marathon
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Oxeye Game Studio and Wolfire Games join Humble Bundle Mojam
As if the basic premise of Mojang's 60 hour Humble Bundle charity programming marathon weren't enough of an incentive for you to hand over as many of your hard earned dollars as you want, the Minecraft developer is now being joined by Oxeye Game Studio and Wolfire Games, who will be creating their own 60-hour indie experiences.Wolfire's game will be based off the same crowdsourced premise as Mojang's, which is an RTS shoot 'em up steeped in an ancient Egypt/steampunk setting. Oxeye Games, on the other hand, will be combining the second-place and second-to-last-place options from the genre poll by constructing "a dungeon crawler beat 'em up set in a post-apocalyptic World War II."All three teams are live streaming their progress at the official Humble Bundle site, and there's still about 20 hours left to go make your donation and claim your games before the event comes to a close.
Motorola MOTOACTV firmware bump gives you marathon-battery life (video)
Fitness people love to make us feel guilty as they jog past the car, sneering as they watch us eat six double downs in one go. It's those people who will be happy that Motorola's MOTOACTV is getting a firmware update promising better battery life and power-saving settings -- including a marathon mode that'll give you eight hours of accompanied running. You'll also find additional clock faces and the ability to measure your heart rate even when stationary. You know, with their clear skin and no body fat, maybe they've got the right idea and we should give some serious consideration to changing our ways -- you know, in January.
Bungie's Marathon 2: Durandal heads to iOS
Months after the release of the original Marathon on the iPad, Touch Arcade reports that Marathon 2: Durandal has been approved by Apple and will be launch for iOS on Thursday (i.e. tomorrow). Marathon 2 includes many features not found in the original, namely that it's a universal app, meaning it's playable across all iOS devices this time around, not just the iPad. Furthermore, it supports Game Center, offers the same HD textures found in the Xbox Live Arcade version and features support for Joypad, and app that turns your iPod or iPhone into a game controller for the iPad. As with the original Marathon release, Marathon 2 itself will be free, with optional extras like high resolution textures (presumably the HD textures mentioned above) and a cheat mode available for in-app purchase. Additionally, all of these new features will reportedly be added to the original Marathon via an update later this week, hopefully meaning it will no longer be confined solely to the iPad.
Marathon trilogy now free through open-source project [update]
In what we can only assume to be a charitable act made in the spirit of the holidays, the Aleph One engine, which powers Marathon 2: Durandal, Marathon Infinity and a fan remake of the original Marathon, is now available to download (alongside the aforementioned games) for free. The distribution of the engine -- assumedly approved by Bungie, who just shared it through the studio's Twitter account -- is made possible thanks to its GNU General Public License. All three games are available for PC, Mac and Linux -- as well as the iPad, thanks to an open-source project completed this past summer -- so there's really no reason for you not to check them out. Unless, of course, you can only find satisfaction through thoroughly illegal piracy. We can role-play, if that makes it any easier. "No! Don't download all those games for free! That's illegal, you bad, bad buccaneer." Update: As many of you have pointed out, this project has been around for some time -- today just marks the arrival of version 1.0. We apologize for being so very, very late to the party.
Extra Life 2011 charity event starts today, to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals
You may have already heard about this one, but in case not, know that starting today through tomorrow morning, quite a few folks online are going to be playing video games for 24 hours straight, aiming to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The Extra Life Charity marathon is going on this weekend, and though players don't have to stream (or play the whole 24 hours, really -- it's all in good fun), lots of people will be doing so. Our very own Arthur Gies is even participating in the event all weekend long, as is Massively writer Beau Hindman. The Paragon Studios team will have a livestream up, Rift has a special in-game event going, and outlets like G4, GotGame, Aussie Gamer, and Platform Nation are all joining in to play and raise money. If you'd like to contribute, it's definitely not too late. Play some games, watch some people playing others, and by all means, head on over to the Extra Life site and donate a few bucks to the cause. It's great to see gamers come together in a huge event like this, to both celebrate the act of playing games, and of course raise some money for charity as well.
Runner's 13-mile trip is a tribute to Steve Jobs
In the days since the resignation of Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple, Inc., we've seen an amazing outpouring of love for the man and his legacy. But none of those tributes has had quite the impact of marathon runner Joseph Tame accomplished with an iPhone (actually two), the Runkeeper app and service, and his own two legs. Tame ran a half-marathon around the heart of Tokyo with a specific route in mind -- one that approximated the shape of the Apple logo. The run took Tame about two hours, and the end result was the Runkeeper GPS plot seen above. In case you're wondering, the bite out of the Apple is the Imperial Palace. TUAW has featured Tame's exploits before: he's also the creator of a rig that allows him to carry four iPhones, an Android handset, and an iPad while running so that he can live stream his marathon runs. Tame told New Launches that the iPhone "really has changed my life here in Tokyo. It means I can go anywhere without getting lost, I have all my data with me at all times, I'm potentially in touch with thousands of friends and family members around the world at all times, and I have access to any information I might need to do what I need to do." Joseph Tame definitely knows how to say "Thank You, Steve Jobs" in style.
Pokemon charity marathon aims to catch them all at the same time
If you haven't spent all your money on charity gaming marathons yet, another opportunity for you to throw money at human suffering is coming up -- and this time, it's a test of both endurance and gluttony. Starting on July 15, Pro3Studios will embark on a 72-hour marathon, in which it will attempt to catch all the Pokémon species in Pokémon FireRed, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, HeartGold, SoulSilver, Black, and White -- simultaneously. The gameplay will be streamed on a 3x3 grid, allowing you to watch it all happen in real time. As this is going on, the group will accept donations through PayPal for the Children's Miracle Network. Those donations will allow viewers the privilege of naming some Pokémon and specifying a song for one of the players to sing on air -- and also, you know, help children.
ExtraLives' 'Mop Up Marathon' raising money for school
We oppose video games being used to educate, but we'll make an exception just this once. ExtraLives.org will raise money to build a school in an underdeveloped country with a 'Mop Up Marathon' of the games they've missed in similar events through the years. Find a full list right after the break.
Bungie's Marathon, Swords and Soldiers now available on the App Store
Two games we've been eager to see on the App Store have arrived. First up, the unofficial version of Marathon (that's officially approved anyway) is out and ready for you to play. It's a free app by programmer Daniel Blezek, who translated Bungie's old FPS from the Mac to Apple's tablet. This is excellent stuff; old-time gamers will enjoy the nostalgia hit, while younger players should be interested to see what Bungie did before Halo. It's an excellent game, and we couldn't ask for a better way to get it ported to the iPad. Second, Chillingo has published Swords and Soldiers, a cartoony 2D real-time strategy game that was originally released for the Wii. I like both the console and iOS versions, which offers Game Center integration, three campaigns and a skirmish mode, with controls that are well adapted for the touch screen. Unfortunately, it isn't universal -- the game's US$2.99 for the iPhone and $4.99 for the iPad -- but given how different the two versions are to play, maybe that makes sense. At any rate, this one didn't quite get the spotlight it could have used on the Wii, so maybe on iOS (like World of Goo, another Wii title turned iOS hit) Swords and Soldiers will the audience it deserves.
Marathon launches for free on iPad
This just doesn't feel right. We just can't believe that today marks the release of a Bungie game. Where are the extravagant, well-produced trailers? Where are the gritty short films? Where are the unreasonably priced tiny pet helmets? OK, sure, today's release is an iPad port of an older Bungie FPS called Marathon. And sure, it's free ($3.99 if you want the hi-res texture add-on). And it was technically fan-made. But can we really not get a single promotional tie-in? Melon Marathon Mountain Dew? Nothing?
The Daily Grind: What was your longest single play session?
You probably heard tell of the Final Fantasy XI boss fight that would not end, but most of us don't have stories quite like that. We still have our marathon sessions, though, times when we log in and then find ourselves 12 hours later seriously contemplating calling out sick from work. Marathon sessions are one of those things that nearly every gamer deals with sooner or later, and while you might not understand the motivation if you don't play, anyone who knows MMOs will know the thrill of logging in and just going. Sometimes they're sessions in which the stars align perfectly and you just seem to be getting good drops left and right. Sometimes the session is just a great party that's steamrolling difficult content. And sometimes the session is a real match of wits, you against the game, and you are determined to keep hammering at it until it gives you what you want. So what was your longest marathon session like? What got you into it, and what was the most memorable part? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Bungie's Marathon definitely coming to iPad
Bungie has open-sourced its classic first-person shooter Marathon (originally released on the Macintosh), which will pave the way for that rumored port to finally make its way into the world. It looks like developer Daniel Blezek is going to be releasing the game for free, which should take care of those sticky issues around selling GPL code, and in a quick interview with Bungie, he says he's doing it just for the love of the game and the platform. The title will have some standard controls (no aiming reticule, like the original game, though there is an option to add one in) and will get more adjustable controls later on. It certainly sounds like a lot of love and care has gone into the port, both in the transition to the iPad and in the recreation of the original game itself. It sounds awesome. Bungie doesn't say exactly when the title is going to go live, but this interview is being posted in advance of the Bungie Day celebration, which is scheduled for July 7. So it's somewhat likely we might be playing Marathon on the iPad as soon as then. [via Joystiq]
Bungie fan porting Marathon to iPad, Marathon Infinity going open source
Daniel Blezek has been working on an iPad port of Bungie's nearly 20-year-old franchise for quite some time now -- more or less since the iPad launched in January of 2010, he says. Years of perseverance, a loving family, and some basic technical chops allowed Blezek to complete the port recently. Bungie and Blezek expect it to arrive on the App Store any minute, pending Apple approval, for the low, low price of zero dollars. If that weren't enough, Bungie has released the final game of the Marathon trilogy, Infinity, to the open source community, meaning it's likely to be included in the iPad App. Between the release of an iOS App recently and Marathon this week, it looks as though Bungie's support for the iOS platform is really up and running.
4th Annual Mario Marathon triple-jumps into action today
For the fourth year in a row, a group of insane people will board themselves up in a small, Mushroom Kingdom-decorated room to beat every level, collect every star and stomp every Goomba the Super Mario franchise has ever produced. Why would someone purposefully, harmfully oversaturate themselves with such a wonderful, timeless franchise? Because they're the Mario Marathon. It's in their blood. The crew is kicking off this suicide mission today at 11 a.m. ET, starting with a playthrough of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Even though it hasn't started yet, the event has already raised $13,000 for Child's Play. We encourage you to go watch these poor souls hurt themselves with Mario, and then, if you feel so inclined, reward their efforts with a donation to a good cause.
The Daily Grind: How long are most of your play sessions?
How long we play changes as times change. When you first start playing RIFT, for instance, odds are good that you'll be playing for several hours at a stretch. It's possible, however, that by the time you've reached endgame you'll be logging on briefly, seeing if anything is going on, and then logging right back off. That's not even discussing the difference between games where you can log in, do something quickly, and then log right back off (City of Heroes) versus games where you need to take the time to assemble a group before doing anything (Final Fantasy XI). Despite all of that, most of us generally has a certain amount of time we expect to spend in an MMO when we log on. So on average, once you click the button to enter the game, how long do you expect to be playing? Are you generally just clocking an hour or two a night, or is it the whole of your evening from the time you get home until the moment you go to sleep? And does it vary by game -- do you spend more time quietly mining in EVE Online than actively smashing villains in DC Universe Online? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Extra Lives running charity Minecraft marathon for Japan
To raise money for Japan relief (through the International Medical Corps), Extra Lives has started a Minecraft marathon, which is running through sometime Sunday. Go donate now to assuage the guilt you feel about spending this entire weekend playing Minecraft for your own benefit! If you want to play Minecraft and help the cause, donors of $20 or more will get a chance to play on the Extra Lives server, for "about three hours" per $20. Try not to destroy all the other players' stuff. This is a nice Minecraft game.
World's first robot marathon gets off to a slow start, will likely stay that way
It might take them a good 92 hours longer than the fastest human runners, but a group of five pint-sized humanoids have officially embarked on the world's first full-length robot marathon. The Robo Mara Full, put on by Japanese robotics company Vstone, kicked off this week in Osaka, Japan, and will see the mechanized competitors through a 42 kilometer (26 mile) race, estimated to last several days. During the marathon, entrants will circle a 100-meter indoor track a total of 422 times with little help from their human coaches -- contact is only permitted during battery and servo replacement. Vstone's Robovie-PC led the pack at the outset, but with three days left to go, it's still any robot's game. You can check out a live feed of all the, uh, slow and furious action at the coverage link below, and get a full overview of the race, complete with embarrassing translation, by following the source link.
Marathon man preps for second live stream, with multiple iPhones, iPad
Readers may recall our report last year on runner and TUAW reader Joseph Tame, who streamed the Tokyo marathon from a head-mounted iPhone. This year's marathon will be held on February 27, and Joseph has found additional ways to make the 42km run even more difficult. Check out the get-up that he's planning to wear for the race (pictured). He has four rotatable iPhones and an Android handset, plus an iPad to monitor the marathon's Twitter hashtag (#tm2011). He'll be streaming video from multiple cameras using either Skype or FaceTime, and he'll have assistance from friends in an off-site studio who will mix the incoming video streams and rebroadcast them via Ustream. He'll be transmitting location and heart rate data, plus temperature and CO2 levels, too. Naturally, he's dubbed the whole contraption the iRun, though I can't help but think that it sort of resembles a Glo-Worm/Optimus Prime love-child. Awesome, by any name. I've gotten to know Joseph over the past couple of years, and this sort of fun geekery is surprisingly normal for him. Recently he has been dabbling in GPS art as well, using Runkeeper to draw the face of Hello Kitty over Tokyo's Shinjuku district, covering 45km in the process. Check out his video demo explaining his iRun below, and stay tuned to his website for more updates as the day of the big race approaches.
Marathon coming to the iPad (we hope)
"Will it play DOOM?" This used to be the first question anyone had about a new bit of gear, regardless of what it was. Oddly, the answer kept being yes. Remember DOOM? You might not if you're a longtime Mac user, since the attempts to bring it to the Mac really only met the dictionary definition of "port." Yeah, you could play it, but it wasn't any fun. Then Bungie came along and decided to take their own shot at it. I'm sure you remember that one. It was called Marathon. You may also remember what happened to Bungie: Microsoft wrote a check and that was that. But right before that happened, Bungie open-sourced Marathon, which runs on Mac OS as Aleph One. So you could still get it on your Mac, but only on your Mac. Until now. TouchArcade is reporting one of their forum threads contains the news that developer Daniel Blezek is actually working on bringing this to the iPad. He has also posted that it hasn't been a completely smooth process, and there's still a question of GPL licensed code being sold on the App Store. But if you have an iPad and a whole lot of spare time, as of yesterday afternoon Daniel said he was still looking for beta testers.
The Daily Grind: What's the longest you've ever played in one sitting?
It's the hallmark of many classic gaming stories to "confess" just how addicted you became after spending sixteen solid days in front of a game without leaving for biological necessities and work-and-or-school. Think of it as the geek's version of the "I got SO wasted last night!" epic tale that's probably more gross than entertaining, but it needs to be shared nonetheless. So what's your confession? How long have you played an MMO in one sitting -- and what were the circumstances? Was it a brand-new game that got you hooked from the get-go? Did you set aside time for a truly monumental marathon? Were you involved in a raid that would never end? For a bonus question, was it worth it for the memories and would you ever do something like that again? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
