Publisher Gamecock and developer Spark Unlimited have announced today that “Legendary”, formerly known as “Legendary the Box”, is on schedule and set to hit the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC this summer.

Legendary is a fast paced first person shooter, set in a modern world, with a mythical twist. It tells the story of an art thief by the name of Charles Deckard, who is tricked into a stealing and ultimately unleashing Pandora’s Box.

According to Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited, Legendary is the type of project the company wants to be working on and they believe it is shaping up to be “something amazing”. He also made it clear that they are taking the time necessary to ensure an optimal experience across all systems, which should come as good news to gamers.

“I’m happy to report that the team on Legendary is well on target for a simultaneous multi-platform launch this summer,” said Rick Stults, Console Chief for Gamecock Media Group. “It’s no easy feat to pull this off on a game of this caliber, but Spark Unlimited is a talented group.”

We got our first glimpse of this game at Gamecock’s EiEiO Conference last year, and our own Emily Balistrieri had a chance to preview the title in November as well.

Gamecock and the London based Firefly Studios are developing a title called Dungeon Hero to be released on the Xbox 360 and PC. It is being described as the first authentic dungeon crawler, and from what we have seen of the game it seems extremely well thought out and unlike any other dungeon crawler we have seen to date. If that wasn’t enough, we stumbled upon some very interesting information during our chat with Firefly Studios.

In an interview we conducted with Lead Designer Simon Bradbury of Firefly Studios at this years EiEiO Conference in Santa Monica CA, they revealed to us that they are experimenting with NaturalMotion technology in their upcoming game Dungeon Hero.

Our ears perked when we hear this and they quickly realized that they said something that we were about to follow up on for some more information. All they would say is that they are experimenting with the technology, and that was all we really needed to hear.

Games such as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Indiana Jones, and GTA IV will all be using NaturalMotion. After seeing an example of what NaturalMotion is doing for of Lucas Arts and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed we were very eager to learn about other companies that may be using the technology. Check out the Endorphin Tech Demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed below.

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With euphoria, canned animation is replaced by a full simulation of the 3D character, thus producing unprecedented interactivity and unique game moments. If you are not familiar with NaturalMotion we suggest you check them out at www.naturalmotion.com.

Dungeon Hero Game Summary / E3 Trailer
Dungeon Hero takes you into a real dungeon, one where a shadowy evil has come to feed on despair. This is a dungeon at war – not a place with bags of gold just lying around!

The action RPG uses Firefly’s dazzling HD engine, allowing the player to storm heroically through underground halls while taking in the detail and complexity of a world previously unseen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We were completely blown away by what we saw at Gamecock’s EiEiO Conference this year. One of the games that stood out the most to us was a title called “Legendary The Box” being developed by Spark Unlimited.

If you have not heard of this game, now is the time to start reading up on it. Set in modern times with backdrops that range from New York City to London, Legendary The Box is the story of an art thief by the name of Charles Deckard, who unwittingly opens the mythical Pandora’s Box unleashing evil creatures into the world and setting a war in motion that only he can end.

The visuals are amazing and the team at Spark utilizes the Unreal Engine to its fullest potential. The amount of stuff you see on screen in real time is utterly amazing. For more information please visit www.legendarythebox.com.

Below is some edited video we shot of the game at Gamecock’s EiEiO. Please note that this is video that was displayed on screen and not a direct feed, so the actual quality is much much better.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For anyone that has experienced the E3 mecca of old, exiting the bus for the first time in front of the Barker Hanger surely brought a tear to your eye. In a 1up podcast wrapping up E3, John Davis made the comment…

“When you drive up on the place, you absolutely get the feeling – oh dear, this is where E3 went to die …”

Many members of the press did’t even bother to attend the festivities at the hanger and opted to visit the hotel rooms of individual developers instead, as did we. We also spent a great deal of time at Gamecock’s E.I.E.I.O Conference and we really have to tell you that we left the first time event thinking to ourselves, this is what a gaming conference should be all about! They nailed it.

Yes there was free food and unemployed booth babes, but beyond that, the games were the hidden jewel that didn’t remain hidden very long. It was interesting to see the crowds making their way over from E3’s Lowes Hotel over to Gamecocks E.I.E.I.O gathering at the Hotel California less than a block away as the word spread about the easy going environment and great line up of games like Legendary The Box, Dementium, Dungeon Hero, Sabotage, Hail To The Chimp, and more.

We could go on and on (and we will) as we plan on bringing you our in-depth interviews with the many talented developers we had the pleasure of meeting under the Gamecock label.

The entire experience wrapped up with a parade and ceremony that had many onlookers wondering what the heck was going on. Probably the biggest statement made at the ceremony was that the next event may be held in Las Vegas on a much larger scale, with five days of 24 hours a day gaming bliss! While that may be a bit much, we will definitely take it. We put together a video of the event for you below. Check it out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In closing, Barker Hanger is where the E3 of old went to die, but it was celebrated and buried one last time by the crew at Gamecock on Venice Beach.

We will be returning Monday with some great stuff from both Gamecock’s EIEIO Conference and E3 2007. A few of the titles we will be discussing include:

• Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Legendary The Box (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Crysis (PC)
• Dungeon Hero (Xbox 360, PC)
• WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2008 (Xbox 360, PS3)
• All-Pro Football 2K8 (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Madden 08 (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Guitar Hero III (Xbox 360, PS3
• Fury (PC)
• Hail To The Chimp (Xbox 360)
• Dementium: The Ward (DS)
• Sabotage (Xbox 360, PC)
• Mushroom Men (Wii, DS)
• Insecticide (PC, DS)
• and more …

Never before has one letter and one number brought one so much pain to so many, but one company is trying to change all that … Gamecock Media Group presents the E3 Funeral and Wake (celebration) of Originality, 4:20pm Friday the 13th.

Join your friends, colleagues, and unemployed booth babes in mourning, for a final goodbye to the magical beast that was E3, and a wholehearted welcoming for the resurgence of independence, originality, and creativity to come.

Meet at 4:20 at the EIEIO World Headquarters, Hotel California (1670 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica). Marching procession to begin shortly thereafter…

Very special guest eulogies, music, and good times, flavored with Gamecock’s own secret sauce.

Everyone was upset when E3 said goodbye, especially the giant statues.

When the E3 we all know and love closed its doors for good, many of us needed to have our frowns surgically removed from our collective faces. So when we got word that Gamecock Media Group was going to be offering up a convention of their own this year we were interested in learning more.

Today Gamecock Media Group gave us the final details for their “Expo for Interactive Entertainment, Independent and Original” or E.I.E.I.O for short. The event will be a three day “festival of fun” taking place on July 11th through the 13th right smack in the middle of all the E3 hotels at the Hotel California in Santa Monica California. The event includes playable games for most every current gaming system, accessible developers, Gamecock suckers, and plenty of food and drink.

“EIEIO is going to be a celebration of the amazing lineup of independent developers that Gamecock has been lucky enough to sign on, and I’m thrilled to say that every one of them will be in attendance to give personal demos of their works in progress,” said Mike Wilson, Grand Champeen and CEO of Gamecock. He added “We’ve hit the ground running with wildly creative games on all next-gen platforms and PCs,” said Harry Miller, President and Head of Development for Gamecock Media Group. “E.I.E.I.O. will be a great opportunity for the world to get their eyes on these products and see, first-hand, what these talented developers have in store.”

Featured games include:

• Fury (PC)
• Insecticide (PC, DS)
• Dementium: The Ward (DS)
• Hail to the Chimp (Next-Gen Platforms)
• Mushroom Men (DS, Wii)
• Dungeon Hero (PC, Xbox 360)
• Two Unannounced Next-Gen Titles (Some things you just have to see to believe)

E.I.E.I.O. Details:
Location: Hotel California
Address: 1670 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA
Times: July 11th 12pm-6pm; July 12th 10am-6pm; July 13th 12pm-4pm

For any press interested in attending, please rsvp to press@gamecockmedia.com.

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.