Marathon: Durandal

 Xbox 360
Marathon: Durandal Image
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 27 Ratings

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  • 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[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

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 13
  3. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. TeamXbox
    79
    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. IGN
    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. GameDaily
    70
    First and foremost, it has just as much charm as id's classic Doom, with hilariously bad pre-rendered enemies, a fresh feeling of exploration and multiplayer options galore, both off-line and through Xbox Live. The second is a rapid frame rate that induces motion sickness.
  4. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    60
    An interesting curio for Halo fans, but expensive. [Oct 2007, p.96]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Eurogamer
    60
    Despite being ahead of "Doom 2" in many respects, it's simply nowhere near as fun to play. Saddled with clunky combat, it's impossible to come to this with fresh eyes and appreciate what the fuss was about.
  6. Boomtown
    60
    The Marathon fan base out there who played the game over 10 years ago will most likely be the only ones to get any real enjoyment out of this one.
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    40
    A blast from the past that should have stayed unblasted. Play the free version if you must. [Nov 2007, p.94]
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See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. NicholasL.
    Aug 4, 2007
    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 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
  2. C.H.
    Aug 1, 2007
    10
    I'm guilty of being nostalgic. I used to play the Marathon trilogy way back on an Apple PPC Performa. I was ecstatic to see Marathon I'm guilty of being nostalgic. I used to play the Marathon trilogy way back on an Apple PPC Performa. I was ecstatic to see Marathon coming to Xbox! The game's held up well over the years, and the new version looks awesome with the new HD graphics. Controls handle just like Halo, and the game runs at over twice the FPS as the original. Definitely worth taking a look, especially if you're curious about Halo's pedigree.… Expand
  4. SMScorx89
    Sep 24, 2010
    9
    As part of Bungie's first successful series, this port of Marathon 2: Durandal lives up to the original with some new features includingAs part of Bungie's first successful series, this port of Marathon 2: Durandal lives up to the original with some new features including 8-player co-op! Don't worry, the motion sickness has been fixed since a patch was released in 2008. Anyways, the game offers a lot features that Halo players might recognize, like Kill the Man with the Ball is Oddball. The only complaint is that there isn't a lot of people online, but most of the achievements can be earned by yourself or with friends. For the "World Domination" achievement, you need to have an online match with a person who already has the achievement. Luckily, there is a leadership board section called "The Seventh Column" which shows all the people who have it. Hopefully, you will find somebody who will help you. The Single Player can be challenging and you might get lost, but after several playthroughs, you'll get the hang of it.
    The game is also a great way to play with your friends if you want to kickback and play some multiplayer or play co-op. The game is only 800 Microsoft Points, but worth the buy. However, the cost for the Map Packs are 400 MSP each, raising the total to 1600. There is a Marathon nameplate on bungie.net for Halo: Reach for those who have recently played or have the game, as well.    … Expand
  5. SamF.
    Aug 6, 2007
    8
    Like others, I played this on the Mac back in the mid 90s and it was easily the best game on the Apple Mac at the time. The original game was Like others, I played this on the Mac back in the mid 90s and it was easily the best game on the Apple Mac at the time. The original game was head and shoulders above Doom, which I cannot believe gets rated higher by both Shawn L and the Team Xbox magazine... the only reason Doom is held in high esteem is due to it being the first massively popular FPS. Marathon was the first fully fledged FPS with an engaging story, decent (for the time graphics) and immersive sound that, when played in stereo back in '94 left you requiring fresh underpants. Marathon Durandal is the Aliens to Marathon's Alien. All action, loads of weaponry and maps and probably the most popular online gaming experience on the Mac to date. It only gets 8 (rather than 10) due to the speeding up of the framerate, which doesn't make you feel sick, but it does make playing the game a little awkward at times.… Expand
  6. Termin8ter
    Apr 26, 2016
    7
    Marathon Durandal is a decent shooter that laid the foundations for Halo CE and the Halo franchise. Though Durandal doesn't play like Halo,Marathon Durandal is a decent shooter that laid the foundations for Halo CE and the Halo franchise. Though Durandal doesn't play like Halo, it's couch coop multiplayer does. Durandal has classic game-modes that would later be implemented into Halo's multiplayer, like Red v Blue, Juggernaut, and more. I would reccomend this game to anyone who is a fan of couch co-op, but apart from that, Durandal has little other content. The campaign is very underwhelming. Durandal has great couch co-op, but bad singleplayer.… Expand
  7. CharlesG.R.
    Aug 2, 2007
    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 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
  8. ShawnL.
    Aug 2, 2007
    0
    Worst game ever. *shakes head* is that game a joke? If it were possible I would really try to get my Microsoft points back. I'm really Worst game ever. *shakes head* is that game a joke? If it were possible I would really try to get my Microsoft points back. I'm really sorry.. but this game is just terrible.. and i love games like this like doom.. and quake 3.. i cant believe i actually have to force myself just to get these pointless achievements. It's the first game I've ever had to boost to get achievements the first day of getting it.. Im really sorry.. but i feel like i totally wasted 800 points. And on top of it all playing the game made me and others nauseous. I'm very sorry.… Expand

See all 9 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2007
55
#55 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2007