Gun Loco announced by Square Enix

Japanese publisher Square Enix has announced what it is describing as a unique sprint-action shooter” called Gun Loco, which will be released exclusively on Xbox 360 in 2011.

The company says it’s trying to carve out an all-new approach to the third-person shooter genre” with the sci-fi title.

The game is set on a remote prison planet at the farthest reaches of the solar system” that is populated by the system’s craziest criminals”. In this world factions are forced to fight for their survival.

The gameplay sounds frenetic, with players both pursuing and attempting to elude pursuers by jumping, ducking and vaulting their way across an assortment of environments.

It will also include online multiplayer and a comic visual style crafted by toy maker Kenny Wong, who designed each of the game’s characters as a real model in his workshop before scanning them into the game world.

Gun Loco’s comic characterisation and furious gameplay is a fantastic take on the third-person shooter and offers the kind of unique twist that only Square Enix can provide,” VP of brand for the PAL region Sarah Hoeksma stated.

The action is relentless, the characters unforgettable and the black comedy a perfect fit.”