HALO creators first foray into the first person shooter hits the AppStore for free…
First released back in 1994 for Mac, the Marathon series gave Mac gamers a science fiction based FPS set aboard a spacecraft called the UESC. The ship and a human colony is invaded by an alien force, it is your job of course to rid the ship of the alien forces, all the while learning the plot through terminals dotted around the ship.
Now, the full game, has been released for iPad as Marathon 1… and it’s absolutely free to play. A couple of In App purchases are available to you though. And so if you wish you can purchase a graphical update. Basically this means that many of the texture work has been rezzed up for a smoother look on the iPad screen, however the aliens still look awful when close up… Think of this as more of an incentive to support the developer for porting this across, which was no doubt no mean feat. The other purchase is Master Chief mode (named after the lead from HALO), this unlocks everything so you can start on any level with any gun, which for fans is a nice touch.
While Marathon is highly regarded by fanboys, I personally find it a bit boring, and not just by today’s standards, even back in the 90s when I played it in my Uni halls – or dorm room. I always preferred Doom, Doom 2, and Dark Forces. Sure, without it we probably would have never seen HALO (it even shares the same name for its map editor, the Forge), but don’t go expecting anything on the same level as that great series. Still, if you are need for a little nostalgia and something to pass the time then you can’t argue with free.
One thing I will say that is of note with this port. And that is that the controls are surprisingly good. The directional joystick and swipe-anywhere-to-move works very well. Way better than the woeful controls for Duke Nukem 3D, and an improvement of id’s Doom.
Marathon is out now for free. The graphics update is £2.59 and the Master Chief mode is 59p
