Marathon and Spyglass on Weds News • News • Xbox 360 • Eurogamer.net

News Xbox 360

Live Arcade double-whammy.

Most good things come in pairs, which is why Microsoft is bombarding us with two new Live Arcade games tomorrow.

The first is Marathon: Durandal for 800 points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.30) - an old Bungie game revamped by developer Freeverse. It puts you in the shoes of humanity's sole-survivor, who has to explore an alien planet and uncover its secrets - using his diplomatic friend, a pistol.

All the old images have been redrawn, controls re-mapped for the 360, and Live multiplayer integrated. Pop over to our Marathon: Durandal gamepage for the latest images and trailers.

Spyglass Board Games is the other title on offer for 400 points (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.65). As the title suggests, the old classics such as chess and checkers (draughts, dammit) are on offer, but with a twist. Using Live Vision integration you can personalise the board, pieces and video effects you see - as well as chatter to you friends while you back them into a strategical corner.

Both games have the usual 12 achievements on offer totalling 200 Gamerpoints if you can get them all. And some will. We'd stake our bus ticket on it.

About Marathon: Durandal
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- Release date 1/08/2007
- Publisher Microsoft
- Developer Bungie
More about Marathon: Durandal
Related game pages
- Marathon: Durandal on Xbox 360

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

Comments (25) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

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absolutezero #1 5 years ago

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This is not SPACE GIRAFFE
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huxathon #2 5 years ago

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Why play space giraffe when you can squint at Tempest 2000.
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absolutezero #3 5 years ago

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SPACE GIRAFFE will make me eyes bleed with colours while asking me if I'd like a cup of tea.

Tempest can't do those things
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bioreit #4 5 years ago

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Why squint at Tempest 2000 when you can rub vaseline on the screen and play Tempest.
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huxathon #5 5 years ago

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actually, I was kinda joking: space giraffe looks ace.
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FlamingCarrot #6 5 years ago

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Wheres TRON then?
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DUFFKING #7 5 years ago

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I fail to see what these two guys are so excited about:

[link url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/viewer.aspx?productId=1926&assetTypeId=1&shotId=0
]http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/viewer.a...[/link]

Seriously.

'Oh noes he moves his pawn close lol lets make stupid gestures'
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kangarootoo #8 5 years ago

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"Doh! I just realised I'm shit at chess"
"Yeah me too"
"Man, we are just nuts"
"LOL"
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mcmonkeyplc #9 5 years ago

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BUNGIE!
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Xerx3s #10 5 years ago

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I've just had a 30 minute sesh on Space Giraffe (good ol' partnernet) and after an initial "OMFG I can't see a bloody thing!" phase, it turns out to be amazingly good.

Life is not fair. ;_;

Marathon ffs! \0/ WIN! 4p coop!
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DaM #11 5 years ago

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I hear the withheld release of Space Giraffe was high on the agenda in the meeting between Brown and Bush. Brown told him we were going to pull out of Iraq pronto unless he sorted it with Bill Gates.
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Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #12 5 years ago

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Still no SWOS
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Normski #13 5 years ago

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"remapped controls"

It's lucky that they care so much about us to put in the effort to do this, otherwise we'd all have had to play Marathon using an old Mac keyboard and mouse

When one of your main selling points is "Updated to use the controls of the platform you've bought it for", you know that something is awry with the downloadable games market.
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Waffleaber #14 5 years ago

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Or you could, I dunno, downlaod the whole Marathon trilogy for free off bungie's website and play them the way they were meant to be played including the enhanced Resurection version.

[link url=http://marathon.bungie.org
]http://marathon.bungie.org
[/link]

Just a thought...
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kangarootoo #15 5 years ago

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"and play them the way they were meant to be played"

What does that mean? On a 15" CRT monitor with one mouse button?
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Waffleaber #16 5 years ago

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Actually I meant a keyboard and mouse but as I'm still using a 15" CRT monitor I guess I win.

And by win I mean lose.
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NegativeZero #17 5 years ago

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Keyboard and mouse? Bah. Marathon was made to be played with just a keyboard.

Also I must be some kind of annoying purist or something, because I'm pretty bummed out that they've added crosshairs to the game.
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evild_edd #18 5 years ago

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Despite having never played the game before, I have a horrible feeling Marathon will feel horribly dated... saw the clip in the 'Live Arcade Montage' on Marketplace and remained sceptical. Definitely one to try the trial first, me thinks...
+1 for wanting Space Giraffe NOW!!!!
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Rev.StuartCampbell #19 5 years ago

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I can't believe you're not all desperate to play Marathon on the strength of those AWESOME screenshots Bungie have sent out.

Hey, Eurogamer! When you say they've remapped the controls, do you mean "To the shit, non-configurable default that most FPS games use nowadays, where you have to have move and strafe on the same stick"? Because if so, they can fucking fuck the fuck right off, the fucks.
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Dizzy #20 5 years ago

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So how is Marathon?

I never played it... was always a bit jealous at Mac owners for that
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etyek #21 5 years ago

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Sorry Rev, there are six different control settings, but all of them have Move and Strafe on the same stick.
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Durandle #22 5 years ago

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Dizzy: Depending on the strength of your rose tinted glasses, I would say its rather good still. Its a shame though it wont have support for the 3rd party add-ons, as some of them were bigger and maybe even better than the originals, Marathon:Rubicon for example is still a prime example of a free game that exceeds most paid ones of the time.
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Rev.StuartCampbell #23 5 years ago

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"Sorry Rev, there are six different control settings, but all of them have Move and Strafe on the same stick."

Those fucking cuntbags. Well, they know where they can shove their 800 points. (But ta for the info.)
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menage #24 5 years ago

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Played Marathon for 2 sec. No sale.

So may shooters, and they feel the need te release this as well?
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Machetazo #25 5 years ago

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Marathon's DREADFUL. I watched some footage of it, and have just now picked myself up off the floor, from the laughter at its "retro-chic"? /tries to be nice, really.

Microsoft should stop kidding around, and just bring the Team Arena.
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