The Halo caretakers and developers at 343 Industries are making a major piece of lost Halo history playable: the infamous Halo 2 E3 2003 campaign demo that never made it into the final game. We react to this fantastic surprise and recall the Halo 2 hype from that time. Plus: a plea for proper, native Xbox Game Pass support on the Steam Deck, our thoughts on the potential Apex Legends Universe single-player game that Respawn might be making (aka Titanfall 3?), our reaction to the long-awaited gameplay reveal of Skull & Bones, and more!

TIMECODES:

00:00:00 - Intro 00:08:56 - Halo 2 Earthcity Demo Returning? 00:27:00 - Respawn Hiring for an Unannounced Single Player Game 00:36:03 - Skull and Bones Finally Gets a Release Date 00:45:55 - Games with Gold Removing Xbox 360 Games Soon 00:50:25 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

As a talented and decorated game developer joins BioWare to work on the next Mass Effect game, we discuss what the nature of her role means for when we can reasonably expect Mass Effect 5 to get done. Spoiler: it's probably going to be quite a while! Plus: predictions for Ubisoft's just-announced September showcase, your chance to try out Halo Infinite's campaign co-op mode, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro & GotG writer Mary DeMarle joins BioWare
00:24:01 - Ubisoft 'Multi-Game' Showcase Coming in September
00:34:04 - GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption remasters scrapped?
00:41:56 - New Co-op mode for Halo Infinite
00:49:12 - Game Pass Games for July
00:54:40 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Yes, you're reading that right: Xbox Series X and S outsold the PS5 in Japan, of all places, both individually and combined. We discuss this small victory for Xbox in Japan as well as the bigger picture. Plus: we debate the proposed inclusion of microtransactions in Halo: The Master Chief Collection and their effect on the industry at large (including the upcoming Diablo 4), our reaction to Overwatch 2 overwriting the original game, and more!

TIMECODES
0:00 - Intro
1:25 - Xbox Outsells PlayStation in Japan
22:57 - Halo Master Chief Collection Gets Microtransactions
43:39 - Will Microsoft Change Blizzard's Microtransaction Tactics?
51:38 - Overwatch 2 Replacing Original Game
59:10 - July Xbox Games With Gold
1:00:11 - DICE Doubling Down on Battlefield
1:06:54 - Tony Hawk 3 and 4 Remasters Cancelled
1:11:31 - Trivia and Outro

We take one last, definitive look back on the Xbox Showcase and the Xbox Showcase Extended now that the dust has settled. We've got some constructive criticism for Microsoft, but we also gush about our favorite games from the event, such as High on Life, Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield.

If you missed it when it aired live, here's our reaction show immediately following the Xbox Showcase from Sunday, June 12. We discussed the long-awaited gameplay reveal of Starfield, what Xbox's exclusive lineup for the rest of this year looks like, Redfall, Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 reactions, our favorite games of the show, and more!

It's Xbox Hype week! With the Xbox Showcase just days away, we look ahead to Xbox's big event. Both of them, now that we know that an Extended Showcase is happening on Tuesday, June 14. We make more predictions for what we want to see and think we'll see. Plus: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake's rough road, the survival-horror smorgasbord of Callisto Protocol, Dead Space Remake, and Resident Evil 4 Remake this winter, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:19 - Intro & Housekeeping
00:03:43 - Xbox News Roundup Part 1
00:09:31 - Xbox & Bethesda Showcase Predictions
00:36:44 - Xbox News Roundup Part 2
00:53:12 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the long-known-about sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, has finally been announced. We discuss what we want to see out of Respawn's upcoming next-gen sequel. Plus: lamenting the very serious reason for the latest Xbox exclusive to get delayed, Ryan gushes over Ninja Gaiden as the entire series hits Xbox Game Pass, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping
00:08:52 - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Announced for 2023!
00:25:09 - Replaced Delayed to 2023
00:44:41 - New Game Pass and Games with Gold for June
00:54:22 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

We look back at the Fall of 2007 and discuss: was it the best 90 days of any console ever? From August 21-November 21, 2007 we got Halo 3, Mass Effect, BioShock, The Orange Box, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - all in a 90-day window. There were also a number of other really good games in that same window: Assassin's Creed 1, Project Gotham Racing 4, Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata, and more! Join us as we look back on one of the greatest stretches in the history of gaming. Plus: spoiler-free Halo TV Series season 1 reactions.

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:21 - Halo TV Season 1 Impressions
00:12:39 - The Xbox 360's Greatest 3-Month Stretch
00:45:20 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Next Gen Coming Soon!
00:51:00 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

After Starfield and Redfall both got delayed out of 2022 on the same day, we discuss why Xbox fans are understandably frustrated with the lack of major first-party exclusives this year. Next year does look amazing - and we discuss that in detail - but we also talk about how many fans are tired of being told "Wait until next year." Can the Xbox Showcase provide any immediate answers? Join us!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:39 - Redfall and Starfield Delayed to 2023!
00:10:08 - How Does 2022 Look Like So Far?
00:48:14 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro

Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams joins us to discuss a busy week of Xbox news, from EA seemingly accidentally revealing Shepard's return to Mass Effect (do we even want Shepard back? Are we hyped for this?), where Activision can take Sledgehammer's Call of Duty games from here after the disappointing Vanguard, Gotham Knights leaving Xbox One behind, Clippy in Halo Infinite, and more!

TIMECODES:
00:00:00 - Intro & Commander Shepard Returning?
00:26:30 - Activision On Call of Duty Vanguard's Underperforming Sales
00:50:35 - Gotham Knights No Longer Releasing For PS4 and Xbox One
00:59:40 - Halo Infinite's Season 2 Adds Clippy!
01:03:50 - Resident Evil Re:Verse Potential Release
01:09:15 - Unlocked Block Trivia & Outro