a game about shock, grief, and powerlessness

* Main Event:

* Nintendo and Sony’s Playstation division both post fiscal year profits of $1.6 billion.  We break down the numbers and explore what’s on the horizon for the two gaming behemoths.