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.

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Posted in News |

Several Xbox 360 bundles get an unofficial (and temporary) $50 price cut

Retailers, including GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, have slashed the price of several different Xbox 360 configurations this morning by $50. No end date was listed for the new sale price of each package, but it’s likely to clear inventory before Microsoft reveals their Xbox 360 “Holiday Bundles” for 2012.

But if you’re in search of an Xbox 360 console today, the following bundles have been given the temporary snip snip and are now available for $249.99 instead of their regular price of $299.99:

  • 4GB Kinect Bundle (which includes Kinect Adventures)
  • 250GB Holiday 2011 Bundle (which includes Halo: Reach and Fable III)
  • 250GB Holiday 2011 Matte Bundle (which includes Forza Motorsport 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
  • 250GB Holiday 2011 Racing Bundle (which includes Forza Motorsport 4 and a Wireless Racing Wheel)

And the following bundles have temporarily dropped from $399.99 to $349.99:

  • 250GB Holiday 2011 Kinect Bundle (which includes Kinect Adventures and Carnival Games: Monkey See Monkey Do)
  • 320GB Star Wars Bundle (which includes Kinect Star Wars and a special paint job)
  • 320GB Halo Bundle (which includes Halo 4, two controllers, and a special paint job)
Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

New Releases: 007 Legends, Doom 3 BFG Edition, Dance Central 3, More

This week’s new releases are shaken, not stirred, and plenty scary. Don’t believe me, check ’em out…

Just like he likes his martinis, James Bond has been shaken out of his MGM bankruptcy-imposed slumber for 007 Legends on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Bringing together the plots of six different Bond movies (including next month’s Skyfall), the game promises to be an excellent history lesson on the last 50 years of Her Majesty’s greatest secret agent.

Also like Mr. Bond’s martinis, you’ll want to not stir, but shake it for Dance Central 3. The Xbox 360-exclusive is Harmonix’s third trip on the dance floor and this time they’re bringing “Ice Ice Baby.” It’s about time.

For scares, we’ve got a trio of choices this week: id’s reworked Doom 3: BFG Edition (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), Konami’s Vita-exclusive Silent Hill: Book of Memories, and Atari’s Roller Coaster Tycoon 3D (on the 3DS, naturally). Boo!

Skylanders Giants will also be available this week, but not on Tuesday. The toy-powered game will be released in both a Starter Pack and a Portal Owners Pack across the 3DS, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 on Sunday, October 21.

You can find more new releases after the break… and some of them even fit the theme.

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

Own a piece of 38 Studios/Big Huge Games this Tuesday

In an effort to pay back the state of Rhode Island for their lost investment, the assets of bankrupt developer Big Huge Games will be sold off at auction this Tuesday, October 16.

The auction (which is being held at BidSpotter) begins at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time) and includes everything you’d need to launch a game development company from several baskets of pens (lots 11, 12, and 13) to multiple Dell workstations (lots 350-480) to the break room Dreamcast (lot 172). The complete list of items for sale also includes several pieces of memorabilia stemming from the creation of the developer’s final game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

The Maryland-based Big Huge Games was a subsidiary of 38 Studios, which was hard at work on an Amalur MMO at their Rhode Island headquarters at the time of its bankruptcy. The contents of the Rhode Island office will be auctioned off on Tuesday, October 23 at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time). The auction catalog has yet to be posted, but it’s unlikely to include Curt Schilling’s “Bloody Sock.”

Posted in News |

Guillermo Del Toro is looking for a new developer for Insane

When THQ gave the publishing rights to Insane back to Guillermo Del Toro, I (and many others) assumed that that was the end of it. But apparently the director is not giving up his game development dreams so easily.

“When something doesn’t happen in one way, I just continue pursuing it in another way. I own the property and I control it. I’m not giving up on Insane,” Del Toro said. See? Told ya.

When asked what his ideal destination for Insane was, Del Toro quickly replied “Valve.” Never stop believing Mr. Del Toro.

[Source: GameSpot]

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

XBLA Today: Happy Wars

It took a little longer than expected (a glitch kept the game invisible most of the day), but Happy Wars has finally been added to the Xbox Live Arcade today. The Xbox 360’s first free-to-play game is now available to download for all Xbox Live Gold subscribers (so it’s not technically free). Pitting teams of 15 happy little characters against each another, Happy Wars looks to be the cutest melee ever.

To celebrate the release of the game, Microsoft has slashed the price of all items in the Item Shop by 20%. So if you plan on dropping a few coins on customizable outfits or weaponry, doing it before October 15 will keep a few of those coins in your pocket. Of course, new outfits can also be unlocked in-game for those that prefer to keep the “free” in their free-to-play game.

Hope to see you on the battlefield this weekend:

Happy Wars is a multiplayer action game that pits different comic-style characters against each other in over-the-top combat arenas. Taking place in a variety of fantasy battlefields including grasslands, a dark world, and the ocean floor, players can control any of 3 types of characters: warrior, mage, and cleric.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Mass Effect 3: Omega single-player expansion available November 27

BioWare is at it again, announcing even more downloadable content for Mass Effect 3 at today’s New York Comic-Con.

“Omega” will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on November 27 and it promises to be the biggest Mass Effect expansion ever. The single-player content has been priced at $14.99/1200 Microsoft Points and is said to be “double the size” of the previous single-player pack, “Leviathan.”

In the expansion, players will join up with former Omega ruler Aria T’loak in a mission that will ask players to storm the station and take it back from Cerberus.

[Source: Eurogamer]

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: October 12, 2012 – Everybody’s working for the weekend

The weekend is almost upon us! I hope that your weekend is full of delightful fall weather, sweaters, kittens, puppies, candy, and perhaps even a warm spiced drink. Oh, and video games, of course! I’m going to be doing as much gaming as I can fit in with my busy schedule. We’ve got plans to see Looper at some point, and I’m going to a Guinness tasting, which should be nice. Here’s to the busy weekends of the fall!

There are a few good video game deals going on over at Go Hastings right now, including 25% off used games. Put in the code 250K for that one. For some reason, they’re advertising a deal on the game Brink on their games page. Protip: do not buy this garbage. Please!

Finally, I’ve got some great t-shirts for you today!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |