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Subject: Halo vs Marathon
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I rather liked Marathon. Halo is straight forward storywise, as long as you stay out of the theoretic discussions.

Marathon was much more...of an enigma.

  • 10.21.2004 1:02 AM PDT
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I voted for Gnop.

But Marathon has, by far, the most immersive plot I have ever come across.

  • 10.21.2004 4:56 AM PDT
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Very much so...
I think they kept Halo's simpler on the surface for all the people new to bungie, but it also seems to have quite a bit of depth to it, you just have to look harder... or I'm looking too hard.

  • 10.21.2004 9:11 AM PDT
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Posted by: Blackmarch
Very much so...
I think they kept Halo's simpler on the surface for all the people new to bungie, but it also seems to have quite a bit of depth to it, you just have to look harder... or I'm looking too hard.

You're right, Halo's plot does seem much simpler at first glance. But I personally think that it's much deeper than we imagine. If it's as good as what I've seen of Marathon so far, then it'll be great.

  • 10.21.2004 1:15 PM PDT
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no... I dont think halo's goes anywhere near as deep as marathon's... for one thing we know a great deal more about the history of the marathon universe... we dont know much about halo's... a situation I hope to have remedied in halo2.

  • 10.21.2004 1:38 PM PDT
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I don't know how deep the story goes for Halo, but like stated earlier in another post, the Marathon story didn't take off until #s 2 and 3...
I am hoping that it will end up just as deep, with ties in the universe to the marathon universe (which I believe it has).

  • 10.21.2004 2:09 PM PDT
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Whoever voted Halo has never played marathon.

  • 10.21.2004 2:29 PM PDT
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True. or at least not eneugh..

[Edited on 10/21/2004 2:46:09 PM]

  • 10.21.2004 2:45 PM PDT
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Posted by: Blackmarch
I don't know how deep the story goes for Halo, but like stated earlier in another post, the Marathon story didn't take off until #s 2 and 3...
I am hoping that it will end up just as deep, with ties in the universe to the marathon universe (which I believe it has).


Actually... Marathons story was in full flight after the first game. By the end of the first Marathon you pretty much had a full picture of human history which led up to your being in the conflict, and then you had the current event which was the attack on Tau Ceti. I understand the books might fill in some of the history, but Halo itself does not give a good idea of what happened in the past.

This is also what made the Myth series such an incredible one, and truly the games with the greatest story line to date, period (on computer at least). If you take any of the great scifi/fantasy book series and read them, they all have a very well fleshed out and hinted at history, the greatest of which don't answer all the questions about the past but leave you hints to find about it so you can piece that history together for yourself.

I of course am not trying to say the Halo story is not good or not there. It IS good. I don't know if they feel like people can't take the time to be as interested in the story in a FPS as they used to be or what. But something I'd like to suggest is in addition to good game play, what made Halo take off is probably the mere presence of a story. What company other than Bungie even includes a good coherent story in their FPS games? If you ask me, that is the secret ingredient.

Alright, I definitely started to diverge there at the end.

  • 10.21.2004 3:08 PM PDT
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Ya, it was big, then it got even bigger.

  • 10.21.2004 4:35 PM PDT
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GO HALO AND HALO2

  • 10.21.2004 4:49 PM PDT
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Posted by: Elitez22
GO HALO AND HALO2


It was of course inevitable. Too bad.

  • 10.21.2004 5:32 PM PDT
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dude! halo is the best game ever!(or at least it used to be)halo is definately better!

  • 10.21.2004 6:15 PM PDT
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Posted by: Texas Ben
no... I dont think halo's goes anywhere near as deep as marathon's... for one thing we know a great deal more about the history of the marathon universe... we dont know much about halo's... a situation I hope to have remedied in halo2.


7rue, Marathon had a much better explanation (if you can call it that) of its backstory and universe IN-GAME than Halo does. The thing about Halo is that you have to read the books to become truely immersed in its universe. So yeah, Marathon is better in that respect.

You have to keep in mind, Halo would probably not have sold as well if there was as much reading involved in it as there was in Marathon. Old-school Bungie fans would love it, but the majority of today's gamers would not like having to think that much. Sad but true. Halo's story is just told in a very different way (i.e. cinematically).

Edit: Oh, and Dude! Bungie has made more than just Halo! Dude! You should try looking at the 'Games' section of the website you are looking at right now... =)

[Edited on 10/21/2004 7:17:50 PM]

  • 10.21.2004 7:16 PM PDT
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Anyone know where Greg Kirkpatrick is these days?

Edit:

I remember reading that he had become a school teacher or something... heh. This has me thinking of Duality now... :( Interesting link here. http://forums.bungie.org/story/storyarchive.pl?read=4532

[Edited on 10/21/2004 9:04:12 PM]

  • 10.21.2004 8:57 PM PDT
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It has to be Halo. Nothing is better...Except Halo 2. This is because I simply find pleasure in satisfying that Thirsty Grunts needs...and leave a clip of bullets in his head as a souvenior.

  • 10.21.2004 9:10 PM PDT
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I've gone and worked myself up to a Duality craving furor again... heh

  • 10.21.2004 9:45 PM PDT
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DMUKYA
Proud member of Eagle 117's theory group, The Watchers
Another great theorist group is Avignon
Interested in the mysteries within all of Bungie's games? Check out Theory of Unification
For the Biblical allegorist in you, there's מִכְמַן
Enjoy reading or writing sci-fi or fantasy? Come to New Horizons

Marathon:Halo = 25:14. Rats.
I do find myself enjoying the action in Halo more than the action in Marathon. Marathon seems monotonous at times(not that Halo doesn't), and I never get a sense of excitement really when playing Marathon. Maybe it's just me, but I'm drawn into the action in Halo and the story in Marathon.

[Edited on 10/22/2004 4:05:14 AM]

  • 10.22.2004 4:05 AM PDT
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Posted by: xbox565
dude! halo is the best game ever!(or at least it used to be)halo is definately better!

Your name, grammar, spelling, use of exclamation marks and the word "dude" have already pointed out the fact that you're probably about 12 to 15 and have never had the delight of playing Marathon, as such your opinion is voided. To really have a say in the discussion you need to have at least played all of Marathon 1.

That said, the point about the Marathon story not being entrancing enough until the second game is wrong... I was enthralled by the little hints and tidbits of info all through the game and as soon as I hit the end screen I turned to my brothers who were watching and said "That can't possibly be the end... it's just too cool!!!" and surely enough we checked around and found a second one!

On the same note, Halo's story was very bland... and don't say anything about the books... because I don't care! If you want a game to have story, put it in the game or make an expansion supplement that lets you play mroe whilst discovering the story. The books were a cop out in my opinion.

Somebody also pointed out the theories on Halo giving more story. That is purely through lack of any info... where as you dig up the "Mulling over Marathon" thread by our very own eMCee, and you'll see about 100 pages of pure speculation about what was given to us in Marathon... and trying to link it to Halo and Myth as well.

And I'm glad that this didn't become a "I can't make a decision" thread... take a stance people!

Tristan ;-)

  • 10.22.2004 5:04 AM PDT
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Iv'e only played Halo. And that's how i started being a Bungie fan, but i really really wanna play myth2 and the marathons series. So im gonna try to find them. I don't see them at any of the gaming stores that i go to.

  • 10.22.2004 5:27 AM PDT
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Posted by: impurity
I can't lie. I've barely played Marathon. But I still have to go with Halo. Story aside, it's just a more refined game. Balanced.

Not surpirising, if youve never really played it alot. It doesnt get really fun until later on.

  • 10.22.2004 5:50 AM 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: Ender
Marathon:Halo = 25:14. Rats.
I do find myself enjoying the action in Halo more than the action in Marathon. Marathon seems monotonous at times(not that Halo doesn't), and I never get a sense of excitement really when playing Marathon. Maybe it's just me, but I'm drawn into the action in Halo and the story in Marathon.

I never really got that 'rush' either until the second half of the game... actually no... I never got that rush until I found the second pistol... seeing masses of pfor advance as you mow them down with dual pistols will give you a rush everytime... even ten years later.

  • 10.22.2004 5:51 AM PDT
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And then it got better with Dual Shotguns.... too bad the ammo ran out in about 5 minutes... with hours of game still to go :'(

Tristan

  • 10.22.2004 6:01 AM PDT
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Posted by: Gaara of Sand
Posted by: xbox565
dude! halo is the best game ever!(or at least it used to be)halo is definately better!

Your name, grammar, spelling, use of exclamation marks and the word "dude" have already pointed out the fact that you're probably about 12 to 15 and have never had the delight of playing Marathon, as such your opinion is voided. To really have a say in the discussion you need to have at least played all of Marathon 1.

That said, the point about the Marathon story not being entrancing enough until the second game is wrong... I was enthralled by the little hints and tidbits of info all through the game and as soon as I hit the end screen I turned to my brothers who were watching and said "That can't possibly be the end... it's just too cool!!!" and surely enough we checked around and found a second one!

On the same note, Halo's story was very bland... and don't say anything about the books... because I don't care! If you want a game to have story, put it in the game or make an expansion supplement that lets you play mroe whilst discovering the story. The books were a cop out in my opinion.

Somebody also pointed out the theories on Halo giving more story. That is purely through lack of any info... where as you dig up the "Mulling over Marathon" thread by our very own eMCee, and you'll see about 100 pages of pure speculation about what was given to us in Marathon... and trying to link it to Halo and Myth as well.

And I'm glad that this didn't become a "I can't make a decision" thread... take a stance people!

Tristan ;-)


I never said the story in M1 wasn't entrancing (it was very much so), It just grew exponentially in #s 2&3

  • 10.22.2004 7:04 AM PDT

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