Marathon is a first-person shooter video game with a science fiction theme developed and published by Bungie and released in December 1994. Although Marathon features action-heavy, first-person shooter gameplay similar to Doom and other contemporaries, the game is renowned for having an intricate story line that is also an essential element of its gameplay whereas most similar games devote minimal attention to plot for the sake of faster, simpler, more action-oriented gameplay. In addition to a single-player scenario with a rich plot, Marathon also features a multiplayer deathmatch mode through which up to eight players on separate machines on the same computer network can compete against each other individually or on teams.
Marathon is unique among contemporary first-person shooter games for its particularly rich (science fiction) plot. The plot of the story is primarily revealed to the player by means of the numerous computer terminals accessed throughout the course of the game. These terminals relay information such as crew logs, maintenance documents, historical accounts, and stories, but their primary function is to allow the player to interface with three artificial intelligences (AIs), who provide the player with information about his current mission at any given point in the game and teleport him out of a level when his mission is complete.
The game takes place in outer space in the year 2794. The player is in the role of a nameless security officer stationed on the UESC Marathon, a multi-generational colony spacecraft built by hollowing out Deimos, one of Mars' two moons. The Marathon has arrived in the Tau Ceti solar system and is supporting the colonization effort of one of the planets, Tau Ceti IV. The game starts with the player making his way to the Marathon on the shuttle Mirata when an alien ship appears and attacks the system. He survives by ejecting seconds before the explosion of the Mirata, and hours later, his officer's escape pod then reaches one of the Marathon docking bays.
There are three AIs aboard the Marathon, each in command of some aspect of ship operations. All of them are under informational attack by the aliens, after being hit by an electromagnetic pulse from the alien ship. As the game begins, only one of the three AIs, Leela, is still fully functional.
You are far in the future on a colony ship deep in outer space. A security officer on the mission, you are the last hope for defending the ship as hostile and intelligent aliens prepare to destroy every living thing…
Fresh from your triumph on the starship Marathon, you are seized by the rogue computer Durandal to do his bidding in a distant part of the galaxy. Within the ruins of an ancient civilization, you must seek the remnants of a lost clan and uncover their long-buried secrets. Battle opponents ancient and terrible, with sophisticated weapons and devious strategies, all the while struggling to escape the alien nightmare...
Marathon Infinity takes the closed universe of the Marathon series and blows it wide open. This multi-faceted product begins with "Blood Tides of Lh'owon," a new 20-level scenario sporting new textures, weapons, and aliens. More than that, the scenario sheds a surprising new light on the story's characters and the meaning of events. Having defeated the Pfhor and reawakening the ancient remnants of the S'pht, the player now faces a world where friends become enemies and all is not what it seems...
There are two sequels to Marathon, Marathon 2: Durandal, and Marathon Infinity, the latter (in my opinion) the best one. It has one of the best first-person shooter plots out there, and compared to Bungie's other work (Halo) I think this one is superior. It's fun, old-school, but doesn't comprise gameplay for story, or vice versa. There are mods that add additional story to the plot, two taking place after Marathon Infinity, Marathon Eternal and Marathon Rubicon (X). It was one of the first first person shooters to have dual-wielding and magazines. The soundtrack is amazing, and the atmosphere great. There were some genuinely chilling moments in this game.
The game is free on the
Aleph One site, download the main application, then the game files (for a mod, Marathon 1-2, or Infinity) It is completely legal, and if you want the original one, not a modern port, they have the download links up at the Bungie website.
