14 DAY TRIAL // It's not only Nintendo's Virtual Console that gets older, classic titles, but Microsof's Xbox Live Arcade as well. Microsoft's service even makes room for beautifully crafted remakes of older titles and this is the case with Marathon 2: Durandal. Pro-g.co.uk is reporting that a "a high definition remake of Bungie's cult Mac FPS" is already up for grabs on XBLA.
That's right Xbox 360 fans, the game will not only cost a mere 800 MS points, but it features full support for Xbox LIVE, sporting redesigned controls that take full advantage of the Xbox 360's wireless controller. As any respectable XBLA title, Marathon also features 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore Points, as the same reporting site posts.
Marathon 2: Durandal was the first sequel in the Marathon series of Sci-Fi first-person shooters from Bungie Software. It was released on November 24, 1995, being mostly set on the fictional planet of Lh'owon, homeworld of the S'pht. As before, the player takes the role of a Security Officer from the Marathon. Marathon 2: Durandal is the only game in the series to be officially released for Windows 95 in addition to the Apple Macintosh, as well as the only one so far announced for the Xbox 360.
Here's what I found up on Wikipedia, as far as the game's story is concerned: Seventeen years have passed since the events of the first game. Durandal, one of the three AIs from the Marathon, sends the player and an army of ex-colonists to search the ruins of Lh'owon, the S'pht home-world. He does not mention what exactly he is looking for, although he does let it slip that the Pfhor are planning to attack Earth, and that being on Lh'owon may stall their advance. Marathon 2 brings many elements to the game that can be considered staples of the series such as: a Lh'owon-native species known as F'lickta, the mention of an ancient and mysterious race of advanced aliens called the Jjaro, and a clan of S'pht that avoided enslavement by the Pfhor - the S'pht'Kr. At the climax of the game, the Security Officer activates Thoth, an ancient Jjaro AI. Thoth then contacts the S'Pht'Kr, who in turn destroy the Pfhor armada.
So... what are you waiting for? 800 friggin' points for the remake of the century man - is dirty cheap!