• Summary: [Xbox Live Arcade] Seventeen years ago, you survived a vicious Pfhor assault on the U.E.S.C. Marathon. Now you have been awakened by the enigmatic, sentient A.I. called Durandal and sent to an alien world to uncover the mysteries of their advanced technology. In Marathon: Durandal, armed with only a pistol, you are humanity’s last champion Marathon: Durandal is a cult classic first-person shooter (FPS) that continues the tradition of great gameplay while remaining faithful to the spirit of Bungie lore as the predecessor to the Halo franchise. Upgraded visuals: All images in the game have been redrawn in high definition. Marathon: Durandal features a new modern networking layer built with Xbox LIVE in mind. The redesigned controls take full advantage of the Xbox 360 Controller and enhance playing a first-person shooter on a home console. [Microsoft] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 13
  2. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. Where the action of Doom's XBLA debut sucked me back in, I didn't have quite the same attraction to Marathon: Durandal, especially considering the stomach-churning byproducts of its "new and improved" look. It's a good, smart shooter, but I don't think it's aged as well given its more deliberate pace.
  2. 74
    I think it's quite a bit better than DOOM in almost all aspects. But it's impossible to ignore the fact that everyone who has played Marathon has gotten nauseous. I've never seen this happen with a game before, but obviously anything that leaves people feeling worse than when they booted it up, can't get a very enthusiastic thumbs up.
  3. A Marathon title on XBLA could have been a fantastic way for Halo fans to see their favorite developer's roots, but thanks to bad controls and an illness-inducing interface, the game struggles to even serve as a window into the past.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. NicholasL.
    10
    This is one of the best games I have ever played. With an immersive story and fun gameplay (kill the man with the ball, and 8 player Co-op), this is probably one of the best games ever. Beats Doom in every way. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. CharlesG.R.
    6
    The original Marathon was a real revelation for me. It was my first contact with a first person shooter. I woke up at night to play it in my university days! Marathon: Durandal was the most visceral game experience I've ever been fortunate to experience in my years as a gamer. At some point in the game I was backed up in a corner, just barely out of reach of a giant wave of enemies approching from several directions with only my grenade launcher left. With my health slowly draining, and no hope in sight I was able to defeat them with only a sliver of health left, it was a grand moment. To the original Mac Marathon saga, I give a heartfelt 10 out of 10. A captivating story, with a narrative that gave you though objectives and a foreboding sense of tension that never left your side. To this day, the map function has not been topped. It is beyound my understanding that FPS games don't make use of this! I have two reasons for low scoring this Xbox Live Arcade version. 1) although the game moves too fast, the enemies move way too slowly; 2) this is the only game (in over 25 years of gaming) that has made me nauseous! Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. DONTBUYTHISGAME
    1
    I LOVE Marathon, but DON'T BUY THIS!!! The entire trilogy is freeware (yes, it's legal!) that you can download for PC. The graphics aren't as good, but it plays much better. I know you have a PC if you're reading this. Please take my advice and don't get ripped off. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 8 User Reviews

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