Halo There! Spartan Strike Announced

"Everywhere I'm looking now / I'm surrounded by your embrace," sang Beyoncé. "Baby, I can see your Halo / You know you're my saving grace." The idea that one can fix and understood another's intent is of course absurd, but I still can't help but feel she's referring to love rather than Microsoft's mega-franchise. Halo is flipping everywhere, though. It's going to be on PC a bit more too, though not in any substantial way.

Microsoft yesterday announced Halo: Spartan Strike, a follow-up to twin-stick shooter Spartan Assault. It's got more things to shoot, and more things to shoot them with.

Additions to Spartan Strike's arsenal include that iconic green car the Halomobile, a VTOL ship, a Binary Rifle that floods an enemy's inbox with spam, and new armour abilities like proximity mines and a bubble shield. You'll blow new things up real good, in short, as it adds Halo 4's naughty robots the Prometheans as enemies. Story-wise, it's about some people in a computer simulation. Good-o.

It's a little silly that Microsoft are still faffing about with twin-stick shooters when what Master Chef fans (dishwashers, they call themselves) really want is The Master Chef Collection, a compilation with fancied-up versions of the first four Halos. So far Microsoft have only announced that for Xbox One but surely, right? Right? Spartan Strike even unlocks vanity gubbins in Master Chef Collection.

Spartan Strike is due December 12th on the Windows Store and Steam, priced at $5.99. Spartan Strike was for Windows 7 as well as 8, on Steam anyway, so I assume this is too.