Bungie's Marathon: The Blueprint of FPS Storytelling

[@ShreddedNerd]

Reveille is the Bugle tune used to wake up soldiers. I am aware.

[@CtrlAltDft]

Welcome back

[@PhantomationTV]

Didn't Duke Nukem have vertical looking before both Marathon and System Shock?

[@evshrug]

@@PhantomationTV Duke Nukem 3D came out in 1996, Marathon was released in 1994. You could argue that Duke could look up in his earlier two games… the 2D platformer ones 😂

[@PhantomationTV]

@@evshrug My mistake.

[@Filip.777]

hats off to you for saying "pathway to uranus" with a straight face, that couldn't have been easy

[@googlesettingssobad]

lol actually even worse-"pathways into Uranus"-I can't believe he just kinda let that one go. I also can't believe that was ever a serious title. That had to have been some kind of joke. Had to be.

[@teemo5409]

😂 fr right ⁉️

[@rustspawn3845]

@@googlesettingssobad It was.

[@deriznohappehquite]

I once saw an Id fanboy say “What’s so special about this? This is just Quake with shitty graphics” to which someone replied “Marathon came out three years before Quake.”

[@theblobconsumes4859]

and it's also nothing like Quake OMEGALUL Whoever that was, they're not worthy of being called a fan of id.

[@FudgeYeahLinusLAN]

And the Marathon series actually has an intriguing sci-fi story line, as opposed to Quake.

[@atifarshad7624]

I am an id fan and even I had to laugh at that. Quake didn't come until nearly 2 years after Marathon

[@hantumann4r449]

And exclusively released into Macintosh, imagined that

[@MechaG]

@@hantumann4r449 Durandal did get a Windows port

[@FlawedIntellect]

A subtle point that people may have missed about the "You Are Destiny" aspect of Marathon Infinity's ending is that Marathon Infinity originally came bundled with the tools of Forge and Anvil, literally putting the power of creation into the hands of the player. [Forge and Anvil are basically slightly-polished-up versions of the tools Bungie used to create the Marathon games.]

[@okankyoto]

That is after all, apparently why they decided to call it "Infinity". "Yours to manipulate, destroy and rebuilt"

[@dannywastaken]

I loved marathon because without any coding knowledge at 12 years old I was making my own weapons and maps to go with my cringey teenage fanfiction. Having to draw the aliens from 8 different angles in pixel art was all you needed. Or you could just lock the axis so they always faced the player.

[@monkybros]

spartans in Halo CE are always referred to as "cyborgs" in the menus, on the back of the game box, and elsewhere.. Cortana also alludes a couple times to having been human at some point. Setting aside all the later established canon from the books and games, Halo CE has a lot of interesting dangling story threads that tie through to the Marathon games

[@caramelldansen2204]

It would have been so much more interesting if the Spartans were undead, and not just weird doped-up orphans. Also, I always thought John Chief was meant to be the last Spartan... y'know, like the song The Last Spartan from Halo 2? I guess now that Halo is owned by incompetents, anything goes.

[@egoalter1276]

The fall of reach novel quiet literally released earlier than the original game. The backstory of the spartans is older than Halo itself.

[@caramelldansen2204]

@@egoalter1276 You say that as if the story of Halo CE wasn't decided before Fall of Reach was written

[@egoalter1276]

@@caramelldansen2204 Im not sure when the story of halo CE was decided, though I imagine about a week before release, seeing how mutch it changes even within the same game, but TFoR more than likely served as the stylistic guideline for its eventual form.

[@will_of_europa]

Cortana is like a ghost speaking to you directly.

[@saxwastaken]

I love that Bungie no longer owning Halo has pushed them to make more and more Marathon references in Destiny, to the point where they even confirmed some sort of connection between the universe where Marathon takes place and the one Destiny takes place in with the MIDA Multitool, as well as straight up adding armor ornaments for all 3 classes based directly off of Marathon characters and even adding the Wastelander to the game (along with the Halo Magnum and BR)

[@dmongo3065]

I love destiny franchise and seeing Bungie making references to their root games always make me happy 😁

[@deriznohappehquite]

I think this is because Bungie has more creative control over Destiny. The book writers kind of took over Halo after a certain point.

[@youshallnotpass2156]

And here it is

[@definitelynotobama6851]

The ball from GNOP is the Traveler

[@underscore_5450]

I find it even more interesting that Bungie has been so adamant about referencing Marathon in Destiny considering they just announced development on a new Marathon game. I'd wager the 30th Anniversary stuff either sparked something in the Dev team to want to make another Marathon game or they were already working on it when the 30th Anniversary happened. Makes me wonder if any Destiny references will pop up in the new Marathon.

[@durandol]

I don't think I've heard anyone bring up this idea of the Master Chief being this undead amalgam of machine and leftover person, until now. An interesting take.

[@Slender_Man_186]

Apparently that was Bungie’s original plan for Chief before Fall of Reach.

[@BullFrogFace]

Tbh I find that a lot more interesting and cooler than the orphaned child soldier. I like the cuurent backstory just btw

[@evshrug]

Yeah, kind of like Robocop, but grafted to alien and somewhat fate empowered machinery. Like, before 343i just made Forerunnners be just like the Covenant except almost extinct, what did it mean that humans + ai symbiotes were recognized as Reclaimers?

[@Slender_Man_186]

@@BullFrogFace Chief wasn’t orphaned, you’re thinking of the Spartan 3s.

[@BullFrogFace]

@@Slender_Man_186 Oh yeah, Spartan 2s were basically kidnapped right?

[@cipherpac]

Marathon was my introduction to FPS games. I never played the sequels, and wasn't aware of Bungie or even the concept of specific game developers until later when Halo blew up. I saw Master Chief and thought "man, he looks like the Marathon guy." When I learned that Bungie had made both games, I felt like some kind of ancient, nerdy, "I-played-Bungie-games-before-they-were-big" video game hipster 😄

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@Hobbs783]

I like how bungee had exactly one idea and have been making games around it ever since

[@NoLimit24]

Marathon is one of my childhood-defining games. Played it on an old Mac way back in the early 90’s. The trilogy is a masterpiece.

[@noapparentfunction]

same here. i feel like part of a privileged few who actually knows this game from the time of its release. i don't even play Halo and yet i'm always compelled to tell fans to look at Marathon like a rambling old man.

[@dannywastaken]

@@noapparentfunction Yeah I briefly played the first Halo game and it felt like a rubber inflatable disney version of Marathon. Them making it a console exclusive was a real let down. It's be like making Guinness no longer available in Ireland. It's still stings.

[@DrundeFPS]

Who the fuck played that in the 90's? Probably only people that wanted to play DOOM but got this horrible corridor based shooter because they are MAC users.

[@ladams391]

​@@dannywastaken Bungie has a strange addiction to hitching themselves to larger companies, starting a cool series of games, then getting pissed off and losing/giving up the rights to that series. They've done it several times now and each time they decided they were done, they were gonna stay independent from then on, and then doing the exact same thing after a year or two. It's a shame that it resulted in things like console exclusivity.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@jeantoor7103]

Considering that the Master Chief was referred as "cyborg" in Halo CE, Cortana's iconic line makes more sense. "Your architecture is not much different from the Autumn's." Word "architecture" is usually used regarding computers' layout. So instead of quirky gag about Cortana using tech jargon when referring to live people it's almost certainly was literal meaning. Cortana didn't say "architecture of your armor" or "architecture of your neural implants", she said "your architecture", since Chief is cyborg.

[@wolftamer5463]

Admittedly the Spartans have very little mechanical enhancements. It’s mostly just a neural implant, and then they just wear the armor. Most of their enhancements are biological ones. If we go by that logic like 90% of the human officers in Halo like Keyes and Lord Hood are cyborgs because they also have the neural implants to link up to their vessels.

[@Darkside_1994]

The connections Halo had to Marathon was broken in the final game.

[@OnyxJaguar]

The Marathon trilogy and Duke Nukem 3D should be remembered more for pushing the design template of Doom to its max. Durandal in particular has some crazy complex maps, that maybe at times frustrating but are also just impressive in their design.

[@shreksnow1918]

I agree, that would be awesome. Speaking of Duke, recently the 2001 build for Duke Nukem Forever got leaked.

[@d3tuned378]

Marathon Infinity - Aye Mak Sicur. Fantastic level design.

[@DrundeFPS]

How it's impressive? Level design is just a tight corridor, now i understand why this game was made for MAC users.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@DrundeFPS]

@@Chickensea10 That Marathon reboot looks worse than the original game, lol

[@blacktuesday7427]

I love Marathon, glad its getting some more coverage in recent years

[@DrundeFPS]

Nobody wants to play this failure of outdated game made for MAC users, who the fuck played that in the 90's? Probably only people that wanted to play DOOM but got this corridor based shooter.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@LaperLarden]

Probably your most comprehensive and thorough video yet. I think I've slept on Marathon, you've convinced me to give it a proper playthrough.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIM

[@DEWMNINJA]

Marathonchads... It is our time to RISE! Also, there's more to the Kill Your Television terminal that's been discovered. The whole thing symbolizes some of my favorite stuff explored in fictional stories and especially video games; I have been Roland, Beowulf, Achilles, Gilgamesh; I have been called a hundred names and will be called a thousand more before the world goes dim and cold. I am a hero. She has been nameless since our birth; a constant adversary, caring for nothing but my ruin, a sword drenched in my blood; forever my greatest and only love. She is the dark one; the enemy and lover without whom my very existence would be pathetic and vulgar. Her eyes steam and boil in the night, she is fantastically beautiful yet I cannot stand the sight of her. Our relationship is complex and perhaps eternal. We met once in the garden, at the beginning of the world and unaware of our twin destinies, not the garden of Genesis, but another; forgotten, untended and now choked with weeds, unvisited except for ourselves. We matched stares across a dry fountain, and I recall her smiling at me before she devoured the lawn and trees with a translucent blue flame and tore flagstones from the path and hurled them into the sky screaming my sins. Our reunions there are epic battles fought without quarter, often in the dark as the moon is seldom visible and the sun never. I powder a granite monument in a soundless flash, showering the grass with molten drops of its gold inlay, sending smoking chips of stone skipping into the fog. She splinters an ancient oak with a force that takes my breath and hurls me to the ground. She leaves and I lie in the slow rain of burning slivers of wood, staring at the low, dark clouds, craving our next meeting.

[@DBUP-l8h]

fug yeah! been that autist fanboy rambling about marathon in boomer shooter videos for over a decade now. Nice to see these games have been finally getting the credit they deserve.

[@nellancaster]

Huh, I didn't recall there being anything past the "she leaves-" part. Do tell, where did that piece come from?

[@DEWMNINJA]

@@nellancaster Pretty sure it was sent to Hamish (Marathon's Story site operator) in an email fully unencrypted, ala the super early Halo "marketing", or something very similar to that. Talk about favoritism.

[@hantumann4r449]

Maybe it's hinted that The Player Character are reanimated corpse that have memories of the ancient past (or maybe their heroic role are so strong it's so similar into these ancient heroes, because we control the player of course)

[@DEWMNINJA]

@@hantumann4r449 As far as I'm aware/concerned it simply plays into the concept of the Eternal Hero, which is an awesome trope. I'd encourage reading into the monomyth and Joseph Campbell's work, ideas of which by proxy also play into the themes of work such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne (in terms of Bloodborne, as an inversion of the myth to achieve proper cosmic horror). Overall an excellent philosophical concept, though the idea that it's the specific ideas/memories of the player's life prior to becoming a Battleroid does run parallel to this in a way, as the Battleroid, in a literal past life, could've been as "hero" as he is now and was lifetimes ago.

[@XBullitt16X]

This video is gonna become a whole lot more relevant after the new Marathon game reveal Bungie did recently. "Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting" is a line that was directly hidden in the teaser trailer.

[@Quikostdreggs]

This games story actually changed my life. I haven't even watched the video yet, but I'm already in the comments wanting to gush. A good bit of my time has been spend directing every little detail of Marathon/PiD's story. I love this game.

[@DrundeFPS]

Confusing narrative = good narrative.

[@calidan777]

I can't even describe how much I enjoyed this video as an old Bungie fan, the Bungie history and lore alone are worth the watch.

[@SAClassHunterZero]

I cosplayed as the security officer at Comic-Con. Not a single person knew who I was, lol

[@noapparentfunction]

i remember being like 13 and wanting to do a S'pht Compiler costume.

[@SAClassHunterZero]

@@noapparentfunction That's dope. Just gotta figure out the floating part, right? haha.

[@JoshSweetvale]

​@@SAClassHunterZeroJust let the robe flow down all the way.

[@JoshSweetvale]

I'd have guessed 'New Conglomerate soldier' or failing that 'Fleet from Celestial Forge' It's a good look, but a rare one.

[@FootedGhost]

Wow mate I'm only 15 mins in but this already is a super interesting video, and I honestly didn't know much about Marathon so this is quite helpful. So cool to see so many things from Marathon in Halo. Also dropping a comment for the algo 👌

[@ladams391]

I love how the story of the Marathon trilogy is so detailed and nuanced that you can spoil the entire thing for yourself and you will still find an absurd amount of details you weren't aware of if you go and play through it.

[@Rampancy]

According to the developers who worked on it themselves, the Marathon project referred to in the Activision document was the iOS ports, not Aleph One. Aleph devs aren't hard to find, a lot of them hang out in one or more of the Marathon discord channels.

[@brunoayala5925]

49:38 i think some of that idea was still lingering during Halo 3 mission sierra 117, after the first gravemind vision: Marine: "¿chief are you okay?" Sgt. Johnson: "Your (vital) signs say KIA"

[@ChrisRayGun]

Amazing video, my guy.

[@ShreddedNerd]

Thanks man

[@hateraccoon5686]

The more you think about these games, the more they seem connected, even well into the 343 era of Halo, with infinite having it's central AI be called "The Weapon" a reference to the origins of Durandal and Cortona. I'd also like to point out that the chief when facing of against harbinger, takes a punch that that sends him flying through a tree and into a rock. Sounds familiar. " She splinters an ancient oak with a force that takes my breath and hurls me to the ground." It feels like uncovering elderitch knowledge, and infinite web of recurring patterns and ideas that's so expansive it could drive you mad.

[@SimonPetrikov12]

Also interesting that there is an AI with the name Roland in H4

[@Chris-iq5pr]

All coincidence? 🤔

[@TuShan18]

Watching this and mandaloregaming's videos made me appreciate marathon, halo, destiny, and bungie a lot more. I have my issues with all of these, but they make me want to go through and play them all some more.

[@elitesnakeeyes2712]

With how bungie has handled these games in terms of all of them being connected gives me some serious H.P. Lovecraft Cosmic Horror vibes. Its really hard to describe and I'm not sure if it is handled like Lovecraftian writing. But I can say for certain that something behind the scenes is definitely pulling the strings. I could be completely wrong and just sound like I'm just running my mouth with nonsense. This channel is a gold mine of information and history of these games and I'm glad this is my introduction to it. Instant classic to me.

[@uriel7395]

It reminds me a lot more of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion stories. Endless incarnations of the same hero over and over again across the multiverse, chaos vs law in Destiny. Pathways Into Darkness even straight up has the eight pointed star of chaos from the Eternal Champion series as a floor decoration at one point.

[@coltonowens2742]

No joke, Marathon Infinity's becoming super beings schtick, reminded me of Bloodborne. Less on cosmic horror, but it's there.

[@evshrug]

Yes, Bungie was literally (not figuratively) inspired by Lovecraft’s literary works of horror. The chaos demons at the heart of a star, referenced at the end of Marathon 2 and throughout Marathon Infinity, we’re supposed to represent the unpronounceable horrors from Lovecraft.

[@evshrug]

The Foundation and Ringworld sci-Fi series were also cited as Bungie influences.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@illyay1337]

Holy shit, I just learned about how in Halo your momentum improves melee damage from your video. All these years and I had no idea.... Also this video was so deep.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@gary7867]

@@Chickensea10 i wouldn't be so confident with the layoffs and the "PVP Extraction shooter" tag line.

[@DBUP-l8h]

The flickt'a scared the shit outta me as a kid. Still get that uneasy feeling in my stomach when playing swimming levels with flickt'a in them. Those cyborgs were always creepy too, always get that sinking feeling when I play map 24 of Marathon 2, just has a creepy atmosphere to it. Even nearly 30 something years after that game can still give me the heebie jeebies. LOVE IT!

[@abdoul5176]

Despite your disclaimers, I found your insight to be intelligent and well-informed and the connections you highlighted were brilliant, bravo! 👏🏿

[@TomResnick]

What a brilliant deep-dive, fascinating and well-researched... and as I type this you just burped in my ear. Still! The best "Marathon" retrospective I've seen in (yes) decades.

[@jeanlundi2141]

Okay, I usually don't like these videogame essay-type videos, but I must saw yours was really, really good. I chalk it up to you not having a irritating voice and the fact you weren't afraid to go deep into understanding the lore. Very interesting.

[@lionocyborg6030]

The drinniol/hulks are actually peaceful aliens who despite their strength and size are easily frightened. This is how the Pfhor control them, using fear as Durandal hints at after freeing the S’pht. The mod Marathon Eternal X (yep. Marathon did Eternal before Doom, with similar similarities in places to Sonic 2006 just like Doom Eternal had) even explores the initial hulk rebellion, with Leela explaining in more detail how the Pfhor use fear against them.

[@beanamonster]

This was really awesome. Thank you for putting such a massive amount of effort and time into this.

[@snapsauce7168]

the way Durandal is obsessed with living until the end of the universe sorta reminds me of Emperor calus early in destiny 2 with both of them wanting to be the ones left standing as the universe comes to an end

[@Colddirector]

It feels so surreal to see someone actually talking about this game, I came across it after I played Halo and I spent a good part of high school playing them all and reading Bungies old marathon story guide articles. Its such a compelling series that there are parts I *still* think about to this day. Oh and thats not even talking about the fanmade campaigns, including its "sequel" - Marathon Eternal (which has a great soundtrack). or the wierd-ass Lovecraftian horror campaign in Marathon RED. It's such a wierd, wonderful and poorly documented relic of old internet and gaming that it feels like my own little secret. Sorry for the rambly and irrelevant spiel but not like I'd have another chance to talk about this lol

[@dibbledap4942]

Same here, I gave up trying to explain marathon to my other friends that I played halo, and I can't relate to the older audience on the marathon discord or the story forums (Hamish STILL runs those almost every day) I'm hoping to try and play through Eternal again because im not really engaged when it comes to retro shooters. But it's worth the story and atmosphere.

[@Colddirector]

@@dibbledap4942 Yeah the only concise way I can explain Marathon's plot is "Halo with a touch more System Shock and a lot more 2001" I think Eternal's maps get way too big for their own good but the story's incredible and the weapon selection is great. It's been a long time since I've played it but it also expands greatly on the dream levels of Infinity, though I don't remember if they let you sequence break the way Infinity did.

[@hantumann4r449]

You can also check Marathon Rubicon (fan continuation after M2, M3 is skipped) The best and terrifying things of Rubicon is ........... one of epilogue predicts Covid19

[@DrundeFPS]

@@hantumann4r449 old video game predicted COVID 19!!! :Soy:

[@DrundeFPS]

Nobody wants to play this failure of outdated game made for MAC users, who the fuck played that in the 90's? Probably only people that wanted to play DOOM but got this terrible corridor based shooter.

[@inn5268]

Good to see someone finally do a in depth analysis for this classic

[@vaniellys]

After Mandalore's video on Marathon yesterday, another one from you ? This is a good week !

[@DerpyDimentio]

I cannot say how many times I've rewatched this video, I'm a huge destiny and a lesser halo fan cough 343. But having an hour video deep diving into one of bungies earliest games makes me so fascinated on how their themes overlap in all their games.

[@hounsdjentlow3074]

Mate to think mandalore released a marathon review a day before must suck, hope this manages to grab the views because I love your takes man! All the best

[@nathan47911]

At about the 50 min mark you refer to reveille as the song played for fallen soldiers. That would be Taps, reveille is played in the morning as a "wakeup" song. Source: 6 years in the military.

[@HeyBlondieGamer]

A very thoughtful and well put-together video. There needs to be more awareness about how important Marathon has been, not just to Bungie's legacy, but to gaming as a whole.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@tarunvesireddy9360]

excited to see this series come back (next year, i think when the new marathon game is releasing)

[@Tigrou7777]

3:29 "Pathways into Uranus". I was not ready for that joke.

[@MelangeToastCrunch]

Mandalore and SN doing Marathon vids in the same week? Sounds like a good time to me

[@noapparentfunction]

love Marathon and this video. if I'm not mistaken, 'Taps' is the song played at soliders' funerals, and the Reveille is the wake up song played at boot camp. both are military in nature, though and pertain to sleep in some way.

[@TheLouisianan]

Taps is also played to signal the start of lights out as well when going to sleep and you're supposed to be in bed by the end of Taps

[@bchearne]

I used to play this in middle school, actually AT school. We had 4 high-end apple computers on a LAN and would play multiplayer death matches during lunch or after school hours, in addition to the single player game. It was a great game and I remember it with fondness

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@ajirawa5729]

I downloaded marathon yesterday after finding out about the aleph one project, what a coincidence that this video came out.

[@SliideTube]

One of my favorite videos i've watched on Destiny. Bravo

[@jadetortellini6150]

Started playing the series through recently and it’s so interesting seeing where many of the staples in bungie’s gameplay formula developed

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIM

[@SQUIZZLER24]

I’ve been playing this game since I was literally 5 years old and I still absolutely love the trilogy every single time I play them through. I’m super happy to see the games getting more and more exposure because god knows they deserve it and considering they’re absolutely free to download in their entirety these days, I think everyone should play them. Thanks for this video - it does a great job of summarising what eventually becomes a very flowery and heavy storyline and casts an excellent light on nearly everything.

[@SQUIZZLER24]

Incidentally, as a Marathon super-fan, I highly recommend playing the fan scenario Rubicon X. It’s incredibly ambitious and executes on it for the most part… It’s the closest-feeling thing to an official sequel.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@QuinnnMallory]

If I remember, back when I played it when it first came out, you could jump by using a grenade launched downward, which exploded and the force of the explosion would propel you upward in an approximation of a jump. I think we called it "grenade hopping".

[@dannywastaken]

Thanks for this. I'm going to have nightmares now about that grenade platform bit. For me, Forge and Anvil, the weapon/monster/map editors were what made that game so amazingly creative. I know you can make games with Unreal 5 now in the same way but back then, adding a shoe as a weapon was so much easier to do as it was pixel art. OH MY GOD THOSE BLOODY AJOINING POLYGONS IN THE MAP EDITOR. Long night literally banging my head on a wall in the game that wasn't supposed to be there due to a double line. I remember the excitment of drawing maps on the back of pizza boxes and marking out where all the bobs are going to appear. Testing out over powered made-up weapons on that Arena Network map was a blast.

[@jonathanedwardgibson]

Nice. Don’t forget The Journeyman Project from Presto. I have Pathways to Darkness, Minotaur, Myth, sitting on my shelf. Great fun watching Bungie grow from selling floppy disks on card-tables. They used some of my textures in their games and it’s fun seeing them flash by again.

[@theblobconsumes4859]

Marathon is a great game. The writing in these games is really novel-like, which is to say, unusually good, even today. You don't see that level of quality writing outside of that medium very often. Durandal is a very complex character and I wish we had more characters written like them. I love these games, they're great and their combat only gets more satisfying and intense with each entry. This is definitely my favorite video of yours, predominantly due to the latter parts of the video, and also due to its humor.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIM

[@petewinslowofficial]

One of the best fps ever. The graphics were primitive but also, surprisingly comparable to games of today, and it was terrifying but thats what kept you interesting. Few games have used darkness like Marathon

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@krovek]

Really cool video, never played Marathon but this is still fascination. I do have one very tiny correction for you about Reveille at 50:00. Reveille is the song used for waking up troops, Taps is the one used for military memorials and funerals.

[@kinghoodofmousekind2906]

As a Christian and someone interested in archeology, anthropology and mythology, this was an amazing video; lots of interesting points and ideas. Chapeau, mon ami!

[@donniedarko4954]

I was just converting my coworkers onto Marathon. he'll that's my GT. I've been playing marathon since late 90s. Glad I found this.

[@Delfiinit]

Marathon is a brilliant, artsy space opera novel that happens to be hidden inside a shooter game and the fact that someone makes videos like this almost 30 years after the game's initial release is a testament to its uniqueness. The multiplayer was crazy fun, by the way. I only had the demo back in the 90s but I used to play it with my cousin on my dad's office LAN. You could have enemies constantly spawning in to the multiplayer matches, so the way we played was to kill tons of Pfhor and then suddenly turn on each other - kinda like the AIs going rampant. There was this constant tension of which one will take the first shot and will it be a backstabbing betrayal or accompanied by a loud challenge to a duel. All this fun on a demo with just one multiplayer map.

[@johnupdate]

I would love to play the marathon series with contemporary graphics - the maps are of this game awesome!

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIM

[@johnupdate]

@@Chickensea10 this is goood news😃

[@Chickensea10]

@@johnupdate yes sir! Crossing dingers though that they don't ruin it for original marathon playets

[@wolflord8117]

This is quite literally, the greatest video I've ever seen, a great tribute to Bungie.

[@TARINunit9]

Not to slag on Bungie, they did genuinely good work, but here is a list of features Marathon was NOT the first to pioneer: *Vertical mouselook (beaten to market by System Shock 1) *Platform-over-platform level design (System Shock 1 again) *Magazine-fed weapons _(probably_ beaten to market by Fortress of Dr. Radiaki, though we don't have the exact dates) *Dual-wielding pistols (tied for first to market with Rise of the Triad, which was released the same day)

[@bluesunschurch8412]

This was a master piece of a video im glad this video was the first video I saw from your channel.

[@tjenahoj]

Ohhhh Marathon! I am instantly interested :D

[@TheLEGITstuff]

amazing video to put it shortly. my only experience with these games is the version on xbox live arcade during the 360 days. now that i have a pc i need to find a way to play through all these. Definitely gives you more appreciation for marathon roots in halo and destiny.

[@nicolamarotta9828]

Who here after Marathon 2023 trailer?

[@saibot1246]

Yes but disappointed because it's an extraction pvp shooter

[@EggEnjoyer]

@@saibot1246 So what

[@rednekzombie2988]

@@EggEnjoyer because Bungie is taking a rich single player narrative, and instead of giving people another rich single player narrative (in an ip that had it's last entry in 1996) its become yet another extraction shooter.

[@TheRealAmericanMan]

The way the Halo SHOW even has the same themes of control and an undead body BEING controlled for other means calling back to Marathon is REALLY cool

[@tss1473]

2:26 surprisingly enough not system shock but ultima underworld was the first game to do this (a few months before wolf3d btw) plus it had jumping/flying and inertia - so yeah it was really ahead of it's time go check it out

[@Manny-fc8ym]

They have a knack for story telling, and making the game fun to listen to the story within

[@Aleph3575]

38:00 Oh yeah this is one of the greatest End Game screens I've ever witnessed. It hits so hard, you as the player truly are destiny who's power can shape and mold an entire universe. You possess the ability to save, to quit, to come back to life if killed as if nothing happened and to try again. Its just so amazing.

[@PunknPixels]

Infinity is so convoluted that it can easily account for the interconnectivity of Pathways, Myth, Marathon, Halo and Destiny. Not to mention the themes of mysterious alien pyramids winding up in mysterious locations filled with the dead and reanimated (the fact the Pathways and Destiny Light and Dark saga plots are basically the same wil never not be funny).

[@SolaRufus]

Great video. I have believed for awhile that this multiverse story device was a modern trend, but evidently it is not. Hope this gets a lot of views.

[@Michael.Hunt.14-52]

Really great video! I was always curious about Marathon.

[@jgordon7719]

Carmack didn't become the best, he just is. Hard to compete with that

[@jayceneal5273]

probably the best video on marathon ive seen. great job

[@3rdStepStudios]

Re-recommended to me after the recent announcement....can't wait for the resurgence.

[@bobbyhill1110]

God bless all these marathon content recently. 💪💪💪 Heard of it from that halo marathon fan website. Bought durandal on the xbox and ive been a fan since

[@UncleBalthasarGelt]

This was a pleasure to watch. This series is fascinating.

[@ARStudios2000]

Now that MandaloreGaming has covered the whole trilogy, Marathon is one of my favourite game stories of all time

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIM

[@ARStudios2000]

@@Chickensea10 I saw the trailer. I have...mixed feelings, honestly. I hope it turns out good.

[@Chickensea10]

@@ARStudios2000 feel ya there, but hopefully it does turn out better than we thought

[@ares540]

You can trigger switches with the shotgun, RL, alien weapon in M2 and M8, pistol in M1 and a charged fusion shot as well as the grenades.

[@ares540]

Another common misconception is that there are hit scan enemies, seems like it but their projectiles just move very quickly. With practice you can dodge them.

[@muwuny]

@@EggEnjoyer It's not a discussion. Neither Marathon or Halo have hitscan, just fast projectiles

[@evshrug]

I seriously would like to know how long this video project took. Footage capture from tons of games, images of Bungie staff, background research into novels and inspirational philosophers, and an hour long script… I spent about 5 years reading and learning just about everything here (except Teilard), but even then it truly seems beyond my ADHD brain to encapsulate and showcase it into one video. Well done. But how long did this take ???

[@fsfs555]

The original Marathon was programmed, at least in part, on a PowerBook 540c. It was also one of the only programs that utilized the hardware pixel doubling feature of the Quadra 630's Valkyrie video chip, which actually did give a notable performance boost. If you use ResEdit there's a cool writeup hidden in the comments of the program.

[@TheSkullcrusher73]

26:07 thank you for putting the AI personalities into archetypes we understand lmao

[@5xg378]

Maybe the chief is "undead" in a more metaphorical sense than literal. The chief is "Machine and nerve" because he acts more like a machine than a human. And a machine isnt really a living creature wich contrast with Cortana being more human than the chief despite the fact that she is literally a machine. Iirc, what the graveming says right after the machine and nerve line is "And his mind is concluded" kinda telling that the chief doesnt really think by himself. Wich can be taken literally as he only follows orders or meta as he is a vessel for the player.

[@shreksnow1918]

We know in that dumpster fire of a show that Chief is now basically undead since he’s a vegetive meat puppet that’s controlled by an ai. Luckily it’s not canon.

[@shreksnow1918]

That was definitely an interesting video. It’s really cool how Bungie would intertwine mythology and other stuff like that into their stories. I really hope that we get a remake, or a group of fans make something akin to Black Mesa. By that I mean they take the overall layout/geometry of the original game, and translate it into HD, with some minor changes fixing the bad elements. Melee being tied to momentum is definitely an interesting idea, and would make for a cool neo boomer shooter. I would hope that if they went with the two weapon limit you’d be able to dual wield, and pick up all the alien weapons. Another possible influence Marathon could have had on Half Life is the fact that a lot of those enslaved aliens are cybernetic organism, and some even have a biomechanical design that looks a lot like the Synths. Speaking of Chief being undead he basically is at the end of the terrible Halo show since he’s now just a meat puppet controlled by an ai. This was definitely a really well made video. Great job! I like how within a few days both you and MandalorGaming posted videos on this game.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@shreksnow1918]

I saw that. Not entirely a fan of the art style since it diverges from the how the game looked in the concept/promotional art. Also, not a fan of the fact that there’s no campaign and it will just be multiplayer. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[@Pfhorrest]

Heyyy 37:14 has the early timeline diagram I drew when I was like 15 years old. (Literally, I'm sure you grabbed that off the Story Page, and I'm the one who submitted it to there, almost 30 years ago).

[@TheJohnMarathon]

I love you Pfhorrest you are hero.

[@garretwoeller7669]

Marathon is like Halo if it was written like a David Lynch mixed with comic horror.

[@Aa-dn1oq]

It's truly a mystery why the name "Pathways Into Uranus" was scrapped in favor of Marathon The world may never know

[@Hyacsho]

Halo and Destiny are just Marathon spin-offs

[@TheFlyingslug]

Yo, Mandalore just did a video on this, inspiring me to play through the trilogy again, and I'm a third of the way through M2, and this pops up on my feed? Is my childhood favorite finally getting the attention it deserves?

[@caramelldansen2204]

Mandalore gaming? That cryptid that made a podcast? I'd assumed he was merely myth...

[@DrundeFPS]

Nobody wants to play this failure of outdated game made for MAC users, who the fuck played that in the 90's? Probably only people that wanted to play DOOM but got this corridor based shooter.

[@Chickensea10]

GUESS WHAT GOT ANNOUNCED AT PLAYSTATION STATE OF PLAY 2023!!!!!!!!!!! NOW ITS A MATTER OF TIME

[@TheFlyingslug]

@@Chickensea10 I know, and I'm super tentatively excited because it's gonna be a freakin' extraction shooter. I suppose it makes sense, given the current trend of the modern gaming landscape. I just hope they can do the setting and the lore that already exists justice because I'd hate to have the name of Marathon be tarnished by a poorly-received Tarkov clone.

[@Chickensea10]

@@TheFlyingslug ahhhhhh hear ya there! CROSS THOSE FINGERS HARD

[@tornadot2025]

I always preferred Marathon to Doom. Doom was faster and more arcade-like, but it got repetitive for me really quickly (every level is a mad rush to the exit, with the occasional boss level where you can cheese the cyber demon or spider mastermind). Marathon, even with its (at the time) mspaint-like graphics, offered a far more interesting experience with more features. The story was deep and made me want to keep playing even after spending hours on it, and there were actual level objectives beyond just run to the exit. I loved the fact that I could reload and dual-wield, and that there were alt fires for nearly every weapon. Also loved the fact that there was room-over-room level design, and that I could swim in actual liquids. Rubicon X was and still is my favorite expansion. I respect Doom, but Marathon will always be the superior IP for me.

[@jaqssmith1666]

Revellie is the wake up song. the funerary song is "the last post" which is whats played when it's time to go to sleep, you're laying the dead to rest.

[@indigenoussober407]

That “Sequel” with the Rogue Star could be the Traveler...

[@Djsinane]

Yoooo that marathon project might be the new looter shooter that was sort of announced

[@lúki-ang]

I think “a cash grab with a soul” summarizes the difference between a lot of good live services and bad ones

[@EpsilonXenos]

Excellent video, thanks for shining light on this game.

[@JetJockey87]

Commenting at the start before I dive in on this one. Marathon, Durandal and Infinity were shareware on my mac growing up in the 90s alongside greats such as Glider Pro, Putt Putt goes to the moon and Damage Incorporated. I'm a software engineer now, and I owe a lot to those amazing people who dared to dream when they made software like this. Oh and Descent. That shit was wild.

[@croatnobody]

I have t disagree that no manual reloading sucks, I think its honestly a genuinely necessary part of the gameplay loop and that Marathon would maybe not even play as well if it didnt exist. I can also def see how you could disagree but having the ammo count of your weapon before you will reload on your mind as youre trying to fight all the aliens I think adds a lot more than one would think. Great vid tho

[@hammer8771]

50:20 reveille is the bugle call played in the morning to wake everyone up. taps is played for fallen warriors