Weekly Warp-Up: Kevin Butler Edition

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

I admit, I haven’t thought about “Kevin Butler” much since Sony stopped producing commercials featuring the multi-talented faux-executive. But his reappearance on TV, as a pitchman for a “Buy 4 Ties, Get a Wii” promotion no less, has caused the entire world to go topsy-turvy this week.

First, Sony slapped the actor behind “Kevin Butler,” Jerry Lambert, and Bridgestone, with a lawsuit. They contend that the tiremaker and the actor have committed trademark infringement in their use of a white-coated Lambert standing next to a Wii. But, as it always does when it comes to Sony, it gets weirder.

Bridgestone claims that “Kevin Butler” never appeared in their commercial, and they seem to have a pretty solid case as the actor never speaks during the commercial and is never addressed by name. Essentially, Sony is attempting to have trademark protection granted to Lambert’s face. Trademark protection that would presumably belong to them and not the actor who owns said face.

I don’t want to be one of those people who take pleasure in Sony’s tumble to third place, but their antics are much more amusing in the PS3/Vita era than they ever were during the high-flying days of the PSone and PS2.

There’s more news from the week that was after the break.

The Week in New Games…

• This Week’s Releases: Dishonored, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Just Dance 4, and more.
• This Week’s PlayStation Network Update: Dishonored, Retro City Rampage, The Walking Dead: Episode 4, and more
• This Week’s XBLA Wednesday: The Walking Dead: Episode 4, Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise, Worms Revolution
• This Week’s Nintendo Download: Lego Lord of the Rings demo, Mario Golf GBC, and more
• Next Week’s Releases: 007 Legends, Doom 3: BFG Edition, Dance Central 3, and more.

Amazing Paperboy Delivers…

• Mass Effect 3‘s “Omega” expansion will be available in November.
• Duck! Call of Duty: Black Ops II will include a 3D display option when its released in November.
• A ton of copies of Borderlands 2 and Madden NFL 13 were sold in September.
• A four-game Rockstar Games Collection will be available in November.
• Sometimes the jokes write themselves… Gearbox is releasing Borderlands 2: Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty next week.
• It’s not easy being green… The Joker, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow will all appear in Injustice: Gods Among Us.
• A God of War: Ascension demo will be included with the Blu-ray release of the Total Recall remake.
• Painkiller: Hell & Damnation is coming to the PC this Halloween and the PS3/Xbox 360 in January.
• Guardians of Middle-Earth will take an expected journey to stores on December 4.
• Mass Effect 3‘s “Retaliation” DLC was released this week… for free.
• Rayman Legends has been delayed (though it was never officially dated) and will now be available in early 2013.
• That’s no moon, it’s a real game! Angry Birds Star Wars is real and its coming November 8.

It’s A Secret To Everybody…

• Irrational Games is blowing the lid off of BioShock Infinite very soon.
• And Rockstar Games plans to do the same for Grand Theft Auto V. It’s about time.

And Finally…
The Mass Effect fanfilm Red Sand is now available for your viewing pleasure as well as the second episode of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.