If you don't know how Max Hoberman is, here's the elevator pitch version: he's not only the Halo 2 lead multiplayer designer, but he helped invent all of the amazing party and matchmaking systems that Halo 2 pioneered that we all now take for granted. And now, he has his own studio, Certain Affinity, where they build maps for many multiplayer games, including Halo 2 DLC, Halo 3 DLC, Halo 4 (shipping version and DLC), various Call of Duties, and now Halo 2 Anniversary. Max shares some incredible insights on the making of Xbox Live's killer app, and then shares his gut reactions to every map from Halo 1 and 2. His answers may surprise you...

Microsoft Head of Xbox Phil Spencer makes his first Unlocked appearance in a year, dicussing a range of topics including when certain features will be added to the Xbox One via the monthly system updates, what he wants out of the next Gears of War, why there is no special-edition Halo-themed console to pair with The Master Chief Collection, what the hell Rare is up to, and much, much more. 

Find out what happens when four guys get busted for trying to use an original Xbox to smuggle cocaine. At the very least, it produces the funniest moment in the history of the show. Also, a new Halo game got announced, HBO Go will soon be usable on Xbox 360 or Xbox One without a cable/satellite TV subscription, a new Assassin's Creed Xbox One bundle provides pretty good value (and we share our favorite special-edition consoles ever), and much more.

On this week's episode of the world's #1 Xbox podcast, we discuss why Ubisoft messed up badly with their explanation as to why Assassin's Creed Unity will run at 900p on both Xbox One and PS4. Plus: how much of Halo 5 will Agent Locke star in? Why did Kingdom Hearts 3 switch to Unreal Engine 4? Why is Mitch worried about Geometry Wars 3? And find out which special guests will be appearing on the show this month.

Alleged NDA-breaking sources claim Destiny's story was VERY different earlier in development. We discuss. Plus: love for Screamride and its Crash Mode-esque feature, why you should get pumped for the release of Thomas Was Alone next month, pouring one out for Burnout, and hacking is bad, mmm-kay?

Want to know how you can have no artistic or programming talent and still end up becoming the head of the studio making the biggest game of the year? Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's Michael Condrey shares his fascinating career story of how he went from beach bum to co-founding Sledgehammer Games and working on the world's biggest shooter franchise. Plus: Destiny's raid, Rudy Giuliani's defense of Activision against...Manuel Noriega (!), Grand Theft Auto V's next-gen first-person mode, D4 pulls a Beyonce (and why that's bad), and more!

We're back, and so much has happened! In this jumbo-sized 90-minute edition of the world's #1 Xbox podcast, we spend nearly an hour discussing Destiny -- what it is, what it isn't, what it could evolve into, and more. Plus: Jose Otero's Halo: The Master Chief Collection impressions, our analysis of Microsoft's big Minecraft developer purchase, and much more!

An annoying bell is left behind in the podcast studio, and we abuse it before finally hurling it out a window. More importantly, Halo pro and superfan Sean Finnegan discusses how it felt to play the new Lockout in Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer. We also dive into the "WTF?" Saints Row expansion that's coming to Xbox One as well as 360. Plus: Get to Know Your Locksmiths gets a bit serious, discussing the topic of bullying.

This week, we're down Ryan McCaffrey, so it's a shorter show as we discuss HD remakes, Dragon Age: Inquisition's multiplayer, Shadow Complex's 5th anniversary, and what we think of Microsoft selling Kinect for $150.

Marty and Destin return from Gamescom in Germany, where they got to be among the first in the world to play Halo 2 Anniversary multiplayer. They tell us how Halo 2-y it feels. Plus: Madden 15's time limit on EA Access, a bigger hard drive for...Xbox 360, a Reddit app for Xbox One, what to expect in the September Xbox One system update, and the return of Get to Know Your Locksmiths.

First, we apologize for this week's audio issues. It's a bit quiet for the first half or so of the show, and then we tried to fix it and were successful...except somehow and for some reason Ryan's microphone cuts out. You can still hear him being picked up by the other mics, but...sigh...

Anyway, this week we discuss Rise of the Tomb Raider's controversial Xbox exclusivity, our first glimpse of the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's multiplayer reveal, and everything else that came out of the big Gamescom show in Germany.

With Gamescom approaching, we make our Xbox predictions for the "European E3." What will Microsoft announce? What will they show off? We speculate. Plus: another last-gen game looks like it's getting an Xbox One port, Bungie has a supply-and-demand problem with Destiny, Evolve gets delayed, and more!

So much to discuss on this week's Xbox podcast! Mass Effect gets its Mako back, Destiny's beta goes well, Homefront fans get good news, Gamestop wants to help you ruin your credit rating, and more. Oh, and Marty sends notes from Comic-Con, which Ryan ruins by doing a dramatic reading.

Battlefield Hardline has been delayed into 2015, and the move has major ramifications for EA, for the other major first-person shooters of fall 2014, and for you. We dissect the decision and figure out what the heck we're going to have time to play this holiday. Plus: Dragon Age Inquisition is also delayed -- slightly -- but Ryan fears the worst. Conversely, he's super stoked for the possible return of Rock Band, the new Doom is finally shown off, legendary composer Marty O'Donnell settles his lawsuit with Bungie, and more!

Bungie Community Manager DeeJ stops by on the eve of Destiny's beta kickoff on Xbox platforms. We discuss the state of discourse in the video game community, how to give constructive feedback to your favorite developer, and much more. Plus: some very sad and unfortunate news at Microsoft overshadows strong Xbox One sales numbers, we discuss whether or not Homefront: The Revolution will ever come out a key staffer joins many others who've left Crytek recently, Tekken 7 is revealed, and Grand Theft Auto V on next-gen may have just had its release date leaked. P.S. Congrats to our prize winner this week: Parker Smith. Sorry for not writing your name down, Parker!

Are Xbox owners really getting the short end of the Destiny stick? And as Coagulation is announced as the second Halo 2 map to get the Xbox One "Anniversary" treatment in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, what might the other four be? Plus: Gearbox announces their new game (Hint: it's not Aliens: Colonial Marines 2), Alien: Isolation gets Sigorney Weaver, a couple of games are given sent-to-die release dates, and more!

Is EA's Peter Moore right about the console wars being a good thing? Is an analyst right about Destiny being 2014's biggest-selling game? What kind of game is Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinksi about to announce? The world's #1 Xbox podcast discusses.

It appears that developer Crytek is in serious trouble, and the fallout has already resulted in Ryse 2 being cancelled. We speculate on how Microsoft could still get the game made, making hypothetical picks on who might make it and what engine they'd use. Plus: Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson continues to get wealthier by the day, and we couldn't be happier for him.

We celebrate our mini-milestone episode by finally dipping into the Podcast Unlocked mailbag. Plus: Our personal E3 Game of the Show picks, Gearbox's Randy Pitchford criticizes Destiny, Capcom opens itself up to a hostile corporate takeover, and and an unpronounceable series of choices in the Unlock Block trivia challenge.

Recorded live from a haunted theater in Los Angeles, it's Podcast Unlocked! In our E3 2014 special edition, we dissect Microsoft's press conference, discussing what we liked, what we didn't, and what we wished had been there. Plus: What does Xbox's 2015 look like, and what are our Game of the Show picks? Tune in for the answers!

On the eve of E3, the crew makes a dozen bold Xbox predictions. Plus: several big-name games got announced this week ahead of the show, a pile of new apps are on the way to Xbox One (including an update on HBO Go), and Marty has a grade-A meltdown over the Unlock Block trivia question.

In the calm before the E3 storm, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella makes it clear that the Xbox business isn't going anywhere. Plus, EA leaks its own game, Minecraft on Xbox One gets a release date and a sweet upgrade deal, another publisher wants us to pay again for a recent game, and Mitch hates Batman Beyond spoilers. Oh, and why we may need to call in sick for the entire month of October.

Are we about to get FIVE Halo games in the next 18 months? Maybe, but one of them is definitely Halo 5: Guardians. We discuss. Plus: bad news for Rare that could have a silver lining, an unexpected delay from Ubisoft, Far Cry 4 is real, Fable Legends is being shown soon, and more!

Nathan Vella from Capy Games joins Marty Sliva, Destin Legarie, and Mitch Dyer to discuss Super TIME Force's launch, Xbox One's new Kinectless model, Games With Gold's benefits (and potentially harmful consequences), and more in this nutty, chaotic episode of Podcast Unlocked.

Can a promising new Call of Duty from a promising new developer make Ryan care about the franchise again? Will Mitch forgive Destiny for...whatever it is about it that upsets him? What's a "New Titanfall Experience"? Why is Need for Speed taking a year off? When is the Xbox E3 press conference? And what did Naomi learn when visiting the site of the E.T. Atari game excavation in New Mexico?

Xbox One is heading to China. So what does that mean? We're not even sure but we have theories. Plus: Is Gamestop closing 2% of its stores a harbinger of Doom? And now that we finally got to play Destiny, why are we still not crazy excited?

As Ryan returns from vacation, Destin and Marty go missing, so they're replaced by Naomi and Brian Altano. The group discusses the Xbox One's mixed results in the March NPD figures, while also chatting about Dragon Age Inquisition, making our Games With Gold guesses for May, and more!

IGN's Mitch Dyer, Marty Sliva, and Destin Legarie welcome Brian "BRAP BRAP" Altano to Podcast Unlocked this week, in an episode free of Ryan McCaffrey's typical order. Structure is out the window. Sanity, lost. Sense? None. Profanity? Prevalent.

On the agenda this week, the Locksmiths discuss whether or not Marty O'Donnell's departure from Bungie means much for Destiny, and where we'd like to see him go. After that, we wonder about Tales From the Borderlands -- the core is great, but do we really want to play it? Finally, we hit on Trials Fusion, which has a price tag that has some fans wondering whether or not they want in at all.

Download Podcast Unlocked Ep. 141: The Bungie Situation (MP3).

Turn 10 Creative Director Dan Greenawalt stops by to chat about all things Forza Motorsport, including how (or if) DirectX 12 can improve games on Xbox One, whether or not the Drivatar technology could be applied to other Xbox One games in other genres, and more! Plus: the hidden feature in Titanfall for Xbox 360, how a five-year-old helped Microsoft fix their security on Xbox Live, the next Xbox One system update features, a sci-fi show you'll be watching on Xbox TV, Bruce Lee anachronistically joining EA Sports UFC, and a bunch of other stuff.

One of our own listeners has been named the new Head of Xbox at Microsoft! Yes, Phil Spencer has been promoted, and he calls in to tell us about his new role. Sorry in advance for the crappy phone-recorded audio. We'll use Skype next time! 

Also, Alien: Isolation gets a dangerous release date, Devil's Third isn't dead, and more!

What DON'T we cover this week?! Facebook buying Oculus Rift, Xbox One price cuts, the return of Truskill on Xbox One (sort of...), the Wolfenstein collector's edition that's missing a particularly important component, Diablo III gets confirmed for Xbox One (kinda...), Far Cry 4 details leak, and Linkin Park meets Project Spark.

News-plosion! Another Xbox executive heads for the exit, Xbox allegedly gets in the virtual reality headset game as Sony announces their Project Morpheus VR, Xbox One gets a release date in an unlikely country, and the next-gen Assassin's Creed leaks...again.

With Titanfall out along with the February and March System Updates -- and the Twitch broadcasting app too -- the Xbox One is a much different (and better!) console than ever. We discuss. Plus: Titanfall reactions, game announcements and delays, and more!

Winter must be almost over because things are heating up in the world of Xbox. This week we're talking about Rocksteady's new Batman: Arkham game, the next-gen project BioWare is considering, the return of Watch Dogs (we played it!), more Titanfall, the massive Xbox One March update, hypothetical scenarios in which Microsoft could sign the recently-ousted creator of Uncharted, and more! Plus: a mea culpa of sorts for new Xbox boss Stephen Elop.

Big changes are afoot in the Xbox world this week, as Twitch finally hits Xbox One with some fun new features, Titanfall gets bundled in for free with new Xbox Ones, and the Xbox division of Microsoft gets a new boss who has a...curious track record.

After gushing about the incredible Lego Movie, the world's #1 Xbox podcast crew discusses the surprising revelations about Titanfall (hint: if you played the beta, you ain't seen nothin' yet!), the Xbox One's ongoing 1080p problem, Halo 2 Anniversary's he-said, Chief-said situation, and Doom 4's surprising re-emergence under a dangerous new name.

IGN's resident Call of Duty expert/superfan Bobby "Bobbya1984" Amos joins the podcast crew to give his take on Titanfall -- and it's not all sunshine and rainbows. We discuss how the games battling each other can be good for gamers, and we tell you how to get into the Titanfall beta too. Plus: we rage over the criminal pricing of the new Xbox One chat headset adapter and stereo headset, we discuss Call of Duty's new developer, share our excitement for Evolve, and more!

Two much-needed Xbox One system updates are coming very soon, so we detail what they include and what Microsoft needs to address next. We also discuss the alleged Xbox One leaks that sprung just after we published last week's episode. Do we believe them? Do they make sense? What do they mean? Also, Microsoft gets a new CEO, we put a new Xbox One game on your radar, and Destin pronounces "Halo" funny.

We sneak in 12 bold Xbox One predictions for 2014 before January ends, including thoughts on Minecraft, Halo, Elder Scrolls Online, and more. Plus: the Titanfall beta is confirmed, our take on the big Gears of War acquisition news, and good news for 1 vs. 100 fans.

Lionhead is reportedly working on non-Fable things. Do we even want them to go back to Fable after Legends? Plus: the (good) possibility of a Titanfall open beta, why Xbox One's holiday sales mean a price drop or Kinect-free version probably aren't happening anytime soon, the return of Tetris, an Xbox exclusive gets delayed, and more!

With IGN's 2013 Game of the Year out of the bag, we go over our own personal ballots, including our Xbox One and Xbox 360 votes. In the news, we discuss the future of the Xbox as a platform and what Microsoft's Phil Spencer has to say about it, the is-it-really-that-great return of RBI Baseball, and why Xbox fans should expect plenty more State of Decay in the future.

Happy New Year! Much to discuss in our first show of 2014, including outrage over Titanfall's 12-player limit, three big new first-person game announcements, the end of the Burnout era as we know it, if Xbox One can succeed in China, what we played over the holiday break, and more!

It'll definitely be a happy holiday for Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson, as the Xbox 360 version surpassed seven million copies sold. Plus: Naomi, Marty, Mitch, and Ryan share their favorite holiday traditions, Xbox TV is still coming, Battlefield 4 still seems to be broken, and The Walking Dead: Season 2 debuts, and more!

As we wish legendary first-person shooter DOOM a happy 20th anniversary, we dissect each of the big game announcements from over the weekend -- including two very interesting ones from Walking Dead creator Telltale Games. Plus: the first major system update for Xbox One, filling up the new console's hard drive, demos on Xbox One, and an evil hoax. Oh, and now we know what day you'll want to call in sick for in order to play Destiny.

We love the Xbox One, but there are a few puzzling interface oddities that have left us scratching our heads -- things that weren't broken on Xbox 360 but have been "fixed" anyway for Xbox One. We discuss ways to fix the Achievements system, the accessibility of the interface, the Party Chat system, and the data management methods (or lack thereof). Plus: how we spent our Thanksgiving holidays, and more!

In this Turkey Day edition of Podcast Unlocked, the crew discusses the aftermath of the Xbox One launch: what went well (Xbox Live), what didn't go so well (some people's disc drives), and what's annoying the heck out of us (crashes!). Plus, why one programmer's departure from 343 Industries is extremely bad news for Halo fans, why you should keep it clean on your Xbox One Upload Studio clips, EA's NBA Live apology, and the end of a legendary first-person shooter era. Oh, and we pick our favorite holidays in Get to Know Your Locksmiths!

The Xbox One is finally here, and we're talking about EVERYTHING: all the games (including the big wild-card, Ryse: Son of Rome), the Kinect, the Dashboard...all of it. A special occasion demands an extra-special crew, so we're bringing five Locksmiths to the table this week: Ryan, Mitch, Destin, Marty, and Naomi -- with a bonus appearance by Andrew Goldfarb. Plus: can Xbox One's Kinect see your junk?

Ryan has started playing the Xbox One version of Call of Duty: Ghosts...and hates the campaign. Mitch and Destin share their thoughts, while Marty (wisely) abstains. Meanwhile, you get another chance to acquire the rare white Xbox One and help a charity in the process, we see the Xbox One Dashboard in action, Xbox One reviews are coming in, an Xbox One launch game gets delayed, and a new Middle-earth game gets announced.

The Internet's #1 Xbox podcast tackles the entire Xbox One launch lineup this week after playing most of the games. Plus: Call of Duty: Ghosts' sales numbers, a special-edition Xbox One is going to raise a lot of money for charity, Peggle 2's good and bad news, Metal Gear Solid's strange move, the South Park RPG gets delayed yet again, and more.

Say hi to Ryan, Marty, Naomi, and Justin as this week's show is dominated by discussion about the Call of Duty: Ghosts 720p controversy, NBA 2K14 next-gen impressions, the scariest game we've ever played, the insane Titanfall collector's edition (and a release date!), Fable Legends, the Mister Chief avatar, Kinect 2.0's mininum operating distance, and whether women are as shallow as men.

It's only fitting that we interview Steve Downes -- the voice of Master Chief himself -- on this special 117th episode of the world's #1 Xbox podcast. Steve talks about getting the role of a lifetime, his first video game voice work (hint: it wasn't Halo!), the end of Halo 2, if he thought he'd be replaced after Bungie left Halo, and much, much more. It's a 35-minute interview you won't want to miss. Plus: a major Xbox One launch game gets delayed...to a place that might end up being much tougher.

With Destin and Marty at New York Comic-Con, Ryan and Mitch invite Naomi and IGN Tech editor Scott Lowe onto the show to discuss this week's Xbox news -- including the Xbox One GameDVR functionality, Microsoft's begrudging acceptance of the "Xbone" nickname, Call of Duty: Ghosts news for Xbox 360, and more. Plus: learn what our personal killer apps have been over the years, and we unexpectedly learn everyone's respective man-crushes (or in Naomi's case, woman-crush).

Though it barely works yet, Grand Theft Auto Online has already yielded a couple of great stories for the Unlocked crew. Plus, Marty doubts Destiny's spring 2014 release date and the rest of the cast debates him about it. LucasArts pisses us off even after its death, and we share our earliest memories of video games blowing us away in this week's "Get to Know Your Locksmiths" segment.

In this week's nightmarish trainwreck of a podcast, Ryan McCaffrey, Destin Legarie, Mitch Dyer, and Marty "Tardy" Sliva show you why Podcast Unlocked is the #1 Xbox podcast. GTA V and awkward banter dominate the beginning of this week's show, which ravels out of control as the team gets into this week's news and releases. Destin is maybe only kind of present as he teaches Chop tricks on his iPhone.

It's been a weird week. Join us for the madness, won't you?

As Grand Theft Auto V drops, Mitch, Destin, and Marty are all traveling, and so Ryan recruits the awesome Naomi Kyle and IGN boss-man Steve Butts to discuss the impact of Rockstar's newly fallen meteor. How does its five-year development cycle make it a different (better?) game than Assassin's Creed's and Call of Duty's annual releases? Does Naomi think the game is misogynist? And will GTA ever have a female protagonist?

Plus: News on Ryse, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and how sports games are cursed every year.

This week, Ryan McCaffrey, Destin Legarie, Marty Sliva and I (sorry, I'm back!) dig deep into our depressing pasts to discuss games that got us through tough times. Then, we debate the Steam Family Sharing vs. Xbox One's original plan.

Also:

• Valiant Hearts
• Child of Light
• Xbox One's leaked Dashboard
• SPORTS!
• Seriously, a bunch of sports, we promise it's interesting.

Hilariously, we recorded this podcast Tuesday afternoon thinking Ryan would be out of the office Wednesday. He's not, and of course Microsoft announced the Xbox One release date before we could post the show. So here, as a record for all time, are our final predictions for the release date. Laugh at how wrong (or right!) we all are. We also talk about Microsoft buying Nokia and what it means for Xbox, Grand Theft Auto V impressions from Ryan (who played it at Rockstar's office in New York), Minecraft's unstoppable growth, and special guest Jose gets genuinely offended by the protagonist of LocoCycle. We have an intelligent discussion about it.

Get to Know Your Locksmiths takes a very dark turn this week as the crew returns from the Gamescom convention in Germany and contemplates what their last meal would be. We cover The Elder Scrolls Online's attempt to circumvent longtime Microsoft policies, this week's mixed bag of new Xbox 360 releases, and our favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles thing ever.

Ryan, Destin, and German Unlocked fan Ben talk about Gamescom and their thoughts after playing titles like Titanfall in this special Gamescom Unlocked episode.

Naomi Kyle joins locksmiths Ryan, Destin, and Marty to discuss a whole bunch of Call of Duty news, including a serious discussion about the depiction of violence against women in games. Plus: the Xbox One launch gets scaled back. This one's for you, Europe.

Ryan McCaffrey, Marty Sliva, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie can hardly keep it together during this week's podcast, which has next-gen Xbox news, awful jokes, amazing impressions, and a discussion about id Software, Wolfenstein, and Oculus Rift as we prep for next week's debut of Call of Duty: Ghosts' multiplayer.

Also, we take a listener question for the intro of the show and discuss our off-topic hobbies.

This episode goes out to anyone named Phil. This week, the Locksmiths look back on their college years, and then dive into the Xbox news by discussing Phil Spencer and Phil Harrison's Xbox Showcase event at Gamescom next month, Phil Fish's meltdown and Fez 2 cancellation, Xbox One accessory pricing, Kinect Sports Rivals' delay to 2014, and Bobby "Not Phil" Kotick buying Activision back from, well...itself for $8 billion.

The Locksmiths welcome back new co-host Marty Sliva from Comic-Con while also greeting a couple of new IGN staffers: former 1UP.com editor Jose Otero and new Wikis & Guides guy Jared Petty. The crew discusses a major Xbox One policy shift for indie gaming, the new Kinect, the Oculus Rift, and more. Plus: another round of Get to Know Your Locksmiths.

With Marty at SDCC, Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie discuss Xbox's new boss, changing IGN comments culture, and the news of the week, which includes Forza 5's mandatory connection, NCAA ditching EA Sports, and Killer Instinct's excellent Kinect functionality.

We also learn a bit about each other, geek out over Pacific Rim, and more.

Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie discuss the highs and lows of Xbox One now that the dust has settled. But with Microsoft failing to bundle a headset with the console, is it making a grievous mistake? This is a console that's meant to connect players together, after all.

Also this week, IGN digs into the Xbox One's release date, Halo as a "saga," Thief's Xbox 360 port, and whether Project Spark is worth your attention.

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Download Podcast Unlocked Ep. 101: Xbox One's Headset Problem  (MP3)

E3 is over and we have a ton to talk about, so buckle up as your Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie go over Titanfall, Killer Instinct, Ryse, Halo 5, Quantum Break, Dead Rising 3, and more Xbox One and Xbox 360 games.

Also, road trip stories.

Finally.

With Ryan out, Mitch Dyer and Destin Legarie recruit Rich George and Marty Sliva for an off-the-rails (and spoiler-free) discussion of BioShock Infinite. From there, the Locksmiths hit on Battlefield 4's disappointing reveal, the magic of Fables (and Telltale's potential in the upcoming Wolf Among Us game adaptation) and the future of Far Cry.

PODCAST!

Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Destin Legarie, and Mitch Dyer return to discuss new games for your Xbox 360, new Xbox 360s, and games for the next Xbox. Xbox games, indeed.

Also this week:

Age of Booty is awesome.

Bad Googling.

Summer gaming.

Gears of War: Judgment.

PC gaming.

RTSs.

Join 

Xbox Live Operations overlord Eric Neustadter (maybe you know him as "e") joins Locksmiths Mitch Dyer, Destin Legarie, and Ryan McCaffrey to talk about the history and evolution of Xbox Live. Eric shares stories and secrets about how the whole thing operates, what happens when you complain about awful users, what an always-online console would do to the Live team.

E sticks around to co-host and converse about a bunch of stuff this week, including next-gen games, the rumored Assassin's Creed IV, Gears of War Judgment's VIP pass, and this week's...hilarious releases.

HEADS UP: For whatever reason, this awesome episode was sabotaged by the mysterious ghosts that plague the IGN podcast room. No static this time, fortunately -- it just sounds like we're inhaling a whole lot of helium while hanging out and chatting.

Greg Miller joins Locksmiths Mitch Dyer, Ryan McCaffrey, and Destin Legarie to talk about the future of...PlayStation. In this next-gen special, we talk all about the future of games according to Sony -- but fear not, Xbox faithful. Everything to do with the now-unveiled PlayStation 4 has drastic ramifications on the Xbox's future. 

What can Microsoft learn from the console and event? What do we expect to see and when? Who's going to be involved when the Xbox comes out of the dark, and what surprises do we anticipate?

All this and more, right here.

After a brief hiatus, we return to talk the abysmal failures of Aliens: Colonial Marines, the massive potential (but lack of convincing evidence) for Bungie's Destiny, and this week's new releases, including Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Crysis 3.

This week Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie dive deep into a discussion about the future Xbox console and its alleged always-online functionality. What does it mean, and is it a good thing? All this and more, including Dead Space 3 discussion, a new Assassin's Creed game, Red Box on 360, and Vanilla Ice.

Yup.

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Grand Theft Auto V joins Splinter Cell Blacklist in the summer/fall release window, but are either of 'em coming to next-gen consoles as well? Locksmiths Mitch Dyer and Ryan McCaffrey make an on-air bet, while Destin Legarie plays with scissors.

We also answer your emails, dive deep into the future of PlayStation, and bring a new Meta-Achievement for your conversational pleasure.

The Locksmiths break down the THQ auction/dissolution, talk about the new Splinter Cell: Blacklist CE, and wonder about who's going to end up with the Darksiders franchise.

Also this week, Ryan interviews Double Fine's Ron Gilbert for, like, a freakin' hour. So if you want to listen to two smart dudes talk about The Cave, adventure games, and other awesome stuff, block out some time.

Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie go over Splinter Cell Blacklist's delay, NBA Baller Beats' predictable failure, and the Dead Island Riptide debacle. 

Also in this episode: 

Mitch is back from a mystery trip full of misadventure.

Ryan narrowly survived the siege of a nasty stomach bug. 

Destin's head is on straighter than ever. Finally.

You can change your Xbox account region.

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It's our first show back from a break, so Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Destin Legarie and Mitch Dyer have a lot to talk about. Topics this week include:

• THQ's stuff is for sale
• Books
• More Far Cry 3 impressions
• Destin doesn't know anything about video games
• Your emails, and a new Meta Achievement
• And much, much more!

Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, Naomi Kyle, and Maggie the Boxer talk about the promise of God Mode, the depressing THQ news and what it means for the future of its games, as well as read some of your year-end emails. 

Also included:

A dog eats a leash.

Naomi and Mitch get super Canadian.

Free games, Xbox Live discounts, and technology failures.  

Mike Drucker joins Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie to talk about the rise of Assassin's Creed, Spartan Ops, the VGAs, The Walking Dead, Halo tournaments, writing jokes for video games, and having terrible stand-up shows.

Y'know, the usual. With more profanity this time.

We'll miss you, Mike Drucker. Rest in peace.

I mean, good luck.

Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey and Mitch Dyer pulled aside Telltale Games' PR overlord Job Stauffer for a talk about The Walking Dead during IGN's Judgment Day event. Topics include Walking Dead's explosive popularity, how it took over Twitter, and the future of Telltale on Xbox 360.

Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie talk about Disney buying Lucasfilm, the disappointing Assassin's Creed III, Halo 4, and if military games give gamers the wrong idea about war. 

Locksmiths Ryan McCaffrey and Mitch Dyer bring Naomi Kyle on board for a bit before Destin Legarie returns to his rightful Unlocked throne. David Ellis from 343 Industries stops by this week to tell us about is crazy career path, from politics to prison guard to games press -- the long road to designing Halo 4's Spartan Ops campaign, essentially.

Big topics this week include:

Wreck-It Ralph - We saw it, we love it.

BioShock Infinite's absurd special edition.

Your emails, Dishonored, and whether or not games have been "dumbed down" in recent times.

Ryan McCaffrey, Mitch Dyer, and Destin Legarie gather to talk all about Cliff Bleszinski's departure from Epic Games, the failure of NBA Live 13, and the beginning of fall's game release onslaught.

Other hot topics this week: 

Terrible puns.

Rockstar's killer game collection.

When you can read our Halo 4 review.