Marathon (computer game)

Marathon is a series of science fiction first-person shooter computer game from Bungie Software released for the Apple Macintosh.

The first game, Marathon (1994), was followed by two sequels: Marathon 2: Durandal (1995) and Marathon Infinity (1996). Marathon 2 was also released for Windows 95.

Table of contents

1 Marathon
2 Marathon 2:Durandal
3 Marathon Infinity
4 Pfhor
5 External links

Marathon

Marathon was released for the Apple Macintosh and was one of the earliest first-person shooters to appear on the Macintosh. Unlike some other similar games of that era (for example, id Software's Doom) Marathon and its sequels, Durandal and Infinity were notable for their intricate plots.

The game placed the player as the Security Officer aboard the human colony ship Marathon. Throughout the game, the player attempts to defend the ship and its inhabitants from a race of alien slavers called the Pfhor. As he fights against the invaders, he witnesses the three shipboard AIs' interactions, and discovers that all is not as it seems aboard the Marathon.

Marathon 2:Durandal

Marathon 2: Durandal was the sequal to Marathon, and in addition to being released for the Apple Macintosh, a Windows 95 version was also released.

Marathon Infinity

Marathon Infinity included more levels than Marathon 2, which were larger, scarier, and part of a more intricate plot. The game's code changed little since Marathon 2, and many levels can be played unmodified in both games. Marathon Infinity was only released for the Apple Macintosh. The most dramatic improvement in the game was the inclusion of Bungie's own level-creating software, Forge, and their physics editor, Anvil. Forge and Anvil allowed a new generation of players to create their own levels using the same tools as the Bungie developers themselves. In Forge, distance was measured in World Units, which are roughly equivilent to 2 metres (6 or 7 feet). Another improvement was the ability to include separate monster, weapons, and physics definitions for each level, a feature heavily used by Double Aught, who designed the Marathon Infinity levels.

In addition to the 3 Marathon games, several games such as Damage used the Marathon 2 Engine.

Pfhor

The Pfhor are an extraterrestrial ancient spacefaring race of alien slavers seeking to control the galaxy and perform numerous evil deeds in the games. The Pfhor are bipedal, somewhat taller than humans, have three red eyes, and come in a variety of classes and flavors.

The most basic variety is the Fighter, a lightly armored pfhor wielding a shock staff and, optionally, a projectile weapon. Fighters come in four flavors, in order of ascending nastiness: Green, Purple, Orange, Blue, and Grey.

Troopers are heavily armored and pack automatic rifle/grenade launcher combo weapons. Troopers come also in several flavors: Green, Purple, and Grey.
Hunters are the Pfhor assault troops. They wear very heavy armor and have shoulder-mounted energy cannons. They come in four flavors: Tan, Green, Blue, and Grey.
Enforcers are the Pfhor MP's. They wear strange cloaks and posess alien shotgun weapons. They come in four multicolored flavors (?) plus Grey.
Juggernauts (aka Big Floaty Things what Kick our Asses) are Pfhor tanks. These flying armored weapons platforms are like a mix of a tank and an attack helicopter, only bigger and badder. They fire dual homing RPG's as well as machineguns/alien shotgun bursts. They come in two flavors: Bad and Worse (Grey and Brown).

The Pfhor also utilize the 'Conditioned Ranks', or enslaved soldiers, who are forced to fight for the empire. Conquered races make up the majority of the conditioned ranks.

These are otherwise known as Assimilated Bobs. They run towards you and explode. They always wear green uniforms. Shoot them with your pistol and they bleed yellow blood, unlike regular bobs. They also say strange things like "Don't shoot!" and "Frog blast the vent core!" and "I'm out of ammo!"

The s'pht are another race from the game.