I'm wondering what exactly carries over from the original games to the new one? I heard that there's no Pfhor, but apparently there are S'pht. Ok, great. Is there anything about the Jjaro? Do Durandal, Leela or Tycho show up? What about the W'rkncacnter? Did Bungie try to explain what Hangar 96 actually was? What about the presumably Illuminati-esque group that was (probably) manipulating MIDA and the UESC to get the Marathon built and sent to Tau Ceti? Bungie is digging up an old IP that no one except me actually cares about, did they use any of it? What the fuck was the point if the only connection to the original games is one boss and a title?
The new Marathon is a continuation of the previous games and there are some differences or oddities that come across as retcons, but we don't know if it's an alternate time line or if we were being even more gaslit than we already realized in the first few games.
Hell, maybe it is a retcon.
Leela and Tycho are mentioned in passing, keep in mind they are the AI for the Marathon and are dead. Most of the game takes place exploring the surface of Tau Ceti IV, where there are a dozen different AI with their own little story lines that feed the bigger narrative.
Durandal is alive and kicking, he is very much himself, It seems he is once again trapped aboard the Marathon, we don't know how or why yet, but it seems he is trying to manipulate the runners into helping him escape from it. I like his theme song, it's very unhinged sounding compared to the rest of the OST.
I'm hoping if we ever rescue Durandal that the map variety will get very sci fi/alien, like in the second and third game of the series.
There seems to be a W'rkcacnter below the surface of Tau Ceti, that murdered most the colonist while sleep walking. I have a belief that most hte surviving colonist crossed into another dimension that was opened by the W'rkcacnter.
I have not seen mentions of Hangar 96.
Illuminati-esque groups are basically what runs the entire setting, that's the feeling I get from the new lore or added context. Humanity is getting used and abused.
but again; why the fuck did this have to be in the context of a bunch of retards strapping their brains to Marilyn Manson cosplayers and shooting eachother for keycards and estrogen bottles?
It's hard to explain... It makes sense though as you read through the codex entries. It fits the narrative they have built, they could do anything, but what they did works for what they were wanting to make (an extraction shooter).
The world of Marathon is not a mature space fairing society that's post scarcity, this shit is not star trek, you cant just book a flight to Tau Ceti, it's an absolute logistical nightmare and impossibility for every one but the most powerful entities back on earth.
Even if you could go to Tau Ceti IV, why would you want to? Who wants to go explore the ruins of what's basically the Titanic in space. It's one big mass grave in an environment that will absolutely kill you if anything goes wrong.
It's also highly illegal to visit the planet's surface or the Marathon. It's all one big crime scene right now. While there might be some legal loop holes you exploit through maritime space law, there will be real consequences back on Earth for interfering with the UESC's investigation.
So who better to send than Runners? They are a group of Discreet Mercenaries with no connections or affiliations, whose employers cant be held responsible for what they do. They are a deniable asset. These are people who don't need to eat or breath and who never worry about injury or illness. 'People' who take up no room aboard your space craft, since they fit on a thumb drive.
If they die, they just re print themselves, all the corporations need to worry about is the 3d printing resin required to make them which they are manufacturing on site through weave worms.
The problem is that the runner teams will gladly kill one another for the exact same reasons they do in game, profit and (or) enjoyment. Eventually it sorts itself out.
