The organizers of the Independent Games Festival have announced the nine winners of the Austin GDC IGF Showcase, picking the very best examples of 'local flavor' in terms of indie games from Austin and the Southern U.S. to be exhibited at the Austin Game Developers Conference from September 15th to 17th.

Some of the top local titles span the gamut from one-man teams through tightly focused console indies, including Texas-honed games such as physics-heavy iPhone puzzler Enigmo, CosMind's evocative art-game Glum Buster, Red Fly Studios' Wii/DS quirky Mushroom Men duo, knockabout Guildhall @ SMU student title ToyBox Heroes, and user-generated game website Mockingbird.

The Showcase winners receive complimentary passes and get to showcase their titles in a special IGF Pavilion at the Austin event, which this year features learning tracks including Online, Audio, Writing, Worlds In Motion and Game Career Seminar, and is hosting a local Independent Games Festival Showcase for the first time.

More information about the 2008 Austin Game Developers Conference - for which the early registration deadline is July 31st - is available at the official event website.

The full list of the honored Austin GDC IGF Showcase winners is as follows:

Enigmo (Puzzle, iPhone/iPod Touch)
Developer: Pangea Software, Inc.
Description: "A 3D physics based puzzle game where the goal is to get the falling water droplets into their containers by using various bumpers, slides, sponges, etc. There are 50 levels that get increasingly challenging."

Fireteam Reloaded (Multiplayer Action, PC)
Developer: Pixel Mine Games
Description: "Fireteam Reloaded is a team based multiplayer game that will get your blood pumping and your heart pounding! Play as one of three character classes across a variety of post-apocalyptic urban settings in a struggle to dominate your opponents. Go solo or team up with up to three other friends."

Glum Buster (Action/Adventure, PC)
Developer: CosMind
Description: "A collection of my daydreams, for your daydreams."

Mockingbird: The Game Making Game (User-Generated Game Site, Web)
Developer: Mockingbird Games
Description: "Mockingbird invites everyone to make their own games! Using a simple, intuitive set of tools, Mockingbird takes the pain out of game making and helps people tell stories using casual arcade games. Change anyone's game you play, share them with friends, put them on your blog!"

Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi, Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (Action Platformer, DS/Wii)
Developer: Red Fly Studio
Description: "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."

Ashen Empires (Fantasy MMO, PC)
Developer: Iron Will Games
Description: "Ashen Empires is a classic fantasy MMORPG and one of the few games that gives its players the freedom to role play with complete control over the character creation process. At any point you may begin training any skill of your choice to aid you in your journeys."

ToyBox Heroes (Action/Adventure, PC)
Developer: Team Shirt @ The Guildhall at SMU (Jacquiline "Kim" Acuff, Arturo Caballero, Christopher Cotton, David Demaree, James Farmer, Mark Flieg, Ryan Jenkins, Jonathan Long, Dane Munkholm, Jonathan Pittman, Adam Reynolds, Brandon Souders, Daniel Talaber, Benjamin Wagley, Eric Young)
Description: "Toybox Heroes is a console-style physics-based fighting game for two to four players. Players select one of four action figures, each available in four colors, and duke it out in a variety of household environments. Weapons range from crayons to cherry bombs to Rubik's Cubes. As players receive and inflict damage, their rage meters build; once full, each character may unleash a unique special move."

Goo! (Action/Strategy, PC/TBA)
Developer: PillowFort
Description: "Goo! is an action strategy game where the player controls a giant glob of amorphous liquid. The players’ Goo is constantly decaying as they fight against a constantly growing and very aggressive Paint Goo. When different color Paint Goo mixes, A.I.s mix and the Paint Goo becomes very aggressive."

Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball (Arcade Sports, Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Developer: Blazing Lizard
Description: "Mortal enemies collide in the ultimate playground sport of Dodgeball. Choose from 4 teams featuring Pirates, Ninjas, Robots, and Zombies and compete across 4 levels in 3 different variations of the sport. Characters come equipped with special moves and melee attacks to make our rendition of the sport a much more action packed experience!"