If you are a developer planning on taking part in the 2008 Independent Games Festival, part of the yearly Game Developers Conference, then you may be delighted to hear that both finalists and winners will receive free assistance and consultation with attorney Thomas H. Buscaglia. Thomas, is best known for the game related web site, www.gameattorney.com .

Finalists will receive a free copy of Buscaglia's Game Dev Kit, which contains information and forms for geared towards independent game developers. This includes advice on starting a company, contracts and NDAs, and advice on managing copyrights and intellectual property. Category winners will get a free one-hour consultation with Buscaglia, while winners of the biggest prize of all -- the Seumas McNally Grand Prize ---- will receive ten hours of free consultation with Buscaglia .

It's pretty cool to see this kind of stuff added as part of a prize package for the IGF, because indies need this kind of support just as much as anything else related to developing and selling their own games. You can get the full story from Gamasutra . Now onto this week's picks.

Welcome to the Wonderful End of the World is a nifty game that attempts to bring the Katamari experience created by Namco Bandai to the PC. The concept is pretty simple to grasp - Terra Nova tries must collect everything she can from the Earth before it is eaten up by a giant fish head. The game is still in pre-alpha, but you can score an early look by visiting the folks at Dejobaan Games . The game is in an early state of development so be merciful!

Night Viper Games' Monster Smash has players taking on the world, armed forces and more as you attempt to destroy every building in sight. Fans of the Rampage series will probably enjoy what this game has to offer - a lot of chaos , destruction and the wonderful ability to climb buildings. Check it out at the link above - a playable demo and the full game is available right now.

Roach Toaster 2 is a turn-based strategy and puzzle game with top-down shooting elements. The game puts you in control of an elite group of soldiers who must destroy the Big City's roach population - which is apparently out of control. Roach Toaster 2 is currently in the beta testing phase s it may not contain all the game's final elements or polish. Find out more by visiting Shot Beak Games . While you are there, check out the first game in the series.

I kept seeing Wilfred the Hero as I was searching for indie role-playing games around the internet, and after running into it again this week I thought it deserved a mention despite its age. The game was made in 2003 by Brandon Abley use RPG Maker. What really makes this game stand out is its bizarre cast of characters and its unique art style. And it doesn't hurt that it doesn't feel like an RPG Maker developed game. This game may be old but it has enough soul to deserve a look if you haven't already.. You can download it directly from here (click "save as") and see screens here . Brandon says on his site that he is working hard on a follow-up title, so keep your eyes opened for that..