Centipede: Infestation burrowing into fall

Since being introduced in arcades in 1980, Centipede has appeared on a number of platforms, ranging from the Atari 2600 to the Xbox 360. Today, publisher Atari announced the game will be getting a new incarnation, courtesy of Centipede: Infestation for the Wii and 3DS.

Due out this fall from developer WayForward, Centipede: Infestation takes the vertical gameplay of the original game and turns it into a run-and-gun third-person shooter. Centipede: Infestation will have seven environments and 40 stages. It will feature two-player co-op on both platforms, with the 3DS version offering the mode via ad hoc multiplayer.

In the game, players will face off against the titular creatures, as well as spiders, beetles, grubs, caterpillars, moths, and unnamed "boss insects." Players will have a variety of weapons with which to battle the critters, including a lightning orb gun, nuke cannon, mine launcher, and freeze thrower. Defeated insects will leave behind various objects that offer temporary defensive measures.

Unlike the original, Centipede: Infestation will also have a storyline, which Atari describes as "a postapocalyptic action experience." Players will assume the role of Max, an orphaned teenager wandering through a bug-infested wasteland. Early on in the game, he meets an adolescent girl, Maisy, who is carrying a collection of seeds that could potentially turn the wasteland into a verdant paradise. The two join forces to plant gardens--and then fight off the huge insects that come calling to destroy them.