The Character Unlock Podcast

The most powerful console in the world has finally arrived; but was it the massive launch that Microsoft wanted? Or did the Xbox One X hit with all the enrgy of a dusty fart?

We aren't the ones to answer that question for you.  Becasue after hitting their local midnight release, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker have done little more than stare at a couple of very pretty Project Scorpio branded boxes!  We do have a chat about it none the less, and find plenty to talk about.

Elsewhere, more angry rants as brooker takes on the faux outrage of the internet after Sony's uber-violent Paris Games Week showing and John gets pissed at the lack of anything substantial out of this year's N7 day celebrations.

The meat of this episode however, sees the guys invite verteran podcaster, Set The Tape co-creator and uber-Assassin's Creed fan Tony Black on to burn almost an hour chatting about the latest entry in the historical stabbing simulator. Did the guys like it? Where does it rank overall in the series and will John be able to get a word in edgeways as Brooker and Tony go on a wild breakdown of the new game?

All will be revealed.

Join us again next week, but until then why not join us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

Things fall apart quickly in this week's episode.

Call it a bad case of Brooker being sick and insisting on sniffling his way through an episode and John sitting back and hoping he doesn't say anything too mean; but boy do we have an episode to lighten your day and offend your sensibilities.

It's been a fortnight of bad news sonce the last episode, so what better way to deal with such an awful couple of weeks than to let the lads let off sopme steam at the awfulness of games publishers and their terrible ways?

After a brief chat about the availability of Original XBox games on the Xbox One's backwards compatible program; the guys dig into Electronic Arts closing down the legendary Visceral Games and the sneaky gambling mechanics of Lootboxes and Activision's peer pressure patent.  The conversations get kinda loud and sweary, the guys were pretty passionate about their precious games being messed with.

Once the game chat kicks in; it's Shadow of Mordor; Gran Turismo and South Park: The Fractured But Whole all the way. Are any of these games worth picking up? come join us for a couple of hours and find out.

Join us again next week, but until then why not join us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

Silly season is upon us again. That most favourite/most feared time of the year where gamers around the world try to keep up with the slew of new games coming out over the next couple of months.

So between discussing the beautiful but vague Red Dead Redemption II trailer and getting their teeth into how and where Volition Studios went wrong in such a way as it led to lay-offs; hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker at least try to make a dent in this years massive amount of incoming games. With various degrees of success.

John get his mitts on the latest iteration of EA's football franchise and dives into its single player campaign to see how it holds up.  he also tries hard to explain FIFA, Ultimate Team and the sport of football to his clueless co-host. Brooker on the other hand, ruins his chaces to keep up with gaming season before it's even begun; by spending most of his free time playing the decade old Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

A healthy dose of Destiny 2, Star Wars: Battlefront II and a pixel-art Stranger Things 2 mobile game wraps things up for the guys.

Can Brooker Figure out how to use Facebook properly? Will his dog leave him in peace to record an episode just once? and how the hell does John put up with his co-host's man-childness? The answers to none of these questions are in this weeks episode. but the boys had fun asking the questions.

Until next time, find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

It's our birthday, and we'll cry if we want to.

Yes, there will be tears. Sadly, they are from one of our hosts; the man that edits these episodes into the barely audible mess that you listen to every fortnight when his bright idea for a live podcast went horribly, horribly wrong.

Celewbrating our wierd little mutant baby making ot to a year old without it killing one of us; hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker decided to return to where it all began, the Eurogamer Expo. Returning to birmingham for EGX with a handful of friends in tow, the lads decided that a drunken dinner would be a good time to whip out the mic and have a chat with everyone about their time at the exhibition. It did not go as planned. A ton of noise and far too many people drinking around us means you have a segment of this weeks podcast guaranteed to give you a headache.

But it was such a laugh, we didn't want to NOT put the recording here for you to hear.

Get this week's episode in your ears and hear what John and Brooker thought of the show this year; with previous contributors Jack and Lee joining newbies to the podcast Josh and Dunny.  Laughs were had, drinks were consumed and food was left to go cold.

Join us in a couple of weeks when we get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Until then, find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

One of the most anticipated releases of 2017 is here. And we are just the guys to talk to you about Destiny 2.

Ok, maybe not both of us. So to get a little extra insight into the second installment of Bungie's FPSMMO, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker have drafted in an expert.

Last joining us on the Mass Effect special, the lads welcome back fellow shooter fan Lee Loveridge to get a little in-depth with John about the futuristic multiplayer shooter.  While Brooker tries desperately to not let the conversation get out of hand or fall asleep!  He did alright.

Elsewhere, the trio talk about the news that L.A. Noire will be coming to all the latest, shiniest consoles and how Nintendo have screwed scalpers by announcing more of their mini ranges coming soon.

Join us next time when we record with a couple of friends, including a returning Lee, from EGX 2017 in Birmingham.

Until then, find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Music:

Theme song: A Dog's Life by Miracle of Sound - Used with permisison.

End song - Psychostix - Obey The Beard

And we're back. 

No sooner have we spent an hour complaining that we can't pre-order our Xbox One Xs yet, than Microsoft release the latest and greatest console out for pre-order.  

So of ourse, hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker have to start bitching about that, don't they?

Along the way, we spend an extraordinary amount of time talking about the lunacy of buying a console that no one owns yet for a thousand pounds on eBay and  the lads wonder if it's worth doing it themselves.

In gaming stuff, John reviews the latest edition of the Formula 1 franchise and Brooker delves into Agents of Mayhem. The latest Saints Row game that certainly isn't a Saints Row game.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on our latest episodes.  We always wanted the podcast to be a couple of mates shooting the breeze and talking games.  So we've left our irreverent nonsense in the episodes recently to see how it plays out.  Let us know what you think.  Do you like it, not like it? was it fun? would you prefer it if we left the nonsense on the cutting room floor and stick to straight game chat.

Talk to us on Twitter and Facebook by searching for @CharacterUnlock or mail us at [email protected]

Music:

A Dog's Life by Miracle of Sound. Used with permission.

We promise...

There's no cheesy music in this episode.  Not for lack of trying, One of our hosts was desperate to load our first independant episide up with a bunch of breakup music just to set the mood.

Instead... We just talked some nonsense for an hour an a half.

Welcome to this week's Character Unlock Podcast.

Hosts Johm Miller and Andrew Brooker are here with another episode filled to the brim with some games chat and a load of rants brought on by listener questions.  

Let us know what you think.  Join in the conversation on social media.

Stuck in another slow news week, the lads delved a little deeper into some of the other games that they have laid their hands on over the last couple of weeks.

On the docket for this episode? Ubisoft brawler For Honor goes up against the second episode of Telltale’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and online Overwatch-wannabe Lawbreakers competes for space in the enormously crowded online shooter market.

Plenty of side tracking and talking nonsense keeps the guys going on for longer than maybe they should be allowed to, but that’s why they are here.

Come join us in a couple of weeks for more pointless shenanigans, and maybe some games.

We honestly don’t know what’s going on. There should be plenty of big news floating about about now, but it seems like everyone has started their summer holidays early and the guys struggled to find news this week! Still, they have to try don’t they? Welcome to this week’s episode of Character Unlock.

That’s not to say there wasn’t stuff to talk about, with the fresh of the presses (at time of recording) announcement that Titanfall 2, a favourite game from last year for both of our hosts, is getting some significant DLC for free just in time for those that pick it up from EA’s vault. Along with some confused conversation about the newly announced Atari console that no one knows anything about.

John managed to drag himself out of a gaming funk this week by hitting old dependables Destiny and Battlefield 1; he even managed to school Brooker a little bit as he starts his Destinycareer (again) in time for the sequel. Brooker fell back to his pile of unfinished games, this time spending time with fantasy action epic Dishonored 2; a game he simultaneously loved (and hated) with a burning passion.

Join us again in a couple of weeks and catch up with the guys and their escapades. Gaming and not.

Welcome to this week’s episode of Character Unlock, where hosts John Miller and Andrew Brooker decide to mark the occasion of the recently announced Super Nintendo Classic by dragging back on their guest from February’s Resident Evil episode, fellow Failed Critic Matt Lambourne rejoins the duo.

With a veritable buffet of nonsense to cover, the lads tackle the ridiculous situation that Activision caused for themselves with their insane rerelease of their Modern Warfare rerelease. Moving swiftly into more news of old classics getting awfully misguided releases, the latest Micro Machines game to be unleashed on the world takes a well-deserved beating from the group.

Matt rolls the conversation right back around to Call of Duty in his episode’s What We’ve Been Playing section, as he explains why he wasn’t as taken with Modern Warfare as everyone else. While our hosts revisit favourites and faithfuls like a Grand Theft Auto, FIFA and Bulletstorm before delving into our first good, meaty topic in a while.

Come join the trio as they dissect the games on the soon-to-be-on-eBay-at-four-times-the-cost Super NES Classic Mini console. From Kirby’s Dream Course to Castlevania and everything in between, the guys take a good hard look at the nostalgia driven console and the games that could make or break it.

Join us again in a couple of weeks for more gaming foolishness. In the meantime, maybe come find us on a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.