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Dead Head Fred

Dead Head Fred is a horror-themed 3rd-person action/adventure game for the PSP by Vicious Cycle Software.

Set in 1940's style film-noir (gangsters, fine suits, and evil mob-bosses... mixed with zombies, radioactive mutants, and cursed statues), the plot and game focuses on recently deceased Private Investigator Fred Neuman (a no-nonsense badass with a penchant for violence and fine suits) as he explores Hope Falls, New Jersey on a quest to track down his killers, solve his last contact's case for him — the one that led him to the decaying city in the first place — and above all, find his missing head.

This game is notably unique from others in that Fred fights, explores, and socializes with a variety of skills and biological weapons gained from switching his head with up to 9 different personae, each totally unique from the other one.

Its interesting gameplay mechanic aside, the game itself, the plot, and most notably the voice acting is filled to the brim with the darkest, grossest humour you will probably ever see in a PSP game— bonus points to the former's extremely lax and extremely casual approach to death.

This game provides examples of:

Actor Allusion: In the credits, Fred*
Played by John C. McGinley
states that he's auditioning for a comedy set in a hospital, in the role of a sarcastic asshole of a doctor.
Brain in a Jar: Fred's default head is this. It is also the cut-scene head, alongside the Dummy head.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: During the end-credits interview, Fred chides the "little bastard" that got him killed several times on level 15.
- In-between waves in the Elevator Gauntlet at Pitt Tower, Fred will make an analogy about the carnage he is making. Before the last wave, he has this to say:
Fred: Damn. That was bloodier than a... bloodier than a... oh, make your own damn analogy!
Darker and Edgier: The original Fred Neuman was a cute robot named Geo. He then turned into a super-deformed, pint-sized and extremely angry detective with a jar for a head. His final incarnation is the angry, trash-talking, excessively violent corpse we see today.
Dead to Begin With: Fred. It's a major plot-point.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Zombie Town is—gasp!— a town made entirely of zombies!
Expressive Mask / Frozen Face: Fred's frontal lobes give him a furrowed brow. However, that's about all he can do. (Not that he doesn't always seem pissed.)
Hoist by His Own Petard: Pitt meets his end, appropriately enough, when he and Lucky, mutated by the radioactive waste from his power plants, fall off the top of his own tower.
Limit Break: Appropriately enough, Fred has super-powerful moves available when he is extremely angry. The bar is named the "Rage" meter.
Mini-Game: There's lots of things to distract Fred from his Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Fred has slight anger issues.
Leg Cannon: Lefty uses a Thompson Machine Gun (Tommy Gun) to brace his tiny, deformed right leg.
Losing Your Head: Fred does this to every enemy he encounters, provided he doesn't beat them to a pulp. He also suffers from this.
Off with His Head!: Used in spades, bonus points because it's an important plot and gameplay element.
Perpetual Smiler: The Dummy Head. It's made of plastic, yes, but the smile is definitely always there.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Guess who.
Scrappy Mechanics: The player is often fighting with the camera more often than the mutants and monsters.
- Head-Switching could also get problematic in the heat of combat. The Dummy head is only good for socialising, and getting your plastic face punched in.
Shock and Awe: Fred can channel electric currents using the Jar head.
Shout Out: The game's shopkeeper's voice is obviously based on Peter Lorre. His name? Sam Spade.
- This doubles as a Punny Name, since one of his hobbies is grave robbing.