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Marathon motion sickness gets cured
Freeverse sends word that a title update for Marathon: Durandal is now available. Among other things, the update gives players the option to choose a wider field of view. This option is supposed to help players that have experienced motion sickness whilst playing the game. We haven't personally experienced the alleged motion sickness, so we can't tell you whether or not a wider field of view fixes the problem. If you've fallen victim to the illness yourself, you may want to fire up Marathon and give the new setting a try. Once you're done, come back here and share the results with the rest of the class (unless the result is vomit; you don't need to share that).
Marathon causes loss of lunch?
While we have yet to enjoy such things ourselves (thanks to an unwelcome visitor), reports are coming in that the Xbox Live Arcade version of Marathon: Durandal is making people a little queasy. As many gamers know, first person shooter games can often induce motion sickness, and it seems that this effect is magnified by Marathon. Joystiq spoke to Freeverse, developers of the XBLA port, about this issue to see if they could get some answers. Freeverse noted that Marathon's popularity and the spreading internet rumor that it can make people sick is probably responsible for most of the outcry. Frankly, we find the idea of a gamer-centric, psychosomatic illness spread via the internet to be highly entertaining.Freeverse isn't laughing the matter away however, and is investigating the issue. In the meantime, they suggest that players play the game with the "camera bob" option turned on. This should keep the game from appearing smoother than it should be. Furthermore, make sure you're not sitting to close to the TV (duh).Out of curiosity, have any readers out there experienced motion sickness while playing Marathon: Durandal?
Marathon and Board Games hit XBLA
It's Wednesday and that means it's time for some brand new Arcade goodness. This week, you have two games from which to choose (which often seems to be the case these days). You can bring home a little slice of Bungie history with Marathon: Durandal, or you can enjoy some Vision Cam enabled chicanery with Spyglass Board Games. Both games feature multiplayer fun with Marathon offering splitscreen, system-link, and Live play (both co-op and versus), while Spyglass Board Games offers the aforementioned Vision Cam 1-on-1 play. Marathon will cost you 800 Microsoft bucks and Spyglass Board Games will set you back 400. Which will it be for you? Or, dare we ask, are you crazy enough to buy both?
This week on XBLA: Marathon and Spyglass Board Games
The days when Xbox Live Arcade releases were few and far between seem to be a distant memory now. Here we are again this week with yet another double scoop of downloadable pleasure. This week we have two surprisingly different games. In one corner, we have Marathon: Durandal, an old school FPS (and Halo precursor) that we had the good fortune to sample at E3 a couple weeks ago. In the other corner we have Spyglass Board Games, which offers classic board games with integrated video chat. The four games included are chess, checkers, Reversi, and our favorite, mancala. Marathon: Durandal and Spyglass Board Games will be available this Wednesday for 800 and 400 points respectively.%Gallery-5348%%Gallery-5349%
Marathon: Durandal video takes us back
We like us some Marathon. That is no secret. For many people, however, Marathon: Durandal on Xbox Live Arcade will be their first experience with Bungie's seminal shooter. If you find yourself in such a situation, you may find the video above to be an edifying experience. The game packs some serious action as well as many features that were very new during Marathon's heyday, including reloading weapons, alternate fire, and dual-wielding. Oh yeah, and the ability to look up and down? Well that was just crazy (and something you wouldn't find in DOOM, for example). The fact that it also serves as a basis for many of the weapons, story elements, ideas, and concepts of Halo is just gravy. Watch and enjoy.If you're really inclined to delve into Halo's history, you can grab the entire Marathon trilogy for free.
Everything you need to know about Marathon: Durandal
Over on Bungie.net, the crew posted an informative Q&A for upcoming XBLA game Marathon: Durandal to answer all the questions you've been asking since its announcement at E3. The Q&A session gives a short (and lengthy)explanation of how the Arcade version of Durandal came to be as well as talks about the game's improvements, why the original Marathon wasn't chosen, how much Bungie helped Freeverse, and it also goes through the game's features. Like we said, this Bungie.net Q&A is the de facto of all Marathon: Durandal Q&As even though it's the only one out there. But noticably absent in this information explosion is any mention of the game's release date. We guess we'll just have to stay at high alert status for that news to hit the intertubes.
Get to know Marathon: Durandal for free before the XBLA release
When it comes to Joystiq and Bungie's seminal shooter, Marathon, you can always count on two things: unbridled praise from us and someone mentioning it's complete lack of cost. Back in January 2005, the entire trilogy went freeware, opening the floodgates to a whole new generation of gamers enraptured by the seemingly parallel universe of Halo.This past week at E3, Marathon: Durandal was officially announced for Xbox Live Arcade, complete with online co-operative, as well as competitive play. Of course, none of this is actually new to the game itself and there are still folks playing it online to this day. Just last night we casted away the shackles of Santa Monica and stood up well past our bedtime just to "kill the guy with the ball." We blame our need for a Marathon fix on our brief time with the XBLA version.Naturally, the question is still "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" Getting Marathon up and running on your PC or Mac isn't the most terribly accessible, nor convenient feat in the world, especially when taking online play into account. And while the community has taken it upon themselves to upgrade the graphics over the years, it's still not as nice as what we're seeing with the XBLA version.So take the ol' girl out for a good time and should you be willing to settle down, you can come courting when it arrives later this Summer on Xbox Live Arcade.
Joystiq hands-on: Marathon Xbox Live Arcade
Being the last day of E3, we were bound and determined to finally lay our greedy little hands on Marathon: Durandal for Xbox Live Arcade. Having been turned away from Marathon's suite thrice yesterday, we were eager to finally get a hold of Bungie's seminal shooter (being developed for XBLA by Freeverse). Seeing as we only had a short time with the game, we decided to set off into multiplayer immediately. There were several maps to choose from, but "Giant Flaming Pit of Lava" caught our eye, so off we went.
Marathon: Durandal confirmed for XBLA
The torrent of Xbox 360 news from the E3 press conference continues as, Microsoft confirmed in an Xbox Live Arcade reel that Marathon: Durandal is indeed heading to Xbox Live Arcade. Given that the game was rated by the USK and subsequently pulled from the USK's database, this should come as no surprise to X3F readers. The brief clip showed off at the press conference revealed improved graphics over its aging PC/Mac counterpart. For those unaware, the Marathon series is something of a spiritual precursor to the Halo series, featuring many similar plot and design elements. In essence, Marathon is the primordial ooze out of which Halo born. No price or release date have been announced.Oh, and, for the record, we totally called it (last year even).
USK removes Marathon 2 rating for 360
Either we spoke too soon, or Microsoft's ninjas are pretty damned quick. X3F readers will recall that the USK (essentially Germany's version of the ESRB) rated Marathon: Durandal for the Xbox 360 last week. This led us to assume that our wild speculation from last November was true, and that Marathon was making its way to Xbox Live Arcade. Now, it looks like something is amiss. We checked the USK listing during our weekly Fancast recording session on Sunday, and lo and behold, the listing was gone (gasp!). No, really, check for yourself. So, here's the question: was the USK hallucinating, or has Microsoft demanded that the USK lower the veil of secrecy on what should have been a top-secret project?
USK rates Bungie's Marathon for 360
Last November, just prior to Halo's birthday, we (wildly) speculated that Marathon might be heading to Xbox Live Arcade. Obviously, we were incorrect ... then. It seems our precognitive powers were even more potent than we realized, as Marathon, Bungie classic and spiritual predecessor to Halo, has been rated by the USK (Germany's ratings board) for the Xbox 360. To be precise, the entry is for Marathon: Durandal, which is actually Marathon 2. This leaves us to wonder whether the original will make the jump as well. Already our minds are reeling with yet more speculation. Will Marathon: Durandal receive a graphical upgrade? Will we see each game in the series hit Xbox Live Arcade, leading up to the inevitable release of Halo 3? We have no idea, but we hope we'll be hearing more soon. [Via XBLArcade. Thanks, Ankalagon]
