Mac gaming staple 'Marathon' is being resurrected by Bungie and Sony

Posted:
in General Discussion edited May 2023
"Marathon" was originally released on Apple Macintosh in 1994, and on Wednesday, Bungie revealed that it's coming back to PS5 as a spiritual reboot.

Marathon is back and coming to PS5
'Marathon' is back and coming to PS5


The classic first-person shooter "Marathon" had a very early 3D gaming engine and let players move around in first-person similar to "Wolfenstein 3D." The original game series launched sequels, with a port called "Super Marathon" even launching on Apple's ill-fated Pippin console.

According to "Marathon" game director Christopher Barrett, this new game respects the original title's mythology, story, and themes. It isn't a sequel, but "certainly belongs in the same universe."

"It's our aim to create something incredible both for players who are completely new to the Marathon world and for those that have been waiting years for more stories in the Marathon universe," said Barrett. "You don't need to know anything about Marathon to understand or play this game, but if you do, we're making the experience with references and deep cuts you'll recognize."
There isn't a single-player campaign, and it's not clear if the Pfhor are returning. Instead, the game is built as a player-versus-player world that has persistent world-building. Players will have the chance to affect the world around them, discover new zones, and more that will remain intact for every match.

Bungie doesn't have a release window for the game, and the trailer was all CGI, with no gameplay. However, the creators promise this will feel like a Bungie game with rich world-building, lore, and an incredible feel of the weapons.

PlayStation's event had hardware too

Sony announced new accessories are coming to the PlayStation lineup later in 2023. They include a new Remote Play device and a set of earbuds.

Sony adds a Remote Play tablet and earbuds to its lineup
Sony adds a Remote Play tablet and earbuds to its lineup


The so-called "Project Q" resembles a tablet with controllers attached to the sides. It has an 8-inch HD display and all of the buttons and features of the DualSense controller.

It will enable users to remote play games via the dedicated hardware. It isn't clear how this experience will differ from using an iPad and a DualSense controller, but specialized hardware may help reduce latency.

The Playstation Earbuds feature lossless audio with low latency. They can connect to a smartphone too.

The earbuds are styled after the PS5 with white and black accents. The "new wireless technology" likely enables lossless audio but would likely be limited to PC and PS5 connections.

No pricing or availability was provided for this hardware.

Read on AppleInsider
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    So not actually returning to the Mac, iPad or iPhone but you can play on a phone sized screen embedded in their controller if you still have their latest hardware.


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 27
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,257member
    I’m feeling dizzy from the precipitous drop in enthusiasm from title to article.

    how cool would it have been to get a modernized Marathon exclusive to Mac 
    mattinozmichelb76entropyskurai_kagewatto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 3 of 27
    Well, frog blast the vent core! Also, was that a S'pht at 0:39 in the trailer?
    watto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 4 of 27
    What a let down.
    michelb76hammeroftruthwatto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 5 of 27
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member
    Marathon was an awesome game.  
    hammeroftruthwatto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 6 of 27
    anomeanome Posts: 1,533member
    A tad disappointed. I want something that includes all the lore and the story-telling (and less of the jiggle this control to move that platform that you have to run through the whole level to get to only to find out you didn't do it quite right, and have to go back and try again).

    Also a massive PVP arena is less appealing to me, although some aspects of an MMO are more appealing. I just don't like competing with 12 year olds who spend all their time camping and chasing down other players in packs.
    entropyshammeroftruthwatto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 7 of 27
    bestkeptsecretbestkeptsecret Posts: 4,265member
    Count me in as one of the posters thinking it was back on the Mac.
    jeffharriswatto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 8 of 27
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member
    Given that Sony own Bungie I don't know why anyone would expect it to be coming to the Mac.

    There is a Remote Play app for iOS though, so it may work through that.
    watto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 9 of 27
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member

    the trailer was all CGI, with no gameplay
    I don't think CGI means what you think it means.
    22july2013blastdoormichelb76watto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 10 of 27
    Aleph One - Marathon Open Source

    https://alephone.lhowon.org/
    hammeroftruthwatto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 11 of 27
    michelb76michelb76 Posts: 612member
    Sony needs it's Fortnite I guess. Would have been great to see Marathon return to the Mac, especially if the gun play was like Destiny. Can't imagine a game like that being released nowadays.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 27
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    Marathon was so far ahead of Wolfenstein 3D it is embarrassing to mention it. Ditto Doom! Which was the more often comparison. Marathon’s graphics and multiplayer were way ahead. And it had a complex story that unfolded level by level.

    If it just player vs player, that sounds like variations of marathon’s king of the hill tournaments. Some of them could go on forever.

    edited May 2023 hammeroftruthwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 27
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,243member
    If there is no single player campaign, then it’s not Marathon. 
    entropysjeffharriskurai_kagewatto_cobra9secondkox2
  • Reply 14 of 27
    jeffharrisjeffharris Posts: 776member
    Marathon always ran really really slowly on my Mac of the time. 
    A Mac IIcx, 20MB RAM with a SuperMac 24-bit graphics card.

    Too bad they’re not resurrecting a native Mac version.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 27
    hammeroftruthhammeroftruth Posts: 1,303member
    This is going to be interesting because a lot of Marathon’s soul went into Halo BEFORE Microsoft bought Bungie and fucked it up. It’s ironic because it appears they did that after Steve Jobs showed it during a Macworld keynote. I wonder if Microsoft will sue Sony if it’s just Halo for the PS. 

    Btw I still have all my Marathon CDs and Myth too. Loved Marathon’s intro music!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 27
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,336member
    mattinoz said:
    So not actually returning to the Mac, iPad or iPhone but you can play on a phone sized screen embedded in their controller if you still have their latest hardware.



    The screen is 8in on the Sony handheld. It's also made as a way to stream your personal collection from your PS5. If you use Sony's current remote play app you can access and play this game on your IOS devices granted you a PS3, PS4 or PS5 to stream from. I have played games from my PS5 on my 11in iPad and it works surprisingly well.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 27
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 582member
    The article only mentions PS5 but the website clearly says "marathon is currently in development for playstation 5, xbox series x/s, and pc with full cross play and cross save."
  • Reply 18 of 27
    Wesley HilliardWesley Hilliard Posts: 181member, administrator, moderator, editor
    chutzpah said:

    the trailer was all CGI, with no gameplay
    I don't think CGI means what you think it means.
    When discussing video games, saying something is "CGI" means it is fully pre-rendered video rather than generated with "in-game" graphics. It implies that the video we saw was akin to a movie rather than a video game demo running in engine.

    Sure, everything in a video game is technically "computer generated imagery," but in this case, CGI is used commonly in gaming lingo. At least, it has been for the last 20+ years, maybe it changed recently, and the kids call it something else.

    Please keep comments like these to yourself, as they add nothing to the conversation. I suggest reviewing the commenting guidelines found in the link at the bottom of any forum page.
    docno42
  • Reply 19 of 27
    sevenfeetsevenfeet Posts: 465member
    Back in 1992, I had the pleasure of eating dinner with the Bungie team at Macworld Boston. One of my questions for the team was who did a very memorable scream from the game. Sure enough, that scream came from the guy sitting next to me. Much laughter ensued.

    ”Thank God it’s you!!” <BOOM>  This was the OG of dirty tricks from a game designer in a 3D game. Man I miss the original Marathon.
    9secondkox2docno42
  • Reply 20 of 27
    Wesley HilliardWesley Hilliard Posts: 181member, administrator, moderator, editor
    chutzpah said:

    Nonsense.  "Pre-rendered video" as you've said there is the right term to use.  That or "in-game cinematic".  CGI is not at all the right term to user and you've just made up that it's "used commonly in gaming lingo".  You talk like a grandpa roughly approximating what he's heard the kids talking about on the interwebs.

    I'm here to have conversations and some fun.  Don't be so fricking uptight, there's a real immaturity and insecurity in these new AI writers.
    It's called being respectful. Don't like it, then you don't have to use our forums.

    I'm 31. I've worked here since 2019. And CGI is a commonly used term. You're wrong on all accounts.

    You can look up "CGI video game trailer" and industry sources like Polygon and IGN use that phrasing. There are numerous posts on Reddit, Twitter, and other places where people discuss the prevalence of "CGI trailers" that lack gameplay.

    There are ways to discuss these things without being insulting.

    Have fun. Have conversations. But don't be so uncivil. Thanks.
    muthuk_vanalingamdocno42
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