MicroBot swarms XBLA, PSN in winter 2011

Dual-stick shooters are in no short supply on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, but Electronic Arts will be offering a new take on the genre next winter. Today, the publisher announced MicroBot, a twin-stick shooter targeted at Microsoft's and Sony's online platforms.

MicroBot tells the story of a science experiment gone awry. Having created a nanomachine to seek out and destroy infectious diseases, MicroHexon Research finds itself grappling with a threat of its own making. Rather than destroying infectious disease themselves, the nanomachines have turned, aligning themselves with the plagued cells within a human body and multiplying at an alarming rate.

It is gamers' responsibility to assume command of a microscopic ship to destroy these machines at the cellular level. To do so, players will traverse a variety of internal environments, delving the depths of human veins, bones, lungs, and brains. Each internal system poses a different challenge, and EA notes that the game features dynamically generated levels to provide a new experience through each run-through.

Throughout the course of the game, players will unlock additional pieces of microtechnology to aid them in their struggle. The game also features a drop-in/drop-out cooperative multiplayer mode.

MicroBot is in development at RoboBlitz developer Naked Sky Entertainment. For more information, check out GameSpot's first look at the game.