Microsoft and 343 Industries have announced a new Halo game...but no, it's not Halo 6.

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Instead, 343 is cooking up Halo: Spartan Strike, a top-down, twin-stick shooter that is a spiritual successor to last year's Halo: Spartan Assault. The new game, out December 12, is set during the events of Halo 2 and features a wealth of improvements over Spartan Assault, which are detailed by 343 producer Fred LaPorte in the gameplay commentary video above.It'll be released for $5.99 on Windows platforms (desktop, Surface tablet, and Windows Phone) – where one purchase gets you the game on all Windows platforms – as well as Steam, where it's available for its own separate $5.99 purchase. Achievements, rewards in Halo: The Master Chief Collection , 25 weekly challenges, leaderboards, and more are all planned. Meanwhile, microtransactions have been eliminated.And don't forget, we're covering Master Chief Collection all month long. Don't miss all of our ongoing coverage

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews and Xbox Guru-in-Chief. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan , on IGN , catch him on Podcast Unlocked , and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.