Kris Taylor, co-founder of Texas game development studio Red Fly, admits that there are little innuendos in his team's 2008 Wii game about mushroom-sized, mushroom-shaped warriors.

That could include the name of the most powerful "thrusting" weapon (Red Fly's classification, not ours): The Engagement Zinger.

And that might include – SPOILER WARNING – the location of the game's final boss battle: the body and face of a creepy man's robot wife.

"The whole game was meant to be presented as kind of a dark tongue in cheek humor, with a little bit of grit layered on top." Taylor told Kotaku during a phone interview this week. It's like an old Bugs Bunny cartoon with some hidden stuff for an older audience. But not everything in the game was put there consciously, he added.

Taylor is happily married. His wife even asked him about being in the game. No, she's not the inspiration for the robot wife and she's not the motivation for making that deadliest of weapons an engagement ring held by a pair of tweezers.

These things just happen.

The Robot Wife idea came from the Red Fly team's discussion of a concept painting. They knew the final level of their game would be set in the relatively large confines of an Airstream trailer in the backwoods of Alabama or Arkansas. Taylor recalled the brainstorming session: "This guy needs to be one of those crazy people off the grid, full of UFO stuff and conspiracies. He's completely crazy and a drunk and he's always passed out there with a shotgun." That led to, as far as Taylor can recall, one of the developers on the team blurting out: "What if there's a robot wife he's built in there?" Removed from civilization, this man would have made his wife out of vacuum cleaner parts.

She'd have a TV for a head.

And, no, the game isn't trying to say anything about marriage.

"We'll let people form their own conclusions," Taylor said. "I think that's more interesting in art than giving people a specific message."

Taylor said that the Mushroom Men team at Red Fly Studio is hard at work creating concepts for a possible sequel, but have no further plans to announce.

"We are thrilled to be joining forces with SouthPeak to continue to bring great original titles from independent developers to market with a stronger sales and distribution reach,” said Mike Wilson, CEO of Gamecock. “We have followed each other's progress closely over the last two years, and combining our team with theirs results in a very strong and well-rounded force in the market."

The feverish coupling should have no effect on Gamecock's upcoming titles, with Legendary and Mushroom men still slated for release this quarter. Phew, I need a cigarette.

SouthPeak Interactive Corporation Acquires Gamecock Media Group

MIDLOTHIAN, Va.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—SouthPeak Interactive Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: SOPK; SOPKU; SOPKW; SOPKZ), one of the fastest growing videogame publishers, today announced the acquisition of Austin-based Gamecock Media Group.

Commenting on the acquisition, Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak, stated, “Gamecock brings us a solid slate of upcoming titles, including Legendary, Mushroom Men and Velvet Assassin and supports our strategy of working with independent developers. We are excited to give the Gamecock titles a bigger platform to succeed.”

"We are thrilled to be joining forces with SouthPeak to continue to bring great original titles from independent developers to market with a stronger sales and distribution reach,” said Mike Wilson, CEO of Gamecock. “We have followed each other's progress closely over the last two years, and combining our team with theirs results in a very strong and well-rounded force in the market."

SouthPeak expects to ship Legendary and Mushroom Men in the current quarter.

Not only did he get to hang out with Kyle Massey of Cory in the House and get hands on with some unreleased games, he also had a chance to talk to Mark-Paul "Zack" Gosselaar about Rock Band. Specifically the former Bell star told Reilly that he really needs a singer for his Rock Band band. Preferably "chicks". And then, right there, in mid sentence, it seemed to dawn on Gossellar that what he was saying was going to be printed and he suddenly recalled his wife of 12 years. Smoooooooth.

The run-down of coverage:
Nintendo Throws A Party To Benefit Starlight Children's Foundation
Mark-Paul Gosselaar Needs A Singer For Rock Band
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars: A Hardcore Title For Wii
Rock Revolution For Wii: Air Drumming/Guitaring Isn't Very Fun

This first thing this game reminded me of was the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Since the main character, Pax, is a tiny mushroom, the environments consist of giant-sized household objects, like Popsicle sticks and bottle caps. It certainly added uniqueness to the levels and, at times, even provided a good chuckle. All the structures and houses are made from some type of garbage.

There's a solid mix of platforming and exploration going on here. There are times when you'll be directed down a linear path, or given a bit more freedom in some open, sandbox-y type areas. There's also a levitation ability Pax can use to move objects out the way that are blocking paths, or use the Lost Planet-like grappling hook to get to higher ground. It's surprisingly deep with the amount of abilities you get.

Something Clarendon highlighted was the game's use of synesthesia, which links visual elements to the music. For example, water dripping will be in sync with the background drum beat. I couldn't actually confirm how awesome this was because the only thing I could hear at the time were loud, annoying people and Daft Punk over the loudspeaker. Here's word of advice: Don't ever try to demo games at a press party.

The one thing that didn't sit well with me was the combat. The game, unfortunately, suffers from the same problem I think a lot of action Wii games have when it comes to motion controls. To swing one of your many available weapons in the game requires you to randomly waggle the Wii-mote up and down. It's not precise and it's certainly not 1:1. For me, I'd rather just have a button to push to swing my weapon, in this case, a toothpick with bent paperclips tied to it.

Mushroom Men also has a good game length. Clarendon said it will take between 12-15 hours to complete everything your first time through. He said it takes him around seven nowadays, but that's coming from someone who, you know, made the game.

I'm sure there's plenty of Wii owners out there looking for a solid, original IP, so I think this game will be one you'll want to at least rent and give it a try. No, this isn't the next Super Mario Galaxy, but there's a lot of depth here and I think fans looking for an excuse to dust off their Wii might finally have one.

Here are tons of new screens of both the Wii version, Mushroom Men: Spore Wars, and the DS version, Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi.

Gamecock also provided further info on the four different "nations" of mushroom creatures - put simply, there are two tribes of good guys, the Bolete and Morels, and two tribes of bad guys, the Amanitas and Lepiotas. Hey, wasn't "Amanita" a poisonous mushroom in Symphony of the Night? It must be a real, actual thing that exists outside of video games. Amazing!

Full details and new screens after the jump.

An ichorous green meteor plummets through the Earth's atmosphere, fracturing and showering the earth with glowing green space dust that affects all forms of life nearby. Some plant life — mushrooms and cacti — acquire sentience while, the meteor twists and mutates other life forms, transforming insects and animals into semi-intelligent, warlike communities.

Nations



There are four Mushroom Nations. Each of these Nations has its own unique body shapes, clothing and weapons. These nations can be simplified into two groups: the non-poison mushrooms Bolete and Morels (the Good Guys) and the poison mushrooms Amanitas and Lepiota (the Bad Guys).

Bolete Tribe



Boletes are dark brown and green. They are short and stout with primitive but powerful weapons. They are good melee fighters. As hunter/gatherers, they would prefer to live at peace with the land and their fellow Mushroom Men. They have a native/aboriginal-turned warrior theme. Pax, the main character of the Wii version, embodies the naïve view of the Boletes have of the world outside.

Morels



Morels are the intelligent elite of the Mushroom Men and look more sophisticated than the other nations. Their colouring tends be saturated and bright. Their weapons are technically advanced. They are controlled by logic and reason; though sometimes they let complexity get in the way of elegance.

Amanitas Empire



The Amanitas are extremely pale, almost white and are very thin and creepy looking. They tattoo rank insignia into their bright red caps as part of their military. Their war machine is extremely powerful. Their entire culture exists to support their dominating march across the face of the planet. Unlike the other Mushroom Men who piece together weapons and armour from discarded human refuse, the Amanitas manufacture their weapons and armour in advanced forges. Roman-style conquerors, they rule through force and fear.

The Lepiota Order



The Lepiota are a very pale greenish colour and tend to be a lot thicker in build and stature. Though they have poison spore powers, they mostly rely on their blunt melee weaponry and dark magic to enforce their aggressive push for dominance. Ruled by powerful necromancers, the Lepiota are extremely evil and vicious. Their religion focuses on old human technology. They build shrines in antique human hardware like old jukeboxes and mid-century automobiles ('57 Chevy and 70's era VW Bus). . Their drive for dominance shows in all facets of their culture. Only the elite have free will while others are all mentally enslaved.

Other Species



In addition to the Mushroom Men, several other plants and animals have been affected similarly by the comet. While initially neutral and independent, they eventually team up with one side or the other.

Los Cactos Mutantes



Stubby little spine-covered saguaro men roam the wastes. Cactos focus and use their spines in a fashion similar to the Mushroom Men's spores, launching aggressive ranged strikes and defensive barriers. By their very nature, Cactos automatically inflict damage when attacked, making enemies think twice before striking. They come in two varieties. Red, feral cacti are berserker beasts, incapable of reasonable communication or interaction. They operate in packs with a poorly-defined social structure. Green, intelligent cacti are the social equivalent of the Mushroom Men (and are therefore the ones who offer their allegiance to the Mushroom Men).

Kudzu



While they can operate as separate entities, Kudzu's true strength lies in their ability to merge and spread, consuming all in their path. Only vaguely humanoid, individual Kudzu Men are thick masses of sentient vines capable of locomotion. Due to their hearty regeneration rate, they recover from virtually any attack if given a few moments and some fresh soil/water. Early on, the Kudzu Men are very few and scattered, barely surviving the constant attack of the voracious herbivores in their region. Once the hero eliminates the herbivore threat, the Kudzu Men ally themselves with the Bolete and begin to spread, grow and expand. By the start of the Spore War, the Kudzu have regrown for a future encounter.

Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars for Wii & Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi for DS will be available across North America & Europe from October 2008. For more information about Mushroom Men please visit www.gamecockmedia.com. For more information about Red Fly Studio please visit www.redflystudio.com.

Mushroom Men Fact Sheet

Summary:
Mushroom Men inhabit the world that goes on while we humans are looking the other way, in the twilight hours when we sleep. We tower above them and go about our business completely unaware of the war waged at our feet.
After the comet had passed, the scientists concluded that the strange, green dust had no effect on the world. No one noticed that tiny plants and fungi were acting strangely. Mushrooms, cacti, flowers and vines had awakened to full consciousness. Tribes quickly formed, building plant and fungi nations and with nation building... came war!
Mushroom Men shows gamers the mundane world from the surreal perspective of a three inch high Mushroom Man. As a brave Bolete Mushroom, players can wreak havoc on their enemies by transforming common household trinkets and trash into weapons and tools.
Mushroom Men - Rise of the Fungi is for Nintendo DS and details events leading up to Mushroom Men - The Spore Wars on Wii. Players do not need to play one to enjoy the other.

Features:
- As a character the size of a mushroom, players will explore and battle their way through lush and spooky levels in a hostile and oversized world
- Choose from three different characters on DS or play the heroic misfit on Wii
- Fight hideous spiders, deadly praying mantises, lightning-fast scorpions, enemy Mushroom Men and more
- Wipe out your enemies with unique, spore-based powers

Product Specs:
- Genre: Action Platformer
- Created by: Red Fly Studio
- Publisher: Gamecock Media Group (www.gamecockmedia.com)
- Platforms: Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi - Nintendo DS; Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars - Nintendo Wii
- Release Date: DS: Summer 2008; Wii: Fall 2008

Earlier today Gamecock announced that their annual mini-con, EIEIO, was moving from California to Texas to coincide with South By Southwest. While the company only has only brought two titles to market so far, they have a ton in the wings. Here's how things official stand with their upcoming games, from Mushrooms to Insects:

Pirates Vs Ninjas Dodgeball XBLA - Feb
Insecticide DS - 2/26
Insecticide Episodes 1 & 2 (Downloadable PC Episodic) - March and April
Hail to the Chimp - May
Mushroom Men:Rise of the Fungi DS - June
Legendary PC Next Gen Consoles - Summer
Mushroom Men:The Spore Wars Wii - Fall
Sabotage 360/PC - Fall
Dungeon Hero 360/PC - Spring 09
Section 8 Next Gen Console/PC - Summer 09

I'm as big a fan as anyone of endless press releases and PR stunts that feed us nibbles of actual, substantial news at a time. I love the milking of still to be seen franchises, but really, I'm starting to lose interest in Mushroom Men, but quick.

Red Fly and Gamecock have sent out endless announcements and proclamations about the Wii and DS title, but none of them have really said anything about the gameplay or shown us what the game will actually look like. This latest release isn't much better. Sure, they tell is that you can use the stylus for your DS as a rapier and the Wii Remote as a bazooka, but that's it... literally.

Oh wait, they did throw is three more bits of art, but still no graphics. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this Lucy. Brian Crecente

The Backyard Warriors of Mushroom Men™ Battle Foul Fungi In Fall 2008
Cockpit, Austin, Texas - May 30, 2007 - Today Gamecock Media Group has announced the fanatical fungi war of Red Fly Studio's Mushroom Men will take place on the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. Mushroom Men utilizes all the unique control elements of both systems, allowing for amazing gameplay that draws players into an incredibly lush and treacherous stylized world.

"From the minute we signed Mushroom Men, we've worked to bring it to the Wii and DS," said Rick Stults, Console Chief for Gamecock Media Group. "Both platforms are going to give Mushroom Men a life of their own as Red Fly Studio is building unique stories specific to each system."
Mushroom Men gives players the opportunity to jump into the fantastic microcosm that is the backyard battlefield. Take control of the crusade, creating devastating weapons from everyday items and teaming up with other sentient plant forms that'll leave the enemy sliced and diced. Let the stylus be your rapier and the Wii Remote™ your bazooka as you cut down the multitude of household pests that threaten our very existence!

About Red Fly Studio
Located in downtown Austin, Texas, Red Fly Studio is a young studio founded by ten-year veterans of the gaming industry with experience on titles such as Star Wars Galaxies, BloodRayne, Nocturne, FIFA Football 2005, Anachronox, SSX3 and Deus Ex. Red Fly offers a creative environment where the projects are driven by the team, and not by a sole individual.
About Gamecock Media Group
Based in Austin, Texas, Gamecock Media Group offers a welcome solution to the bloated and originality-starved video game industry. A well-funded, independent, artist-driven company, Gamecock favors the most innovative and original video game developers in the industry. Publishing games for all platforms, Gamecock offers its developers a high degree of participation, freedom and financial incentives, allowing them to perform and create to their utmost ability. For more, please visit www.gamecockmedia.com.

Here's the run down:

Fury: Developed by Auran, Fury is a massively multiplayer "player vs. player" game for PC scheduled to be released for the 2007 holiday season.

Insecticide: Developed by Crackpot Entertainment, Insecticide is a stunning film noir action/adventure game set in a decaying world run by bugs. It will be available for the 2007 holiday season on handheld TBA and PC.

Mushroom Men: Developed by Red Fly Studios, Mushroom Men is an incredibly detailed stylized world where mushrooms have taken on human-like feature and are now embroiled in a civil war. This is slated for a spring 2008 release on a next-gen console and handheld, both TBA.

Hail to the Chimp: Developed by Wideload Games, Hail to the Chimp is an impossible-to-classify party game based on politics in the animal kingdom. The game is scheduled for release in spring 2008 for next-gen consoles TBA.

Hero: Developed by Firefly Studios, Hero is a brutal but comical romp through the "real" world of medieval dungeons. It will be coming to a next-gen console TBA and PC in holiday 2008.

Brian Crecente