Project IM to shoot up next-gen machines

Though it had only three first-person shooters at launch--Call of Duty 2, Perfect Dark Zero, and Quake 4--the Xbox 360 will be getting many more. Another addition to the next-gen FPS roster came this week, when independent Danish studio Zero Point Software announced a new title for the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3.

Codenamed "Project IM," the game is described as "an AAA, FPS, sci-fi, action and adventure game with an original and unpredictable storyline featuring single and cooperative gameplay, with heavy focus on realism." The screenshots and trailer released by Zero Point show a "new breed" of heavily armored futuristic soldier, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Master Chief, hero of the Halo games.

As far as Project IM gameplay elements are concered, the game will sport "custom game modes featuring arcade, RPG and tactical elements," according to Zero Point. It will also allow up to four players to work together in its co-op mode, which, like the single-player mode, will feature "randomized and non-linear gameplay."

Zero Point also disclosed that Project IM has been in development since May 2005 and will use Epic Games' popular Unreal 3 engine. Despite the fact that the game does not yet have a publisher or release date, the developer claims it will be part of a trilogy.