Halo: Spartan Assault Comes to Xbox One on Dec. 24

When it released on Windows 8 devices and Windows Phone 8 earlier this year, “Halo: Spartan Assault” was greeted by Halo fans with open arms. The twin stick shooter was lauded by critics and players alike for presenting a game that looked and sounded just as great as the Halo games of old while providing a top-down experience that had never been seen in the series. In fact, the only thing that was missing was the ability to play the game on your console.

That all changes on December 24 when a new and improved “Halo: Spartan Assault” comes to Xbox One via a digital download priced at $14.99. Not only will the game look gorgeous on the Xbox One thanks to its native 1080p resolution and smooth 60 fps frame rate, it will also feature a brand-new cooperative mode, new weapons, and the inclusion of the “Operation Hydra” add-on.

Best of all, fans that have purchased “Halo: Spartan Assault” for Windows 8 devices or Windows Phone 8 to date or purchase prior to December 15, 2013, will be eligible to purchase the Xbox One version of the game at the discounted price of $4.99. And don’t worry, Xbox 360 owners: “Halo: Spartan Assault” will be available on your console in January 2014.

To find out a bit more about “Halo: Spartan Assault” for Xbox One, we chatted with Executive Producer Dan Ayoub from 343 Industries about everything from the new co-op mode to his personal weapon of choice.

For the uninitiated, could you tell us a bit about what’s been added to the Xbox One version of “Halo: Spartan Assault?”

Dan Ayoub: We’re really excited about the Xbox One version of “Spartan Assault,” as this came to be due to strong demand from the fan base. The Xbox One version will feature all of the modes and content from the original mobile version (optimized for your console), including the “Operation Hydra” add-on. In addition, we are introducing a new co-op mode that will allow players to play together in some pretty frantic gameplay versus an old enemy.

How exactly will the new co-op mode work?

Dan Ayoub: Co-op will work through Xbox Live and will allow you to play with a friend. We wanted to do something completely new for the game that featured really crazy action against waves of enemies. For this reason, we’re putting you up against the Flood! Players will work together against huge waves of enemies bearing down on them. The mode is heavily focused on teamwork and victory can only be attained by working together. Co-op is a ridiculous amount of fun, and people in early testing have really enjoyed playing it.

Did you have to overcome any particular challenges in bringing the game to Xbox One?

Dan Ayoub: Probably the most interesting challenge was to adapt gameplay that was originally conceived for a very different form factor. We didn’t just want to do a straight port to Xbox One, so we had to rethink things like controls and pacing that to make …read more