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Dead Head Fred is a third @-@ person action @-@ adventure game that incorporates a variety of gameplay styles , including combat , platforming , and puzzles . The core gameplay of Dead Head Fred revolves around Fred 's missing head and his ability to " switch " heads by defeating certain enemies , decapitating them , and collecting their heads ( referred to as " headhunting " ) . As Fred explores the city of Hope Falls , he can collect an assortment of heads , each of which has unique abilities . Examples include the Stone Idol head , which Fred can use as a battering ram , and the Corpse head , which can be used to suck up and spit out water , gasoline , and other materials . Fred uses these heads to navigate the city of Hope Falls , and certain parts of the city are not accessible until certain heads are found . The high level of radiation in Hope Falls has led to a proliferation of grossly mutated worms , which the player can collect and use to upgrade Fred 's heads and temporarily increase his fighting abilities , among other benefits . Also collectible are money and special items , which can be earned by defeating enemies or completing various side @-@ missions . There are several minigames unrelated to the plot , such as pinball and fishing , scattered around the city .
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In combat , players have several attacks at their disposal , depending on the head Fred is equipped with . These attacks include combos , head @-@ specific counterattacks , and ranged attacks . During a counterattack , the player can complete a Quick Time Event to instantly kill an enemy by removing its head , which gives Fred " Rage " points . Rage energy builds up over time , and the player can use it to unleash powerful attacks on multiple foes . Dealing a large amount of damage to an opponent will stun them , during which time Fred can remove their head . Collected heads can be traded at " Head Shops " for a usable version .
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There are several types of environmental puzzles that the player has to solve in order to progress through the game . Each one requires a specific head — the Bone head gives Fred sharp claws which allow him to climb on the sides of buildings , while the Shrunken head decreases his size dramatically and lets him navigate platforming levels , such as a saw mill . There is also a mannequin head that Fred must use to socialize with the residents of Hope Falls , because they are terrified of his other heads . There are nine available heads , seven of which are suitable for combat .
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= = Plot = =
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= = = Setting = = =
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Dead Head Fred takes place in Hope Falls , New Jersey , a once @-@ prosperous area based on American cities in the 1940s . The city has steadily fallen from grace since a business mogul named Ulysses Pitt began accumulating power . Pitt has a background of petty crime , and there are allegations that he was somehow responsible for the disappearance of Vinni Rossini , an influential Hope Falls businessman . Pitt 's new " Nukular Plant " has recently finished construction and has caused a high level of radiation in the city , leading to strange phenomena like mutated wildlife and undead monsters .
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Hope Falls is composed of several areas . The first that Fred has access to is Dr. Steiner 's castle , the ancestral home of the Steiner family where Fred has been resurrected . Outside of the castle is a large cemetery that borders the forested area of Creepy Hollow . In Hope Falls proper are the urban areas of Downtown , Uptown , Old Hope Falls and Zombietown . Downtown is the home of Pitt 's headquarters , and Fred 's office is found in Old Hope Falls . Zombietown , as its name suggests , is overrun with zombies and most of its residents have fled the neighborhood or barricaded themselves in their homes . Two other rural areas border the city : Freak Farms , where Fred owns a small cabin , and the Boonies , a highly irradiated area where the Nukular Reactor has been built . Each area contains several teleporters in the form of sewer manholes , which Fred can use to quickly move from one area of Hope Falls to another .
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= = = Characters = = =
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The protagonist of Dead Head Fred is Fred Neuman ( voiced by John C. McGinley ) , a private detective . Fred is the only playable character , but since each head gives him a different set of animations , he could be considered nine separate characters . As he does not have a proper face , Fred 's mood is portrayed by the tone of his voice and by face @-@ like expressions formed by his eyes and frontal lobes . Fred has a wisecracking , sarcastic personality and occasionally breaks the fourth wall , such as heckling the player when he dies . Ulysses Pitt ( Jon Polito ) , the game 's primary antagonist , is a small @-@ time hoodlum turned racketeer . Pitt employs many henchmen throughout Hope Falls , the most prominent of which is his lieutenant Lefty , whose right leg has been amputated and replaced with a tommygun . Fred makes several allies throughout the game , including Dr. Steiner , who resurrected him , his girlfriend Jeanne Rossini ( Kari Wahlgren ) , and his former partner Benny Salazar . Fred 's enemies are generally employees of Pitt , like the skeletal " bone thugs " , or creatures created by Hope Falls ' radiation , like zombies and animated scarecrows .
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= = = Story = = =
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The game begins with Fred waking up in the castle of a Dr. Freidrich Steiner , an employee of Ulysses Pitt . Fred soon learns that he has been murdered and subsequently resurrected , and his head is missing . In its place is a liquid @-@ filled jar that contains his brain and eyes . Steiner explains that Fred is a private detective who had been investigating Pitt , but Pitt had discovered that Fred was on to him and had him murdered . Many of Fred 's memories are missing as a result of the trauma to his brain , and before Steiner can explain further , Pitt and several of his henchmen arrive . As Fred hides in Steiner 's lab , Pitt 's thugs apprehend Steiner and announce that he is to be taken to the Horseman , a minion of Pitt 's who resides in Creepy Hollow .
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Fred leaves Steiner 's castle and meets a blue @-@ skinned hunchback in the cemetery outside . The hunchback introduces himself as Sam Spade , a gravedigger and " head merchant " who can help Fred by providing him with quality interchangeable heads . Fred continues to Creepy Hollow , where he defeats the Horseman and rescues Dr. Steiner . Steiner , however , has little information regarding Fred 's investigation and suggests that he question the residents of Hope Falls to learn more about his demise . Fred begins exploring Hope Falls , meeting many strange personalities along the way . He reconnects with his old girlfriend Jeanne , who is the daughter of a prominent Hope Falls citizen , Vinni Rossini . Fred learns that Mr. Rossini had been reported missing by Jeanne , and Jeanne had subsequently hired Fred to find him . Fred had eventually followed the trail to Pitt , who had bribed Fred 's partner , Benny Salazar , into betraying him . Fred was promptly caught by Pitt 's henchmen and shot to death by his right @-@ hand man , Lefty .
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Armed with the knowledge of his death and the events leading up to it , Fred continues his investigation and recovers a videotape of Vinni Rossini 's murder that incriminates Pitt . Pitt learns that Fred is still " alive " and kidnaps Jeanne to use as leverage against him . Fred confronts the mobster at his headquarters after shutting down the centerpiece of the his criminal enterprise , the Pitt Nukular Plant , and defeating Lefty . Lefty , however , was exposed to nuclear waste during the fight and subsequently mutated into a huge beast who comes to Pitt 's aid in the game 's final battle . Fred ultimately defeats both Pitt and Lefty atop the Pitt Building . Pitt is killed during the battle , but Lefty manages to escape and retreats to the remains of the Nukular Plant . After the battle , Fred 's head , which , along with Jeanne , had been held hostage by Pitt , is shown tumbling into an open manhole near the Pitt Building , unbeknownst to Fred . The final scene of the game shows Fred and Jeanne having dinner at a restaurant to celebrate , with Fred lamenting the loss of his head .
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= = Development = =
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= = = Geo = = =
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Dead Head Fred uses the Vicious Engine , a game engine created and maintained by game design company Vicious Cycle Software . Considered " middleware " in the video game industry , the engine was designed as a simple set of creation tools that could be used across multiple consoles . The game was originally conceived as a platform game based on the character " Geo . " Vicious Cycle 's president , Eric Peterson , and some of his staff developed a conceptual world called " Prime " where Geo lived . Geo had the ability to switch his head between several different shapes ( a cube , sphere , cylinder , and pyramid ) that would help him solve puzzles , fight , and move around Prime in his quest to stop the evil King Rhombus , who was trying to destroy Prime . Each of Geo 's shaped heads had unique properties that gave him different abilities — the sphere head allowed him to roll around very quickly , for example .
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The Geo concept was described by the development team as similar to other platform games like Rayman or Spyro , and skewed towards a younger audience . When the concept was complete , the development team presented it to several publishers , who stated that they liked the idea but its geometry @-@ based core too strongly resembled " edutainment " , and that they were interested in developing a more edgy , adult premise . The Nintendo GameCube had been an early choice for hosting the game before the PSP was chosen .
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= = = Noir setting = = =
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Vicious Cycle went back to the drawing board and produced a new concept that they felt was darker and better suited to an older audience . The " head @-@ switching " game mechanic had been praised by the potential publishers and was kept , but this time the cartoonish , childlike Geo was replaced by an angry , vengeful private detective named Fred Neuman . The world of Prime was replaced with the bleak , film noir @-@ esque city of Hope Falls , where Fred would seek revenge against those who had wronged him . Vicious Cycle presented the new project to Sony , who promptly approved the game for the PSP , despite it not having secured a publisher . Shortly afterwards , the project was picked up by D3Publisher .
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Vicious Cycle then submitted the concept to art company Massive Black Studios to develop initial character sketches . Massive Black 's artists were allowed to use their imagination while developing Fred , but the one stipulation Vicious Cycle made from the beginning was Fred 's head — the developers wanted it to be a liquid @-@ filled jar with the detective 's brain and eyes floating around inside . Massive Black came up with several different versions of Fred , including some with guns , which lead designer Adam Cogan had already decided the game would not include . After receiving the sketches , Vicious Cycle chose several that portrayed Fred with a squat , childlike appearance that retained some of the youthful focus of the scrapped Geo project . The publisher , D3 , decided to present all of the concept art to a test group . To the developers ' surprise , the test group was much more interested in a darker , more intimidating portrayal of Fred than the cartoonish , playful look they had chosen . The developers decided to flesh out the concept and took the chosen sketches back to Massive Black . This time the art came back darker , with similarities to Dirty Harry and The Matrix and The Evil Dead , and a Norman Rockwell @-@ inspired look that would influence the game 's art style towards a more violent theme .
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= = = Further testing = = =
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D3 provided the development team with more focus groups , and as a result , the game slowly incorporated more combat and less platforming and puzzles . Fred 's combat capabilities were revamped to give him more attacks , counterattacks and combinations . D3 also gave Vicious Cycle more time to develop the game , with the hope of receiving better reviews and potentially turning Dead Head Fred into a franchise . The delay pushed back the game 's release from January to August 2007 . D3Publisher bought Vicious Cycle two months before the game 's release , but the company 's headquarters remained in North Carolina and the staff was retained .
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= = Audio = =
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= = = Soundtrack = = =
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The music of Dead Head Fred was composed by Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves and recorded at Abernethy 's studio , Rednote Audio . Abernethy and Graves had worked on previous games by Vicious Cycle , like Curious George . The composers were interested in developing a sound for Dead Head Fred that was retro @-@ futuristic , and borrowed from other death @-@ themed pieces like Stubbs the Zombie and Beetlejuice . The development team did not have any substantial ideas for the game 's music beyond the theme and mood of Hope Falls , giving the composers free rein on the soundtrack 's direction .
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= = = Voice work = = =
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A crucial area of development was the formation of the game 's mood , theme , and story to give it a dark , yet humorous quality . Hiring a Hollywood screenwriter to create the script was proposed , but ultimately Vicious Cycle designer Dave Ellis was given the task of writing the game 's cutscenes and voiceover script , while Cogan focused on the in @-@ game dialog . Ellis referred to several noir films for inspiration , especially Miller 's Crossing and Who Framed Roger Rabbit During this time , Eric Peterson cast several voice actors , including John C. McGinley from the TV show Scrubs and Jon Polito from the aforementioned Miller 's Crossing . McGinley was cast as Fred because of his Scrubs character 's sarcasm and wit , while Polito was cast in the role of mob boss Ulysses Pitt , which was very similar to his role of Johnny Caspar in Miller 's Crossing .
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The development team then set about recording the game 's dialog , which proved to be challenging because of Vicious Cycle 's location on the East Coast . All of the recordings were done over the phone at a studio in Hollywood . Despite this , and the fact that Fred alone had over 1000 lines of in @-@ game dialog , the recording went smoothly , with the exception of one unidentified actor who walked out in the middle of a session . The original script had only one instance of the word " fuck " , but several recording sessions with McGinley resulted in a great deal of colorful improvisation . The design team liked the recordings and the script was modified to permit McGinley and other actors to curse more . McGinley focused on portraying Fred as " pissed off " and " having a chip on his shoulder " because his head was missing .
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" No , this guy was unique because , well … his head was gone ! With him , you could really just open up your imagination and roll out a cavalcade of eccentricities and see what makes sense to you . It was pretty much unlike anything I ’ ve ever done before . "
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= = Promotion and release = =
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Dead Head Fred was first announced at the Electronics Entertainment Expo ( E3 ) video game convention in May 2006 , where a trailer was shown to the public . Following this , little was heard about the game until Cogan started a developer diary on Vicious Cycle 's website in March 2007 . Three diary entries were written by Cogan and Ellis , which provided details about the game 's pre @-@ production conceptualization and voice work . In May 2007 , D3 announced that John C. McGinley would be voicing Fred , and the next month the company issued a press release stating that the game was finished and ready for mass production . However , the game was delayed , allowing D3 Publisher to show it at E3 2007 . It was eventually released on August 28 , 2007 in North America after nearly two years of development . It was released on October 26 in Europe , November 2 in Australia , and March 19 , 2008 in Japan . In December 2007 , D3 reduced the price of the game , and in October 2008 it was made available for download on Sony 's PlayStation Network . The soundtrack was released on iTunes by Lakeshore Records on September 18 , 2007 .
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= = = Future = = =
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Dead Head Fred was designed specifically for the PSP , and Vicious Cycle intended it to be their " flagship " title for the system . However , the game 's designers have hinted that the game could potentially be ported to the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Arcade with a few months ' work . As of March 2009 , D3Publisher has announced a sequel , but the designers have stated that subsequent titles were discussed during the game 's development . John C. McGinley has expressed interest in reprising Fred . Namco Bandai Games ( the parent of D3 ) were impressed with the game and wanted to publish the sequel because they ' wanted ' to test out Vicious Cycle 's Gameplay on the PSP .
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= = Reception = =
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Dead Head Fred received generally favorable reviews from critics . The game 's writing and dialogue were considered the main strengths of the game , with GameSpy 's reviewer stating that " In the vast sea of PSP titles , Dead Head Fred stands ' head and shoulders ' above the rest . " IGN said " The tale of revenge in a dark world is twisted [ and ] unapologetically humorous " . Other publications were not as impressed , however , with one reviewer stating " ... the overused profanity just makes it feel like it 's been designed by teenagers desperately trying to be edgy . " The game 's supernatural themes elicited comparisons to The Darkness and Grim Fandango . GamesRadar included it in their list of the 100 most overlooked games of its generation . Editor Jason Fanelli felt that PSP games often lacked creativity and that Dead Head Fred was the exception .
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Many reviewers were pleased with the game 's premise and setting , variously describing it as " weird " , " wacky " and " silly " . Hope Falls , especially the area of Creepy Hollow , was compared to the work of Tim Burton . Dead Head Fred 's graphics were warmly received , with GameSpy noting " The game looks simply phenomenal on the PSP screen . " Pocket Gamer UK said " graphically the game won 't blow your head off but it is undeniably stylish . " Pocket Gamer also felt that the game 's level design , with its emphasis on changing heads to solve environmental puzzles , made up for the " mediocre combat system " . The character design was praised ; GameSpy said " Fred is one of the most interesting and entertaining characters to ever hit gaming , " and GameZone said " Fred ’ s freakish form is like looking at a car crash … you really don ’ t want to stare but you just can ’ t help it . "
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The voice acting , in particular John C. McGinley 's portrayal of Fred , was widely praised , as was the rest of the game 's audio . GameZone 's Natalie Romano said " There ’ s also some great music in the game and the sound effects are ... wonderfully detailed " .
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" The sound for the title , however , is fantastic . The majority of it is centered around the voice acting , which is anchored by John C. McGinley of Scrubs and Office Space fame . McGinley expertly brings his dry , sarcastic delivery to Fred 's lines and consistently delivers humorous lines across the entire game . "
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The focal point of reviewers ' criticism was Dead Head Fred 's gameplay , specifically the combat . It was generally considered tedious and repetitive . Australia 's PAL Gaming Network described the combat as " one of the poorest elements of the game " , and Game Informer called the combat mechanics " awful " . The performance of the camera was also criticized , with IGN noting " Considering that the camera will sometimes choose some horrible angles for you in battle or during puzzles , it 's annoying to have to fight it as well as mutants that want you dead . " GameZone said " I just wish the camera wouldn ’ t be such a hindrance sometimes . " Reviewers were also unhappy with Dead Head Fred 's loading times ; Eurogamer considered them " excessively high " , and IGN said " The only downside that crops up when it comes to the visuals are the continual loading times on just about every single area . "
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= = = Awards = = =
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Dead Head Fred was nominated for several awards , including the Writers Guild of America 's first award for video game writing , which it won . During E3 2007 , the game was nominated for the Best of E3 2007 : Best Handheld Game award by the Game Critics Awards , a group of prominent media journalists . Dead Head Fred lost to The Legend of Zelda : Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS , but was notable for being the only new intellectual property nominated in the handheld category . The audio was nominated for two awards at the Game Audio Network Guild 's 6th annual ceremony , Best Soundtrack of the Year and Best Handheld Audio . Dead Head Fred lost to BioShock and Syphon Filter : Logan 's Shadow , respectively .
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= Al Wistert =
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Albert Alexander " Ox " Wistert ( December 28 , 1920 – March 5 , 2016 ) was an All @-@ Pro American football tackle in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the Philadelphia Eagles . He played his entire nine @-@ year NFL career for the Eagles and became their team captain . He was named to play in the NFL 's first Pro Bowl as an Eagle . During most of Wistert 's career there were no football All @-@ star games , although he was named to the league All @-@ Pro team eight times .
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Wistert played college football at the University of Michigan . He is one of the three brothers — along with Whitey and Alvin — who were named All @-@ American tackles at Michigan and later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . He was the first Michigan alumnus to be selected to the National Football League Pro Bowl . The Wistert brothers all wore jersey No. 11 at Michigan and are among the seven players who have had their numbers retired by the Michigan Wolverines football program . Their number will be put back into circulation starting on November 10 , 2012 before a Michigan home game against Northwestern as part of the Michigan Football Legend program .
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= = Early life = =
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Wistert , who was born in Chicago , Illinois , was from a Lithuanian family . His father , Kazimer Wistert , was a Spanish – American War veteran who was later killed in the line of duty while working for the Chicago Police Department . The story of the Wistert brothers at Michigan began when Whitey 's Carl Schurz High School classmate John Kowalik was invited to visit the University of Michigan . At the time , Whitey Wistert had a factory job where he was involved with building Majestic radios . Kowalik took Whitey with him on his visit to Ann Arbor , and according to Alvin , " that 's how it started : the Wisterts of Michigan . "
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= = College football = =
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After graduating from Foreman High School , Wistert became the second of the Wistert brothers to play for Michigan where he wore number 11 like his brothers and played from 1940 to 1942 . He was a consensus All @-@ American and team MVP in 1942 . He played in the 1943 East – West Shrine Game . He is well remembered , among other things , for his exploits in a 1942 game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team , and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968 , one year after his brother Francis . In 1981 , he was named to the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in the fourth class of inductees alongside his brothers . Only five Michigan football players earned this honor before him .
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Michigan posted a 20 – 5 – 1 record during Wistert 's three years on the team . In 1940 , the team 's only loss in its eight @-@ game season was to the eventual national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers football . The Wolverines followed that season with 6 – 1 – 1 and 7 – 3 marks in the next two years . Wistert served as captain of the College All @-@ star team that beat the Sammy Baugh @-@ led National Football League champion Washington Redskins , 27 – 7 , in Chicago . He was the only one of the three brothers not to play on a national championship squad at Michigan .
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= = Professional football = =
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After being drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles and signing for $ 3800 ( $ 51 @,@ 965 today ) , he encountered animosity from veteran players for having signed such a large contract ( though they thought he signed for $ 4500 ) . He earned All @-@ Pro honors in eight ( five by consensus ) of his nine seasons . As a two @-@ way player , he played his entire nine @-@ year career for the Philadelphia Eagles ( who operated as a merged team with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one season during World War II . ) The National Football League had no All @-@ Star games between 1943 and 1950 . Thus , although Wistert was a perennial All @-@ Pro selection , it is difficult to compare him to more modern players who are often measured by Pro Bowl invitations . He served as Eagles captain for five consecutive seasons , from 1946 to 1950 , and was named All @-@ Pro in each season . In Wistert 's next to last season he was selected to the first Pro Bowl . In his final season , he recovered three fumbles . The Eagles won the 1948 and 1949 National Football League Championships with Wistert . These were the only consecutive National Football League champions to win by shutout . His number 70 was retired by the Eagles in 1952 . According to his College Football Hall of Fame biography , during his career he started every game the Eagles played except for the 1950 season opener against the Cleveland Browns . However , according to other statistical databases he only started about 2 / 3 of his career games . His is one of only seven retired Eagles Jerseys . Wistert lamented not having been enshrined in the Professional Football Hall of Fame and on Philadelphia Eagles Honor Roll :
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Wistert was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Honor Roll on September 29 , 2009 along with Randall Cunningham . In 2003 , he was named to the Pro Football Researchers Association Hall of Very Good in the association 's inaugural HOVG class .
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= = Later life and family = =
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After football Wistert became a successful life insurance salesman . He sold insurance for 40 years . Among the places he has lived since retirement are California and Grants Pass , Oregon . He was married to his late wife Ellie for 61 years and has three daughters ( Pam , Dianna and Kathy ) and three grandchildren . At one point he was both coaching football at Riverside High School in Riverside Township , New Jersey and playing professionally . According to brother Alvin , their father " was born Casmir Vistertus and he Anglicized it when he came to America to Wistert . "
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Wistert died on March 5 , 2016 in Grants Pass , Oregon at the age of 95 .
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= Si Una Vez =
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