Unlocked

We kick off by talking about the games we got to play behind closed doors after the Xbox Showcase: The Outer Worlds 2, Gears of War Reloaded, and Ninja Gaiden 4. And then we dig into our main topic: Xbox's next-gen hardware announcement. We analyze what it means, what it doesn't, and discuss where Xbox is going.

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00:00 - Intro

03:00 - Outer Worlds, Gears of War Reloaded, & Summer Game Fest

13:50 - Handhelds Are Clearly Important to the Future of Xbox

21:20 - Ninja Gaiden 4 is Pretty Rad

34:43 - Dissecting Xbox’s Next-Gen Announcement

57:31 - Marathon got Delayed

01:07:03 - Whats Headed To Gamepass

This week’s show is Ryan McCaffrey, Michael Higham, Miranda Sanchez, and is produced by Nick Maillet

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In this jam-packed IGN Live 2025 special, we’re diving into three games revealed in the Xbox Games Showcase 2025. First, Daemon Hatfield joins Obsidian Entertainment for a deep dive into The Outer Worlds 2, then Remedy stops by to talk FBC: Firebreak. Finally, Tom Jorgenson sits down with Iron Galaxy to break down the long-awaited Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Remaster. You don't wanna miss it!

00:00:00 - The Outer Worlds 2

00:12:01 - FBC: Firebreak

00:21:40 - Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Remaster

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The Xbox Games Showcase delivered big reveals and we’ve got thoughts. In this episode, we break down the biggest surprises and top takeaways from the show, including the ROG Ally Xbox handheld, Clockwork Revolution, Call of Duty Black Ops 7, the return of Persona 4, and Final Fantasy’s Xbox debut.

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IGN Live is nearly here and we have a limited number of complimentary tickets for it! Head here and use the code "UNLOCKEDGUEST" to get a complimentary GA ticket for Saturday or Sunday: ⁠www.ign.com/live

00:00:00 - Intro, IGN Live, & Humble Bundle

00:08:28 - Favorite Xbox Era?

00:39:16 - Bungie Accused of Plagiarism

00:58:44 - Borderlands 4 $80 Controversy

01:08:09 - Retro Classics with Game Pass

01:11:22 - Game Pass Wave 2 for May & Best Selling Games of May

01:19:46 - RAIDOU Remastered & Outro

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IGN's Doom: The Dark Ages reviewer (and Doom superfan) Mitchell Saltzman joins fellow Doom superfan Ryan McCaffrey to discuss id software's just-released prequel: how it compares to Doom Eternal, why we love it, where the series goes from here, and more. Plus: Mitchell talks about his visit to From Software to play a ton of Elden Ring Nightreign as part of our exclusive IGN First coverage, Mafia: The Old Country makes a surprising pivot on price and game direction, and more!

00:00:00 - Intro

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In a huge week of Xbox news, we're discussing Xbox's massive, demoralizing, and unprecedented price increases five years into the console generation. Plus: we gush over the new GTA 6 trailer, celebrate the return of Gears of War 1 via a new remaster, discuss the just-leaked images of ROG's officially licensed Xbox handheld PC, and more!

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On this week's Xbox show, we discuss how Borderlands 4's release date just moved up, and whether or not it means it's getting out of GTA 6...possibly in October? But maybe there's another game it's avoiding... Plus: Assassin's Creed Shadows' strong sales debut, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 gets a hilarious new playable Operator, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is selling great, and more – including a bonus interview with the Obsidian team about The Outer Worlds 2 at the end of the podcast!

00:04:45 - Borderlands 4’s Release Date Moves Up, Marathon, & GTA 6 00:22:37 - FBC Firebreak Release Date & Black Ops 6 adds Seth Rogen

00:33:59 - AC: Shadows Best-selling game in the U.S

00:43:45 - Clair Obscur has sold over a million copies

00:54:36 - EA cancels another incubation project at Respawn

01:03:49 - The Outer Worlds 2 Developer Interview

01:48:03 - Outro & Credits

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It's raining RPGs on Xbox Game Pass this week as the long-rumored/leaked Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered finally got released – and it's even better than we'd hoped. We discuss why it's fantastic and what it means for other Bethesda remasters (Fallout 3, anyone?) and The Elder Scrolls VI. Plus: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has also arrived and it is amazing! Michael reviewed it, and he tells you why it's his Game of the Year so far as we approach the one-third mark of 2025. Happy role-playing gaming!

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Bethesda's "secret" remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion keeps leaking. We'll talk about what we learned from this week's leak, when you can play it (hint: VERY SOON), how it'll hit for a generation of Elder Scrolls fans that have only ever known Skyrim, and more. Plus: our Mount Rushmore of RPGs, Xbox Game Pass's incredible second wave in April, the new Star Wars game and the somewhat surprising developer involved, and more!

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We covered a ton of ground this week, from The Outer Worlds 2 looking awesome so far after we got to visit Obsidian for our exclusive IGN First coverage, to Doom: The Dark Ages being fantastic but very different from Doom Eternal based on our four hours of hands-on time with it, to the Minecraft movie's big opening weekend and what other Xbox properties we'd like to see adapted to film and TV, to the grossness and danger that Microsoft's new Copilot AI-powered Quake 2 tech demo introduces, and much more!

00:00 - Intro

05:58 - Michael played The Outer Worlds 2

14:41 - Ryan Played Doom: The Dark Ages

27:23 - Marathon

34:45 - A Minecraft Movie (and other Xbox movies) discussion

46:27 - Whats headed to Game Pass

56:06 - Microsoft's Copilot AI-Powered Quake 2 Tech Demo Is a Problem

This week’s show is Ryan McCaffrey, Michael Higham, and is produced by Nick Maillet

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