Most Recent: News

More on Sony’s “Kevin Butler” lawsuit

Posted on October 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

Speaking to Kotaku, Sony has revealed a few more details about their lawsuit against Bridgestone and Jerry Lambert, the actor who plays Kevin Butler in a series of very popular PlayStation commercials.

Expanding on their earlier charge of trademark infringement, Sony believes that Bridgestone and Lambert are guilty of “misappropriation, breach of contract and tortious interference with a contractual relationship.” Their lawsuit hinges on their belief that Bridgestone “[used] the Kevin Butler character to sell products other than those from PlayStation.”

Sony might have a case as the Bridgestone ads (which feature Mario Kart Wii) began a few days before the announcement of a Kevin Butler DLC Pack for this November’s LittleBigPlanet Karting. However, nowhere in the Bridgestone (which appears online now only in edited form) ad was Lambert’s character referred to as “Kevin Butler.”

Sony’s full statement can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, Wii |

MLB 12: The Show gets price drop, predicts Orioles/Nationals World Series

Posted on October 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

Sony has slashed the price on MLB 12: The Show just in time for the playoffs. The PS3 version will now feature a $29.99 price while the Vita version is a steal worthy of Rickey Henderson at $19.99. And speaking of the playoffs, ESPN called up the popular sports series as well for an article simulating this year’s Divison Series and Championship Series matchups.

In the National League playoffs, the ESPN simulation expects the Cincinnati Reds to cruise to a 3-0 sweep over the San Francisco Giants while the Washington Nationals will win out over the St. Louis Cardinals in a 3-2 series victory. Things will go much easier for the Nationals in the NLCS as the team formerly known as the Montreal Expos will advance to their first World Series after a 4-0 sweep of the Reds.

Over in the Junior Circuit (the American League), the Detroit Tigers will take down the Oakland A’s with a 3-2 series victory. Meanwhile the New York Yankees [spit] will be beat by the Baltimore Orioles three games to one. The Orioles will continue their Cinderella run with a 4-0 sweep of the Tigers in the ALCS.

So… Nationals-Orioles… who ya got?

Posted in News, PS3, Vita | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Goodbye CliffyB

Posted on October 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

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…

Ladies and gentlemen, I open this Weekly Warp-Up with some sad news. In case you haven’t heard, Cliff Bleszinski has left Epic Games. The Gears of War guy was one of gaming’s most outsized personalities and I’m going to miss his annual appearances at E3 (usually holding some kind of comically oversized prop gun). Adios CliffyB, and here’s hoping you come back soon.

Now then, let’s look to the future with The Games of October 2012, including Dishonored, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Pokemon Black 2/Pokemon White 2, and many, many more.

And in case you’re curious, the Warp Zoned staff also looked back on What We Played in September 2012. Hint, it was a lot of Borderlands 2.

If you’re still mourning over the retirement of CliffyB, I understand. But if you want more news, hit the jump for the rest of the Weekly Warp-Up. (more…)

Posted in News |

New Releases: Dishonored, XCOM Enemy Unknown, Just Dance 4, More

Posted on October 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

This week’s new releases will sneak up on us like a ghostly assassin in a steampunk setting. If that analogy seems oddly specific to you, might I point you towards Dishonored (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), a stealth game that has more than a few gamers giddy with anticipation.

Speaking of stealth, this week also sees the release of 2K’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) reboot. Developed by Firaxis, sneaking up on some aliens and giving them the “Welcome to Earth” treatment should be a hoot.

Also available this week is the dancefloor shenanigans of Just Dance 4 (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) and a trio of Kinect adventures for the Xbox 360: Harry Potter For Kinect, Dragon Ball Z For Kinect, and Fable: The Journey. Maybe I’m just not seeing the big picture, but why would publishers release four of the biggest Kinect games of the Fall on the same day?

Finally, for those looking for a little handheld excitement, Atlus is bringing the action RPG Code of Princess to the 3DS.

Hit the jump for more of this week’s new releases. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , , ,

Actor who plays Kevin Butler is being sued by Sony

Posted on October 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

If you watched TV last month, you likely saw Sony’s fictional spokesman, Kevin Butler (AKA actor Jerry Lambert), in a commercial for Bridgestone’s “Buy Four Tires, Get a Wii” promotion. While “Kevin Butler” was never a real person, he’s become the closest thing to a mascot Sony’s had this generation. So it was rather chuckle-worthy to see him, even indirectly, shilling for Nintendo.

But Sony doesn’t think it’s a laughing matter. The consolemaker has decided to sue Lambert, through his company Wildcat Creek, and Bridgestone for trademark infringement. And they’ve likely got a pretty good case too as Lambert’s portrayal of a Bridgestone pitchman (which began on August 27) overlaps with the most recent updates on the “Kevin Butler” Twitter feed (the last one was on August 31).

As of this writing, GameStop is still offering the “Kevin Butler DLC Pack” as a pre-order bonus for gamers who purchase LittleBigPlanet Karting.

[Source: Kotaku]

Posted in News, PS3, Wii |

XBLA Yesterday: Sonic Adventure 2, Nights Into Dreams

Posted on October 6, 2012 by John Scalzo

Microsoft has been so consistent with their “Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays” thing that it’s easy to forget they occasionally do Friday updates as well. Yesterday was one such Friday, as two Sega classics were added to the XBLA.

Sonic Adventure 2 is now available in glorious high definition for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). However, if you’re also looking for the special Battle Mode bonus content that was created for the GameCube re-release, that’s part of a separate DLC pack.

In the fight between heroes and villains, will you choose to save the world or conquer it? The hunt for the Chaos Emeralds is on and battle lines have been drawn between Hero and Dark. Experience two unique adventures featuring both long-time heroes and new and returning villains as they battle for the fate of the world! Sonic Adventure 2 makes its return on Xbox LIVE Arcade with a full cast of playable heroes and villains, exciting two-player competitive modes, Chao Gardens, and more than 30 action-packed stages, all remastered in HD!

Also available this week is Nights Into Dreams. The Saturn cult classic has been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and includes the Christmas Nights expansion. Oh Sega, so greedy and so generous at the same time.

Slip off into the dream world and go on an aerial adventure as Nights in this classic Saturn remake. Collect Ideya (colored orbs), rack up points, and battle bosses to help Elliot and Claris save Nightopia from Wizeman the Wicked. With all seven original dreams, enhanced graphics, achievements, leaderboards, and playable content from Christmas Nights, this beloved title is back and better than ever.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Joe Danger 2 explodes onto PSN on October 9 with bonus content

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Andrew Rainnie

This Tuesday, October 9, Hello Games’ stunt bike extravaganza Joe Danger 2 lands on the PlayStation Network in North America. With a bargain price tag of $14.99, gamers will have over 125 levels to complete, which the developer has worked out at over 50 hours of gameplay, more than most full retail releases!

Hello Games has crammed the new game full of features, including a prototype version of the first game lovingly referred to as “Joe Danger Gaiden.” The developer has revived it, and thrown all the new features from Joe Danger 2 in there as well, including Pro Medals, Ghosts and hidden challenges. On top of this, the game features replays and YouTube support, the ability to edit your own levels and share them with players around the world, leaderboards and more hidden content than a jetpack-owning monkey could find!

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Resistance Collection coming this Winter

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Quite possibly coming as a surprise to no one, Sony has announced that the Resistance Collection will be coming this Winter. The collection will include the three main PlayStation 3 games in the series, all by Insomniac Games: Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2, and Resistance 3. According to the PlayStation Blog, it will also come with “extra bonus DLC content for Resistance 2 and Resistance 3 so you can play with all of the best DLC from both games, including the Aftermath Pack and skin bundle from Resistance 2, and both the Brutality and Survival Packs from Resistance 3.” I don’t know if that means it comes with all of the available DLC or just “all of the best DLC,” whatever that is supposed to mean.

I’m actually surprised and a little disappointed that they aren’t including Resistance: Retribution in this collection. Much like the portable God of War games, I would have loved to play this PSP game on my big screen. A girl can dream, right? Speaking of dreams, here’s hoping that Resistance: Fall of Man gets trophy support in this collection. Because if not, what’s the point?

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged , ,