Geekisms!

After the release of Halo 2, a lot of PC gamers were pissed off when Microsoft abandoned the Windows platform and refused to publish anything Halo-related for the PC. Well it seems Microsoft has changed their minds and decided to bring Halo back to the PC but not exactly in the way most expected.

Halo: Spartan Assault is a top-down shooter set in Halo universe and the story takes place sometime between Halo 3 and Halo 4.It explores the first missions of the Spartan Ops program (made popular in Halo 4) and gives more backstory to the Human-Covenant conflict(s). You play Halo: Spartan Assault through the eyes of either Commander Sarah Palmer or Spartan Davis. You are stationed aboard the UNSC Infinity as you fight never-before-seen battles against Covenant forces.

All the familiar sights and sounds from Halo games past are here on display and though the gameplay is different, the game is instantly recognizeable. Availability date is July 2013 and it will be coming out exclusively on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 which is very interesting because of the variety of gameplay controls (both touch and non-touch) that will be supported for the various Windows (Phone) 8 form factors currently available.

With the Halo name attached to it and an attractive price of $6.99, it will definitely become an instant hit with current Windows platform users but whether it will be enough to attract people from the Android and iOS is another question. One thing for certain though is that Microsoft aims to show developers how easy it is to develop games that work across the whole spectrum of Windows hardware. I won't be surprised if this launches on the Xbox One too.

Source: Windows Blog