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back to article Exclusive Halo game coming to Windows 8 and WinPhone 8

Microsoft is looking to woo gamers over to its latest mobile platforms by releasing a new entry in its popular Halo franchise exclusively for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Halo: Spartan Assault will be a completely new game with a new story featuring familiar characters from the franchise, set in the years between Halo 3 and …

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  1. Daniel B.
    Meh

    Meh.

    Shit game gets exclusive for shit OS. Keep moving, nothing to see here.

    Really, Halo is one of the reasons most FPS have devolved into the tripe they are today: two weapon limit, regenerating health, linear levels ... see any Call of Battlefield Modern Warfare Nukem Forever.

    Then again, it was Halo that saved the original Xbox...

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    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Meh.

      > two weapon limit, regenerating health,

      I used to play a lot of PC first-person shooters before Halo, and cycling through a dozen weapons trying to find one that has some ammunition left wasn't my idea of fun. Neither was creeping around a level in Doom on 9% health trying to find a health pack. Each to their own, though.

      Halo isn't done by Bungie any more, and Bungie's next effort is a cross-platform release.

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      1. Daniel B.
        Reply Icon

        Re: Meh. @Dave 126

        A lot of those pet peeves were better managed by later FPS, the ones that didn't give in to Halo. Half-Life put weapons into categories; many of those started using autosave; and BioShock even made a weapon select menu that freezes the game while you select weapons.

        Ironically, I found the Halo-style games to be somewhat *harder* than their predecessors, because they also introduced the awful "checkpoint" system from old sidescrolling games. That is, saving will save the game up to the last checkpoint, vs. "right where I am". So if you get 90% through one of the hard as hell segments, but get iced by a lucky shot, you had to start all over again. This is mainly what put me off of Halo and most FPS following this system.

        One of the ironies with Duke Nukem Forever is that many reviews basically said that the game was outdated, belongs to 1997, yada yada. The thing is that the reasons that DNF ended up being a lemon is because it actually incorporated the Halo-style combat, linear levels & similar stuff... so the game just felt like reskinned Halo instead of a Duke Nukem game. :(

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      2. Silverburn
        Reply Icon
        Happy

        Re: Meh.

        Neither was creeping around a level in Doom on 9% health trying to find a health pack

        Pfft - ya big Jessie. Come back when you can do the boss level on 3%...

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    2. auburnman
      Reply Icon

      Re: Meh.

      > two weapon limit, regenerating health,

      It's not a bad system in and of itself, it's the industry doing it to death and being too god-damned afraid to try anything else that has induced the current yawn fest. Keep in mind, back in the day the two weapon health regen system WAS something new. It's also the fault of gamers (myself included sometimes I admit) for lapping it up while really good shooters that try something new wither on the vine (like the surprisingly good Bulletstorm which died an undignified death.)

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      1. Belardi
        Reply Icon

        Re: Meh.

        So what you are saying, is that you are a bad player...?

        Meh... you can run out of ammo with two weapons and have the same problem.

        0 0
  2. Bob Vistakin

    Windows - now that *is* a name from the past...

    Thanks for the reminder - it's always fascinating taking a trip down memory lane. Also, few people outside Redmond are aware Microsoft once attempted to break into the mobile market, but unfortunately failed miserably, so this historical footnote is also of minor interest too.

    21 12
    1. JDX Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Windows - now that *is* a name from the past...

      I wouldn't quit your day job for the comedy career Bob.

      Just imagine, a Vistakin-Eadon double act... who would play the straight man?

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      1. Thomas 4
        Reply Icon
        Trollface

        Re: Windows - now that *is* a name from the past...

        Who would be the audience?

        1 1
  3. The_Regulator

    I was wondering how long it would take for a few people to post some comments like the first 2 here. Obviously not long is the answer to that question.

    Considering how many fans of Halo there are out there this is a nice move by Microsoft. I know a lot of people purchased the xbox/360 just because of Halo, not saying it will do the same for WP but I like the fact that some things are starting to develop where the platform is going to have some cool selling points vs just ease of use and UI.

    4 14
    1. Nick Ryan Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      The thing is, compared to contemporary PC games at the time of each release, Halo has always been found wanting. The less than optimal controls are fine for a console but poor in comparison to the PC FPS gamers' choice of mouse and keyboard. The game itself was unremarkable compared to the features, visuals and gameplay or the PC FPS games that arrived at the same time and the conversion attempts of Halo from XBOX to PC really only served to highlight the gulf in quality. It's not helped that XBOX hardware was static and PC hardware always moved on but that's the nature of console game design and development.

      Not that Halo isn't a fun game, it's polished enough so that it is good fun to grab some friends and shoot them, or even shoot with them! But compared to similar games it's nothing special so it's cult following on the XBOX does tend to leave PC gamers with bemused expressions.

      3 1
  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Well that Game will certainly help sell a few more phones........

    A contradiction or a paradox?

    1 1
  5. Tristan Young
    FAIL

    F**K IT. Halo isn't worth it. I'd rather just give up computers and gaming than be coerced into running Windows 8.

    13 8
    1. Elmer Phud
      Reply Icon
      WTF?

      Sure about that?

      " I'd rather just give up computers and gaming"

      Liar, just plain liar.

      4 7
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    The really important question though...

    Is if this Halo version is eventually going to be a patience and spider solitaire replacement...

    0 0
    1. Anonymous Custard
      Reply Icon
      Joke

      Re: The really important question though...

      Nah, minesweeper replacement. Except every square will blow up in your face...

      5 0
  7. MACWINLINO
    Meh

    HALO OMG OMG OMG

    I used to be the hugest HALO fan ever!

    However I don't think this game will have the desired affect. I feel that gamers have moved on from HALO I think this move MS should have done 18 months ago.

    Only time will tell

    2 0
  8. hplasm
    Meh

    Also meh.

    What next? A free hat?

    2 2
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Also meh.

      I'm holding out for them to pay ME to use Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

      Shouldn't be that much longer. I see the Windows Phone US marketshare dropped again last quarter (now less than 3%)

      4 5
    2. Anonymous Custard
      Reply Icon
      Joke

      Re: Also meh.

      What next? A free hat?

      Round, pointed and with a D on it?

      2 0
  9. JDX Gold badge

    Good idea

    I'm not a fan but this is surely exactly the right kind of thing to do to get interest in the platform, over empty marketing gobblespeak. WP at least is a good platform, the major criticism is lack of apps for those who like apps, so some exclusives could be sensible.

    2 2
  10. Gordon Pryra

    Well thats it then

    Time to move to Windows 8!!!!

    Oh hang on, I would rather eat the cheese between my toes.

    Anyway, just how good can a FPS be on a touch screen?

    6 3
    1. JDX Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Well thats it then

      It's not a FPS.

      2 2
  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Teen. Blood. Violence

    First thing I saw when I de-activated my flash blockers.

    Microsoft, give us mooooooore!

    1 0
  12. Avatar of They
    FAIL

    Sigh... Is that desparation I smell?

    Ahhhhhh Vista again is it? They tried to con you with Halo 2, with the really cool play while you install feature that has never been done again, evet. But the problem with MS is they then change their frikkin minds and realise the cash cow is xbox. So halo 3 didn't come out on the PC, or ODST or any other money churning clones. Thus losing the reason you bought it in the first place.

    Definitely nothing to see here as you won't get the next one, which WILL be xbox ONE only (we all know MS are gearing up for a flagship game from something that sells to the yanks). Not that the next one will be any better because the game is old and well past it's sell by date.

    6 3
  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Halo 3 versus Halo 4...

    I throw on Halo local split-screen when my friends want a break from Driving games or COD FPS! The Halo weapons are daft, you need a Banshee to do real damage. The desert maps of Halo 3 were pretty. But what's new about Halo 4? An asteroid map... Ok, fine but there's little else and no desert maps. Plus you need to swap the discs which is a pain IMHO.

    0 2
  14. Blatantly Obvious

    Epic Fail

    Well, like many others I've been steering well clear of Windows 8. Quite frankly it's horrible.

    Halo isn't a bad series though - might be tempted to grab a new title, but DILEMMA! Do I update WIndows or ditch Halo as well?

    Quite simple. I'll not be buying Halo either. Great work Microsoft. You've managed to try and force upon the public a piece of garbage they don't want, only to have it rejected by the majority. Now you're about to blow your own game sales in the same manner.

    Someone needs firing and replacing with someone who hasn't lost touch with reality I suspect.

    5 4
    1. Pookietoo
      Reply Icon

      Re: DILEMMA! Do I update WIndows or ditch Halo as well?

      Just wait for the Windows 7 crack. :-)

      0 0
  15. Grogan Silver badge

    They tried that with Halo 2 and Vista... and the game was total crap. I bought it, expecting some nice graphics taking advantage of DirectX 10 but all I got was a shitty console port (an original Xbox game), with retarded bugs, that looked like Hell and had terrible performance for the poor quality of graphics. Cripes, I had an Nvidia 8800 GTX and that game felt like trying to piss kidney stones through a priapism.

    It takes a lot more than that to save monstrosities like Vista and abominations like Windows 8.

    4 2
  16. CommanderGalaxian
    FAIL

    Off to play M.A.M.E.

    It'll appeal to somebody. Certainly won't be gamers. Jog on Microsoft.

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  17. Stiggy
    Coat

    The plot...

    Master Chief goes in search of the missing Start menu.

    3 0
  18. Belardi

    So... MS took a basic top-down shooter game, apply some HALO character graphics, shove a "story" between levels.... and called it "HALO"?! This is not a HALO game. Its marketing crap.

    Wow, a crappy game for their crappy phones and "desktop" OS. Meanwhile, in the land of iOS and Android, we have real FPS games that have graphics better than HALO 2.

    1 1
  19. h3

    If they get really desperate they always have the option of adding an xbox sandbox to Windows 8.

    That would get loads of people on it straight away if they could play a game on xbox or windows 8.

    There is no decent FPS games on iOS or Android. Not really. Maybe there is some ports.

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