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  • Subject: Comparison: Halo2--Marathon series
Subject: Comparison: Halo2--Marathon series
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Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

Well... I liked going over halo and marathon and seeing how much better marathon was... but I think bungie has finally outdone itself. The gameplay for the marathon series was, I think, much better than that of halo1... this has been remedied in Halo2; it definitely has that bungie feeling to it. the graphics... well duh. the story? again halo2 falls short of marathon, although it comes much closer that the first halo. Halo1's story was rather sophomoric, but halo2... woah... all it's missing is the backstory and backround information. oh well.

  • 11.14.2004 7:42 PM PDT
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That's exactly how I felt too.

SPOILERS









Fighting alongside hunters in the final level brought back waves of nostalgia. ^_^

If you want backstory there's plenty to go around. The novels, Conversations from the Universe (facinating), I love bees and plenty others. Marathon had the advantage of displaying the plot in entirely text-based form, making it immediately apparent of the story's depth. Halo never had that luxury. If you want the full plot, you have to dig it up yourself, but it's still there regardless.

Halo also seems to mirror Marathon at another level too. Marathon 1 and Halo 1 were both excelent games with lots of backstory and tons of potential. Marathon 2 and Halo 2 both featured entirely new engines with better graphics, physics and multiplay. They also expanded their respective stories exponentially.

Marathon: Infinity took the alreaday established M2 engine and finished off the amazing plot with arguably the best maps in the series. Following this pattern, could a Halo: Infinity (again, figuratively, not literally) be close behind? It would make sense, given that they have this incredible engine already done. They could create the finale they want and be totally free to focus on the creative aspects, and we wouldn't have to wait for xbox 2!

  • 11.14.2004 7:55 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
--New official U.S. motto.

Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

yes, but the joy of marathon was that you didn't have to dig... it was all there so everyone had the same backstory.
--
I loved the last few levels of M2 where everything was falling apart and it was complete chaos... I'm thinking you can guess how I reacted to the last couple Halo2 levels...

  • 11.14.2004 8:08 PM PDT
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If you want a Marathon-ish map....try Foundation.

  • 11.14.2004 8:16 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
--New official U.S. motto.

Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

heh heh yeah... foundation is identical to whatchamacallit... whatever that map is called...

  • 11.14.2004 8:21 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
--New official U.S. motto.

Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

Posted by: Recon Number 54
For me a lot of the maps seem Marathon-ish in a Halo sort of way.

Especially the last few... the ones where you're the master chief on High Charity. Those levels reeked of bungie, to me at least. They felt identical to the last few levels of M2 where everything is falling to pieces and total chaos is everywhere... I love it so much.
--
didn't bungie say they were going to link halo2 to one of their previous games? I would specualte maraton, because if you watch the special edition DVD they were goin to include Drinniol as an enemy before they didn't... and...uh... yeah whatever... he seems rather obsessed with balance in a thoth-like way, which seems uncharachteristic of the flood, which makes me wonder whether he/they have different motives than the consumption of everything.

  • 11.14.2004 8:29 PM PDT
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Thunderdome is the name you are looking for... What a great map to re-visit.

Now they need to add the dual shotguns!

stuff I posted on the hbo forum:

When I first started playing halo 2, I couldn't see many, but now I see it everywhere!!
Lets make a list:

Foundation = thunderdome *
The main section of Ivory Tower is a marathon symbol
Juggernaughts - wooohooo! (the giant sentinal things)
juggies fire rockets that go up then come down at you
juggies fire dual miniguns
juggies have a marathon symbol variant as a shield
My bro heard a marine say: "you think you're big time? Your gonna DIE big time!"
The control room in the second halo is likely shaped like a marathon symbol as well.
The doors in the gondola area have a marathon like symbol on it.

That's all I can think of atm (I should jot down notes while I play)

More as I find them.

* Foundation is cool, the text about the map reads: "Deep in the Chicago Industrial Zone 08 lies the decommisioned Tactical Autonomous Robotic Defence System testing facility". Now, wasn't Bungie once based in Chicago? Tactical Autonomous Robotic Defence Systems sound a lot like a Mjolnir type Cyborg to me, and thunderdome was one of the most popular multiplayer maps. Training Security Officers to fight the pfhor? ;)

  • 11.14.2004 9:39 PM PDT
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Now they need to add the dual shotguns!

MC isn't cool enough for that. ^_-

Juggernaughts - wooohooo! (the giant sentinal things)
juggies fire rockets that go up then come down at you
juggies fire dual miniguns
juggies have a marathon symbol variant as a shield


Wow, you're right. I never noticed that.

My bro heard a marine say: "you think you're big time? Your gonna DIE big time!"

THAT is cool.

  • 11.14.2004 9:44 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
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Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

Posted by: Smeeisqualityfoo
Juggernaughts - wooohooo! (the giant sentinal things)
juggies fire rockets that go up then come down at you
juggies fire dual miniguns
juggies have a marathon symbol variant as a shield


I thought of that too, except for these guys only take 2 rockets to kill instead of eating up your whole supply...
--
The imperial guards kinda remind me of phfor fighters, what with the big stick and all.

  • 11.14.2004 9:58 PM PDT
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Posted by: Texas Ben
The imperial guards kinda remind me of phfor fighters, what with the big stick and all.


Didn't notice that :)

Surge - maybe if the MC hangs around with his older bro (the SO) he can learn a few things (like the art of wielding WSTE-M5 Combat Shotguns) :-)

  • 11.15.2004 1:57 PM PDT
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heh. I made a post a couple days ago about old juggernaut vs. new juggernaut but it got pushed way back by all the Halo 2 kiddies throwing their posts in the wrong forum.

Edit: Heh. here is the link to the juggernaut post I made. It is way back on page 23 now. Love the illiterate kiddies. http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=1049809

[Edited on 11/15/2004 7:58:44 PM]

  • 11.15.2004 7:49 PM PDT

Posted by: Smeeisqualityfoo
Surge - maybe if the MC hangs around with his older bro (the SO) he can learn a few things (like the art of wielding WSTE-M5 Combat Shotguns) :-)


I think he'd probably just tell him something like "I won’t waste my time trying to explain the loading mechanism to you — your primitive mind could never grasp its complex nature" and tell him to go away.

The level design is very reminiscent. When I first played Cairo station, I caught myself looking for my oxygen meter. ;)

And some of the parts of the Delta Halo seem a bit reminiscent of Lh'owon, somehow. Maybe I'm crazy, but some of the textures are pretty similar.

- Reiginko

  • 11.15.2004 8:11 PM PDT
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Posted by: Texas Ben
Especially the last few... the ones where you're the master chief on High Charity. Those levels reeked of bungie, to me at least.

I loved that Level.

***SPOILERS***


Anyone else hear Cortana mention a Covenant A.I. that was strangely
powerful? I doubt it will be an A.I. from the original Marathon story, but
it will probably parallel one of them. Tycho? Leela? Somebody else?
The post credit scene was awfully foreboding of Cortana's possible
"rampancy,"(I don't know if that's a good word to use in her case)
and the addition of another powerful A.I. is shaping up the next
installment quite nicely in a Marathon-ish way.=)

  • 11.15.2004 8:13 PM PDT
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I didn't like Halo 2 that much (I've played it through on heroic in co-op) but I certainly couldn't think of anything else than Marathon while i played it. Especially the first and sadly the last (I mean it's the only level where you get to fight in outher space) time you get out in space to fight the Elites with jetpacks reminded me of M2. I also looked for a oxygen bar but ofcorse not for very long. I haven't played that much Marathon but It's always good to write in a serious topic especially now when the "H/\l0 2 RoXxX" disease has infected Bungie.net... : )

[Edited on 11/16/2004 8:38:54 AM]

  • 11.16.2004 8:36 AM PDT
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"If I were a megolmanic, and I'm not.." that is something that you NEVER want your A.I. to say. Ever!

  • 11.16.2004 8:52 AM PDT
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Posted by: Reiginko
I think he'd probably just tell him something like "I won’t waste my time trying to explain the loading mechanism to you — your primitive mind could never grasp its complex nature" and tell him to go away.

I just got some funny looks from my co-workers because I was laughing so hard at that :)

And some of the parts of the Delta Halo seem a bit reminiscent of Lh'owon, somehow. Maybe I'm crazy, but some of the textures are pretty similar.
I thought that too, especially the level where you first meet the juggies, when you can look out over the landscape, and the sky is getting dark.

Posted by: Kerberos
"If I were a megolmanic, and I'm not.." that is something that you NEVER want your A.I. to say. Ever!

Heh, very true :)

[Edited on 11/16/2004 2:22:24 PM]

  • 11.16.2004 2:11 PM PDT
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I think it'd be impossible to hit the nail right on the same head that Marathon did. There's a feeling to Marathon that cannot be replicated.

  • 11.16.2004 2:13 PM PDT
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The United States of America-- STILL more rights than North Korea!
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Cronin's Law----The New Flood Drinking Game

Posted by: Reiginko
[And some of the parts of the Delta Halo seem a bit reminiscent of Lh'owon, somehow. Maybe I'm crazy, but some of the textures are pretty similar.

- Reiginko


Yeah... it reminded me of the swampy F'lickta-infested levels. And whatayacallit... The first two levels played as the arbiter reminded me heavily of the Jjaro station levels, even if they weren't very similair at all.

  • 11.22.2004 6:31 PM PDT
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I love the Juggernauts, have a bunch of those, bunch of P'hor (both fighter and troope)r, and a bunch of Hunters in a big area on total carnege.. add a couple of Invisble compilers, and put it on total carnage and go!
Very Fun.

  • 11.29.2004 3:25 PM PDT