Halo: Spartan Assault released for Xbox One with top-down fury

This week the next Halo title has appeared for Xbox One – the first Halo title for the console – and it's a top-down shooter. While we're sure the most massive cross-section of gamers will be digging their fingernails into their kneecaps in anticipation of the next first-person shooter with Halo on its box, this will have to do for the moment. Developed by Vanguard Games and published by Microsoft Studios, this game also functions as a multi-player online battle arena title – blast away!

Inside this game you'll have a bird's eye view of the action as you control warriors rolling through massively dangerous terrain. The gameplay in this title release takes place between the storyline in Halo 3 and that of Halo 4. Here you'll be working your way through over 30 Campaign missions with a variety of Halo weapons, armor, and vehicles galore.

This game will work in single-player mode, but it's the brand new online co-op multiplayer mode that you'll be calling home to mother about. This mode is only available in the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of Halo: Spartan Assault. You'll also find this game released for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 as well – aka it's a Microsoft exclusive, top to bottom.

WHAT YOU'LL FIND ONLY ON XBOX ONE AND XBOX 360

• Play longer than ever in a new online Co-op mode, and watch each other's backs with all-new Co-op missions

• Engage in Operation Hydra, the expansion from the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 game that brings mystery and a chilling addition to the single player Campaign

• Wage war against a persistent and overwhelming enemy – encounter the Flood for the first time in Halo: Spartan Assault

• Go in strong with an expanded arsenal that brings you more weapons, more armor abilities, and more upgrades – it's the ultimate Spartan Assault experience!

This release comes to Xbox One with a rather inexpensive price tag attached – compared to the rest of the Xbox One collection of games out today, that is – at $14.99 USD. Sized at a cool 2.53GB, this game has literally just been released in the past 24 hours on this particular console. Jump in on the game you've been playing in tiny mode for several months on Windows Phone 8 here, on your HDTV screen!