Halo: Spartan Assault

Halo: Spartan Assault is an upcoming isometric shooter video game developed by Vanguard Games in collaboration with 343 Industries; it is the eighth game in the Halo series. Spartan Assault is designed for Microsoft Windows 8 (with support for both PC and tablets), as well as Windows Phone 8. Set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4, the game will feature 25 missions that tell the story of the SPARTAN-IV Program's earliest operations. The game went by the codename "Bootcamp" prior to its official announcement.

Plot summary
Set sometime between March 2553 and July 2557, Halo: Spartan Assault explores the SPARTAN-IVs' first Spartan Ops during the Battle of Draetheus V. This battle is part of the second war between the UNSC and the remnants of the Covenant, which is still being waged during the events of Halo 4. The story unfolds through a historical computer simulation which the SPARTAN-IVs use for combat analysis and training, much like Halo 4 ' s War Games mode; this framing structure likely explains some of the game's arcade-like elements, such as weapons' ability to fire continuously.

The campaign has two protagonists, Commander Sarah Palmer and Spartan Davis, whose first meeting will be depicted in the Halo: Initiation limited comic series. Rather than the in-engine cutscenes used in most Halo games, Spartan Assault will instead make use of motion comic-style animations between missions, much like the terminals in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 4.

Control input
As a "twin-stick" top-down shooter title, Halo: Spartan Assault is developed primarily for touchscreen platforms. The default controls for the game use some of the common control mechanics of touchscreen games: the movement control is located on the left screen whereas the aiming and firing control is located on the right. Halo ' s staple abilities, (such as grenade with a single button and using vehicles seamlessly), are readily accessible to the player and are placed next to the aiming and firing controls for ease of use.

On Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the game can also be played with a mouse and keyboard. Keyboard controls use a standard shooter format: the "WASD" key group controls movement and the mouse is for aiming and firing. An update will be applied to the game following its release which would enable the use of an Xbox 360 controller.

Player loadout
Players will be able to customize their Spartan character's primary and secondary weapon loadout, armor ability, and booster (akin to Halo 4 's a tactical packages and support upgrades) at the start of each mission.

UNSC

 * Davis
 * Lieutenant Elizabeth Kwan
 * Private Samantha Hass
 * Commander Sarah Palmer

Covenant

 * Jul 'Mdama''
 * Parg Vol

Equipment and technology

 * Hard light
 * Z-90 Photonic Coalescence Emitter/Aegis
 * M2705 Regenerative Kinetic Dispersal Field
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor
 * MJOLNIR [GEN2]
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Recruit
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/S variant
 * Overshield
 * Sangheili combat harness
 * Zealot variant
 * Warrior variant
 * Seeker Drone
 * Type-27 Responsive Holographic Form Emulator
 * Unggoy combat harness

Vehicles

 * UNSC
 * AV-14 Hornet
 * D77H-TCI Pelican
 * M313 Heavy Recovery Vehicle
 * M808 Main Battle Tank
 * M850 Main Battle Tank
 * M9 Main Anti-Aircraft Tank
 * Covenant
 * Type-25 Troop Carrier
 * Type-26 Assault Gun Carriage
 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-29 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun
 * Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform
 * Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Artillery
 * Type-52 Troop Carrier
 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-29 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun
 * Type-47 Ultra Heavy Assault Platform
 * Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Artillery
 * Type-52 Troop Carrier

Weapons

 * UNSC
 * MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System
 * BR85 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle
 * M395 Designated Marksman Rifle
 * M6H Personal Defense Weapon System
 * M45D Tactical Shotgun
 * M7/Caseless Submachine Gun
 * M247 General Purpose Machine Gun
 * M247T Medium Machine Gun
 * M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon
 * M363 Remote Projectile Detonator
 * M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle
 * M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenade
 * Sniper Rifle System 99-Series 5 Anti-Matériel
 * Covenant
 * Type-1 Antipersonnel grenade
 * Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword
 * Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Type-25 Grenade Launcher
 * Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher
 * Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved
 * Type-52 Special Applications Rifle

Location s

 * Draetheus system
 * Draetheus V

Organizations

 * Covenant remnant
 * United Earth Government
 * United Nations Space Command
 * Spartan
 * SPARTAN-IV Program

Species

 * Human
 * Kig-Yar
 * Jiralhanae
 * Sangheili
 * Unggoy
 * Yanme'e
 * Mgalekgolo

Integration features with Halo 4
The game is closely integrated with the player's experience in Halo 4 where players can unlock experience points, new achievements, and unique emblems for their Halo 4 account.