5th Cell is a company known for making unique and risky games, with the most famous and successful of those being the Scribblenauts series. Their lastest effort is a little more serious, though. Hybrid is a multiplayer third-person shooter currently exclusive to the Xbox Live Arcade, and it has some interesting mechanics that 5th Cell hopes will make it more than just another online shooter. The first of these mechanics may sound odd, but then again, odd is what 5th Cell does best. To put it simply, you cannot move freely around the world of Hybrid. Instead of running around with the left stick like you would in most games, you will have to point at cover that you want to use and click a button. This will make your character run or fly to the cover. During this period of movement, you can alter your character's trajectory by hitting the left stick.

The lack of a traditional movement system certainly sounds jarring, but 5th Cell promises that it will open up a whole new range of tactics by forcing players to move with purpose. This will open up more time for players to think about utilizing their loadouts and killstreaks properly. The killstreaks function much as they do in other games, and come in the form of Drones called in to assist players. The AI-controlled Drones will attack enemies for you, and when they get a kill it will be added to your score. Loadouts are a bit less traditional. There are no rigid classes in Hybrid. Instead, players will be able to customize their own loadouts in between respawns.

Look for Hybrid this summer on XBLA, and stay tuned to GameShampoo for the final word on this intriguing online shooter.