Is awesome. Infact he is probably the greatest videogame villain, ever, on par with Shodan even. Having been Administrator at Black Mesa, and also went on to surrender Earth during the Combine onslaught - not to mention save us (though, I'd prefer extinction thanks Breen), he's quite the villain.
From his continuous reassuring that this is the next best step in human evolution, and that immortality is within our reach, to his berating of the Overwatch forces he truly is superb. No other villain boasts such charisma and plausibility. But that’s it - whilst a bad guy, his goals are indeed plausible. Yes, the surrender of Earth was probably more in the hope of furthering his own knowledge, but he is actually attempting to secure a future for humanity. A meagre one at that, but in his eyes, a beneficial one.
But what makes him more interesting, in my eyes, is how blatantly manipulated he is. It is said in Raising the bar, that the Combine Advisor is extraordinarily good at manipulating the minds of other beings - and its clear that Breen is in constant contact with it. The Combine are hell bent on gaining that local teleportation technology and its clear they've pushed Breen to the absolute extreme - twisting his very mind, and his sanity.
His little laugh at his own joke in his office, to him rolling his eyes at Mossmans persistence on keeping Eli alive as if he'd heard it a hundred times before. But none come close to the point where he actually shows emotion. Having readied the portal for Eli and Alyx, he sends their pods upwards and Alyx says, "Dad...I'm so sorry." "Alyx, sweetheart." And at that point Breen actually shows emotion in his facial expression - regret.
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Infact what makes Our Benefactors so great for me is Breen’s continuous monologue. At first he is cool and collected, gently teasing and mocking Gordon - but as Gordon makes hefty progress, tossing everything the Citadel throws at him asunder, Breen panics - his messages filled with anxiety and concern, trying to persuade Gordon, trying to tap into his senses.
"Tell me, Dr. Freeman, if you can, you have destroyed so much...what is it exactly that you have created? Can you name even one thing? I thought not."
A brilliant line with brilliant delivery. It actually made you think.
"I have laid the foundations for humanities survival, and not as narrowly as we have defined ourselves but something far greater than we can ever imagine...something we can only begin to glimpse." Everything Breen has worked for is flashing before his eyes as Gordon makes his way to the top of the Citadel.
"Look Gordon, look what you are throwing away...is it worth it?"
But perhaps my favourite Breen encounter is the last. You have finally made it to the Citadels central reactor, and Breen is but moments away from escaping to another universe with the local teleportation technology - moments away from giving the Combine a greater advantage.
Breen first attempts to put you off, telling you that if you remain within the chamber you'll find only death - he even adds a slight joke to it. But the tables turn when Gordon begins ripping the reactor a new one, and Breen’s shitting himself metre hits maximum.
"Go back Freeman you've no idea what you are doing!" And he’s right, Gordon doesn't does he? He is merely acting on instinct - firing energy spheres into a ****ing reactor filled with god knows what. A reckless move on Gordon’s behalf.
"You don't know what you'll unleash! You bring down this whole Citadel, think man, think, of the people below!"
Trouble is, Gordon has no idea what he is about to unleash. What he is about to do. Breen was right, he is going to bring down the entire Citadel, and take City 17 with it.
Breen is the epitome of a superb villain. His lines, the delivery, the facial expressions - everything. He is plausible, for the most part, and it'd be a darn shame not to see him in Aftermath
From his continuous reassuring that this is the next best step in human evolution, and that immortality is within our reach, to his berating of the Overwatch forces he truly is superb. No other villain boasts such charisma and plausibility. But that’s it - whilst a bad guy, his goals are indeed plausible. Yes, the surrender of Earth was probably more in the hope of furthering his own knowledge, but he is actually attempting to secure a future for humanity. A meagre one at that, but in his eyes, a beneficial one.
But what makes him more interesting, in my eyes, is how blatantly manipulated he is. It is said in Raising the bar, that the Combine Advisor is extraordinarily good at manipulating the minds of other beings - and its clear that Breen is in constant contact with it. The Combine are hell bent on gaining that local teleportation technology and its clear they've pushed Breen to the absolute extreme - twisting his very mind, and his sanity.
His little laugh at his own joke in his office, to him rolling his eyes at Mossmans persistence on keeping Eli alive as if he'd heard it a hundred times before. But none come close to the point where he actually shows emotion. Having readied the portal for Eli and Alyx, he sends their pods upwards and Alyx says, "Dad...I'm so sorry." "Alyx, sweetheart." And at that point Breen actually shows emotion in his facial expression - regret.
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Infact what makes Our Benefactors so great for me is Breen’s continuous monologue. At first he is cool and collected, gently teasing and mocking Gordon - but as Gordon makes hefty progress, tossing everything the Citadel throws at him asunder, Breen panics - his messages filled with anxiety and concern, trying to persuade Gordon, trying to tap into his senses.
"Tell me, Dr. Freeman, if you can, you have destroyed so much...what is it exactly that you have created? Can you name even one thing? I thought not."
A brilliant line with brilliant delivery. It actually made you think.
"I have laid the foundations for humanities survival, and not as narrowly as we have defined ourselves but something far greater than we can ever imagine...something we can only begin to glimpse." Everything Breen has worked for is flashing before his eyes as Gordon makes his way to the top of the Citadel.
"Look Gordon, look what you are throwing away...is it worth it?"
But perhaps my favourite Breen encounter is the last. You have finally made it to the Citadels central reactor, and Breen is but moments away from escaping to another universe with the local teleportation technology - moments away from giving the Combine a greater advantage.
Breen first attempts to put you off, telling you that if you remain within the chamber you'll find only death - he even adds a slight joke to it. But the tables turn when Gordon begins ripping the reactor a new one, and Breen’s shitting himself metre hits maximum.
"Go back Freeman you've no idea what you are doing!" And he’s right, Gordon doesn't does he? He is merely acting on instinct - firing energy spheres into a ****ing reactor filled with god knows what. A reckless move on Gordon’s behalf.
"You don't know what you'll unleash! You bring down this whole Citadel, think man, think, of the people below!"
Trouble is, Gordon has no idea what he is about to unleash. What he is about to do. Breen was right, he is going to bring down the entire Citadel, and take City 17 with it.
Breen is the epitome of a superb villain. His lines, the delivery, the facial expressions - everything. He is plausible, for the most part, and it'd be a darn shame not to see him in Aftermath