MARATHON Reveal Trailer (Gaming)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, May 25, 2023, 06:55 (335 days ago) @ cheapLEY

Marathon is a game that just cannot exist in the current gaming landscape. ANY Marathon game would have to be a departure from what the series was.

Say more. What makes you think that?

It's not a knock against the game, it's that its design, sensibilities, and presentation were more appropriate for a time when hardware was limited.

There are zero NPCs, and 99% of the story is conveyed through text terminals. There is no ability to script sequences, and cutscenes are limited to static chapter images. The level design was often… unique and unrefined. You'd be stuck wandering around frequently, with zero hints, waypoints, or reminders on what to do. Some solutions even defied physics (Swimming up from the starting area in M2's Kill your Television for example). With fully 3D engines none of those tricks can surprise you anymore. Secrets were still a thing where finding an ammo cache was satisfying.

I would describe the experience as 'lonely', but not in the sense where you're uncovering and exploring a world.