Bungie Software, $45 US ($65 Cdn.) Requirements: Macintosh with 68030 processor or better, 8MB RAM, 256 color or greyscale display. Recommended: 68040 processor or better.
I must preface this review by simply stating that nothing I can express in written words can describe the thrill of playing Marathon. After years of standing idle by, enviously watching PC users blast their way through Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and DOOM II, Mac users finally have a quality first-person perspective adventure game to call their own: Marathon. And it’s not available for PC users, either.
Though it may not seem all that significant, the lack of DOOM-like games for the Mac has been a major stumbling block for Macintosh sales. Having worked in computer sales for over three years, I have witnessed many individuals choose a computer platform based solely upon the availability of good games for that operating system. This was one battle the Mac always lost. Sure, the Macintosh was easy to use and pretty to look at; but without a thriving game market, it simply could not compete with DOS clones. That’s why Mac enthusiasts have always been excited at the prospect of running DOS and Windows via Insignia’s SoftWindows or Apple’s DOS Compatibility cards: doing so promised Mac users access to the vast PC game library.
After Apple’s repeated successes with low-end color Macintosh systems such as the LC III and LC 475, many software developers began to see potential in a Macintosh game market. Observing the popularity of Wolfenstein 3D for DOS clones, a few companies bravely faced the challenge of developing similar games for the Macintosh. Bungie Software would be one of the first, with Pathways into Darkness. This early attempt was unfortunately bogged down by slow animation and limited game play. Reality Bytes would be next to enter the market, with Sensory Overload—a game with depth, a vibrant soundtrack and a refined interface. But Sensory Overload suffered the same major problem as earlier attempts: it was just too slow (even on a Power Macintosh). MacPlay would burst onto the scene next, with a surprisingly good port of Wolfen- stein 3D. Despite being three years late and lacking visual depth, Wolf 3D captured the fancy of many Mac users clamoring for a fast-action first-person perspective game. But Wolf 3D would only wet the appetite of a starved audience. Mac gamers wanted more: a game with depth, challenge, mystery, intrigue, a haunting soundtrack, and above all else, quick and smooth animation.
Enter Bungie Software, with Marathon. The Macintosh game market finally gets up to speed.
  The Story.  
When you begin the game, you find yourself aboard the colony ship
U.E.S.C. Marathon, having just crashed your shuttle into its docking
bay. A malevolent alien race named the Pfor have taken over the ship
and all hell has broken loose. Amid seemingly hundreds of civilians
and aliens, you have been granted the formidable task of liberating
Marathon from the clutches of the alien invaders—and as you soon
will learn—one of Marathon’s self-aware computer systems named
Durandel, who has become rampant.
Throughout much of the game you will find yourself assisted by Leela,
another of Marathon’s self-aware computer systems. She will initially
guide you through the tasks at hand, telling you where to find certain important items and identifying the location of teleport terminals (which take you to the next level).
  Gameplay.
One thing which becomes apparent very quickly into the game is that you’re going to have to do much more that shoot every alien in sight to succeed. Depending upon the difficulty level you choose, the aliens are capable of working together to strategically outmaneuver you. Additionally, Marathon challenges you to think your way through situations. How can you get to that location? Where can you find a shield regenerator? How can you press the door switch and make it through the door in such a short time? Marathon sports as many puzzles as it does aliens, and you will require keen observational skills to get through many levels.
Aside from using your head to think your way through difficult situations, Marathon’s gameplay basically consists of the following: shooting aliens, finding weapons, col- lecting ammunition, pressing switches which turn on lights, open doors and activate elevators, stopping at computer terminals either for briefings or to save your game, and finding shield regenerators and oxygen replenishers before you die.
Dying will come often, and often will come quickly. One great thing about Marathon is that you are not limited to a certain number of lives; once you’re knocked out, you can simply press tab to start at the last computer terminal you saved. And although such computer terminals are plentiful in lower levels, you will have to look very hard to find them in higher ones.
  Weapons.
In your journeys, you will come across seven different weapons (besides your fist): a .44 Magnum Mega Class, which offers long-distance accuracy but is slow to load and comparatively slow to fire; MA-75 Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher, which fires very quickly but has poor long-distance accuracy; a Tech.50 Fusion Pistol, which offers long-distance accuracy and is quite powerful; a TOZT.25 Backpack Napalm Unit which fires flames and fries most aliens instantly; a SPNKR-X17 SSM Rocket Launcher, whose rockets take some time to load but will blow everything to bits within a 10- meter radius of the point of impact; and an alien weapon which is fast and highly accurate at long distances.
 
  Aliens.
You will have the good fortune to meet several different species of aliens
in your travels aboard Marathon: the Pfor, the color of which will serve
as an indicator of their strength and intelligence; Compilers, who will
float around and fire a nasty bolt of green energy at you; Pfor Troopers,
who wear a nifty helmet and carry the alien equivalent of your MA-75
Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher; Guardians, flying super-flys which
squawk and spit radioactive goo at you; Hounds, giant grotesque beetles
which will rush at you an explode at your feet; Hunters, who wear a
heavy metal armor and fire green energy bolts at you; Enforcers, tall
thin aliens who move fast and carry a powerful alien weapon; and Hulks, huge and slow aliens who will soon cut you down to size with a powerful swing of their clawed hands.
  A Visual Delight.
Upon your first foray into the cyberspace netherworld that is Marathon, the second thing to strike you will be the stunning visual depth to the game. (The first thing to strike you is likely to be a Pfor shock staff, across the back of your head.) Bungie must be commended for its fine work. Each level sports richly detailed texture- mapping complemented by dynamic lighting effects. As you walk through the U.E.S.C. Marathon, you will notice how the glow of a light illuminates a room and how shadows fade into focus as you move into them. As you change your perspective and position, walking from light areas to dark, Marathon’s texture mapping gets lighter and darker, as if your eyes were dilating. Firing your weapons in a dark area will light up the room for a fraction of a second. Alas, words can only offer hints as to the visual depth of Marathon; to truly understand, you must actually venture into the dark hallways of the colony ship.
  Aural Stimulation.
Though it can easily be overshadowed by the visuals, Marathon’s audio is just as impressive. The game allows you to select stereo sound, with up to three channels (this requires Sound Manager 3.0). Best used in conjunction with earphones, this feature of Marathon allows you to hear where things are happening around you—if there is a Pfor fighter coming at you from the left, you will hear him approaching primarily in your left earphone. This is especially useful for locating elevators and reacting to enemy fire, and further helps you to become totally immersed in an alien world. (Again, this is something you must experience to truly appreciate.)
Marathon’s musical score is rich and haunting, continually emphasizing the hopelessness of your situation. Utilizing QuickTime 2.0 and QuickTime instruments, the soundtrack perfectly complements the dark nature of the game, invariably leaving you feeling cold and alone, virtually abandoned in the giant maze that is Marathon. Without a doubt, Marathon possesses the finest musical score I have ever come across in a computer game.
  Performance.  
Marathon’s performance level (read: anima-
tion quality) is dependent upon a number of
user controllable features: sound, color-depth,
graphics resolution, ceiling and floor texture
mapping, and window size. Sound can be set at
11 or 22KHz, stereo can be turned on or off
(and can have up to three channels), and back-
ground music can be turned on or off. The
higher quality sound you select, the slower
Marathon’s frame rate. Color-depth can be
set to either 256 colors or thousands of colors—but thousands requires more processor time to draw. Graphics resolution can be alternated between high and low, allowing the gamers to see more on screen detail while sacrificing animation quality. Turning off ceiling and floor texture mapping will help to boost frame rate, but will lessen the visual detail of the game. Window size can be set to full screen, 100% (about 1/4 screen), 75% or 50%. Somewhat obviously, the smaller your window size, the better the frame rate.
Overall, I found Marathon to significantly out-perform its predecessors. I expe- rienced approximately 15 frame per second animation on 33MHz 68040-based LC 575 with 3-channel 22KHz stereo sound and background music on, graphics set to 256 colors and low resolution, ceiling and floor texture mapping operative, and window size set to 100%. On a more robust Power Macintosh, I found I could easily obtain 24-30 frames per second animation with the aforementioned settings; additionally, the Power Macintosh delivered full-screen play at approximately 15 frames per second. However, with all sound options set to their highest, graphics set to high resolution and thousands of colors, and window size set to full-screen, frame rate grounded to a virtual halt (even on our Power Macintosh). Indeed, you’d require an Power Macintosh 8100/110 to tackle such robust settings!
  Additional Settings.
Marathon also allows you to select the level of brightness of the game (‘Dark’ is the default), and the level of difficulty. The higher the difficulty setting you choose, the smarter and more powerful the aliens. Owners of LC and Quadra 630’s will find an additional option in the preferences screen, allowing Marathon to directly address the new video controller chip of these machines to accelerate the games’ frame rate. The game can be played with preset or user-definable keyboard configurations, or a combination of mouse and keyboard controls. Although we did not have an opportunity to test it, Marathon can also be played with the Cybermaxx virtual reality headset.
  Network Play.  
Just because you may have finished Marathon’s basic game does
not mean you'll be casting the the software aside! Bungie has
incorporated the capability for network play with up to eight
persons. Included with each package of Marathon are two serial
numbers (in effect granting you license to install your copy of
Marathon on two Macs). To play Marathon with the maximum
eight networked players, you will have to have purchased four
separate copies of Marathon.
In network play, you select one a number of network-only levels
(which have no exits, shield regenerators or computer terminals) which will be your “arena”. You can choose to team up with other players to combat the alien invasion, or you can go head to head with your friends (and blow them to pieces)! A particularly interesting feature of Marathon allows you to send audio messages to other players. Pressing a key on your keyboard will activate your Mac’s microphone (if it has one), and record your voice, sending it almost immediately across the network.
Network Marathon, in my opinion, is one of the most time-wasting, competitive and frustrating endeavors I have ever been a part of. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most addictive and incredibly fun ways to spend an afternoon…or and evening…or a whole night! There's nothing quite like the satisfaction of sneaking up on a friend in a dark hallway and using the Backpack Napalm Unit to fry him to a crisp.
  Add Ons.
Within one short month of its release, Marathon has inspired a number of software accessories a true fan cannot be without. Marathon Cheat 2.0, by Egger Thorlacious, allows you to cheat your way to success, adding weaponry, shields and ammunition as you like. Also available via many online services are the complete maps to each level of Marathon and sound replacement files such as ‘Marathon Brutal Sounds’ which intensify the gameplay with loud, realistic and downright gross sounds. From what we have been hearing, it will not be long before a Marathon level editor is available, allowing you to create your own complex and cavernous Marathon levels.
  Hints.
Ok, Ok. What would this special report be without a few hints? Here are some tips to get you through Marathon, in no particular order:
• Fire and Floaters don’t mix well.
• It won’t be heaven, but a new stairway just might lead you to new heights.
• Just because YOU can’t reach the switch, doesn’t me you CAN’T reach the
switch.
• Getting your feet hot can take you to a new plateau.
• If a civilian runs by you screaming “They’re everywhere!”, protect him.
If a civilian runs up to you and yells “Thank God it’s you!”, shoot him.
• Narrow ledges are good for walking, too. And elevating.
• Being within the 10 meter blast radius of a rocket can be a GOOD thing.
And if you just cannot make it past a level, try starting a new game while holding down option-command, to see what lays beyond.
 
Bungie must be complemented for its outstanding work with Marathon. Not only have they delivered a exciting and fast-paced game, it has provided an outstanding example of all that Macintosh games can be. No longer must Mac users be envious of their DOS counterparts. At long last, we have the best of everything.
 
If you have not yet had a chance to experience Marathon but you are contemplating buying it, we suggest you call up an online service such as eWorld, America Online or CompuServe and download the Marathon demo. (It may also be found on some of your local BBSes.) The demo is fat-binary (it is optimized for both traditional and PowerPC Macs) and includes three levels of standard play and one level of network play. Besides giving you a taste of Marathon, the demo will also help you determine if your Mac is fast enough to handle Marathon’s somewhat robust computing needs. If you have an Internet connection and are using Netscape, you may find additional information at The Official Marathon World Wide Web Site, address: http://www.netweb.com/cortex/cgi-bin/htimage/mall/marathon.
