India's not gonna miss out on the devs scene. Vicious Cycle Software and SCEE are bringing the Vicious Engine, the leading middleware solution, to game developers in India. Indian developers will get their hands on the comprehensive suite of development tools to boost game development in the region.

There's always a first time for everything - even a first time for being nominating for a video game writing award. Who has privilege of receiving this prestigious nomination from the Writer's Guild of America? None other than writers Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan, the men responsible for bringing us the story of D3 Publisher's and Vicious Cycle's Dead Head Fred. More about these writers and their remarkable achievement after the jump.

More info about the upcoming title from Vicious Cycle Software, Dead Head Fred, in this developer interview video. We get you the skinny on what's to expect about the game that lets you tear your enemies' heads off and stick them onto your currently noggin-deficient neck.

In this video, Eric Peterson, president of Vicious Cycle, gives us a refresher on Fred Neumann's history, pre-noggin loss. We also get acquainted with the head acquisition system, and how each head can be upgraded with multi-colored worms. Truly a wealth of information for those of us itching with anticipation to make some heads roll in the name of justice - and sweet, sweet vengeance. We also learn that the game is going to be pretty much a HUGE game for the PSP - yours truly quotes Eric in saying that Dead Head Fred's the first ever PS2-sized title for the Sony handheld. Interesting indeed.

Enough spoilers from us. Enjoy the video - and after that, why not get yourself a second helping with our exclusive interview?

 These are the words of Vicious Cycle President, Eric Peterson when asked by QJ.net in an exclusive interview about the possibility of a demo for the company's upcoming PSP title, Dead Head Fred.

"QJ: What are the chances that we'll see a demo (downloadable or on disc) for Dead Head Fred before release?

Peterson: Let me shake the magic eight-ball. All signs point to…very likely.  We are looking into the feasibility of this now and if we do a demo, we want to be sure to release a great one that shows the player what a vertical slice of Fred would be like if they purchased and played the entire game.  We should have more info on this soon."

In an interview conducted with QJ.net, Eric Peterson, President of Vicious Cycle software certainly hinted that we might see Fred on a next gen machine, though which one is anyones guess:

"QJ: Like we said earlier, Fred's a pretty unique character, and the universe he inhabits seems to be pretty rich and interesting... perhaps we'll get to explore it in even greater detail on, oh, maybe... a next-gen console?

Peterson: That is the plan. The PSP game is the launch bed for this brand. This wasn’t intended to be a one off game by any means. We feel that the character, the story elements, the game mechanics, etc. all translate well to a next-gen system. We certainly have aspirations of moving it to that level so we can make Fred even more robust, the levels more detailed and continue the story where we leave it off in this version."

We'll have more for you on this when we... er, have... more.


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Tons of more info about the upcoming PlayStation Portable title that has heads turning - and rolling - with this QJ exclusive interview of Dead Head Fred. We give you the skinny on what's the absolute latest with this game, with all the facts supplied by none other than Eric Peterson himself, President and all-around bigwig of Vicious Cycle Software, Inc.

For the uninitiated, Dead Head Fred's about gumshoe Fred Neuman who's lost quite a bit off the top after being brought back from the dead. Instead of trying to live a normal life - as normal as someone without a head can possibly be, anyway - Fred's seeks revenge on the people who made him lose his head, and with him on the warpath, heads are going to roll.

The full interview awaits after the jump!

A recent press release by D3Publisher of America has announced that they have just entered an agreement with Vicious Cycle Software, where the makers of the Vicious Engine for consoles, handhelds and PC platforms shall become a subsidiary of D3PA after the agreement pulls through.

 

D3Publisher was signed up as Vicious Cycle Software's publisher for Dead Head Fred for the PSP, but it appears that D3Publisher wishes to extend their relations with the North Carolina-based developer studio for a much longer time. And Vicious Cycle will be marked their first true internal developer studio as soon as the share acquisition agreement is successfully concluded.

"Having worked with D3PA for the past few years, we know the company shares our passion for creative excellence and our commitment to quality," said Eric Peterson, president of Vicious Cycle Software. He added that they are excited to be part of the D3Publisher family and providing their skills and talents to D3PA's game portfolio.

Details of the agreement seems to affect nothing throughout the management of Vicious Cycle, as the current leadership will not be changed nor shall the studio be moved from North Carolina. That said, financial figures pertaining to the acquisition have not been revealed, however.

Vicious Cycle Software, founded back in 2000 by former MicroProse game developers, is a developer for titles for a broad range of customers, including educational titles for children and action games for the mobile gamers. Their works include titles that were released on the Sony PS2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube. They have recently focused a development effort toward the Windows platforms.

However, since the release of their Vicious Engine middleware solution, they have delivered a cross-platform edge for games on both the next-gen and current-gen consoles. The Vicious Engine was conceptualized back in 2005, but recent improvements to the software allowed the engine to be the first to extend toward the Wii and the PSP.

Video game title Dead Head Fred features the dark, bizarre, and undead character of Fred Neuman. You see, he was a private detective savagely murdered and then resurrected in a bizarre scientific experiment. The thing is, upon his return, both his memory and his head are missing.

Developer Vicious Cycle software and publisher D3Publisher of America (D3PA) announced earlier today that Hollywood actor John C. McGinley will lend his voice talent to help re-animate Neuman. Vicious Cycle President Eric Peterson strongly believes that McGinley's personality and vocal style will perfectly suit Neuman's character.

The Hollywood veteran is currently portraying the character of Dr. Perry Cox on the NBC sitcom Scrubs. Before this, his acting experience transcends two decades including appearances in popular movies Identity, Are We Done Yet?, and Platoon among others under his belt, not to mention several roles in various TV shows and theater performances.

"Mr. McGinley is one of the most versatile and talented actors in the business and he is the perfect choice to bring the lead character in Dead Head Fred to life. The combination of Mr. McGinley's superb voice acting and Vicious Cycle's compelling storyline and gameplay will make Dead Head Fred a must-have title for the PSP system," commented D3PA's Brian Christian.

Dead Head Fred will be exclusively released on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) across North America this coming August 21.

 

Over at the Vicious Cycle office, things have been keeping quiet as far as Fred Neuman is concerned. That is, until IGN broke that silence via an interview with no less that VC's president, Eric Peterson.

Finally, we have an update as to what's the latest on Dead Head Fred, Vicious Cycle's first ever IP, and the top draft for the newly-invented genre, "Twisted Noir." Explains Peterson, "We didn't want to talk about the game too much until we are certain that the vision we set out on initially was achieved."

And don't that make a lot of sense? After all, as this is their first IP venture, it is very understandable that they'd want to treat their first baby right. Of course they would want everything to be just right.

As for the character list, nothing much has changed in that area. As of now, there are already 45 characters with speaking roles. As for Fred's foes, you have to pay particular attention to what their weaknesses and resistances are. See, Fred will have nine interchangeable -- er -- jar heads, and each will have their own capabilities. Now, it is important for you to know which one will work best against a certain enemy. If not, you'll just end up wasting your time and efforts trying to defeat your enemy.

More updates and screens await after the jump!

To say that Dead Head Fred is a little weird would be a bit of an understatement. This PSP exclusive from Vicious Cycle and D3Publisher casts players as Fred Neuman, a dead private detective who's out to unravel the mystery behind his own murder. In their quest for truth and vengeance, players will have to use the severed heads of their enemies to battle their way through environments designed to showcase each head's unique abilities.

Malformed mutants, ghoulish gangsters, and maniacal mob bosses populate every inch of Dead Head Fred's 1940's-inspired alternative universe, so players must really use their (ehem) heads to survive. C'mon, Fred's already died once. Don't waste his second chance.

Anyway, check out the new screenshots below. For more information about this game, check out our interview with Vicious Cycle's Eric Peterson. Dead Head Fred is slated for an August release.

   

More screenshots after the jump!