Hot off their Fable announcement, Microsoft has announced Halo: Spartan Assault, a top-down shooter coming to all Windows 8 devices.
The game takes place between Halo 3 and Halo 4 and is being developed by Vanguard Games and 343 Industries. According to the announcement you will “Play through the eyes of either Commander Sarah Palmer or Spartan Davis stationed aboard the UNSC Infinity as they fight never-before-seen battles against Covenant forces.”
Here is a rundown from the press release of what to expect:
- Original “Halo” gameplay. An action-packed, single-player campaign spanning 25 missions in battles never before experienced in the Halo Universe, all played from a top-down camera view.
- New and immersive storyline. An original story set between the events of “Halo 3” and “Halo 4,” experience a new war with the Covenant, the first missions of the Spartan Ops program and the rise of Commander Sarah Palmer, all with best-in-class graphics and audio.
- Built for simplicity. A unique fusion of touch and consolelike controls for easy pick-up-and-play gaming, with the added flexibility of keyboard and mouse controls on Windows 8 PCs and tablets.
- Integration with “Halo 4.” Earn experience points (XP), all-new Achievements, and unlock emblems for your “Halo 4” Spartan career, with additional integration features available after launch
- Nonstop competitive fun. Compete against friends in Leaderboards or hone your skills against an onslaught of Weekly Challenges while collecting more than 40 in-game Achievements and Medals.
- In-app purchases. Grind to earn upgrades or speed up your training by purchasing credits for boosts, unique weapons or armor abilities.
- Only on Windows. Available only on Windows 8 PCs and tablets and Windows Phone 8 devices.
Although the game does look good, I do wish it was on a console as I currently do not own any Windows 8 devices, surely this game could also work as a dual joystick shooter on the 360 as well. It seems that Microsoft is making a big push for people to but Windows 8 as if they wanted the game to be successful then they would have released the game on iOS and Android devices as well.
Check out the trailer above to have a look at the game and let me know in the comments your thoughts about Halo: Spartan Assault.
Halo: Spartan Assault releases this July on all Windows 8 devices for $6.99.
