Mac
68040 Macintosh Computer or compatible
8-bit (256) color 13\' monitor
System 7.0
4 MB RAM
CD-Rom
Accelerated for Power Macintosh
Supports LocalTalk and Ethernet
(Aleph One also supports IP networking and OpenGL rendering)
PC
486/66 cpu or faster
8 MB RAM
2X CD-Rom
Windows 95
(Aleph One SDL supports IP and OpenGL)
Overview
Marathon can be considered the Mac equivalent of Doom. However, it is in many ways superior to Doom, with a much better storyline, high-res graphics (for its time), better engine and editing tools, and a vast complex storyline that even today fans puzzle over. In fact many people believe Marathon is somehow related to Halo, indeed the two are very similar (they were after all made by Bungie).
Bungie does not sell Marathon anymore, however usually you can find it on eBay. Originally only Marathon 2 was ported to the pc, however Bungie recently released the source code, allowing programmers to make Aleph One, a free cross-platform Marathon engine. Which means that, with a little effort, you buy Marathon for the Mac and convert the data files into pc format for Aleph to read. Many mods also exist for Marathon, most of which expand upon the Marathon story. These also can be downloaded and converted for Aleph to read. Lastly, Bungie allowed the remake of Marathon 1 for free distribution, so you can download it in pc format.
Graphics
Of course the graphics in Marathon are way outdated, they are similar to Doom\'s 2.5d psuedo-3d type. However they are much more clear and realistic looking. The textures in Marathon Infinity are pretty cool.
Sound/Music
Again, these are good for their time. The tracks in Marathon 1 added a lot to the eerie feel of the game. The music was replaced by ambient sound in Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity, but the theme songs were very cool.
Game Play
Very common fps, run around, shoot, kill, push buttons, recharge health, etc.. Most of the game\'s storyline is absorbed through various computer terminals throughout the levels. Through these Durandal, Leela, and other AIs give you instructions and rant in general. The game is saved through \'pattern buffers\' in the levels as well, sorry no instant save. The fighting is quite intense at times, the weapons are average but fun, enemies imaginative. The gameplay is pretty linear, except in Marathon Infinity in which certain parts are skipped or redone depending on the player\'s choices. Replay value is quite high (unlike some other games that have come out in recent history...)
There is internet support for multiplayer in Aleph One, (the originals only have LAN), with modes such as King of the Hill, Kill the Guy with the Ball, Every Man for Himself, etc.. There is about 10 multiplayer maps per game. I haven\'t played it that much to critique it, but I hear it is extremely addictive.
300 years ago, the interstellar ship Marathon was sent from earth to colonize Tau Ceti. The ship arrived and the colony was planted. After seven years, disaster struck.
The Marathon and colony was attacked by a vicious race of alien slavers called the Pfhor. They bombed the spaceport and invaded the ship killing all who resisted and taking prisoners. You were a lone security officer returning to the Marathon from the planet when the invasion began. The aliens had hit the ship with a magnetic weapon to damage all computer systems. One of the three AIs, Durandal was severely damaged, causing him to go insane. Another, Leela, was partially hit but still functioning. The third was supposedly destroyed. With some difficulty you docked with the Marathon and began the long battle...
Marathon 2
After the defeat of the Pfhor at Tau Ceti by the one-man army, namely you, Durandal stole the alien\'s ship and high-tailed it out of Tau Ceti, grabbing you and a freed group of cyborg aliens previously enslaved to the Pfhor, called S\'pht. He began to search for their lost homeworld, Lh\'owon, which was defeated by the Pfhor a millennium ago. When he found it, the Pfhor were waiting for him. Unfortunately for them, Durandal had been making some adjustments to the ship and rather quickly defeated their small fleet. He then woke you from cold sleep and sent you to the planet below to search for a means to contact a long lost clan of the S\'pht which were supposedly extremely advanced.
Marathon Infinity
The nova of Lh\'owon\'s sun released a massive beast from its prison in the sun. It wreaked havoc on time and space, causing all kinds of alternate timelines and realities. You now must find a way to stop the sun from ever being destroyed, and must fight not only the Pfhor but your own nightmares...
Content
Marathon is pretty clean, a few d*mns here and there but other than that nothing much. There is gore similar to Wolfenstien 3d\'s, but most of it is alien. There of course is fighting and violence. No sexual problems, except for this one terminal that has a picture of colonists undressing (to avoid being mistaken for a kama kazi drone built by the Pfhor that wears the same uniform), but no private areas shown.
Where to get it
Copies of Marathon can be found quite often on eBay, and the Aleph One SDL (pc version) engine and mods and maps for the pc can be found here; orbitalarm.bungie.org
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