GLOBAL – Halo Waypoint is a Windows Phone companion app for Halo Reach on the Xbox 360. It’s not a game in itself but rather provides an extra level of interest and entertainment for the main event – getting back home and switching on your console.

The main screens above show one of the key features. The idea is that your Windows Phone can act as a link to your in-game character. It shows your rank in the game, your BPR (Battle Performance Ratio) and the all-important K/D ratio (kills to deaths – how many enemies you’re able to eliminate before succumbing yourself). Why do you need this on your phone? For bragging rights, we guess – this way you can prove your prowess to your friends and there’s nothing they can say against it. 

Alongside side this, further screens lead to an in-game encyclopedia and all the latest information about the game from the creator’s blog, the game’s forums, podcasts and tweets. 

We think that the final part of the app is the cleverest. This lets you pick a game type, a challenge (e.g. number of kills), a time limit and an amount. Then you can invite your buddies to see who can be the first to complete the goals. The app also maintains a record of your completed challenges.

Halo Waypoint is a free download from the Windows Phone Marketplace. We think it’s an interesting example of the way smartphones can link into your entertainment activities at a new level. Rather than creating a mini-version of the game, Microsoft Studios chose to create a new experience that significantly augments the console version. More of this please.

Check out our other four this week: app, music, video and ebook