I will be reviewing this game based on how it is for when it was made. Back in the day, these were cutting edge graphics, and it gives even me a nostalgic feeling. I didn't even live in the times where this was new, I was only 1 year old when this came out, but God is this a great game! It is free for download now, distributed as a "Licensed Freeware Game" by Bungie, meaning that Bungie re-released it as freeware. This game also sounds great, it has the creepy music, chittering aliens, and even the annoying dudes screaming "THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" Yes, it's annoying, but it's also great to hear the bullets flying out of the gun and hearing the annoying people scream as you shoot them so they shut up/get out of the way. But the gameplay, however, is where this little gem shines. I believe there's about 28 single player levels, all with increasing difficulty. You begin the game only with a little pea-shooter and your own two fists, but as you progress you can get things like a machine gun/grenade launcher, an energy pistol, a flamethrower, etc. It should remind most people of a little game called Halo, because this game influenced Halo a lot. The game is also thick with plot, with not only an alien invasion, but a corrupted computer that is trying to discover the meaning of the universe. Woops, spoiler, my bad, I won't say anymore. And the gameplay is oh so satisfying. You will be loving it even more every time you take down a mob of 20 so aliens. The variety of weapons, little secrets, and mod of this game make it not only impressive for its own time, but it makes it a great replay even in 2009. My only complaints are that it may be a bit hard for some people, but this can be solved by lowering the difficulty, and of course no level select, I mean what is with that? But luckily you can select a level with a cheat code. This game is a free downloadable from http://source.bungie.org/get/ and it is definitely worth checking out.
Hits: -Halo-esque gameplay -Great story (even by todays' standards) -Online play -It's free! -Sounds awesome -Um... did I mention it's free? -Satisfying gameplay -FREE! -Fits in your back pocket (literally, it has such low system requirnments that you can download it to a USB flash drive and pack it around from computer to computer, memory and all)
Misses: No level select? Really? Don't expect anyone to be online. Ever. Old-time look and feel may not be for everyone No way to jump
Long before Bungie was bought by Microsoft prior to the release of the Xbox and made into its own personal game studios, it was a small company that made games primarily for the Macintosh. That’s right, a Mac game devel... Read Full Review
In the history of gaming and common medias, we have milestones; they may bring something new to a genre or franchise, or improve upon an earlier concept. In this regard, that's what Marathon was-a milestone. One impo... Read Full Review
