Alien Hominid coming to Live

Cult shooter Alien Hominid is to make its long-overdue Xbox Live Arcade appearance tomorrow at 8 A.M. GMT/ 9 A.M. CET, Microsoft has announced.

Originally announced way back in July 2006, The Behemoth's quirky side-scrolling shooter stars a "feisty yet adorable alien", fending off dastardly FBI agents and trying to keep their spaceship safe. Set over 16 levels , seven mini games and "jump-in anytime multiplayer", the game will set you back 800 points.

Meanwhile, Microsoft says that the 'All You Can Eat' and 'PDA' minigames now feature online multiplayer support, and online leaderboards promise to add an extra (terrestrial) element to the frantic shooting fun on offer. In addition, the multiplayer modes enable two players locally in the main game and up to four players offline or on Xbox Live in minigames.

Arguably one of the most interesting Xbox Live Arcade titles for some time, Alien Hominid actually started life as a Flash game, before making its way to the Xbox, PS2 and even the GameCube (though not in Europe) back in 2005.

Indeed, long-term readers will recall a super-rare Eurogamer signature edition of the game was released. Number 002 of the 100 copies released is beaming at me from my shelves at this very moment. Wonder what it would get on eBay?

Cherished as much for its adorable hand-drawn art style as the old school gameplay within, Microsoft reckons it's "the epitome of quirky humour and intergalactic fun". But is it worth downloading? Back in the day we reckoned this was worth 6/10 as a full boxed product. Check back later tomorrow to see if we've change our minds.