Halo: Spartan Assault is a simple retro game, presumably created to stoke and maintain interest in the sprawling franchise. The story is told as a recap and training exercise, as you retrace the steps of a military campaign. There are recognisable characters, scenarios and vehicles, and much of the score and many sound effects will be familiar. Despite moving from first-person shooter to third-person topdown, many of the controls are identical to the traditional Halo games. The play is relatively basic and it takes a while to come alive, but it really kicks in when you manage to commandeer vehicles and coax enemies to fire at one another. (The online co-operative multiplayer is welcome.) It all feels rushed in parts – why no in-game tutorials, for example? But the basic shoot-'em-up mechanics work well, and the levels are nice and short. halowaypoint.com