Marathon for iPad; KOF for iPhone and iPod Touch

Veteran Macintosh gamers or those who enjoy the retro-gaming experience got a double-shot of good news as a free version of Bungie's 1994 classic Marathon was released for the iPad, while Japanese game-maker SNK unveiled the latest instalment of the King of Fighters series, King of Fighters-i for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Both games began in 1994, and faithfully re-create the original experience, while offering optional enhancements.

SNK's King of Fighters-i ($8) reproduces both the graphics and KOF's controls using a virtual pad/joystick combination. The game, which is compatible with Game Center, features four modes, ranging from Team Battles and Single Battle to a Training or Endless mode. Fourteen classic characters return, including Billy Kane from KOF 2003.

Players can unlock various bonus content, such as premium trading cards, KOF Team stories from the upcoming KOF 13 and more. Bonus content can be traded via the in-game marketplace. Multiple players can participate via Bluetooth for local wireless play. SNK promises additional free content coming in the fall, including extra characters and new background stages. The game runs on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod Touch (third generation or later) running iOS 4.1 or later. The game is not designed for the iPad or iPad 2, but will run on it.

Programmer Daniel Blezek has spent many months porting over the various libraries and adapting other technologies to make the original Bungie game Marathon work on an iPad. Once the effort became public, Bungie offered their full support in making the project happen, and the result is available as a free download from the App Store (for iPad only).

The game plays in its original low-rez glory for free, with in-app purchases offering high-resolution graphics ($4) and the Master Chief mode ($1). The game includes all 27 levels divided into six chapters, with seven unique weapons from a .45 magnum to the "devastating" SPNKR-X17 rocket launcher.

The story, for those new to the game, is that players assume the role of a cyborg security officer defending the UESC Marathon colony ship against an invasion by the aggressive Pfhor race. There is of course more to it than that, but the main objective is to run around the ship engaging in mass carnage wherever possible. The game's original source code was released in 1999, but has had 12 years of community development since then, along with the huge changes in technology overall that presented a challenge in re-creating the game on iOS hardware.

Marathon for iPad requires iOS 4.2 or later and is available now on the App Store.

SNK's King of Fighting-i













Bungie's Marathon for iPad

by MacNN Staff