Before Halo there was Marathon, and thanks to one dedicated fan, you can now play the classic shooter on your Apple iPad free of charge.
By day Daniel Blezek programs software for a medical center. By night Blezek fancies himself a games programmer. Leveraging his affection for Apple’s latest gadget and his love for Bungie’s Marathon series, Blezek has spent the last year bringing the latter to the former.
If you’ve spent any amount of time following the gaming industry, you’ll know that this scenario isn’t all that unique. Talented fans have been recreating and repurposing their favorite games for every manner of technology for years. In this case though, Blezek’s efforts have the Bungie seal of approval.
Instead of slapping Blezek down with a cease and desist letter, Bungie is actively promoting the iPad port, going so far as to interview the would-be game developer as part of the company’s 20th anniversary festivities.
It should be noted that while the standard version of Marathon is currently sitting in the App Store with a $0 price tag, there is also an updated version available for $4. The standard version is essentially a direct port of the game’s 1994 release with an updated, iPad-specific control scheme, while the more expensive iteration features updated aesthetic touches like high-resolution textures.
Whether you shell out cash for the game, or opt for the gratis version, I urge every iPad owner to nab this thing as soon as possible.
Not just because Marathon is wildly underrated compared to id Software’s ubiquitous DOOM games, but because publishers need to be sent a message that supporting fan-developed projects is a good use of their intellectual property. Crushing every fan project in sight is a quick way to earn spite from your supporters, and if you have no plans to create a certain project anyway, what harm is there in letting the fans build it themselves?
Corporate politics aside, those of you itching to blast aliens to pieces can now find the gratis iPad Marathon port on the App Store. Enjoy the carnage.
Source: MTV Multiplayer
