Adrian Shepherd return?

[Kevin]

In the start of OP4 you can see an osprey being destroyed by mantaray-like thing.
You commander didn't have time to tell you that you were going to kill some scientists.

 

[V-Man339]

V-Man's thoughts on bringing Shepard back

I think it would be cool, but there's really no need.
I'll agree with you as much as the next fan-boy that having Shepard fight to the death with Freeman, hunting him down like the nemesis would be one of the coolest games of the decade. Then again, Valve has amazed us before without bringing back many of the characters, I mean just look at Half Life 2. You get to see one two guys you've seen before and one of them you wouldn't recognize if they didn't point out that it was that individual scientist from Half Life 1 specifically. I think Valve may bring Shepard back, but not anytime soon. Although if they do, they'll probably let another company take over the project like Gearbox or Turtle Rock Studios. I would rather have Valve make it but that's just my thoughts.

 

[kupocake]

I've never seen the G-Man 'give orders' before and doubt I ever will.

'Off you go Mister Shepherd! Kill Freeman. And as you've never actually seen more than his back, have this Polaroid I took so you don't miss him! Good stuff. Hey, I took plenty of other pictures whilst I had him in my stasis pod if you know what I mean. Just give me a nudge and a wink and they're yours.'

 

[nokori3byo]

Shepherd did not know his mission, his Osprey was shot down before his unit was briefed.

True, but he was aware of the existence of Gordon as a target. Other marines talk about "Getting another chance at Freeman", (or something like that) when addressing Adrian.

I've only played the demo, but I remember being struck by that line, which didn't seem to gel with AS's portrayal as the "good" HECU marine.

(EDIT: I'm not arguing for the return of Adrian; I just thought I'd make that point).

 

[SilkyZ]

------- Gearbox integrated canon -------
G-man wanted Adrian shepherd to come to Black Mesa and be his "Star Soldier" to travel to Xen, and defeat the Nihalanith (sp)
But as Gordon managed to fight his way through and get to Xen before Adrian did, Gordon took first place over Adrian and Adrian just got stored for later use
------- End of Gearbox integrated canon-----

after putting thought into this topic, this is how i see shepherd's return as...

the g-man needs to keep a tighter leash on Freeman so he does exactly as the g-man wants. (this is for some reason down the plot line) the problem is that the g-man has other strings to pull in order for his master plan to work and cannot focus on freeman as much as he has to. even though the g-man can be in far away places in a short amount of time, he can't be everywhere all the time.

this is where Mr. Shepherd comes in. the g-man assigns Shepherd to watch over freeman and ensure that freeman does his destine duty. Shephard is, in a sence, freeman's guardian archangel. shephard cannot talk or contact freeman directly, but can only set a path and aid freeman along his journy. and he will be in a combatant role (sniping, setting traps, softening xenian/combine forces)

This is the reason the g-man was interested in Shephard before the black mesa incadent, so the g-man can fill a loop-hole in 'his contract.' the g-man cannot do more then what he is already to help freeman, but shephard can.

 

[Jeron]

I've never seen the G-Man 'give orders' before and doubt I ever will.

"Make sure Miss Vance reaches White Forest safely, Mr Freeman." - gman, ep2

 

[Barnz]

Holy bump batman!

 

[Druckles]

"Make sure Miss Vance reaches White Forest safely, Mr Freeman." - gman, ep2

Funny, because the comment was made before Episode Two's release.

It's funny when people are wrong :/

 

[Omnomnick]

Why should Adrian ever return, he wasnt exactly an actual Character, he was just a shell to project the other side of the Black Mesa Incident.

 

[Blackout62]

The only place Adrian Shepard will be returning is as my character in Mass Effect. (if you didn't get that, your character in Mass Effect always has to be "something" Shepard)

 

[kineaesth]

The only place Adrian Shepard will be returning is as my character in Mass Effect. (if you didn't get that, your character in Mass Effect always has to be "something" Shepard)

HAHA SO FUNNY.

Also, Holy thread revival Batman!

 

[Kdizzle]

yeeea i highly doubt it. ive actually never heard of shepard, or knew who calhoun was until my friend told me about them like 2 months ago. then i found this place. much safer....

 

[Druckles]

yeeea i highly doubt it. ive actually never heard of shepard, or knew who calhoun was until my friend told me about them like 2 months ago. then i found this place. much safer....

No. It really isn't. Get out. Now, while you can.

And go play HL for gad's sake

 

[Kdizzle]

No. It really isn't. Get out. Now, while you can.

And go play HL for gad's sake

lol i have but thanks for the advice

 

[Omnomnick]

The only place Adrian Shepard will be returning is as my character in Mass Effect. (if you didn't get that, your character in Mass Effect always has to be "something" Shepard)

Hang on...

Isnt the Default name actually Adrian?

 

[Stene]

Dumbass.

In Mass Effect is man with last name Shepard, in Opposing Force it is SHEPHARD. Note the H letter in the middle.

A.D.R.I.A.N. S.H.E.P.H.A.R.D.

 

[Emporius]

Hang on...

Isnt the Default name actually Adrian?

I believe it is John

 

[Shoes_Buttback03]

Isn't the game Shephard is in made by gear box and not actually canon?

Oh hello im new here. Shoes_Buttback03 < noob.

 

[ríomhaire]

Gearbox games are debatable as cannon. It's generally accepted that they're cannon until Valve say otherwise/contradict them in a game.

 

[Absinthe]

They haven't necessarily said they aren't canon. But they have said that they don't matter. My guess is that we won't ever be seeing Race X again. But they're interested in doing something with Shephard because of how he "resonated" among fans.

 

[Barnz]

Isn't the game Shephard is in made by gear box and not actually canon?

Oh hello im new here. Shoes_Buttback03 < noob.

You're not canon.

 

[Shoes_Buttback03]

You're not canon.

I am debatable as canon. It's generally accepted that I am canon until Valve say otherwise/contradict me in a game.


I've seen race x on Half-life wiki and those shock troppers look kinda like vorts. Anyone else see that?

 

[ríomhaire]

Other than being humanoid they don't resemble eachother at all.

 

[Shoes_Buttback03]

hm. Yeah your right. But you could see were someone coulde make that mistake. The both have the same posture sp* and to the noob eye a Vort look's like it only has one eye.

 

[FrostXian]

Gearbox got influenced by Vort's design. They're not as good as Valve in creating monsters, nor did they have as much time.

 

[G.I.U.L.I.O.]

*Hopes to God that I won't be hurt by angry Anti-Shephard forum-goers for reviving this debate*
So there I was, checking out a Wikipedia page on Adrian Shephard, when I found the first post of this thread, hinting the possibility of a return of this cryptic character. And after reading all of the >300 posts, I have a few things to say.

Let me start off that I'm not strictly pro-Shephard, I just like his character, and I think that his part in the HL story is interseting. Even though I wouldn't be too upset if he never does appear again, it'd be swell if he'd reappear in one of the HL2 episodes (even as a NPC or an easter egg), or even on a new Op4.

And now, unto the main discussion (all anti-Shephards, please leave the thread now if you have little patience for wishful thinking. You have been warned).

For all those nay-sayers on the possibility of a revival of Adrian, let me just say that the signs are everywhere. Gabe even stated on multiple occasions that 'they'd [the Valve team] like to get back to him, one of these days'. If that is not proof enough for you, then let me refer you this:

If you take notice in Op4, during training you can see the G-Man talking to a drill-instructor, occasionally glancing to you. It is obvious that he has (or at the least, had) an interest in Shephard, explaining the mysterious 'rapid advancement' on his training, not to mention that he appeared in his training session 3 months prior to the BM incident, possibly even warning the HECU beforehand of the upcoming RC. He saves Shephard's life on one occasion, and while he does hinder Shephard in two other times, he does so to mantain a close eye on Shephard and/or mantain his 'employers' interests in making sure that BM would be nuked. The only reason I can find as to why the G-Man left Adrian in statis would be that the 'employers' had lost interest on him, favouring Gordon over Shephard.

However, since the G-Man still saw some potential in Shephard, he spared him, 'contrary to my 'employers' wishes'. The ending is also a loose end, which should be tied up. The "Subject Shephard. Status Detained. Further evaluation pending" closing title makes me immediately think that he may come back, either as an agent of the G-Man, or as a fugitive from the G-Man's control.

Again, the idea that Adrian Shephard is let loose by the G-Man to possibly 'aid/guide' Gordon through certain parts of one of the upcoming HL2 episodes as a 'guardian angel', seems like the most plausible setting for Shephard if and when he does come back. He may fight Gordon on occasions (no clear winner, possibly they might get interrupted, or one of them manages to escape), or he might join Freeman later on.

And please. All of those who just don't like Shephard and/or the fact that he may return, just suck it up and play the game. Most likely, his presence will actually add on to the overall gaming experience.

That said, I am certain that when he's back on Earth, he'd say, 'It's good to be back.'

 

[G(ordon)-man]

don't dig bro.

 

[G.I.U.L.I.O.]

I just felt that the debate had not been concluded properly, and that it should have. Besides, I also wanted to throw in my opinion.

 

[kupocake]

Gabe even stated on multiple occasions that 'they'd [the Valve team] like to get back to him, one of these days'. If that is not proof enough for you, then let me refer you this

Sources? I'm pretty sure we've had him say it once, off record, to one guy in an email.

For anyone inclined to say "tl:dr", the third, fourth and fifth paragraphs say in lots of words what most pro-sheppy people have said a hundred times in the thread in a lot fewer words. 1) GMan had a special interest in AS. 2) The ending status left his return open. 3) AS is best employed as the G-Man's new agent in GF's absence.

And please. All of those who just don't like Shephard and/or the fact that he may return, just suck it up and play the game. Most likely, his presence will actually add on to the overall gaming experience.

I think you've misunderstood the issue between 'Pro' and 'Anti' AS. Few people would rip their hair out if the character returned. You get more Half-Life, you don't complain. Being 'Anti' Sheppy is more of a reaction to the blind optimism of those who enthuse about the return on the character simply because it could be done, and it's also partly because all those who would have it done typically ignore the fact that the only reason the character is so easily transplanted to any scenario is because there really isn't a character to transplant.

A fully First Person presentation is severely limiting to characterisation (This is true of all HL games. The storytelling is good for reasons beyond the person you play as). AS is further handicapped by:

1) the fact that OP4 was shorter than Half-Life.
2) the fact that the 'Opposing Force' concept wasn't followed very far through, meaning that the character was forced to hold identical views to and encounter many of the same enemies and allies as the Half-Life player character. (with the exception of the marines, whose characterisations were so thin you could make them work with any player character).
3) the fact that, no matter how flimsily the concept was applied to the character, the cut and thrust of his character motivation is that he is the 'Opposing Force'. Even if you specifically end up battling Gordon Freeman (which is a continuity minefield best not touched) or the resistance, the fact is that as the tool of the G-Man, you're not experiencing the Half-Life world from a different dynamic to the main series, and that dynamic would be far more reliably represented by casting you as a completely different character.

 

[ríomhaire]

I've always liked to think that Adrian was somewhat inferior to Gordon (at least in the g-man's eyes) because the g-man had to do a lot more direct meddling for Adrian. As t gee eye you ell eye oh said, the g-man had to save Adrian's life at least once during the game. He only ever saved Gordon at the end

 

[G.I.U.L.I.O.]

A fully First Person presentation is severely limiting to characterisation (This is true of all HL games. The storytelling is good for reasons beyond the person you play as).

True, I admit that trying to give an actual background to a 'grunt' who is sent to assasinate the main hero of the HL series is extremely difficult. This is mainly due to how players of Op4 interpreted AS. Contrary to how it is when playing Gordon in HL1, when you play Op4, it feels that the hands holding the {insert Op4 weapon here} are actually yours. And since you can act in any way you want (to shoot, or not to shoot friendlies), the way a AS character is perceived by many as a totally different person than when they played him Op4 when seeing him in a future HL game.

However, some background to AS may be shared by possibly an in-game character, or possibly even AS himself. The way he behaves/acts could be said that unlike Gordon, AS would have been under much mental stress by the G-Man (which could've been done, seeing as the G-Man wouldn't want to lose another 'agent') making AS behave in whatever way that he could behave in future HL games.

3) the fact that, no matter how flimsily the concept was applied to the character, the cut and thrust of his character motivation is that he is the 'Opposing Force'. Even if you specifically end up battling Gordon Freeman (which is a continuity minefield best not touched) or the resistance, the fact is that as the tool of the G-Man, you're not experiencing the Half-Life world from a different dynamic to the main series, and that dynamic would be far more reliably represented by casting you as a completely different character.

When I meant that the idea for AS to be a form of 'guardian angel', I meant that Gordon would be the playable character. Of course that playing as AS would be truly akward, but only if AS and GF see each other and could theoretically interact with each other. Playing as AS, I'd imagine it more like that you assist GF by resolving a particular problem/trap set to get GF or one that GF is already in without being seen, eliminating a certain enemy that is blocking GF's path, and (if the G-Man sees fit) he could annhilate a resistance hold out or outpost who would give GF too much assistance for the G-Man to be comfortable.

Again, the whole possibility of AS and GF facing each other and fighting it out is just that, a possibility. If the Valve team comes up with a way to do so, let them do just that. Let them do as they see fit.

1) the fact that OP4 was shorter than Half-Life.

Well, what do you expect from a mission pack?

2) the fact that the 'Opposing Force' concept wasn't followed very far through, meaning that the character was forced to hold identical views to and encounter many of the same enemies and allies as the Half-Life player character. (with the exception of the marines, whose characterisations were so thin you could make them work with any player character).

This is the only point which I cannot counter. You have me there.

 

[flamingdts]

Barney could easily be done (whether or not the Barney in HL2 is actually the one in blueshift) because he does affect the overall plot. He is basically a "side quest".

On the other hand, AS deals with enormous amounts of cannonical material. Such as the Nuke, Race X etc. If Adrian Shepherd had a similar path to Blueshift, except extended, then it would be much easier to deal with him.

The biggest problem with Opposing Force is Race X. I for one hated that idea, even though it was a way of preventing redundancy. If Valve decides to simply cut off Race X from existence and just implement AS in Half Life 2. The whole fan base (including new audience) would question the original game and the existence of Race X. If Valve decides to include Race X however, then they are required to create an entire backstory of Race X to make their existence in Black Mesa understandable. If they choose to do that, then we're talking about a completel lore destruction, since it creates major loop holes in the lore and plot, especially with combines etc.

So IMO, even though realistically it's great fun for players to know that AS is working for G-man and he is hunting you down. Adrian Shepherd is best left alone until later series not named Half Life 2 (Half life 3 maybe?), solely for the purpose of not tampering with the current plot. They could perhaps start the race X thing in the next series of Half Life, but to fit Adrian Sheperd in the current Half Life series would add more confusion than there already is.

 

[Darkside55]

I hated Race X

You have made a grievous mistake this day.

 

[NamelessHenchman]

I guess AS having a cameo or a reference in Episode 3 would be nice, after all, it is the final Half-Life installment until further notice. As for physically meeting him in the game, I think he could be a bossfight.. A proper, man-to-man bossfight HL2 lacked. But maybe that complicates things too much..

 

[MorganFreeman911]

HL2 series has never really had a Man-to-man bossfight, though. I personally think it would ruin the style of the game a bit.

 

[Asknoone]

Race-X are like, the worst thing ever.

 

[FireStarter]

HL2 series has never really had a Man-to-man bossfight, though. I personally think it would ruin the style of the game a bit.

In the old (and AMAZING) genesis game, Rocket Knight Adventures, you fought your rival in three things:
1. Immobile giant mechs, then
2. Mobile giant mechs, then
3. Mano-a-mano.

Basically you did all three over the course of one game. Perhaps something cool like that would happen in EP3.

 

[Darkside55]

Race-X are like, the worst thing ever.

 

[ríomhaire]

Darkside. If you unleash the geneworm in an attempt to destory the forum ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME I swear to ****ing God...

 

[flamingdts]

You have made a grievous mistake this day.

You sure? Cause I got