Bungie's "Marathon" is finally making it to Steam.

Well, more precisely the AlephOne source-port is. Eventually. It's not
there yet. All we have so far is a store page for "Classic Marathon"
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2398450/Classic_Marathon/

"Marathon", of course, is Bungie's (of Halo fame) first FPS,
originally released to Macintosh. Released in December 1994 (two weeks
after Doom) it was, in some ways, mechanically superior to Id's
seminal classic. It ran at higher resolutions, had free-look, and
dynamic lighting. (But lest Mac-heads start feeling too superior, it
also ran far slower than Doom. Id prioritized speed over everything
else; Bungie focused on level design and features. Which makes for a
better game depends on what you want out of the game).

"Marathon" was well regarded for its visuals and - surprisingly - its
story, and it eventually spawned a whole trilogy of games. Years
later, it got ported to other platforms - including Windows - as
AlephOne, an open-source version of the game. Bungie made the assets
to their games freeware in the early 2000s, allowing anybody to play
it.

Still, getting the whole bundle working required a little bit of
effort, so having it on Steam and installable with a single-click is a
welcome change. No word on price (Steam says 'free' but since the game
can't actually be claimed there's no way to prove that's true yet)
but, even if it's not, the game will also be available from the Aleph
One website https://alephone.lhowon.org/

Apparently, Bungie is also working on a spin-off game too. However,
seeing as this is described as "a PVP Extraction Shooter" I'm not too
excited about it. The Marathon's trilogy was always best remembered
for its story and setting, and somehow I don't think you'll get the
same experience in a multiplayer-only game. Trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckI_m8bbXfw

I remember trying this game on my college dormitory roommate's Mac. I wasn't impressed. :(

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
> Bungie's "Marathon" is finally making it to Steam.

> Well, more precisely the AlephOne source-port is. Eventually. It's not
> there yet. All we have so far is a store page for "Classic Marathon"
> https://store.steampowered.com/app/2398450/Classic_Marathon/

> "Marathon", of course, is Bungie's (of Halo fame) first FPS,
> originally released to Macintosh. Released in December 1994 (two weeks
> after Doom) it was, in some ways, mechanically superior to Id's
> seminal classic. It ran at higher resolutions, had free-look, and
> dynamic lighting. (But lest Mac-heads start feeling too superior, it
> also ran far slower than Doom. Id prioritized speed over everything
> else; Bungie focused on level design and features. Which makes for a
> better game depends on what you want out of the game).

> "Marathon" was well regarded for its visuals and - surprisingly - its
> story, and it eventually spawned a whole trilogy of games. Years
> later, it got ported to other platforms - including Windows - as
> AlephOne, an open-source version of the game. Bungie made the assets
> to their games freeware in the early 2000s, allowing anybody to play
> it.

> Still, getting the whole bundle working required a little bit of
> effort, so having it on Steam and installable with a single-click is a
> welcome change. No word on price (Steam says 'free' but since the game
> can't actually be claimed there's no way to prove that's true yet)
> but, even if it's not, the game will also be available from the Aleph
> One website https://alephone.lhowon.org/

> Apparently, Bungie is also working on a spin-off game too. However,
> seeing as this is described as "a PVP Extraction Shooter" I'm not too
> excited about it. The Marathon's trilogy was always best remembered
> for its story and setting, and somehow I don't think you'll get the
> same experience in a multiplayer-only game. Trailer here:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckI_m8bbXfw

--
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On 3/18/2024 3:43 PM, Ant wrote:
> I remember trying this game on my college dormitory roommate's Mac. I wasn't impressed. :(
>
>
> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Bungie's "Marathon" is finally making it to Steam.
>
>> Well, more precisely the AlephOne source-port is. Eventually. It's not
>> there yet. All we have so far is a store page for "Classic Marathon"
>> https://store.steampowered.com/app/2398450/Classic_Marathon/
>
>> "Marathon", of course, is Bungie's (of Halo fame) first FPS,
>> originally released to Macintosh. Released in December 1994 (two weeks
>> after Doom) it was, in some ways, mechanically superior to Id's
>> seminal classic. It ran at higher resolutions, had free-look, and
>> dynamic lighting. (But lest Mac-heads start feeling too superior, it
>> also ran far slower than Doom. Id prioritized speed over everything
>> else; Bungie focused on level design and features. Which makes for a
>> better game depends on what you want out of the game).
>
>> "Marathon" was well regarded for its visuals and - surprisingly - its
>> story, and it eventually spawned a whole trilogy of games. Years
>> later, it got ported to other platforms - including Windows - as
>> AlephOne, an open-source version of the game. Bungie made the assets
>> to their games freeware in the early 2000s, allowing anybody to play
>> it.
>
>> Still, getting the whole bundle working required a little bit of
>> effort, so having it on Steam and installable with a single-click is a
>> welcome change. No word on price (Steam says 'free' but since the game
>> can't actually be claimed there's no way to prove that's true yet)
>> but, even if it's not, the game will also be available from the Aleph
>> One website https://alephone.lhowon.org/
>
>> Apparently, Bungie is also working on a spin-off game too. However,
>> seeing as this is described as "a PVP Extraction Shooter" I'm not too
>> excited about it. The Marathon's trilogy was always best remembered
>> for its story and setting, and somehow I don't think you'll get the
>> same experience in a multiplayer-only game. Trailer here:
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckI_m8bbXfw
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
the controls were difficult to use on pc using aleph one
maybe if they remastered the classics itd be different
but they are using marathon 2s engine for marathon
would have loved to see the original marathon 1 engine

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
On Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:43:34 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

>> Bungie's "Marathon" is finally making it to Steam.

>I remember trying this game on my college dormitory roommate's Mac. I wasn't impressed. :(

Honestly, neither was I. Then again, by the time I got a chance to
play it, games like "Half Life" had completely revolutionized the FPS
genre.

"Marathon" (and its sequels) are built around the old-school ideal of
maze-like levels through which you can only progress by finding
keycards or hidden buttons. Worse, unlike "Doom's" relatively small
and compact maps, "Marathon's" maps were sprawling. They just weren't
fun to explore, especially since - given the limited textures and
technology of the day - most of the rooms looked alike.

Even "Marathon's" strongest point - its story - worked to its
detriment, because too much of it was told via text through computer
access panels. I love a good sci-fi novel as much as the next person,
but reading it on a computer while also playing a fast-paced FPS? It's
not a good mix.

Honestly, if "Marathon" had appeared on the PC, or if it was made by a
no-name developer, I don't think it would be remembered. It just
wasn't /that/ good a game. But the fact that it was created by Bungie
and was one of the few technically outstanding games for Mac has given
the game more impact than its gameplay would otherwise deserve. Is it
terrible? No, not in the least (and God knows I'm all in favor of
giving older games another chance to shine!). But removed from its
legacy it would just be one of many average titles released from that
era: played, enjoyed, and ultimately forgotten.