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  • Subject: Half-Life: Marathon's Sequel?
Subject: Half-Life: Marathon's Sequel?
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The Half-Life Correlation
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Okay, two very different companies that chose two very different paths. How is it possible that one of Valve's games could be compared to one of Bungie's?

I'm not a gamer in the truest sense, (heck I can't even finish Marathon:Infity), but I here is my point of view anyway.

Lets start with the most apparent and "surface" similarities. You play a nameless security guard in Marathon. You start the story with practically no background info or briefing. In Half-Life, you start as an anonymous scientist entering the infamous Black Mesa facility.

Gameplay is alike, too. Marathon emphasized puzzles and tactical use of ammunition. Ammunition was extremely rare, and melee combat for weaker opponents was often used. What's Gordon Freeman's favorite? The headcrabs fear the crowbar. Then wrack your brains on some more puzzles, yay! But don't get too careless. You're not invincible. Health stations in Marathon ocurred literally once a level. Health stations in Half Life actually ran out after a fraction of health.

The Marathon armory, such as the magnum superpistol, the bullet hose AR with the underslung grenade launcher and the awesomesauce rocket launcher reincarnated into the Freeman's arsenal.

In the storyline, you saw the various species and generously dished out the pain, leaving a goopy mess behind you. You fought bravely, eventually setting fire to the alien homeworld. (Although in Marathon that didn't happen in the original trilogy, S'pht were not enemies unless..yeah..)

In other words, the "look and feel" of the two games.

Of course, many of you would say that these "similarities" occur in many other games, it is too broad to single out Half-Life.

What matters most to me is the correlation between the two stories. Remember in Marathon when you read the last terminal, still hungry for answers even as you teleported out? Then, you would wake up in the next game from seemingly cryo sleep- the world went on while you were in that place...sleeping. Who the heck was Bernhard Strauss? Who was G-Man? I think some of you can even draw correlations between HL characters with Marathon's.

Okay, maybe that was a bit weak. But think back. Many video game devs now are catching on to this concept. Was there anything the like when HL was released, two years after the first Marathon in '96? Dicuss below!

  • 05.08.2010 12:11 PM PDT
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The Half-Life Correlation
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Of course, I don't think the discussion should be confined to HL strictly...
Oh, and the title, well, it is supposed to grab readers at first sight, right? I believe a little hyperbole doesn't hurt there.

[Edited on 05.09.2010 12:08 PM PDT]

  • 05.08.2010 2:09 PM PDT
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Some can come away from reading "War and Peace" thinking it a simple adventure story, while others can read the ingredients on a gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe.


Of course, many of you would say that these "similarities" occur in many other games, it is too broad to single out Half-Life



QFT

So.... since it's obviously not a sequel, what's your point?

  • 05.08.2010 3:50 PM PDT

Actually, I consider Half-Life to be a truer spiritual successor to Marathon than Halo. Obviously there is no direct connection between the universes of Half-Life and Halo. But the basic premise and some of the story elements are very similar. As a fan of both series, comparing and contrasting them in detail is something I've always wanted to do.

Marathon
Durandal calls the Pfhor to the Marathon knowing it will likely result in the death or enslavement of most of the crew on board. The Pfhor board the Marathon and the Security Officer is forced to fight them. After battling through the Marathon, the SO teleports to the Pfhor ship, killing the Pfhor's S'pht controller. This starts the S'pht rebellion against the Pfhor. The S'pht then become the SO's allies in Marathon 2. Once the SO is done on the Marathon, Durandal captures him and places him in stasis until he is needed again.

Half-Life
The G-man pushes the Black Mesa scientists to perform the portal tests, knowing they will result in the resonance cascade causing aliens from Xen to flood into Black Mesa. As a result, humanity ends up enslaved by the Combine. Gordon Freeman is forced to battle the aliens, eventually teleporting to Xen and defeating Nihilanth. Killing Nihilanth results in the freedom of the Vortigaunts, who then become Freeman's allies. For his efforts, he gets placed into stasis by the G-man until he is needed again in Half-Life 2.

This is the briefest of overviews, however there are many specific areas that offer possibilities for deeper discussion.

The Marathon can be compared to Black Mesa. Both are self-contained, yet help springboard their respective stories out into the greater universes.

Durnandal can be compared to the G-man. Both are far-seeing entities with questionable motives and alliances. Both use the respective protagonists as tools to achieve their own mysterious goals.

The Security Officer can be compared to Gordon Freeman. Both start as seemingly normal characters and through combat become much more. Both are forced to contemplate their own destructive power and apparent lack of freewill. Dr. Breen's accusations on Half-Life 2's final level echo the SO's self doubt seen in the dream terminals regarding Hangar 96 from Marathon Infinity.

It is an excellent topic, and one I would like to explore in more detail.

  • 05.09.2010 8:22 AM PDT

Posted by: Agustus

Of course, many of you would say that these "similarities" occur in many other games, it is too broad to single out Half-Life



QFT

So.... since it's obviously not a sequel, what's your point?

Read.
He said: "Many of you would say these 'similarities'..."

He goes on to say the correlation between the two stories are what make it a "sequel."

  • 05.09.2010 8:40 AM PDT

"That's about all that can be said for plots, which anyway are just one thing after another, a what and a what and a what.

Now try how and why."

I've certainly noticed the similarities before also, to the point that Half-life does bear more similarity to Marathon than Halo ever did.

However, it seemed to go even further. If one looks close enough, they may start to notice that a good number of characters/enemies in half-life can somewhat be matched with standard marathon enemies/characters. Troopers = Marines, Hunters = Grunts, Fighters = Vortigaunts, Yetis = Headcrab zombies, Bobs = Barney(s), Tickers = Snarks, Wasps = Alien Controllers.

Aside from that, Half-life also had a very similar pacing to marathon. In both games, you start out trying to find what has happened, then try to solve basic problems, until one finds out that the situation is much worse, so you change your goals. However, the protagonist is captured and relieved of all their weapons. Then the protagonist escapes, finds a way of getting into enemy territory, and then kill all of the baddies on the other side. However, our hero is quickly kidnapped and robbed of his just reward.

Of course, all of this isn't actually that uncommon, so it may be that marathon and half life are both just narrative-heavy first person shooters with an emphasis on exploration.

  • 05.09.2010 8:53 AM PDT
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So then, could it be that Valve was inspired by Marathon. The thing that set Marathon apart was its masterful story, filled with cryptic messages and puzzles for the players to decode. Jeez, just look at Marathon's story page on bungie.org. However, I just don't see that kind of fanbase there in Half-Life(mostly modders). Was Valve trying to emulate Marathon? Or was it just happy coincidence? Marathon also had a few just as well-written total conversions. I don't really see that in Half Life though.

UPDATE:
READ THE PART IN WHICH HE MENTIONS VALVE!
http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=43745222
This guy just blew my mind.

[Edited on 05.14.2010 11:59 PM PDT]

  • 05.09.2010 9:15 PM PDT