Marathon - Previous Installments Available for Free
With the announcement of a new Marathon game, it is worth revisiting previous installments of the series from Bungie, especially since their improved versions are available for free.
Presentation of Marathon during the PlayStation Showcase presentation evoked mixed feelings. On the one hand, Bungie's return to its classic brand is welcome. On the other - it's a PvP shooter, and despite the developers' assurances, we're unlikely to expect an elaborate storyline, which has been a hallmark of the series so far.
However, we hope that Bungie will surprise us and the studio will manage to deliver an interesting story through a multiplayer game. While waiting for the result of the team's work, it is worth revisiting the three previous installments of the series, which can be played in enhanced form for free on PC.
- Marathon - download the game
- Marathon 2: Durandal - download the game
- Marathon Infinity - download the game
Fan group Aleph One is responsible for the refreshed version of the trilogy. They were able to release these projects as standalone free games, since Bungie long ago made the series available as open source.
Classics in refreshed form
The Marathon trilogy was released between 1994 and 1996, and the series was developed for the Mac and only two lived to see an official PC port. Therefore, these fan remasters enabled PC gamers to discover the entire series.
The series is an important piece of the history of the FPS genre - at the time of the first installment's release, it was a rare case of an FPP shooter with a developed storyline. Many of the classic elements from the series about Master Chief's adventures, such as an AI going insane after a few years, come from Marathon.
Fan remasters not only recreate all the content of the original, but also heavily upgrade this game. Graphics have been improved, support for high resolutions (including widescreen) has been added, and mouse and keyboard controls have been implemented. Mod creation has also been made easier, resulting in a new wave of fan-made mods - one of the best is the extensive new campaign called Apotheosis X.
