deadheadfred
Latest
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Dead Head Fred
We're still bashing our ways through Dead Head Fred, which was recently released to stores. Our initial impressions of D3 Publisher's PSP exclusive are fairly positive, although we still have a few reservations. The character and premise is undeniably the game's strongest selling point. The tale of Fred, who loses his head to the mob, is fascinating, and we're glad to see the game has an equally compelling script. Yes, this is a game for adults, and you can expect a lot of appropriate cursing, handled by a well-trained vocal team. John McGinley is absolutely perfect as the titular character.The gameplay doesn't manage to achieve the same quality as the production values. We're absolutely in love with the brutal kill animations players can engage in. They easily rival the most gruesome death sequences found in the God of War series. The combat is a bit shallow, and simplistic, but the fortitude of heads at your disposal certainly tries to liven things up. Thankfully, the generous checkpoint system makes any frustrating moments in combat a bit less tiresome: you won't lose too much progress, and you'll be able to learn the intricacies of the battle system in no time.The other elements, such as platforming and puzzle solving, aren't coalescing properly for us. Somehow, the controls, and the somewhat stiff camera seem to be hindering our progress. We'll reserve final judgment for later next week, but for now, it appears that Dead Head Fred is a promising original title on PSP that deserves some attention. Expect Colin's review soon.%Gallery-3233%
Dead Head Fred launch trailer shows-off zombie decapitations
The zombie action title Dead Head Fred was released last week and GameTrailers has a new trailer made just for the launch of the game. It starts off with a brief CG clip narrated by John McGinley and then breaks into an extended gameplay clip showing Fred what he does best -- ripping off other people's heads. The clip is a bit gory (what do you expect) -- but is a great primer for the game. Keep an eye out for a hands-on impression of the title as well as a full review in the next week or two.
Dead Head Fred goes gold, will eat your brains on the 28th
D3Publisher has just announced that their zombie-licious game, Dead Head Fred has gone gold and has been sent off to the factory. The title will ship out on August 28th, so fans of the walking dead won't have much longer to wait to get their brain-eating on.The game has gone through a fairly length development cycle, originally being shown at E3 2006, but it appears the wait has done it well. Generally the previews have been very favorable, and the brutal zombie nature of the gameplay looks like a nice mix-up to the upcoming PSP game lineup (which is a bit RPG heavy). Dead Head Fred should be a good pickup when it comes out in a couple weeks. In the meantime, check out the above trailer.
Win a party with Rob Zombie courtesy of Dead Head Fred
Vicious Cycle, the developers behind the upcoming zombie game, Dead Head Fred, have teamed up with Rob Zombie to offer a chance to party with the Devilish musician/actor/director for a very special screening of his remake of Halloween. If you win, you get to invite 50 of your friends for an all expenses paid party with a pre-release showing of Zombie's version of Halloween, which means the party would be in the next couple weeks. Up to three people can win, which is unusually generous for these kinds of contests so sign-up while you can! A word of caution though, you have to sign-up for a Heavy.com account in order to participate. Won't cost you anything, but still a bit annoying.[Via WorthPlaying]%Gallery-3233%
Putting Dead Head Fred on PSP made it darker
Is PSP really for a more mature audience? The developers of Dead Head Fred think so. GameTrailers interviewed Ryan Kaminaga, producer of Dead Head Fred, and he revealed that moving the game to PSP made it much darker than originally planned. "Honestly, it started out as a more child-like product ... very whimsical and colorful. And then when we created it more for PSP, it took on this darker, more film-noir look."Continued focus testing revealed that PSP owners wanted the game to look darker. The main character originally had a more anime-inspired look, which was ultimately canned. Then, players wanted more and more violence in the game, which led to the gruesome decapitations and other deaths found in the game.To watch the entire interview, click past the break.
Getting ahead with Dead Head Fred
D3 Publisher showed off Dead Head Fred at its pre-E3 event, and shared a ton of new images. The game, which is scheduled to arrive in August, continues to get zanier (and gorier!) every time we see it. Expect more impressions of the game soon, but enjoy these screens for now.%Gallery-3233%
Dead Head Fred displays God of War-esque brutality
The more we see of Dead Head Fred, the more we want it. The recently purchased Vicious Cycle has been hard at work to make this a stellar PSP exclusive, and new videos from GameTrailers certainly show potential. By wearing different heads, Fred is able to perform a variety of moves. The video embedded above shows some brutal God of War-esque finishing moves, performed by active button presses. It worked for Sony's franchise, why not this one?Be warned that the video has strong language. Also, feel free to check another video after the cut.
Dead Head Fred screenshots of pain
We knew D3 Publisher's upcoming Dead Head Fred was going to be a violent game. And we wouldn't have it any other way. In this new series of screenshots released by the publisher, we can see Fred in doing what he does best: causing mayhem in the most violent way possible. Watch him inflict pain on a variety of spooks, from strange gladiators, to zombies, to mutants and more in our newly updated gallery below.%Gallery-3233%
Dead Head Fred's noir trailer
When was the last time noir wasn't being parodied? It seems like this genre is in a perpetual state of mockery, and Dead Head Fred joins in on the fun. The latest trailer showcases the game's somewhat unique sense of humor ... and we approve. Check it out, after the cut.
SGD '07: Dead Head Fred
D3 Publisher's upcoming Dead Head Fred game certainly has an interesting premise. You play private detective Fred Neuman (pictured, alive), who was savagely murdered and then resurrected in a bizarre scientific experiment without his memory ... or his head. To uncover the mystery and enact his revenge, Fred will have to use the talents of his enemies against them. Fred will be able to attain one of 9 different heads from his enemies, and each offers a unique gameplay mechanic.The game looks like it's made some progress since we saw it last and we can't wait to get our hands on it. The title hits PSP systems August 21st. While you wait, check out the new screens we've collected below.%Gallery-3233%
Scrubs actor stars as Dead Head Fred
The small-time game Dead Head Fred is getting some big-time talent. According to IGN, John C. McGinley, most famous for his work in the NBC comedy "Scrubs," will be voicing the titular character. This will be his very first video game voice acting gig.
Dead Head Fred tries to please fans with violence
Don't you love it when a developer listens to the masses? The developers of the upcoming Dead Head Fred held some focus tests on their game, and found that gamers wanted more violence. And indeed, the developers have provided, as seen in the trailer above. In an interview with IGN, Vicious Cycle president Eric Peterson, revealed some of the violent additions to this head-swapping brawler. "So we gave the people what they wanted and amped up Fred's combo list. We created more kill moves, more decapitations, more melee attacks, more counters and more abilities in general ... You can string combos together to pound on an enemy until they are weak and vulnerable for a kill move or decapitation. You can use head powers in combination with environmental items to create new attacks. For example, you can fill the corpse head with gasoline and then find an ignition point in the environment to create a flame thrower attack." Sounds good to us. We can't wait to get our hands on the game, and try out some moves ourselves. The team shows a lot of enthusiasm for PSP, and making the game solely for PSP -- let's hope they succeed with their ambitions.
Dead Head Fred returns in new screenshots
Remember Dead Head Fred? Maybe not. It's been a long time since we've seen this ambitious PSP-exclusive platformer. To refresh our memory, let's go over the basic premise: Fred is dead. Thankfully, he also happens to be undead, which gives him the magical ability to decapitate others and gain their powers. As we described earlier, "It's like Mega Man, only a bit more morbid."We plan on playing a revised build in the coming weeks, and hope the development team will iron out the camera issues that were plaguing the title earlier. PSP needs all the original content it can get, and we see great potential in this unique puzzle-heavy platformer. Check out twenty new screens of the game in action after the cut, showcasing the game's impressive environments. While they may ooze with style, we can't help but worry that it may be too dark for proper portable play. We'll be getting our hands on a preview build in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more.
Dead Head Fred interview
Dead Head Fred was one of the games I said "you should keep your eyes on." And for good reason: it's an original action game, made exclusively with the PSP in mind. QJ had some time to sit down with Eric Peterson, president of Vicious Cycle Software to get some info on the game. Here are some of the more interesting comments: "Dead Head Fred is a very ambitious game and we plan to deliver on all fronts. We want people to buy a PSP just to play Dead Head Fred." "Currently our load times are extremely fast and we are pleased with the results... the E3 demo that we showed, allowed for 30 min of straight gameplay without the player ever experiencing a load time." "The last thing we want people having to do is fight then camera when they should be fighting the enemies in the game." You acquire new powers by attaching new heads to yourself. Here's a few examples of heads you'll find in the game:"The Mutant head helps you survive radiation fields. The Scarecrow head lets you float on the water. The Stone Idol head makes you sink underwater. The Shrunken Head lets you get into tight spaces and glide along high wires. The Corpse head allows you to inflate with air and hover over obstacles; you can also fill it with water or gasoline to generate different effects and attacks. The Dummy head allows you to interact with citizens without scaring them out of their minds. " The full interview has details on the graphics engine, combat, mini-games, and more. The developers would love to do a downloadable demo for the game, so hopefully we'll see one down the line. The game has still a lot of development time left: it comes out next year.
Dead Head Fred not dead: new screenshots
Dead Head Fred is a game you should keep your eyes on: not only because the title rhymes, but because it is one of the few truly original PSP-exclusive action games in development for our system. You play Fred, who was recently killed by decapitation. Now that you're undead, you're on a mission to get revenge. But, being beheaded has a few benefits. One, for example, is the ability to rip off enemy heads and use them as your own for special powers! It's like Mega Man, only a bit more morbid...The game combines platforming, fighting, puzzle solving and a whole lot of dark humor. It's scheduled for a January 2007 release, so keep your eyes peeled for more coverage on this unique game. Until then, check out the new screenshots posted by Gamespot.
