Twokinds ARCHIVE Forums

That's right, folks - the classic Marathon series has finally hit Xbox Live Arcade. Fans of Halo should definately check this out, and current fans of the series should take a look with them (I know you're here).

Oh, and Doom lovers might just like it too. ;)

Me? Just finished downloading it there. Old skool Oddball, here I come! :twisted:

Oh man, I wish I had an Xbox. The screenshots look awesome. Anyway, I agree with Particle Ghost, go play this thing, now. :wink:

Marahton was good for it's time, but i doubt it will hold my attention for very long now.

Feh. There's been a Marathon project that runs on Linux, Windows, etc. I think it's called Aleph One. Not completely sure on the details but I at least know it's Marathon.

I'm aware of Aleph One.

Still, I'd sooner drown myself in a pool of sulphuric acid before I play any games on my laptop.

I can say that after playing Durandal for a good while now that it's certainly slower paced and more intellectual than Doom. Certain maps are almost akin to mazes at times and dark, meaning enemies often get the jump on you and cause mild suprise (don't you judge me!) and you'll often come across hurdles in the game that require some thought. I'll admit though, there have been times of fruitless play that have made me lose interest - this is especially true of the more maze-like levels, and the maps that have simple solutions in often frustrating to find places. However, working out problems and finding your way to the next level can be more rewarding than Doom's simple run-and-gun-and-repaeat scenarios.
The weapons and their behaviors are vastly entertaining too; for example, the Assault Rifle can rain a hail of bullets down on enemies, but this is balanced out by it's scatter-shot inaccuracy at long ranges. Not only that, you'll find that most of the weapons in the game have their own unique secondary functions like a charged shot (Phase Pistol) or grenade launcher (Assault Rifle). This all goes without mentioning dual-wielding.
The plot (yes, it has one) is played out in written form via terminals you find at the start and end of each level, most of them fashioned by an AI called Durandal. And yeah, they're pretty entertaining, so read 'em. :wink:
Not tried out the multiplayer fully yet, but I'll probably get stuck into that once I complete the single player game...