MTV’s Multiplayer blog recently posted a couple of short videos from upcoming DS/Wii platformer Mushroom Men that show off just how unique and cool the game’s music and sound design will be. While the headline is sort of a misnomer (calling it “the weirdest video game music we’ve heard in a while”), the post goes on to explain that the music is actually an integral part of the game’s environments – and that the whole affair literally runs on the music. It’s all rather psychedelic (fitting for a game about mushrooms, no?), but not in a distracting way.

In an interview snippet with remixer Matt Piersall, he revealed that

“The entire game runs at 120 beats per minute, so it’s literally on an actual clock…We’ve put this whole game on beat, so visual and ambient environmental effects will happen in time with the music. It’s a very subtle feature but it adds to the immersiveness.”

I have to admire the way Gamecock set up its booth at PAX 08. It was enclosed with transparent plastic and in very low light, like arcades of the ’80s. To complete the illusion of a video arcade, players would even stand up as they played the game in arcade-style casings.

Click through for a complete list of the games available to play…

Gamecock has also announced a list of the five games it will be displaying at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2008, which runs from August 29-31, 2008. It has a pretty well rounded display set up, featuring games for the Xbox 360, DS, Wii and PC. So only Sony system owners will feel left out if they drop by Gamecock’s booth. (Don’t worry Sony fans! Gamecock is working on PS3 versions of some of the games displayed at PAX 2008.)

While Gamecock has an admirable game display set up, you won’t be able to actually play all of the titles – one (Velvet Assassin) will only shown in presentations by Replay Studios developers. Still, with four games to enjoy, you’ll want to stop by and play a demo or two.

The games appear at the event are as follows…

At least one game company is re-embracing the rogue, indy – dare I say, ’80s Atari – spirit of videogames this year. If you watched any G4 coverage this week, you saw this company’s employees a few times, dressed as chickens and roosters, guzzling brews and even parading a few booth babes at its offsite pseudo-E3 gathering, E.I.E.I.O. (Expo for Interactive Entertainment Independent and Original) Fun Fest 2007, an event that happened to take place the same time as E3, featured videogames as well as a skateboard ramp and strippers.

The company is Gamecock and they make crazy games (Hail to the Chimp, Dungeon Hero and Mushroom Men) and are even having a funeral procession for E3 2007 on the last day of the expo (July 13, 2007). Sure, it’s a bit of a publicity stunt but, considering the companies and gamers that think this might be the end of E3…