IGN UK Podcast #220: Godzilla vs Xbox One. Fight!

Hello and welcome to another episode of the IGN UK Podcast, your weekly ear injection of games, movies and guff. On this week's show Alex, Krupa and Chris cast their eyes over the news, pausing briefly to discuss whether the Xbox One price drop and Titanfall bundle is enough to entice the mainstream gamer to splash out on the Microsoft's new console.

There's a new Godzilla trailer doing the rounds too, so it's only right that the UK team collectively gushes over it for far too long.

Remember, you can watch the video by clicking on it below (you see, we are human!) or alternatively you can stay old school and listen at your pleasure. Eyesight is over-rated anyway.

IGN UK Podcast #220: Godzilla Vs Xbox One - 38.9 MB

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As always we'd love to hear from you on ign_ukfeedback@ign.com, by posting your feedback in the comments below or by contacting us on Facebook or Twitter. Thanks!

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Pokemon Cartoon and Movies Heading to Netflix

Two seasons of the Pokemon anime cartoon and a couple of the movies will be available on Netflix from tomorrow, March 1.

In terms of the TV show, the seasons that'll soon be available to stream inclue the first one, Indigo League, which was originally aired between 1997 and 1999 in Japan and North America. Indigo League will be available to Netflix owners in Canada, Ireland, the UK and the US.

The other season that's arriving tomorrow is the 14th one, Black and White, which first aired in Japan in 2010 after the release of the similarly titled games on DS. Season 14 will be coming to all Netflix territories.

Two of the movies will also be winging their way onto the service: Pokemon The Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram will be joining Pokemon The Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom, both of which originally hit screens in 2011.

Though an alternative Poke-offering in the US remains the one offered by Hulu, this isn't available outside North America. Hopefully, this'll be the start of a beautiful relationship between Pokemon and Netflix, and we'll see the number of available seasons grow as time goes on.

If you're looking for something to get you in the mood and bring back the nostalgia, we suggest you check out the updated Pokerap, which now features 718 of the critters. Yeah. We're all really old.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter.

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Starbreeze Recoups 15 Year Loss in Just Six Months

Payday 2 and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, in conjunction with the original Payday: The Heist, have boosted Swedish studio Starbreeze to a stunning reversal in fortunes.

“To put the past six months in perspective, I would like to highlight that Starbreeze historically, from 1998 to June 2013, accumulated a total loss of SEK 94 million (approximately USD$14.4 million),” writes Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint in the company’s half-year earnings report. “Thanks to our new business model, reorganization and a focus on our own brands, we have – in only two quarters – generated a profit before tax of SEK 104 million (approximately USD$16 million).

“I would like to think that is what they call a turnaround.”

Profit after tax amounted to SEK 90.3 million (approximately USD$13.9 million).

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[T]hat is what they call a turnaround.

Andersson notes that Starbreeze has also signed a new agreement with Payday 2 publisher 505 Games, replacing the previous agreement which promised five additional packages for the game. The new contract will allow Starbreeze to spend the next 20 months “developing and refining Payday 2 so that it becomes the best co-operative gaming experience available on the market, with many more add-on packages and other exciting events planned.”

He also confirms the well-received Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons has finally begun to generate royalty income for the company.

“We now have a large cash reserve, have created a stable cost structure, a modern business model, we have continued full control of our own brands and have placed ourselves into a position where we have three games that generate royalties every single day,” writes Andersson.

As such Starbreeze will now continue to shift away from a survival strategy and focus on growth instead.

As of February, Payday 2 was the fifth largest official community on Steam, with over 350,000 active members. Payday 2 developer Overkill, also based in Sweden, was acquired by Starbreeze in June 2012.

02:19

Trailer

PayDay 2 - Armored Transport DLC Trailer

Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. You can find him on IGN here or on Twitter @MrLukeReilly, or chat with him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.

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Daily Fix Headlines for February 27, 2014

03:20

IGN Daily Fix

Xbox One & PS4's Biggest Games Go Gold!- IGN Daily Fix

Today, we have yet another Thief week giveaway at the end of the show. On the side of news coverage, Titanfall goes gold while a release date for the highly anticipated season 2, episode 2 of The Walking Dead gets revealed— it's arriving sooner than you think!

Here's the news we covered:

Titanfall Goes Gold

Respawn announces with a tweet that Titanfall has gone gold. See their celebratory picture!

Wolfenstein: The New Order is 1080p, 60fps on Xbox One & PS4

Bethesda reveals that both the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Wolfenstein: The New Order will see equal frame rates and resolutions.

The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 2 Release Date

The new episode entitled A House Divided will arrive next week!

Nintendo Terminating Wi-fi Service for DS and Wii

Say goodbye to wi-fi connection services for your DS and Wii as Nintendo confirms a global termination of the service is happening in May.

GTA Online Getting New Business Ventures

March 4th is the day you'll see a new Business-themed update coming to Grand Theft Auto 5 and Online. Details on what you'll get!

Naomi Kyle is IGN's news host and on-camera personality. You can find her every day on The Daily Fix, kicking ass and taking names. You can follow her on Twitter @NaomiKyle.

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European Commission Wants Crackdown on Free-to-Play Games

The European Commission is meeting today and tomorrow with various “national enforcement authorities and large tech companies” to discuss concerns over complaints from across Europe regarding in-app purchases.

The Commission notes that Europe’s “app economy” is on the rise and is expected to be worth an estimated €63 billion in the next five years. However, it also notes that while over 50 per cent of the European digital games marketplace consists of games advertised as “free”, many contain costly, in-app purchases.

The Commission believes some consumers are not fully aware that they are spending money because their credit cards are charged by default and that children are particularly vulnerable to aggressive marketing in “free to download games which are not free to play.”

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Consumers and in particular children need better protection against unexpected costs from in-app purchases.

“Europe’s app industry has enormous potential, both to generate jobs and growth, and to improve our daily lives through innovative technology,” said Vice-President and EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. “For the sector to deliver on its potential consumers must have confidence in new products. Misleading consumers is clearly the wrong business model and also goes against the spirit of EU rules on consumer protection. The European Commission will expect very concrete answers from the app industry to the concerns raised by citizens and national consumer organisations.”

“Consumers and in particular children need better protection against unexpected costs from in-app purchases,” said Commissioner Neven Mimica. “National enforcement authorities and the European Commission are discussing with industry how to address this issue which not only causes financial harm to consumers but can also put at stake the credibility of this very promising market. Coming up with concrete solutions as soon as possible will be a win-win for all.”

During the meetings the Commission will stress that games advertised as “free” should not mislead consumers about the potential costs involved, and that games should not directly encourage children to purchase items in a game, or to beg an adult to buy items for them. The Commission will also insist consumers are properly informed about payment arrangements and that publishers should provide an email address so that consumers are able to contact them regarding complaints about in-app purchases.

Research released today has found that just 0.15 per cent of players of free-to-play games account for 50 per cent of actual revenue, highlighting the reliance of developers on a tiny group of so-called "whales."

Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. You can find him on IGN here or on Twitter @MrLukeReilly, or chat with him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.

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Dead Island: Epidemic Closed Beta Begins

The Dead Island: Epidemic closed beta has entered its next phase, and the game is now available 24 hours per day, publisher Deep Silver announced today in a press release.

Dead Island: Epidemic is the third title in the Dead Island series, and the first to adopt the multiplayer online battle arena approach. It was previously only available to beta testers during select windows throughout the day.

01:08

IGN NEWS

Dead Island: Epidemic Announced

Previous games in the Dead Island franchise were released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as PC. Players interested in joining the beta for the new installment can sign up here.

The site promises future updates on "characters, weapons, and game modes," and does not yet include any indication as to which platforms the game might come to in addition to the PC edition.

Jason Venter is a freelance writer who believes no one should ever be required to outgrow entertainment. You can find him on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

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Obama: "We're Building Iron Man"

Proving that Marvel is slowly and steadily taking over the world, President Obama has confirmed that yes, America is building Iron Man.

"Today I am joined by researches who invent some of the most advanced metals on the planet," Obama said during a White House manufacturing innovation event. "Designers who are modelling prototypes in the digital cloud, folks from the pentagon who help to support their work.

"Basically I'm here to announce that we're building Iron Man."

He's joking, of course. But he did admit that even if the American government was developing its very own super-powered armored suit, well, that information would be classified. Check out the clip in full below.

Lucy O'Brien is Entertainment Editor at IGN AU. Follow her ramblings on IGN or Twitter.

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