Mushroom Men Info Dump

No, I'm not talking about a certain pair of plumbers. These Mushroom Men are the kind that lurk in the shadows of everyday life, and hold wars amongst themselves, at least in the two upcoming Mushroom Men games: Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi for the Nintendo DS, and Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars on the Wii. So while you look at the screens and concept art from the games, ask yourself this question: why was the Mushroom Man invited to all the parties?

Section 8 Info Dump

There are your normal, run-of-the-mill military types, who are reasonable people like you and me, who would only accept missions they saw as ones they might walk away from. Not Section 8. Section 8 is comprised of all the soldiers deemed "mentally unstable" for conventional military missions, apparently insane to the rest of us. In the upcoming Xbox 360 and PC game, we'll have the chance to explore the mind of the truly insane, in the first person shooter Section 8. You may want to carefully guard your psyche as you peruse the concept art of the game.

Insecticide Info Dump

If you've been buggin' for a new action adventure game, it may be time to check out Insecticide for PC and DS. The game takes you on an adventure through the seedy underworld of insect culture, playing an insect cop and her partner, solving crimes as only insects can. I suggest developing compound eyes for taking in all the vids, art, and screens of the game, after the jump.

Legendary Info Dump

For those of you who have grown weary of the typical WWII or sci-fi shooter, EIEIO's Legendary may be the answer to your prayers. After unwittingly opening Pandora's box, the thief Deckard is the only one who can seal it again, and he faces many nasty, gnarly creatures along the way. Feast your eyes on this collection of gameplay, screenshots, and concept art - much like the werewolves and slew of other monsters will soon be feasting on your head.

Velvet Assassin has been getting some facetime recently on various sites, but I hadn't checked it out till this morning, so forgive my surprise that the main character in a World War II shooter is a woman. How cool is that. And she doesn't have to use her moody powers to blow shit up, just old-fashioned bad-ass-atude. I see potential, but of course it's far too ambiguous to tell at this stage. Besides the whole woman as the lead character angle, the game features a nice mix of assassinations and sabotage, all set in "hyper-realistic, dreamlike settings that are modeled after actual WWII locations." WTF? I've never thought of World War II battlegrounds as "dreamlike."

The game includes a dozen levels and a variety of weapons and stealth gadgets.

I wish they'd show more gameplay... make that any gameplay, but despite the lack of real detail, I'm still mildly intrigued with Firefly Studio's upcoming action role-playing game Dungeon Hero. In the game you play as a dungeon crawling hero with plenty of melee, ranged and magic attacks. Firefly's big pitch for the game is that it all takes place in a dungeon that is a "living, breathing community." Does that mean we're going to have Austin-Power-esque cut scenes with the weeping widows of the henchmen and bad guys you kill? Awwwwkward.

Sequel to Stronghold Crusader, this real-time strategy game is set during the first, second and third crusades, letting players take on the Saracen in "epic" battles. The game supports 10,000-unit battles, new buildings and new tactical powers including reinforcement, bombard, and heal. There's also 30 maps for multiplayer gaming and single-player skirmish mode.

Due out in May, Hail to the Chimp is being pitched by Wideload pants as a button-mashing fighter with a political slant. In the game up to four player can fight to try and become the king of the animals. Players can choose between ten animals and the game also includes a selection of "diversions" like stuff the ballot box and fund racer. SSBB meets Mario Party?

Pirates? Ninjas? Dodgeball? It's gotta be good right? No clue, but at least it looks interesting.

The XBL Arcade title is set to hit later this month and will include a single player story mode, exhibition mode for single a multiplayer and up to eight player online play.

By: N. Evan Van Zelfden

What if you could go back, start from scratch, and remake E3 in your own image? With EIEIO in Austin, Texas, that's what developer-centric games publisher Gamecock Media is trying to do: Developer demos for the press, live bands and demos for the public, and drinks for all. The event was loosely associated with South by Southwest this year, and both festivals hope to have stronger ties with each other next year.

It started on a Wednesday evening, at the Alamo Drafthouse—a movie theater that serves dinner and a selection of fine beers. 140 developers, partners, press, and Gamecock staff watched a screening of documentary film The King of Kong—which met with great enthusiasm from the audience.

Gamecock's chief executive, Mike Wilson, took the stage beforehand to give a one-and-a-half minute speech, in which he thanked everyone for being there. "It's really awesome to have everyone in Texas for once," he said in reference to the developers who had traveled from Germany, England, California, Chicago, Houston, and other points on the compass. "God knows we've come to all of your homes enough."

"I need all of you in top form for tomorrow," Wilson continued. "There are bulls to be ridden, there are Rollergirls to be boxed, and somewhere in there, we're going to fit in some videogames."

Gamecock's E3 Party Details

Hail to the Chimp, Mushroom Men Playable At EIEIO

The Other E3: E I E I Ooooooo!