'Halo' is finally on your iPhone
But wait! Don't get too excited: This isn't the "Halo" game you're used to, with a first-person view of iconic supersoldier "Master Chief" cutting down alien hordes.
Instead, it's two spinoff games previously available on Windows Phone and PC - "Halo: Spartan Strike" and "Halo: Spartan Assault" - finally arriving on the iPhone.
The games arrived on April 16, and are currently available as a $10 bundle. They otherwise cost $6 apiece.
Rather than focus on the lore of "Halo," or on the style of gameplay the "Halo" franchise is known for, the games feature an overhead perspective. You get a bird's eye view of the battlefield where your main character, a "Spartan" supersoldier, takes on gaggles of enemy aliens.
It looks like this:
Make no mistake: This is a "Halo" game in theme and style, but in no other way. It's more like classic arcade game "Robotron: 2084." And that's not a bad thing!
Holding your phone or tablet sideways, one thumb in the lower left corner controls character movement and one thumb in the lower right controls where you're shooting. That's largely the extent of what you can do in "Halo"; it's a bite-sized version of the world you know and love, but none of the depth of "Halo" gameplay you've come to expect from the franchise.
Move your Spartan around in worlds plucked from the main franchise "Halo" games while shooting iconic guns at the usual mix of Covenant alien forces.
Fans of the series will find lots to love: beautifully detailed environments, a mess of recognizable weaponry and vehicles, and a focus on quick bursts of fun. It's that last bit that's most evocative of the "Halo" console franchise: 30-second snippets of varied combat that remind you exactly why you're playing "Halo" and not, well, "Robotron: 2084."