Between the Xbox One, Steven Spielberg's latest TV project and the approach of E3, fans have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of a new Halo game. 343 Industries has heard their pleas, but its answer is somewhat unexpected -- the next game in the legendary franchise isn't for Microsoft's next-generation game console, but for the company's mobile and tablet platforms. Built specifically for Windows Phone and touch-enabled Windows 8 devices, Halo: Spartan Assault hopes to offer the essence of Halo in a portable format. Engadget stopped in at the game's launch event to take a look.

"In a nutshell, it's a top-down twin stick arcade-style action shooter," explained Dan Ayoub, executive producer at 343 Industries. "Really, a brand new way to play Halo." Ayoub told us that the game was designed to push the limits of phone and tablet graphics, stressing the Halo franchise's history as a trailblazer on Microsoft platforms. "We wanted this to be no exception," he said, inviting journalists at the event to try the game for themselves. We picked up a nearby Surface Pro slate and tucked in.

True to Ayoub's word, Halo: Spartan Assault looked pretty sharp on the tablet's 10.6-inch display, but it took an HDTV to make the title's graphics really shine. It's not that it looked so much better on a 40-inch display, it's just that it didn't look worse -- presenting a clear, detailed world with no noticeable aliasing. It's not going to compete with your Xbox in visual fidelity, but it upscales well.

The game's control scheme is a top-down standard: a virtual left-hand joystick controls your Spartan's movement and a starboard counterpart dictates aim. Fans of games like Gun Bros. should feel right at home. The demo's control sticks felt a little too sensitive at first, but we eventually adjusted and took to the battlefield, tearing through Covenant forces with various rifles, shotguns and even a tank. 343 devs told us that they wanted to make sure the game felt like Halo, and including vehicles was a must.

Most of Halo's trappings seem to have made the leap to mobile well enough, but one fan favorite didn't make the cut: multiplayer. "What we've got right now has been designed for a single player experience," 343's Kevin Grace told us. "There are multiplayer components in the challenges and leader boards -- so you can challenge your friends and get that level of interaction -- but for this story and this particular game, it's just single player." In fact, story seems to be a major part of the project, following the rise of Sarah Palmer and filling in the narrative gaps between Halo 3 and Halo 4. The game will also have a companion comic book series called Halo: Initiation, which further details Palmer's saga.

Naturally, the adventure is bound for Microsoft Platforms, and will be arriving exclusively on Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices next month. 343 developers wouldn't rule out the possibility of a future Android or iOS port, but they wouldn't entertain the idea either, telling us that the game was being optimized for Windows platforms. Even so, Windows 8 desktop users will have to wait a bit before getting a fully optimized experience: the game won't support the wired Xbox 360 controller, leaving PC gamers with only a keyboard and mouse to control their dual-stick shooter. We're told that controller support will be added sometime after launch.

It's almost surprising that Halo didn't make the transition to mobile sooner, but Grace suggests that its a matter of quality. "Everything that 343 does starts with fan expectations in mind," he told us. "We know where the bar is set for Halo." Is Halo: Spartan Assault good enough to satiate discerning fans? Maybe. It's at least as fun as any other top-down shooter, and the Halo brand goes a long way -- but the game's Windows 8 and Windows Phone exclusivity is bound to burn fans on the iOS / Android end of the spectrum. Still, if you bought into Microsoft's would-be mobile gaming platform, you'll be able to pick it up in July for $6.99.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/04/halo-spartan-assault-hands-on/

Windows 8 PC ready and waiting...

cool, would buy that if i would have windows 8 or a windows phone.

when will it be released? I have been waiting for a dev to step it up on phones, and I was hoping it would be windows phone. I am excited!

Edit: Read the article, looks like it releases next month

Well, count me surprised. Didnt see this coming. Love this time of year!

Looks awesome. Like Harvest only better and ...Halo!

Is there a logo and does it match the logo on that bingo card?

Should be on XBLA too

Carl2291 said: Is there a logo and does it match the logo on that bingo card? Should be on XBLA too

MS doing timed exclusivity on its own platforms lol

In all seriousness, people will petition a XBLA version, and this is to push MS platform adoption (a small bump if anything but a bump). Itll come to XBLA by years end, one would think.

I wonder if it will release on Windows 8 Pro, or just the ARM Tablets. It looks nice. I would definitly buy it for my laptop.

Reminds of Killzone: Liberation that came out years ago on PSP and that game was awesome. I think i would of liked this but i'm not interested in Windows 8 yet. I could get a Nokia Lumia to play it though if i wanted. I wonder if Windows 8 is like a 2nd gaming format to Microsoft now?