Windows Phone has boasted Xbox Live integration from its very beginnings in 2010. The features this integration brought, such as games with Xbox Achievements, Xbox Live friends list and text messaging support, and the promise of integration with actual console games all gave Microsoft’s mobile OS a big in with hardcore Xbox 360 gamers. One thing has long been missing though: an exclusive title that would inspire people to buy a Windows Phone just to play it. Windows Phone 8 didn’t launch with such a game last year, and in fact neither did Microsoft’s revolutionary PC and tablet OS, Windows 8. The lack of killer apps was enough to make us question Microsoft’s will to bring the company’s major franchises to its own mobile platforms. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more That all changes today, because Microsoft has just officially announced Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. That’s right: Halo, one of the most popular franchises in gaming is coming exclusively to Windows platforms next month. And both versions will be Xbox Live enabled, complete with shiny Achievements. At last, it looks like Microsoft is starting to take mobile Xbox gaming seriously.

From big screen to small The first question Microsoft and 343 industries faced when adapting Halo for mobile devices had to be: how? Touch screen devices are intrinsically different from a game console with physical controller, to say nothing about varying levels of horsepower between Xbox 360, Windows Phone 8 devices, and Windows 8 devices. Should the Halo creators maintain the mainline series’ first-person perspective and shooting gameplay that legions of Xbox gamers have come to know and love? It would mean stricter hardware requirements in order to maintain the expected graphical fidelity. More importantly, many mobile gamers find FPS controls too complex and unwieldy on touch screen devices. The other option would be finding a new genre and perspective for this offshoot of the venerable series. Halo once branched out into the Real-time Strategy (RTS) genre with Xbox 360 sleeper hit Halo Wars, after all. By maintaining Halo Wars’ zoomed out third-person perspective, the developers could achieve more than acceptable visuals on a variety of mobile hardware. Would mainstream FPS fans take to a more niche genre like RTS? Halo Wars received positive critical reviews and it didn’t tank at retail, but it hardly moved strong enough numbers to grow the Halo brand, either. So for Halo: Spartan Assault, Microsoft and 343 decided to combine Halo Wars’ look with traditional twin-stick shooter gameplay. The result is a game that looks a little different than fans are used to but still plays just like Halo. Filling in the story

In adapting Halo to mobile platforms, 343 wanted to maintain the series’ AAA quality production values. Halo games always feature epic science-fiction stories, even if their narratives do leave far too many gaps for books and tie-in products to fill in. Spartan Assault takes place in the time between Halo 3 and 4 when humanity still thought the mainline series protagonist Master Chief to be lost forever. As such, the new story revolves around Commander Sarah Palmer, a character first introduced in Halo 4. Sarah was one of the first marines to enter the Spartan-IV program. In the Halo games, Spartans are genetically enhanced humans capable of wearing specially designed armor and leading humanity’s fight against hostile alien races. Joining her is Spartan Davis, a male character created specifically for this game. Microsoft won’t say anything more about Davis just yet. Maybe his first name actually is Spartan, making his participation in the program quite serendipitous. Spartan Assault’s storyline comes to life through console-quality video cinematics as well as fully-voiced dialogue during gameplay. Players will experience Sarah Palmer’s very first mission as a Spartan soldier, back before she commanded her fellow Spartan-IV forces during Halo 4. We’ll also learn the origins of that game’s conflict with the new sect of Covenant following the end of the Human-Covenant War. You didn’t think the series’ lead antagonistic race would sit this one out, did you? Arcade-style