Halo: Spartan Strike Launches Today … and Goes Cross-Platform

Today’s launch of Halo: Spartan Strike marks the first time since the original Halo that a Halo game has been available on a non-Windows platform: In addition to shipping the game on Windows, Windows Phone, and Steam (Windows), Microsoft is also making Halo: Spartan Assault available on iPhone and iPad too.

Collected yourself? OK, let’s move.

Like its predecessor, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo: Spartan Strike—where do they come up with these names?—is a top-down shooter, and not a first person shooter like the AAA Halo titles that have only shipped on Xbox since Halo 3 in 2007. And like its predecessor, Halo: Spartan Strike is fairly inexpensive at $6, especially if you stick within the Windows ecosystem, since a purchase on Windows means you get the Windows Phone version for free (and vice versa).

What’s changed is that this game—and its predecessor—are now available on iPhone and iPad. You can get them individually—Halo: Spartan Assault and Halo: Spartan Strike are $6 each—or in a $10 app bundle (which saves some money). Also new: The (“big”) Windows version of the game is available on Steam, the rival PC-based game service.

Microsoft notes that Halo: Spartan Strike features improved touch controls and updated graphics, 30 missions, and an all new arsenal of weapons, abilities and vehicles.

It’s almost like Microsoft is trying to get us to move to iPhone. Nah.