Halo: Spartan Assault now available across America

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Following a thirty day exclusive arrangement with Verizion in the US, Microsoft's flagship Xbox Live title for Windows Phone, 'Halo: Spartan Assault' is now available across America with no network restrictions. This is not the updated version suitable for 512 MB Windows Phone handsets, that's still being worked on, this is purely the exclusivity period running out.

Although the rest of the world (and Verizon customers) have been able to experience the first missions of the Spartan Ops, the often loud contingent of Windows Phone users in the US have been denied the top down shooter. Well they can calm down, load up, and move out as the title is now ready and waiting for them in the Windows Phone store.

Halo

App exclusivity is an interesting area of debate, offering a positive inducement to partners to support and promote the Windows Phone platform while restricting access to the title by others. Balancing the positive and the negatives over the platform is a key consideration, and there are many that argue that the arrival of one of the biggest gaming franchises on the planet to Windows Phone deserved to be a day one download for everyone who had been patiently waiting.

I'm sure that the feedback from customers, along with sales data allowing the release to be compared to platform wide titles, will be analysed and debated at Redmond. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft continue with this approach in the future.

Halo

There's a lot to like about Halo: Spartan Assalt, as the AAWP found out in our review when it was first released:

I mean, for die hard Halo fans, Spartan Assault is the story between two of the marquee titles, it shows the last days of the Human-Covenant war, the first moments of the SPARTAN-IV development program... For everybody else, this is a top down shooter with a lot of class, clear graphics, crunching sounds, and a well balanced mix of tactical movement and frontal attacks.

In other words, the ethos is just like every other Halo game in the series. That's important to note, for two reasons. The first is that this game is going to have huge name recognition - something already evident by the number of web properties that are reviewing this title, and not other Xbox Live titles (such as 'Skulls of the Shogun') - put simply, people out there will hear Halo and Windows Phone in one sentence and be satisfied.

The second reason is that all of those writers, reviewers, and gamers, must not be disappointed. If it says Halo, they should get Halo. Thankfully, they get Halo. But with a mobile twist.

Halo

From the App Store listing...:

Halo: Spartan Assault brings the excitement of Halo combat to touch-based devices for the very first time. Battle your way through 25 action-packed missions against the Covenant as you explore the origin of the Spartan Ops program and Halo 4's Spartan Commander, Sarah Palmer.

It's time to join the assault, Spartan!

Halo: Spartan Assault can be downloaded from the Windows Phone Store and is priced at £5.49 / $6.99. There is no trial available, and while there are some freemium elements in the game, they are not a requirement to finish the episodic based levels.

Source / Credit: Find it in the AAWP App Directory