Lock and load, soldier - N.O.V.A. deployed on iPhone

It's time to sync up your handsets boys and girls because N.O.V.A. - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance has arrived.

Gameloft's stunning first-person shooter comes to the App Store with a full regiment of single player missions following the efforts of former space marine Kal Wardin to stop an alien plot to destroy humanity.

Originally, the campaign was expected to include 10 missions; however, a last-minute change resulted in the 3 longest missions being sliced in half to make a baker's dozen.

If it sounds familiar, you're not alone in drawing comparisons between N.O.V.A. and console classic Halo: Combat Evolved.

The former has come under fire in recent weeks for playing up the similarities, which crested with the release of a video showing off scenarios not unlike those in Microsoft's epic.

No worries because N.O.V.A. aspires to the same high quality. One look at the graphics should be enough to convince anyone of that.

Local and online multiplayer modes also aim to round out a console-quality experience.