TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,989
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
The "CE" Tactical handgun. Oh they're not even hiding it.
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You can take the Bungie out of Halo, but it'll take more than a 16 years-past Microsoft breakup to take the Halo out of Bungie. The presence of the seminal FPS can be felt throughout much of Bungie's new extraction shooter, Marathon, in ways both subtle and decidedly obvious.
Acknowledging that Marathon and Halo are inherently intertwined by symbology, themes, and shared terminology, an echo of Bungie's past work is also felt mechanically. Some of Marathon's Halo-isms can be attributed to a house style that never left the studio—weighty movement, low gravity, grenades that bounce ever so nicely. Then there's the Destroyer shell that's essentially a Destiny titan adorned with spartan armor.
But it's really the weapons locker where Halo's influence is most potent. We see you, Bungie. We can tell what's going on with these Marathon guns.
The CE Tactical Sidearm is, as you can plainly see, a Halo pistol. Its grip shape, trigger guard, and snub-nosed profile are an homage to Master Chief's signature sidearm. Also "CE", as in Combat Evolved, is literally in the name, so there's that. Notably, the Marathon pistol behaves less like the dominant magnum of CE and more like its nerfed variations in the Halo sequels. It's reliable, accurate, and swapping to it is faster than reloading.
But don't worry, the studio still found a spiritual home for the Halo 1 magnum with the Magnum MC. This thing hits like a truck with heavy rounds and aggressive vertical recoil, shutting down all UESC grunts with a single headshot (much like its predecessor). Though in practice, it's more of a Destiny hand cannon.
Then there's the V11 Punch, or should I say Plasma Pistol. This semi-auto sidearm shoots globs of volt energy that (stop me if you've heard this one before) drains shields quicker than bullets. You can also hold the trigger to charge up a shot that shatters shields in a single blast.
Marathon has at least two guns that are so directly yanked out of the Halo universe that Bungie went ahead and added rare attachments that complete the transformation. The base version of the BR33 Volley Rifle is a dead ringer for the Halo 2 Battle Rifle, but slap the Lockout Muzzle Brake on the end and it becomes a hipfire juggernaut: "While firing from the hip, this weapon has greatly increased accuracy, stability, and ran...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
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Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
You can take the Bungie out of Halo, but it'll take more than a 16 years-past Microsoft breakup to take the Halo out of Bungie. The presence of the seminal FPS can be felt throughout much of Bungie's new extraction shooter, Marathon, in ways both subtle and decidedly obvious.
Acknowledging that Marathon and Halo are inherently intertwined by symbology, themes, and shared terminology, an echo of Bungie's past work is also felt mechanically. Some of Marathon's Halo-isms can be attributed to a house style that never left the studio—weighty movement, low gravity, grenades that bounce ever so nicely. Then there's the Destroyer shell that's essentially a Destiny titan adorned with spartan armor.
But it's really the weapons locker where Halo's influence is most potent. We see you, Bungie. We can tell what's going on with these Marathon guns.
The CE Tactical Sidearm is, as you can plainly see, a Halo pistol. Its grip shape, trigger guard, and snub-nosed profile are an homage to Master Chief's signature sidearm. Also "CE", as in Combat Evolved, is literally in the name, so there's that. Notably, the Marathon pistol behaves less like the dominant magnum of CE and more like its nerfed variations in the Halo sequels. It's reliable, accurate, and swapping to it is faster than reloading.
But don't worry, the studio still found a spiritual home for the Halo 1 magnum with the Magnum MC. This thing hits like a truck with heavy rounds and aggressive vertical recoil, shutting down all UESC grunts with a single headshot (much like its predecessor). Though in practice, it's more of a Destiny hand cannon.
Then there's the V11 Punch, or should I say Plasma Pistol. This semi-auto sidearm shoots globs of volt energy that (stop me if you've heard this one before) drains shields quicker than bullets. You can also hold the trigger to charge up a shot that shatters shields in a single blast.
Marathon has at least two guns that are so directly yanked out of the Halo universe that Bungie went ahead and added rare attachments that complete the transformation. The base version of the BR33 Volley Rifle is a dead ringer for the Halo 2 Battle Rifle, but slap the Lockout Muzzle Brake on the end and it becomes a hipfire juggernaut: "While firing from the hip, this weapon has greatly increased accuracy, stability, and ran...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?