You wake up in a bloody cage, leaving the cage your make a cute little pur and see through a nearby window the citidal blowing up. Everything is tinted yellowish and you seem one foot tall. HEAD CRAB...
I think hl2 made the same mistake, the first half seemed like it was building up but the second half seemed rushed, half-life, mwahahaha I made a funny!! This is probly the reason for making aftermath, to get the story clear with Gordon.