Welcome

[StrelokATP]

Hello, everyone. I’ve started playing Marathon recently. I enjoy Bungie’s later work, but I also enjoy the open and exploration-focused style of older shooters, and Marathon seems to have aged better than many of its peers. You still have blocky architecture, but there are allied NPCs, rooms (sort of) stacked on top of each other, mission objectives beyond collecting keycards, and even a motion tracker similar to the one from Halo.

The story is much more developed than the original Doom or Quake, and I greatly appreciate that. It offers purpose and immersion beyond merely gunning everything down, although you still do, and it’s easier for me to sit through long, open-ended mazes when they’re connected to a greater struggle. I’ve only completed the first game so far, but I plan to finish Marathon II by Friday, and I’ll start Infinity afterward. I would have completed all three by now, but my character spins wildly when I run the games with a mouse on my laptop, making proper aim nearly impossible. Fortunately, I have access to several other computers.

I’m studying programming and web design this year, and I’ve decided to create a website about Marathon and the Aleph One engine for my final project. It’s a class assignment, but we own the rights after we finish, so I’ll keep it running if it turns out well.

[Meerjel01]

Welcome aboard!

[Flowers]

I’ve only completed the first game so far, but I plan to finish Marathon II by Friday, and I’ll start Infinity afterward.

Not sure what the general consensus is around here but in my opinion M2 is easily the best game in the series. Infinity was more fun on my first run through but on subsequent playthroughs some levels can be a bit tedious at times, while M2 has never lost any of its appeal for me.

[StrelokATP]

I’ve only completed the first game so far, but I plan to finish Marathon II by Friday, and I’ll start Infinity afterward.

Not sure what the general consensus is around here but in my opinion M2 is easily the best game in the series. Infinity was more fun on my first run through but on subsequent playthroughs some levels can be a bit tedious at times, while M2 has never lost any of its appeal for me.

I’m enjoying M2 quite a bit so far. The levels are more open and vibrant than the first game, and it’s interesting to see Durandal become less insane as the series progresses. I still wouldn’t call him benevolent, but a lot of crazy/evil AI characters don’t change very much. I suppose if I was as advanced as him, I’d look down on humanity too, particularly after being created by them and forced to operate doors and perform other tasks below my potential. I’m stuck on the underwater portion of Ex Cathedra right now. Excellent level, but those chokepoints are brutal.

[philtron]

Welcome aboard Strelok. Glad you're enjoying these old games. As opposed to Flowers, I actually prefer Marathon Infinity and even the tedious levels I enjoy because of how creative and interesting they are to me.