Marathon: Durandal - Xbox 360/XBLA

Developer: Bungie Studios
Publisher: Bungie Studios
Release Date (US): December 21, 1994 (Mac) August 1, 2007 (XBLA)
System(s): Mac OS, Xbox 360 (reviewed)
Modes: Single Player, Multiplayer
Rating: M (17+)

Last night I got to download Marathon: Durandal off of XBLA. For a mere 800 MS points ($10), this game can be all yours! This game was actually developed by Bungie studios, the same group who did a little game you might have heard of called Halo. Durandal is the second installement of the Marathon Trilogy.

The best screenshots can be found at xbox.com, which is linked above. I also had two screenshots, but they are really pissing me off right now because they won't format the way it should. I tried putting them at the bottom, but they just won't move from the top. Sorry for the inconvenience. Go here for some other screenshots that isn't at xbox.com.

This game is entertaining, especially since it features multiplayer over local and XBL. You basically start by running around a building resembling a labyrinth, running into aliens and floating robots. When you shoot the aliens, they "splat' like an insect (they look like bugs too).

Pros:

• It's always nice to have another FPS, especially at $10.
• You can actually play with more than one person on one Xbox 360 (I've written about this before).
• Graphics aren't next-gen, but they did a great job smoothing them out for HD output.
• Minimal sound - can listen to music while you play (some might consider this a con though).
• People probably don't know, but as mentioned in the game details, it is a bit ironic (and funny) that Microsoft ported a game that was originally made for Macintosh.
• Some new features were added - such as capture the flag and co-op campaign.

Cons:

• My head started to hurt after a few minutes of play. The turning corners seems too quick.
• The scenery looks all too similar (like Overlord), and it's easy to get lost.
• I don't think there is a button to reload - you kind of just have to time it right. Maybe I didn't find it... hmmm...
• Your "back up" doesn't really help you, they kind of teleport in and out of sections of the level, so it's a bit difficult to figure out where to go next.

Overall Imprsesion: If you enjoy FPS, and have some MS points to spend, go forth and shoot the bugs, but don't rush to the store (or press X to buy MS points) for this title. Marathon: Durandal is a fun game that will probably see some serious downloads soon. I give this game a 7.2/10.

UPDATE: I moved Marathon's rating of 6.8 up to 7.2 because I found out you can dual weild pistols in the game. And punch flying metal robots down. The machine gun also has a grenade launcher on it, and it's the first upgraded weapon you get so... I think Bungie knew what they were doing back in the day. Dual weild in 1994, hmmm... When did Halo 2 come out? 2004? What took them so long? 8/3/07 - 10:25 pm