Gordon Freeman is a bumbling idiot

Good you did. This thread rocked. Im sad that no one is writing in it anymore.
So lets do it!
 
Rizzo89 said:
Might of load game... lol.
Not everyone could do what gordon did. He defeated a big Alien army and their leader. Thats pretty intense... And just to wake up and have a bigger Alien army aginst him. Gordon is a hero. And not just any hero.
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I have to concur with this. If Gordon hadn't defeated the Nihilanth, the Portal Storms would have still occurred, but would have been worse because the intelligent, relatively organized (and still-enslaved) Vortigaunts would have been at their vanguard, along with those weird bloated floaty-thing controllers.

The Combine still would have homed in on Black Mesa, still would found out how to tunnel into Xen, and still would have invaded Earth, but the Resistance would have been weaker, more scattered and more demoralized because they wouldn't have had their orange-clad hero, their proof that mankind could put the fight to those alien bastards and win. With the possible exception of poor Lazlo and the "get back, Gordon!" guy on the tram approach in HL1, there is no one that Gordon actively harmed during his adventures, and dozens of people whose lives he saved.

And while it's true that various Resistance cells were attacked, shelled, or overrun while those inside were fighting to help or protect Dr. Freeman, every last one of those lamba-emblazoned heroes knew the stakes and did were willing to die in order to get Gordon to where he needed to go. Why? Because he and only he could destroy the Citadel and shut down the Combine's teleporter before an overwhelming alien force came through and wiped out the last traces of freedom and dignity left in the world. The Resistance, though (almost) capable of holding its own against the Vichy-type government of machines, slaves and collaborators, wouldn't have done any better against a full-scale Combine "peacekeeping" effort than the better-equipped, better-organized militaries of Earth did during the Seven-Hours war.

Perhaps Gordon has only pissed the Combine off now, perhaps during Ep1 they will mass the forces in their other cities and annihilate the rest of humanity - but he's fighting against impossible odds, and he's given mankind the chance to die on their feet sooner rather than on their knees later. I'd call that a hero in every definition of the term. Besides, when the other Resistance cells learn that this invincible Achilles is fighting with them again, how well do you think the other Citadels will be able to keep control? Gordon will spark a global revolution, and if mankind will die, it will die free and the Combine won't get another slave-world OR local teleportation for their trouble.

Yes, the destruction of the Citadel will lead to the destruction of City 17 - but all its citizens have already fled or joined the Resistance, who have their own escape routes. C17 was a concentration camp anyways, and I doubt anyone will miss it. "Think of the people below" was nothing more than Breen attempting to take advantage of the human decency that Gordon possessed (though Wallace no longer did) in order to save his own traitorous skin.
 
FREEDOOOOOM!

Yeah that was head on the nail Talyn.
 
Talyn said:
I have to concur with this. If Gordon hadn't defeated the Nihilanth, the Portal Storms would have still occurred, but would have been worse because the intelligent, relatively organized (and still-enslaved) Vortigaunts would have been at their vanguard, along with those weird bloated floaty-thing controllers.

The Combine still would have homed in on Black Mesa, still would found out how to tunnel into Xen, and still would have invaded Earth, but the Resistance would have been weaker, more scattered and more demoralized because they wouldn't have had their orange-clad hero, their proof that mankind could put the fight to those alien bastards and win. With the possible exception of poor Lazlo and the "get back, Gordon!" guy on the tram approach in HL1, there is no one that Gordon actively harmed during his adventures, and dozens of people whose lives he saved.

And while it's true that various Resistance cells were attacked, shelled, or overrun while those inside were fighting to help or protect Dr. Freeman, every last one of those lamba-emblazoned heroes knew the stakes and did were willing to die in order to get Gordon to where he needed to go. Why? Because he and only he could destroy the Citadel and shut down the Combine's teleporter before an overwhelming alien force came through and wiped out the last traces of freedom and dignity left in the world. The Resistance, though (almost) capable of holding its own against the Vichy-type government of machines, slaves and collaborators, wouldn't have done any better against a full-scale Combine "peacekeeping" effort than the better-equipped, better-organized militaries of Earth did during the Seven-Hours war.

Perhaps Gordon has only pissed the Combine off now, perhaps during Ep1 they will mass the forces in their other cities and annihilate the rest of humanity - but he's fighting against impossible odds, and he's given mankind the chance to die on their feet sooner rather than on their knees later. I'd call that a hero in every definition of the term. Besides, when the other Resistance cells learn that this invincible Achilles is fighting with them again, how well do you think the other Citadels will be able to keep control? Gordon will spark a global revolution, and if mankind will die, it will die free and the Combine won't get another slave-world OR local teleportation for their trouble.

Yes, the destruction of the Citadel will lead to the destruction of City 17 - but all its citizens have already fled or joined the Resistance, who have their own escape routes. C17 was a concentration camp anyways, and I doubt anyone will miss it. "Think of the people below" was nothing more than Breen attempting to take advantage of the human decency that Gordon possessed (though Wallace no longer did) in order to save his own traitorous skin.
Click to expand...
IMO if Nihilanth hadn't died the portal stiorm would never have started (RC and PS are different IMO) adn Earth would have had a massive war on against Xen on its hands. Who knows what the g-man or his employers would do. If Earth wins the Combine would be able to break through to Xen and Humanity would probably end up with even more getting killed by the Combine and perhaps complete assimilation rather than slavery. And if Xen won, we'd be dead...
 
We, the player, are Gordon Freeman. Therefore, if Nihilanth lived, we died. Our conflict was inevitable because of level design. Thus, victory assured the survival of yourself--as Gordon--who is infinatly more important then the rest of the world.

Priorities people, priorities.
 
Well, try not to think it as a game to friggin much. Its like watcing a movie when someone is preforming Cpr and say: He not actully puting any presure on the chest!!!

Imagination people, imagination.
 
Yeah but Riomhaire, the portal storms hit Earth the moment Gordon slammed the experiment into the chamber.
 
Samon said:
Yeah but Riomhaire, the portal storms hit Earth the moment Gordon slammed the experiment into the chamber.
Click to expand...

I've never been too clear on that. Are we sure that's how it happened, or was it afterward?

If the expansion packs are official, then the Resonance Cascade was stopped by nightfall on day one. I think it's worth noting that by that point we didn't see anymore random teleportations into blackmesa. Instead we saw what appeared to be tactical teleportations and even out-right attacks against the HECU and the Science Team.

So... It would seem to me that the Portal Storms came after Nihilanth's defeat.

Unless someone official has said otherwise. In which case I'd like to hear them comment on the expansion packs too. Perhaps it's just a continuity error.
 
I too thought that the portal storms started after Nihilanth defeat.
 
Me? That the portal storms that led all Xen creatures to earth and weakend our defense, came after the Nihilanth, the boss in half life died.

The combine then spoting our dimension and could easily teleport in citadels.
 
The portal storms are what allowed the Combine to come to Earth yes?
Did we see any Combine in the Resonance Cascade or its aftereffects? No.
So I'm thinking that the storms occurred after big N's death.
 
Samon said:
The Combine came after about a week of intensive portal storms.
Click to expand...
I'd say more than a week, after all in the RtB slideshow Eli said that the people where begining to feel safe again, or something along those lines.
 
Portal storms were indeed after Nihilanth's death. It was caused by the release of all the energies Nith had contained inside his body. Remember that after the resonance cascade stopped, the portals were being controlled by the Nihilanth himself. Random portals were few or nonexistant at that point. Killing him is what (indirectly) brought Earth to the Combine's attention.

And while I agree with Talyn that it is better for humanity to die on its feet than live on its knees (that's an old Emiliano Zapata quote, too), we're still in for it now. We might die in a blaze of glory, but we're still going to die...which would've been the end result anyway, whether sooner or later, on our feet or on our knees, on our own terms or their's. It may be poetic and more heroic going out guns blazing, defiant to the end, showing the Combine that we're the masters of our own destiny...but that destiny is going to be the same as what they originally planned for us in the Seven Hours War.

What Gordon has done is erased the past ten years, he's sent us back to when the Combine first invaded. Sure they're lax now, more complacent, easier-defeated, but once they're fully roused, they will not make the same mistakes this time. They will be going for the complete and total extinction of the human race, and will not be swayed this time. There goes all of Breen's hard work (despite what anyone says, I will still defend him to the last :p ). The only difference between now and then is Gordon, fighting alongside the resistance and being a symbol. I'll say one thing, if anything could turn the tide in our favor this time, it's Gordon Freeman. He may be an idiot, may accept orders blindly, but he's the only one who can get us out of this mess he started.
 
What happened to this thread? why aren't people arguing of whether "Dr."Freeman is an idiot or not?
What happened to people debating if he is a real doctor or just some guy who bought a Ph.D online? All he did was push some stuff into a beam(which didn't turn out well), press buttons, pull switches, and do mass killings with a crowbar!

;(
 
Freeman---save world---kill alien---kill ppl---Idiot? i dont think so...
 
Megalomaniac said:
What happened to this thread? why aren't people arguing of whether "Dr."Freeman is an idiot or not?
Click to expand...
I woke up one morning with a crowbar laying next to me in bed. I don't know how it got there, but after that I assumed it was in my best interest to stop slandering Gordon Freeman.


P.S. he is really wonderful and smart. Totally not a fraud or a danger to the human race.
 
I... agree. There is... no way... Gordon Freeman - *ow, stop hitting me!* isadangertothehumanrace. Definantlynot. Goodday.
 
Oi Freeman just go to get your HEV suit and stop asking for my lunch money...*OW* watch that Hornet gun Freeman...
Quotes from Half-Life 1...Ow stop that, Don't make me do it, you leave me no choice(Barney)I'm not going any further(cause you're an idiot)(Scientist):cheese:
 
Darkside55 said:
I woke up one morning with a crowbar laying next to me in bed. I don't know how it got there, but after that I assumed it was in my best interest to stop slandering Gordon Freeman.


P.S. he is really wonderful and smart. Totally not a fraud or a danger to the human race.
Click to expand...
You think you're in trouble? I used to steal his lunch money and take his glasses in school!
 
AJ Rimmer said:
You think you're in trouble? I used to steal his lunch money and take his glasses in school!
Click to expand...
Now he is stealing my luch money hey... did you teach him howta... Nvm... somehow i cant decide on whether he is a bumbling idiot but...He is some BAD MOJO IF SEEN DO NOT APPROACH, HE WILL GET YOU IN TROUBLE
 
Azner said:
Now he is stealing my luch money hey... did you teach him howta... Nvm... somehow i cant decide on whether he is a bumbling idiot but...He is some BAD MOJO IF SEEN DO NOT APPROACH, HE WILL GET YOU IN TROUBLE
Click to expand...
I don't know man, but I do know that he got the hang of giving wedgies, and the HEV suit *really* makes him alot stronger...
 
Gordon had no idea of what would end up happening, therefore he isn't an idiot. He can't predict the future. He did what any capable, fearless, uh sumthin else, person would do. So yea there.......

Gordon is teh best!!!
 
Well there is alot more to Gordon then pulling swiches and pressing buttons, even thou he got to push the right one!
It just whouldnt be such good gameplay to calcylate and mixing stuff.
 
Fine, you may have proved without a shadow of a doubt that he's an idiot.

But bumbling? You've got to be kidding me.
 
Gordon Freeman blundered into everything he's ever done. We'll start from Black Mesa:

He caused the whole mess by a freak accident (or a planned sabotage by another party, dun dun dunnnn). After that, he stumbles out of the test chamber in a disoriented haze, barely ducking lasers on the wall and explosions. He just so happens to have the fortune to pick up a crowbar that was laying around FOR NO REASON. He gets on the only working elevator (a stroke of luck, considering how many elevators were plummeting at that time) and from there he just stumbles through the facility, only finding out where to go by a few friendly survivors. Even then, you'll note that he almost had no choice in where he wanted to go...most other ways were barred. ;)

At one point he even manages to get captured and STILL end up in the right place because of it.

On Xen, he had no idea what he was doing. He just jumped through whatever portal was available at the time, yet he still managed to get where he wanted to go.

In City 17, he takes the only path he can, crawling out of windows, over trashcans, into the exact apartment building that he needed to go. And even though he was assaulted by the Combine, Alyx was there, because it just so happened that the secret laboratory of Dr. Isaac Kleiner was underneath THAT building.

I could go on. The mad dash through City 17, the canals, creeping about Ravenholm...getting back to the surface by a chance meeting with a crazy monk, reuniting with the resistance, on and on and on. Even Dr. Breen comments at the end that he never expected Gordon Freeman to just waltz into his office like he did.

Gordon Freeman never has any idea where he's going. He's a lab rat set loose in a maze, and he'll bump into walls trying to get where he needs to go. Eventually he'll find the cheese, but he still bungled his way to it.
 
Well what a ride this has been. I can almost not believe that I spend the majority of an hour reading this entire thread. This discussion made me think so much that I even registered on this forum. It turns out I have something to say.

The original issue is this:
Is Gordon Freeman a bumbling idiot or is Gordon Freeman not a bumbling idiot?
The solution is quite simple to me and I will not drag any obscure hints of minute details of the plot into this and I will not make any references to the READING CROWBAR.

You (you as in the thread starter and his/her supporters) make points that are true but they are also irrelevant and this is why:

It can be said that if Gordon Freeman did not push the cart into the large whatcha-ma-callit machine, there would have been no resonance cascade.
However that alone does not make it his fault. He was trained to use the HEV suit and to handle hazardous materials and probably, trips to Xen. He was not responsible for preparation of the specimen in the cart nor the machine it was being pushed to. Therefore the real blame can go elsewhere.

Next. After this it was said, he manages to get on the ONLY working elevator in the black MESA, and that he was only lucky for that. Perhaps so but weather it was luck or not it happened and he triumphed because of it. Luck or not, it happened. Gordon wins.

Next. It was said that Gordon listened to a "random" scientists told him to go to the Lambda complex, and it was said that this was a sign of him being easily manipulated. However it makes perfect sense for him to listen to this scientists because otherwise he would not have any clues as to what to do. Also there is no reason NOT to, he is a fellow Black Mesa employee.

Next. It was said that he is a pawn of the G-man and is easily manipulated. Not so. If someone puts a gun to your head, and said "do this or I will kill you," you will probably do "this." This does not make you easily manipulated, it means only you want to survive.

Basically the actions of Freeman that you name are things that any logical human being would do in the circumstances Freeman finds himself in. They just BY CHANCE turn out to be something "chaotic." Chaotic however does not necessarily mean bad. There are some things also I want to say:

1) Breen yes allowed humanity to survive for 10 more years and that is a good things but now he must be destroyed for the good of humanity. So Freeman does it.
2) Freeman destroyed the Nihilanth yes, and that caused the portal storms to be randomised but like you said all he knew was that there was something causing them, so he destroyed it. In that circumstance that was all he could do.
3) Gordon Freeman has drastically improved the situation of everyone. Many citizens are dying while fighting back, yes, but also there were many dying before and now they are slowly but surely becoming a larger threat to the Overwatch forces. This again brings up the issue of the Citadel... #1 would it really destroy everyone below? and #2 if so would it be worth it?

I think it will not destroy everyone below and #2 yes, because as someone else mentioned Breen was probably bluffing...doing what Freeman did will not immediately bring down the citadel...there will be plenty of time (it seems from the shots of episode 1) to evacuate. Not to mention that if it were too dangerous, and it would immediately go boom, why would Alyx have asked you to do it? Surely she knows a bit about what she is talking about; her father is Eli Vance, once a key scientist at the black MESA and now a leader of the resistance, and from the fact that you have the gravity gun, a maker of really cool gadgets.

Now for my final conclusion: No Freeman is clearly not a bumbling idiot. He is a man who makes logical desicions... but who's actions often have very ironic and sometimes unfortunate consequences. But, that is the way things go in life sometimes. Sometimes there is simply no pretty way of taking care of things. Millions have died because of the resonance cascade; the portal storms, Xen wildlife, Combine invasion and Overwatch brutality. But look at Gordon Freeman...weather by luck or by his own wits, or perhaps the subtle intervention of a more powerful someone, he is still alive.
 
AwesomeHead said:
1) Breen yes allowed humanity to survive for 10 more years and that is a good things but now he must be destroyed for the good of humanity. So Freeman does it.
Click to expand...

20 years, or there about - but why does Breen have to be destroyed? Considering you don't actually kill him come the finale at the tip of the reactor, wouldn't you say Gordon’s goals lay elsewhere?

AwesomeHead said:
3) Gordon Freeman has drastically improved the situation of everyone. Many citizens are dying while fighting back, yes, but also there were many dying before and now they are slowly but surely becoming a larger threat to the Overwatch forces. This again brings up the issue of the Citadel... #1 would it really destroy everyone below? and #2 if so would it be worth it?
Click to expand...

The very events of Episode 1 circulate around Gordon’s actions in the Citadel. Gordon stepped into a teleport reactor chamber in order to stop Breen escaping from Earth. He'd run out of choices - it was the only thing left to do. I wouldn't say, at this point, Gordon was being the bumbling idiot he's been labelled. I mean yeah. Alyx is smart, but she has no idea what will happen if they destroy that reactor. It's alien technology; she's never been there before.

So Gordon ascends the reactor, shrugging off Breen's dire warnings and eventually reaching the tip. Now, you've seen how immense the thing is. You've see the relay towers surrounding it - the massive portal, the huge pistons, the energy conduits...it's a reactor. Gordon knows that. But he still plugs away at the core anyway - shooting energy balls into the portal.

Bang. The teleporter sequence stops, Breen's bubble descends back to the bottom of the spire, energy begins seeping from the now destabilized core. Now what can we expect Gordon!? You've just sent a reactor into critical meltdown that as described by the Episode 1 site is about to:

With Alyx at his side, Gordon must flee a city in chaos before the Citadel's final detonation turns City 17 into a toxic, mutant-infested crater.
Click to expand...

They had no idea what would happen if they destroyed that reactor, they couldn't have predicted that the Citadel would explode in a matter of hours. It's a desperate escape from the City. In order to stop Breen escaping Earth they doomed whatever was left of the human population in City 17. And now, again, we find Gordon trying to clean up his mess.
 
Yeah I did not really think of it like that ("it" being the issue of Alyx knowing or not knowing about what could happen to the citadel) when I typed that...but you know it was pretty late for me.

Anyway, Gordon still made the right choice by destroying the reactor (weather or not this action will have the "right" consequences) because like I said, it was safe to assume in that case that Breen was bluffing (although apparently not...) and because there was little else he could do. If he had not Breen would have escaped and still been some use to the Combine; Eli's teleportation research.
 
Yeah, I don't think there was much choice in Gordons actions. He chose the lesser of the two evils.
 
With Alyx at his side, Gordon must flee a city in chaos before the Citadel's final detonation turns City 17 into a toxic, mutant-infested crater.
Click to expand...
You know what they say about keeping explosives in your fortress. :p
 
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