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{{Title|''Marathon''}}
==Summary==
{{Status|RealWorld}}
[[Image:Marathon Logo.gif|right]]
{{Disambig header|the video game series|other uses|Marathon (disambiguation)}}
'''Marathon''' is a series of science fiction [[first-person shooter]] computer games from [[Bungie Studios|Bungie Software]] released for the [[wikipedia:Apple Macintosh|Apple Macintosh]].
[[File:Bungie_Marathon_poster225p.jpg|right]]
'''''Marathon''''' is a series of science fiction [[first-person shooter]] computer games from [[Bungie Studios|Bungie Software]] released for the [[wikipedia:Apple Macintosh|Apple Macintosh]] between 1994 and 1996. It would go on to have a [[List of Marathon references in the Halo series|great deal of influence]] on the narrative, visual design, and gameplay of the ''Halo'' series.


In 1996, ''Marathon'' and its sequel ''Marathon 2: Durandal'' would be released as a bundle for Apple's short-lived home console, the [[wikipedia: Apple Bandai Pippin|Apple Bandai Pippin]], as ''Super Marathon''. In 2000, Bungie released the games' source codes and other assets, just prior to Microsoft's acquisition of the company. On August 1, 2007, a remaster of ''Marathon 2: Durandal'' was released on the [[Xbox Live|Xbox LIVE Arcade]] by [[wikipedia: Freeverse Inc.|Freeverse]]. Since the original game hadn't been released, the Xbox Live version was renamed "''Marathon: Durandal''". 4 years later, the entire Marathon trilogy would be released on the [[wikipedia: App Store|App Store]] for free in 2011.
The first game, ''Marathon'' (1994), was followed by two sequels: ''Marathon 2: Durandal'' (1995) and ''Marathon Infinity'' (1996). ''Marathon 2'' was also released for [[wikipedia:Windows 95|Windows 95]].
 
The Marathon trilogy as released on the Classic Mac OS is now available for free [http://trilogyrelease.bungie.org/ ''here''], Versions for modern desktop operating systems have been released by the Aleph One team and Bungie on Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/developer/alephone ''here''].


==Games in the series==
==Games in the series==
===Marathon===
===Marathon===
{{Main
''Marathon'' was released for the [[wikipedia:Apple Macintosh|Apple Macintosh]] and was one of the earliest first-person shooters to appear on the Macintosh. Unlike some other similar games of that era (for example, [[Wikipedia:id Software|id Software]]'s ''[[wikipedia:DOOM|DOOM]]'') ''Marathon'' and its sequels, ''Marathon 2: Durandal'' and ''Marathon Infinity'' were notable for their intricate plots.
|wiki=marathongame
 
|1=Marathon (Game)
Set in the year 2794 A.D., the game placed the player as a cyborg Security Officer aboard the human starship UESC (Unified Earth Space Council) ''Marathon'', orbiting a colony on the planet Tau Ceti IV. Throughout the game, the player attempts to defend the ship and its inhabitants from a race of alien slavers called the Pfhor. As he fights against the invaders, he witnesses the three shipboard AIs' interactions, and discovers that all is not as it seems aboard the ''Marathon''.
}}
 
''Marathon'' was released for the [[wikipedia:Apple Macintosh|Apple Macintosh]] and was one of the earliest first-person shooters to appear on the Macintosh. Unlike some other similar games of that era (for example, [[Wikipedia:id Software|id Software]]'s ''[[wikipedia:Doom (video game)|Doom]]'') ''Marathon'' and its sequels, ''Marathon 2: Durandal'' and ''Marathon Infinity'' were notable for their intricate plots, predominantly told through various terminals.
===Marathon 2: Durandal===
''Marathon 2: Durandal'' was the sequel to ''Marathon''. In addition to being released for the Apple Macintosh, a [[wikipedia:Windows 95|Windows 95]] version was also released.
 
''Marathon 2'' begins 17 years after the first game ends, as the player's ship arrives at the ruined S'pht homeworld Lh'owon. Durandal sends the player and an army of ex-colonists to search the ruins of Lh'owon for information which would give Durandal an advantage against the Pfhor, who are planning a new assault on humanity. Among the new characters in this adventure are Durandal's evil counterpart Tycho, a Lh'owon-native species known as F'lickta, an ancient and mysterious race of advanced aliens called the Jjaro, and the long-lost S'pht'Kr clan.
 
The game engine itself underwent several changes from its first incarnation.  Although most of these changes were "under-the-hood", a few were visible to the user.  The ''Marathon 2'' engine offered preformance gains on some machines, in addition to support for higher resolutions, higher color depths, and better quality sound.  The enhanced engine also allowed the loading of maps from external files, allowing for users to (later) create and play their own maps.
 
===Marathon Infinity===
''Marathon Infinity'' included more levels than ''Marathon 2'', which were larger, scarier, and part of a more intricate plot. The game's code changed little since ''Marathon 2'', and many levels can be played unmodified in both games. ''Marathon Infinity'' was only released for the Apple Macintosh. The most dramatic improvement in the game was the inclusion of Bungie's own level-creating software, Forge, and their physics editor, Anvil. Forge and Anvil allowed a new generation of players to create their own levels using the same tools as the Bungie developers themselves. In Forge, distance was measured in '''World Units''', which are roughly equivalent to 2 metres (6 or 7 feet). Another improvement was the ability to include separate monster, weapons, and physics definitions for each level, a feature heavily used by Double Aught, who designed the ''Marathon Infinity'' levels.
 
In addition to the three ''Marathon'' games, several games (e.g. ''[[wikipedia:Damage Incorporated|Damage Incorporated]]'' and ''[[wikipedia:ZPC|ZPC]]'') used the ''Marathon 2'' engine.
 
''Marathon Infinity'' begins as the Pfhor destroy Lh'owon using a stolen Jjaro doomsday weapon known as the Trih'Xeem (early nova). Unfortunately, the weapon also releases a powerful chaotic being which threatens to destroy the entire galaxy. Because of the chaos, or by means of some Jjaro tech of his own, the ''Marathon'' Cyborg is transported back in time and finds himself jumping between timelines and fighting for various sides in a desperate attempt to prevent the chaotic being's release.


Set in the year 2794 A.D., the player assumes the role of a security officer aboard the human starship UESC (United Earth Space Council) ''Marathon''. The ''Marathon'' was constructed beginning in 2408 by hollowing out the Martian moon Deimos to produce a colony ship that was launched towards the star Tau Ceti. The story begins some time after ''Marathon'' arrives in the system and begins the construction of a colony on planet Tau Ceti IV.
===Halo and Marathon===
[[Halo: Combat Evolved]] shares many features with ''Marathon'' and could be considered ''Marathon 4'' (though Bungie claims that it is set in a different universe). Common features include the ''Marathon'' logo embedded in the ''Halo'' logo, Hunters, and SPNKR rocket launchers. ''Halo'' plays very much like a modern, high end version of ''Marathon'' (although it is far more linear). Bungie often recycles components, famous phrases and jokes from its games.  


The player is awoken by one of the ''Marathon''s three artificial intelligences, Leela. The player interacts with Leela through computer terminals found around the ship. Leela explains that the ship is under attack by an alien race, the Pfhor, who have also attacked the colony on the planet. She has been damaged in the attack, and the other two AIs, Durandal and Tycho, appear to have been disabled.
See [[List of Marathon references in Halo|here]] for a list of the ''Marathon'' references in the ''Halo'' games.


Throughout the game, the player attempts to defend the ship and its inhabitants from the Pfhor. As he fights against the invaders, Leela regains contact with Durandal, who has gone rampant. Leela eventually succums to the attacks, and Durandal takes over Leela's role in directing the player. For the rest of the game, the three AIs periodically appear as one or another contact the player, with a reanimated Leela ultimately left in control while Durandal leaves the ship.
==Characters==
===The Pfhor===
The Pfhor are an extraterrestrial ancient spacefaring race of alien slavers seeking to control the galaxy and perform numerous evil deeds in the games. The Pfhor are bipedal, somewhat taller than humans, have three red eyes and green skin, and come in a variety of classes and flavors. In ''Marathon'', the three eyes are arranged in a triangle, pointing down, making the unmasked Pfhor look a little clownish, but the later games shifted the "arrow" to point up, with the third eye in a more "enlightened" position in the middle of the forehead.


===Marathon 2: Durandal===
*The most basic variety is the Fighter, a lightly armored pfhor wielding a shock staff (and a projectile weapon in the case of the blue and orange types).  Fighters come in four flavors, in order of ascending rank and nastiness: Green, Purple, Orange, and Blue.
{{Main
*Troopers are heavily armored and pack automatic rifle/grenade launcher combo weapons. Troopers come also in Green and Purple flavors.
|wiki=marathongame
*Hunters are the Pfhor assault troops. They wear very heavy armor and have shoulder-mounted energy cannons.  They come in four flavors: Brown, Green, Purple and Blue.
|1=Marathon 2: Durandal
*Enforcers are the Pfhor MP's. They wear strange cloaks and possess alien shotgun weapons. They come in two different types, with blue/orange enforcers being tougher and faster than green/blue ones.
}}
*The Juggernaut (aka The Big Floaty Thing What Kicks Our Asses) is the Pfhor tank. These flying armored weapons platforms are like a mix of a tank and an attack helicopter, only bigger and badder. They fire dual homing RPGs as well as machineguns/alien shotgun bursts.  They come in two flavors: Bad and Worse (Grey and Brown).
''Marathon 2: Durandal'' was the sequel to ''Marathon''. In addition to being released for the Apple Macintosh, a [[wikipedia:Windows 95|Windows 95]] version was also released. The game engine itself underwent several changes from its first incarnation. Although most of these changes were "under-the-hood," a few were visible to the user. The ''Marathon 2'' engine offered performance gains on some machines, in addition to support for higher resolutions, higher color depths, and better quality sound. The enhanced engine also allowed the loading of maps from external files, allowing for users to (later) create and play their own maps.
 
Exceedingly tough, monochrome-colored versions of all of the Pfhor (except for Juggernauts) appear in the Vidmaster Challenge stages, a series of skill challenges hidden at the end of ''Marathon: Infinity''.
 
The Pfhor also utilize the 'Conditioned Ranks', or enslaved soldiers, who are forced to fight for the empire. Conquered races make up the majority of the conditioned ranks. These didn't make an appearance in any of the games, save for the Drinniol (or "Hulks") in the first game.
 
===The S'pht===
The S'pht are a race of alien cyborgs, cybernetically enhanced by the Jjaro to terraform Lh'owon. They were enslaved by the Pfhor c. 1810 A.D., and liberated en masse by Durandal and the unenslaved and technologically superior S'pht'Kr clan in 2811 A.D. The S'pht consist of extremely complex brains carried in flying cybernetic bodies. They are armed with a built-in energy pulse weapon and some carry cloaking devices.
 
===F'lickta===
F'lickta are native creatures of Lh'owon, living in sewers, water pools, and lava. They are ancestors of the S'pht and often harass Pfhor forces. F'lickta have a simplified digestive system, absorbing nutrients from the sludge they live in, and are extremely irritable. Entering their home turf unarmed is not recommended.
F'lickta allow their eggs to develop in their large mouth-like orifices located on the front of their abdomen.
 
===The Jjaro===
Little is known about the Jjaro, an extremely advanced species which disappeared from our galaxy millions of years ago (they are not seen in-game), leaving much of their technology to fall into the hands of the Pfhor. The Jjaro are known to have possessed high-quality cyborg technology (such as that used to create the S'pht), a star-destroying weapon known as the Trih'Xeem, and the ability to move entire planets by warping space around them (as used by the S'pht'Kr).
 
The Jjaro were first used in an earlier Bungie game, ''[[wikipedia:Pathways Into Darkness|Pathways Into Darkness]]''.


''Marathon 2'' begins 17 years after the first game's ending. The player awakes aboard the Pfhor ship that Durandal stole, having beamed the player aboard as he left Tau Ceti. He reveals that after they left, a Pfhor fleet arrived and destroyed the colony. He further reveals that he called the Pfhor to Tau Ceti in order to steal their technology. Now they orbit the ruined S'pht homeworld, Lh'owon.
===BOBs===
Other than the player's character, the human characters in the game are all referred to as "BOBs" (which stands for "Born On Board"). They wear different-colored suits, but all have the same face. In ''Marathon'', most are harmless and generally ignore the player (and occasionally announce "They're everywhere!"); in ''Durandal'' and ''Infinity'' most carry weapons and will attack the enemies. If the player begins to attack them, they will consider him a traitor and in return start attacking him. However, a few, called simulacrums (or "assimilated BOBs"), are actually living bombs; upon seeing the player's character, they will run directly towards him (usually shouting things like "I'm out of ammo!", "Thank God it's you!" or the infamous "Frog blast the vent core!" (see below)), and when close enough they will explode and inflict severe damage to him and to other BOBs. This is especially a problem on levels where a certain number of BOBs must be protected to pass to the next level. Some common signs that a BOB was assimilated were: speaking certain phrases, if they ran towards you, a green uniform (though only some "normal" BOBs had green uniforms, assimilated BOBs always wore green), and if tagged by a bullet, yellow blood.


Durandal sends the player and an army of ex-colonists to search the ruins of Lh'owon for information that would give Durandal an advantage against the Pfhor, who are planning a new assault on humanity. Among the new characters in this adventure are Durandal's evil counterpart Tycho, who played a minor role in the first game; a Lh'owon-native species known as F'lickta; an ancient and mysterious race of advanced aliens called the Jjaro; and the long-lost S'pht'Kr clan.
=="Frog blast the vent core!"==


===Marathon Infinity===
This is a phrase synonymous with the ''Marathon'' series. Explosive Bob "simulacrums" occasionally shout the phrase, trying to blend in with the regular BOBs and explode around a large amount of humans. Since they are only piecing together random words, their nonsense gives them away. Doug Zartman, who performed the BOB voices, was instructed during recording to improvise a random phrase, and this is what he came up with.  It is very popular to say in the text chat of a network game of ''Marathon''; meant more as a joke than anything; the sheer randomness of this phrase means it can be used at any time.
{{Main
|wiki=marathongame
|1=Marathon Infinity
}}
''Marathon Infinity'' included more levels than ''Marathon 2'', which were larger and part of a more intricate plot. The game's code changed little since ''Marathon 2'', and many levels can be played unmodified in both games. ''Marathon Infinity'' was only released for the Apple Macintosh. The most dramatic improvement in the game was the inclusion of Bungie’s own level-creating software, Forge, and their physics editor, Anvil. Forge and Anvil allowed a new generation of players to create their own levels using the same tools as the Bungie developers themselves. In Forge, distance was measured in '''World Units''', which are roughly equivalent to 2 meters (6 or 7 feet). Another improvement was the ability to include separate monster, weapons, and physics definitions for each level, a feature heavily used by Double Aught, who designed the ''Marathon Infinity'' levels.


''Marathon Infinity'' begins as the Pfhor destroy Lh'owon using a Jjaro-derived doomsday weapon known as the Trih'Xeem (early nova). Unfortunately, the weapon also releases a powerful chaotic being which threatens to destroy the entire galaxy. Because of the chaos, or by means of some Jjaro tech of his own, the Security Officer is transported back and forth in time and through his own dreams, finding himself jumping between timelines and fighting for various sides in a desperate attempt to prevent the chaotic being's release. After multiple instances of "jumps," the player (seemingly the only being who realizes he is being transported between possible realities) activates the ancient Jjaro Station, preventing the chaotic entity's release. The ending screen of ''Infinity'' leaves the story's resolution open-ended, taking place billions of years after the events of ''Marathon Infinity''.
The phrase has appeared hidden in other games, such as ''[[wikipedia:Myth (computer game)|Myth]]'',''[[wikipedia:Tron 2.0|Tron 2.0]]'', and [[Wikipedia:Oni (computer game)|Oni]].


===Marathon (upcoming)===
==References in Halo==
{{Main
This is a list of all the references to Marathon that [[Bungie]] put in the ''Halo'' games. Mostly sightings of the Marathon logo, seen above.
|wiki=marathongame
|1=Marathon (upcoming)
}}


The fourth game in the ''Marathon'' series was announced at PlayStation Showcase 2023. Unlike other ''Marathon'' games in the series, it will be a PvP extraction shooter.  
===Halo: Combat Evolved===
*[[Captain Keyes]] - He has the Marathon logo on his [[:Image:Captain Keyes.jpg|uniform]].
*Captain Keyes - His [[:Image:Pipe.jpg|pipe]] has the Marathon logo on it.
*[[Control Room]] - The Control Room main chamber, when [[:Image:Controlroom.jpg|viewed from the top]], is shaped like the logo.
*[[Cortana]] - The Marathon AI Durandal, is named after a mythical [[wikipedia:Durindana|sword]]. A cortana is a type of medieval Spanish sword.
*Dialog - Sometimes Grunts or Marines will shout "They're everywhere!", similar to the [[Marathon#BOBs|BOBs]] of Marathon.
*Difficulty selection screen - The Marathon logo appears on the [[Easy]] [[:Image:Easy Shield.png|shield]].
*[[Foehammer]] - A level in Marathon: Infinity is called "Foe Hammer".
*Game logo - In between the A and the L in the [[:Image:Halo1 logo.jpg|Halo logo]] is the Marathon logo.
*Level Title - Marathon has a level "If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Somebody Pay", Halo has a part "If I Had a Super Weapon..."
*[[MJOLNIR]] - There are Mjolnir Mark IV cyborgs in Marathon, there is Mjolnir Mark V battle armor in Halo.
*[[Monitor]] - The [[:Image:Tangent.jpg|eye]] of the Monitor is the shape of the logo.
*[[Pillar of Autumn]] - The Marathon logo can be seen on the [[:Image:PoA.jpg|side of the ship]].
*[[Rampancy]] - If the player kills Captain Keyes in the [[Pillar of Autumn Level|first level]], Cortana says, "The Master Chief has gone rampant."
*[[Silent Cartographer (Level)]] - The [[:Image:SC - Marathon.jpg|center of the island]] is shaped like the Marathon logo.


==''Halo'' and ''Marathon''==
===Halo 2===
{{main|List of Marathon references in the Halo series}}
*[[Headlong]] - There is a [[:Image:Headlong Marathon.jpg|structure]] shaped like the logo.  
''Halo'' borrows many visual and narrative elements from ''Marathon'', although the series are canonically unconnected. For example, the ''Marathon'' logo is embedded in the original ''Halo'' logo and serves as the original [[Reclaimer]] glyph. The ''Halo'' universe's concept of [[rampancy]], a form of insanity experienced by artificial intelligences, is loosely adapted from the ''Marathon'' universe's condition of the same name. The Spartans' [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]] and its "Mark" designation scheme are named after ''Marathon's'' Mjolnir Mark IV "battleroid" cyborgs, which include the player character.
*UESC - Lord Hood says, "United Earth Space Corps," Marathon features the Unified Earth Space Council.


The [[SECURITY-class Mjolnir|Mjolnir Security armor]] closely resembles the armor worn by ''Marathon''{{'}}s protagonist, a security officer aboard the eponymous vessel, and its helmet sports the series' logo. The [[M41 SPNKr]] rocket launcher takes its name and design from the SPNKR-XP missile launcher introduced in ''Marathon 2''. The ''Halo'' series' plasma pistols are functionally similar to the fusion pistols from the ''Marathon'' trilogy. Hunters are remarkably similar to their Pfhor predecessors.
===Misc.===
*[[Drinol]] - Similarity with Drinniol, a Marathon foe.
*[[Marathon-class]] - A class of ship mentioned in [[Halo: The Fall of Reach]].


==Trivia==
==Related Links==
*The ''Halo 3'' [[Marathon Man|Marathon Man achievement]], which is unlocked by finding all seven [[Terminal (Halo 3)|terminals]], is a reference to the ''Marathon'' series' terminals, which are the sole source of in-game story progression. The emblem's icon is a stick figure with the ''Marathon'' logo for a head.
*[[Rampancy]]


==Sources==
==External Links==
{{Ref/Sources}}
* http://marathon.bungie.org
*[http://trilogyrelease.bungie.org/ Download the Trilogy]
* [http://source.bungie.org Marathon Open Source Project]
* [http://marathon.bungie.org/story/ Marathon's Story Site] - An essential reference if you're lost in ''Marathon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s plot.
* [http://zdome.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page MaraWiki] - Wiki site dedicated to all things ''Marathon''.
* http://www.marathon.org


== External links ==
[[Category:Games]]
*[https://www.marathonthegame.com/ '''www.marathonthegame.com''': ''Official Bungie site for the upcoming '''Marathon''' game'']
*[http://marathon.bungie.org '''marathon.bungie.org''': ''The '''Marathon''' news site'']
**[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/ '''marathon.bungie.org''': ''The '''Marathon''' Storyline'']
*[http://trilogyrelease.bungie.org/ Download the Trilogy] for Classic MacOS, or the [http://source.bungie.org/get/ Aleph One-converted versions] for OSx and Windows
*[http://source.bungie.org '''''Marathon''' Open Source Project''], the official website for Aleph One which also posts news updates on other ''Marathon'' fan projects.
*[https://www.marathonwiki.com/ '''CyberAcme''' - ''the Marathon Wiki'']
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Bungie games]]

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