Electronic Arts is publishing the title and today unveiled not only the expected Fuse release date and platforms, but a pile of details on the four-player cooperative features, characters and storylines in the over-the-top sci-fi shooter.

Fuse is a co-op shooter that puts players in the shoes of elite and well-armed (with alien tech) combatants Dalton Brooks, Izzy Sinclair, Jacob Kimble and Naya Deveraux (who together form the Overstrike 9 team) as they attempt protect the plant from Fuse - a “deadly alien energy source.” When playing solo, players can switch between the team members to take advantage of each individual’s unique weapons and abilities via a feature Insomniac dubs “LEAP.” We call it “character switching” from back in the days of playing the Conflict series and Brute Force on the original Xbox because that’s all it really means.

Fuse also features some RPG elements when it comes to progressing characters to unlock new abilities:

As for the story of the arcade-esque shooter, there are two factions of antagonists, the obligatory rogue organization called “Raven” who want the alien energy source and what sounds like the aliens themselves:

More interestingly, Fuse represents the first ever time Insomniac Games has developed a multiplatform game. All of their games since 1996 have released exclusive on PlayStation consoles. Founder and CEO, Ted Price:

Fuse will hit retail shelves in March 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, the same month as another third-person co-op EA shooter, Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel. Also recall, this is only weeks after Crysis 3 and Dead Space 3 (also a co-op action shooter) release in February.

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Can Fuse compete against other co-op shooters on the market like the upcoming Gears of War: Judgment, and is there a risk of all of these EA shooters cannibalizing each other’s sales since they release in such proximity? The over-the-top nature, special abilities and co-op features may allow for an incredibly fun and unique experience and those selling points are presented a such (and the game is good) - and cross-marketed with the other major EA releases in a much better fashion than Syndicate was this year - then Insomniac may have their first multiplatform title welcomed with open arms. They certainly deserve it after last year’s underrated Resistance 3.

Interested?

Fuse releases March 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.