The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has awarded the very first Videogame Writing Award to D3Publisher of America and Vicious Cycle Software's Dead Head Fred for the PSP. As expected, the entire team behind the video game was very excited to hear the news. For more information, head on over to the full article.

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.

The official soundtrack of PlayStation Portable title Dead Head Fred is now available for purchase over at Apple's iTunes store for those who want to bring the game's rather sublime atmosphere and feel wherever they go.

The music was provided by music studio Rednote Audio and Lakeshore Records. For those who have yet to try out Dead Head Fred, its music is a combination of jazz, ambient, rock fusion with a little bit of southern guitar tunes.

The soundtrack itself was written and produced by video game composers Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves with runtime clocking around 40 minutes. Vicious Cycle Software Senior Sound Designer Mark Reis said:

Working with Rod and Jason is always a joy and their contribution to Dead Head Fred added flavor and depth that complemented the sound design and voice acting. The edgy soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the twisted noir world of Dead Head Fred.

Vicious Cycle's Dead Head Fred is a pretty awesome game. The production values of the game were really good, and it shows in the final product.

The main character of the game, Fred Neuman, was voiced by none other than John C. McGinley. This actor stared in various television shows and movies, including Scrubs, The Rock, and even Office Space. He was recently interviewed by MTV's Game Drop Blog, where he spoke about his role in the game as well as his future plans.

Some may be wondering how McGinley landed the role as Fred Neuman. Vicious Cycle Software made the first move and e-mailed his publicist an animation of what he was supposed to voice act. The actor noted that "It looked fantastic and hilarious and self-deprecating and not too precious, and I thought we could have some real fun with."

And have fun with it he did. He actually ad-libbed a lot of the lines, adding his own personal flavor to the project. He shared his views on this as well as how they went about the process of recording the lines:

Yeah, well it’s just like being on any movie set, not necessarily "Scrubs" as much as a movie set; I like to do what’s on the page and then start to add some personal flavor. And I thrive in environments where that’s encouraged, and the guys from North Carolina were certainly doing that.

After we did what was on the page, we just added a lot of John McGinley flavor and they were cool with that, and that feels more fun when we do it that way.

So what's next for the prolific actor? Well, McGinley said that he is still interested in voicing the Fred Neuman if a sequel were to be made. While he's an old-school gamer, he gave word that he'll soon be getting a PSP so he can play Dead Head Fred. If you want to read the full interview, don't hesitate to click on our Read Link.

For those of us with a PlayStation Portable brimming of on-the-go gaming goodness, here's a special treat that should get your juices flowing: the preview video of Vicious Cycle's upcoming hit, Dead Head Fred. Let's take a look-see at the title that has you ripping off other people's heads and making them your very own.

In this preview video, we get filled in on the game's story, Freud Neumann's plight to find both the mad doctor and his own noggin, as well as some very nifty gameplay footage. While it is a bit violent, yours truly couldn't help but laugh at Fred's two-hit combo - kicking a zombie in the jewels before giving it the what-for with a giant axe. Priceless.

Embed's below, you know what to do. Enjoy!

PlayStation Portable owners, you better get ready for some head-swapping action. D3Publisher of America has just announced that Dead Head Fred has finally gone gold and will ship to retailers across the U.S. on August 28.

Dead Head Fred is a uniquely bizarre third-person action game developed exclusively by Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. for the PSP. Probably the coolest thing about it is recently-resurrected private eye Fred Neuman's ability to switch around and use the heads that players can collect throughout the game.

There are nine different heads to collect, and each of them bring a unique gameplay mechanic that will help players, as Fred, to solve their own murder. Players can also complete missions and mini-games to get money and upgrade their powers and attacks. Weird? Yeah, but it sure does look fun.

Fred Neumann's having a bad day, and he's out to get some payback in this double-header video update of Vicious Cycle's Dead Head Fred for the PlayStation Portable. We get cracking with the details of a very informative interview, as well as a snazzy-looking trailer that shows off just how hard Fred's core is - having easily-interchangeable heads and all.

In the interview, we find out more about how Fred evolved from a cartoony, anime-ish character to the cynical anti-hero we've come to know and love. We also get a peek at the guys who did Fred in - well, at least tried to. The second video, the trailer, shows just what Fred is actually capable of when his head is in the game - namely, charging through a brick wall like the Kool-Aid Man does. OH YEAH!

Tons more info (as well as delicious gameplay bits) in the embeds below. Enjoy!

The other video after the jump!

Remember the movie "The Exorcist" and its famous projectile vomiting scenes? Now that you probably have the scenes playing in your mind, let us introduce you to one of Fred Neumann's heads in Dead Head Fred, the Mutant Head.

What does "The Exorcist" and the upcoming PlayStation Portable video game have in common? Well, aside from the fact that they might fall under the same horror genre, they also share projectile vomiting. In D3Publisher and Vicious Cycle Software's Dead Head Fred, one head, called the Mutant Head, specializes in covering your enemies with pools upon pools of regurgitated stomach contents (if that doesn't get rid of them, we don't know what will).

The vomit from the Mutant Head can be done by a simple press of the circle button, but if you want some accuracy in firing your acidic bile, you can press the up D-pad button to enter an Aim Mode. Interesting eh? Your enemies will suffer from acid burn over a period of time, plus you're immune from radiation poisoning.

Anyway, you should check out the new Dead Head Fred screenshots we have below. They showcase the weirdest enemies Fred will have to face (a guy with a smiley face for a head and a flock of angry looking co- er... roosters). You can also take a look at the other heads plus a couple of minigames, billiards, and pinball.

More screenshots 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?

Ever heard of this innovative, brainy game that features an absolute freak in a suit that could switch heads? That's right, we're talking about Vicious Cycle's vicious game about ripping heads off. There's this poor guy, Fred Neumann, who literally lost his head and wants it back. You nailed it, we're talking Dead Head Fred.

The August release can't come soon enough. We know you guys are itching over this "PS2 sized game in a PSP package." Since we can't do anything about the wait, we'll just show you guys a glimpse of the game with this video we found.

One gloomy day, Fred wakes up in an equally gloomy room before an odd looking scientist breaks it to him that he indeed lost his head. Following is the tutorial section of the game in which the basic controls, combos, and head rolling features are introduced.

Without further ado, here's the tutorial video. Don't lose your heads while watching it.