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Subject: Marathon vs. Halo.

Blargh!

In a reply to this post, choose which one you think is better and why. I prefer Marathon because it has a meatier story and awesome gameplay. It's like unraveling a mystery while fighting off P'fhor forces while solving difficult puzzles. I just can't enjoy Halo, old or new, anymore.

Discuss. Are you on Team Halo or Team Marathon?

  • 03.13.2011 2:19 PM PDT

"A LIE is a LIE"


- Truly intelligent and deep Black ops trailer

HAAALLOOOO


Marathon's levels are confusing and badly designed.

Out of interest, when was the first time you played marathon?

[Edited on 03.13.2011 2:30 PM PDT]

  • 03.13.2011 2:29 PM PDT

Blargh!

Posted by: Pipboy 3050
HAAALLOOOO


Marathon's levels are confusing and badly designed.

Out of interest, when was the first time you played marathon?

I first started playing Marathon a long time ago. Yes, Marathon does have some hard level designs, but that's why the player has to figure out where to go. It makes makes the player more involved. It feels like Halo is just running around shooting at the same kind of enemies with the same kind of weapons over and over again. Plus, swimming under lava is something Master Chief could never do.

  • 03.13.2011 2:35 PM PDT

I'd put Halo: CE and Marathon on about the same level. I personally did not enjoy the other Halo games as much.

  • 03.13.2011 2:50 PM PDT

Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

If you're interested in Halo's music, check this out.

Posted by: x Foman123 x
Speaking of chuckles, let's all lol at IonicPaul, who makes friends with bugs to make up for his lack of human contact.

Marathon's map design would never be troubling if people understood that using the map is a necessary feature. I've been playing since a very young age and using the map is just second nature. With most developers these days afraid of making players do anything more than run straight to figure out where to go, people seem alienated by Marathon because it requires the semi-frequent use of the M key (or right/left on the D-Pad if you're playing the Xbox version) to get through the game quickly.

I think picking teams is stupid, by the way. To me, Marathon is better in some ways and Halo is better than some ways. I will dispute the idea that the weapons feel samey in Halo, but I will agree that Marathon's weapons almost never intersect in their uses.

[Edited on 03.13.2011 3:16 PM PDT]

  • 03.13.2011 3:13 PM PDT

In terms of story, Halo (You are aware you basically described Halo in your OP, right?) because of its expansive, well written and thought out universe of mystery, morals, culture, religion, and intigue. Its like everything Marathon was but infinitely deeper.

Never played Marathon multiplayer though.

[Edited on 03.13.2011 3:37 PM PDT]

  • 03.13.2011 3:31 PM PDT

Marathon multiplayer, while most certainly fun, is showing its age. It's best when you organize matches and play against people you know (relevant).

  • 03.13.2011 3:36 PM PDT
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I just play for fun. MLG can kiss my ass.

Wish I'd played Marathon so I could give an unbiased opinion.

  • 03.13.2011 4:11 PM PDT

Posted by: Caaaarrrl
Wish I'd played Marathon so I could give an unbiased opinion.

The stickies at the top of the forum might be able to help you with that...

  • 03.13.2011 4:29 PM PDT
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Boomer.
Best. Ship. Ever!

Marathon. It has a more of complex story, and more of interesting one IMO. The levels were better designed and the objectives were varied. I still play it over and over again.

  • 03.13.2011 5:46 PM PDT

-blam!- Was that actually blammed out? Or did I just type it? You'll never know.

Marathon was harder to follow but it was a darn good series. Halo is good too and Halo 2 and CE multiplayer put it above Marathon for me. But Marathon was a solid series and still holds up completely now even so long after release.

  • 03.13.2011 5:55 PM PDT

I am Field Master Avu Med 'Telcam, Servant of the Abiding Truth, and I have many brothers.

A god who creates tools is still a god. It is not for us to impose qualifications upon the divine or presume to guess its intentions.

Halo.

Marathon Universe is interesting, however overrated by bungie fanboys.

  • 03.13.2011 6:02 PM PDT

I wake up to find myself
After all these years
And where all the time has gone
Still seems so unclear

Marathon.

Halo's multiplayer is better, but Marathon's story is better. When I first played it when I was 14 I missed most of the story. When I reread the story page and replayed it, I got tons more. Every time I reread the story I got something new out of it.

No matter how many times I play Halo, I never get anything new out of the campaign.

  • 03.13.2011 6:27 PM PDT

What made Marathon's story better then Halo's? Honestly, I don't get it. It was good, but Halo's is so large that it extends to almost every medium in entertainment.

I'm looking at the universe, not just the game stories (in which case its debatable)

  • 03.13.2011 6:33 PM PDT
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  • Noble Heroic Member

"A life lived for others is the only life worth living" - Albert Einstein

"I have your RCON right here." - Iggwilv

"Always my pleasure to be lazy." - InvasionImminent

Marathon was even more revolutionary than Halo. It was the first game where you could look vertically.... That's right, the very first game/FPS that you could look up and down on. Imagine Halo, Call of Duty, and any other FPS with only looking left to right.

By the way, even though my avatar says else wise, I still love Halo more. Just love the artwork more. xD

[Edited on 03.13.2011 6:50 PM PDT]

  • 03.13.2011 6:39 PM PDT

Marathon Durandal has to be my favourite. It has a great atmosphere that I still love to this day. The marathon series wins because I stopped re-playing halo long ago, but I still play Marathon at least once a month.

  • 03.13.2011 6:42 PM PDT

...And so the hero crawled through the fissure on the surface of Tyr. There, the lone Dwarf stared into the cold, dark eyes of Soulblighter...The fiend hefted his blade over his shoulder as a flock of raven took upon his form...

-TBG-

I really enjoyed the expansive universe Halo created, but I perfer Marathon's story and multiplayer over that of Halo's.

Marathon is definitly my favourite.

  • 03.13.2011 6:52 PM PDT

"A LIE is a LIE"


- Truly intelligent and deep Black ops trailer


Posted by: jbh0220
Posted by: Pipboy 3050
HAAALLOOOO


Marathon's levels are confusing and badly designed.

Out of interest, when was the first time you played marathon?

I first started playing Marathon a long time ago. Yes, Marathon does have some hard level designs, but that's why the player has to figure out where to go. It makes makes the player more involved. It feels like Halo is just running around shooting at the same kind of enemies with the same kind of weapons over and over again. Plus, swimming under lava is something Master Chief could never do.


If you started playing marathon a long time ago the main reason you prefer it over Halo is Nostalgia.

There's also a difference between making a hard level design and making a confusing one, Marathon just has endless hallways and teleporters which require the player to go round and round in circles until they notice the small button or that hidden door-way. Creating endless mazes is not the way to make the player feel involved; for me anyway.

  • 03.14.2011 7:43 AM PDT

I'd have to say Marathon. It seems less clumsy... the story is significantly better, and the enemies are more original and more fun to fight.

Although... Halo: CE and Reach are both stupidly fun... So, I'm not entirely sure.

  • 03.14.2011 8:27 AM PDT

Since I haven't played the Marathon series, I'd have to say Halo is better, based entirely on what I know of Marathon currently. I'd like to think that Bungie's Intellectual Properties become better as time progresses; their next project should dwarf its predecessors in terms of both scope and quality.

  • 03.14.2011 9:30 AM PDT

For Carnage Apply Within - Fatum Iustum Stultorum

"Do not mistake your rank and number for superiority. The oldest child may learn from the youngest."


Posted by: Pipboy 3050
If you started playing marathon a long time ago the main reason you prefer it over Halo is Nostalgia.


And the fact it actually has an intelligent story...
and interesting characters...
and it encourages the player to actually think, not just, go to X, kill Y, push Z...
and a fun, carnage filled multiplayer...
and an approachable suite of editing tools...
and an entire archive of high quality fan-made scenarios...
and, most tellingly, a community that doesn't whine, complain, and carry on.

Can you tell what side I'm on?

[Edited on 03.14.2011 12:17 PM PDT]

  • 03.14.2011 12:17 PM PDT


Posted by: Placid Platypus

Posted by: Pipboy 3050
If you started playing marathon a long time ago the main reason you prefer it over Halo is Nostalgia.


And the fact it actually has an intelligent story...
and interesting characters...
and it encourages the player to actually think, not just, go to X, kill Y, push Z...
and a fun, carnage filled multiplayer...
and an approachable suite of editing tools...
and an entire archive of high quality fan-made scenarios...
and, most tellingly, a community that doesn't whine, complain, and carry on.

Can you tell what side I'm on?


Excluding that last one, and maybe the thinking part, you literally just defined Halo.

Are you unaware of Halo's expansive story? Ever hear of iris?


ilvoebees?

Saying Marathon's story is better then Halo's because its complex, mysterious and has good characters is a fallacy, because Halo excells on that. Now you may prefer Marathon's for other reasons, but if you actually learned about the Haloverse, you'd learn the depth of both its stories and the symbolism and metaphors dwarf Marathon.

It just doesn't make sense to say Marathon>Halo because of story mystery and complexity alone.

However, I see Marathon Forge>>>>>>>>>Halo's, that's easy.

  • 03.14.2011 2:01 PM PDT

I would like to be a Mythic Member, or a mod.

REALLY BAD. I believe I deserve it, I am very loyal to the dear Bungie forums and want to keep everything in tip-top shape. Its always a real pleasure to be on the forums and I want to be recognized here.

I literally had a dream last night where I was RN 54 and was playing Marathon, I LOVE marathon with a passion and I honestly wish they would make a marathon for the 360

  • 03.14.2011 2:14 PM PDT
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Boomer.
Best. Ship. Ever!


Posted by: Pipboy 3050
If you started playing marathon a long time ago the main reason you prefer it over Halo is Nostalgia.

There's also a difference between making a hard level design and making a confusing one, Marathon just has endless hallways and teleporters which require the player to go round and round in circles until they notice the small button or that hidden door-way. Creating endless mazes is not the way to make the player feel involved; for me anyway.

You shouldn't generalize why people prefer Marathon over Halo. People in this thread have given plenty of reasons why they like Marathon more over Halo. That's not to say that nostalgia is not a reason for a preference but for people to be still playing the game around 15 years after its release means there has to be more to it than just nostalgia.

As for your comment towards the level design in a good portion of the levels your told what to do and where you need to get to and what switches you need to activate. These are usually accompanied by pictures of the area or pictures of the map you use. The levels can seem like endless hallways and teleporters to those who don't bother to read or don't look at the map, which is always available to look at (I'm not saying you your self do these things as I am just stating this in general).

For the levels where an objective is not given it can be frustrating at times to find out what to do though all those levels usually require is a bit of exploration and some thinking. If there is an area where the Marathon series went wrong it was most certainly not the level design.

  • 03.14.2011 2:22 PM PDT

For Carnage Apply Within - Fatum Iustum Stultorum

"Do not mistake your rank and number for superiority. The oldest child may learn from the youngest."


Posted by: ROBERTO jh
Ever hear of iris?
ilvoebees?


Because viral marketing is story-telling, right?

Saying Marathon's story is better then Halo's because its complex, mysterious and has good characters is a fallacy, because Halo excells on that. Now you may prefer Marathon's for other reasons, but if you actually learned about the Haloverse, you'd learn the depth of both its stories and the symbolism and metaphors dwarf Marathon.

Sure thing, hunny-bunny.
The next time I want to award points to a game for original story, I'll remember to keep the tale of Master Chief riding the purple, spiked space-potato in mind. That, or case of the shape-shifting monkey men.

Sure Halo has a story, but it hardly approaches the scope of Marathon's, let alone its subtlety or intelligence. Instead of touches such as AIs arguing in Latin or using classical poetry to deride the player, it substitutes hackneyed metaphors and obvious plot twists (so, the shark-monkey's don't all get along? wow, never saw that coming!).

The fact of the matter is this, Halo is a sub-par story. It's taken, what, five video games, and multiple novels to even get that far. The Marathon universe is limited to three games (four if you include PiD), and has told us more than Halo ever could. There is a history to the Marathon universe that dwarfs Halo's, and goes far beyond what you see and do in the games.

Enjoy Halo if you want to, there is no shame in that. As a video game, it is entertaining (and rather successful by that measure). Just don't delude yourself by believing it is some great work of science fiction.

  • 03.14.2011 2:23 PM PDT

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