My HL2 Theory based on all info we know...

[hasan]

you know in the first buggy sequence near the house .. you can hear a human sound thru some sort of a radio saying someting like "get up get up getup .." or "wake up wake up .." or "recon?" or something like that .. I really don't know .. but my point is, its a human sound ..

Russia is a superpower, and it wasn't researching the tech, which could leave it for last in the Alien invasion plans.

hmmm .. if the combine are humans .. could the term mean combining American and Russian forces?

 

[Lanthanide]

As the NZ Skeptics Society says; When you hear the sound of hoofbeats in the night, think first of horses, not of zebras.


I haven't seen any compelling evidence for why the combine should be alien or non-human, apart from wild speculation that the name "combine" obviously means that they are 'combined' from something. That's pretty damn weak.

In other words, when you see humanoids wearing gasmasks, think first of humans, not of strange bio-mechanical constructs.

 

[Reaperman]

i doubt they are gonna go home and talk about what to have for dinner. they obviously arnt human, well not complete human anyway. i doubt they are aliens or mixed with xen. i think they are machines/humans.

they look they have been created , they probably wear the gas masks for a reason, not just for show or incase of a gas attack. they are probably wearing them because they need them to survive or something

What makes you think they are not human, there is plenty of evidance to support them being human, and almost none to support them being "modified"

maybe they wear gas masks because they use gas, tear gas, something, or maybe they just want to not look human, like the other guy said, when you are controlling a population, you want to be intimidating... you do NOT want to look like a weak, normal, human...

EDIT: and "combine" referrs to the citadel eating its way thru the city, like a COMBINE WOULD

 

[Angry Lawyer]

That, and the idea of Combine down the local pub with a pint of Stella in hand is appealing

Making faceless enemies is a common ploy in computer games - have you noticed that all the good guys have clearly visible, human faces? The human mind seems to find it alot easier to kill something that has its face obscured - hence the use of gasmask in the Combine, and to a lesser extent, gas-masked US Marines in the original.

And, with abusing the local population. Who knows - maybe the Combine are otherwise nice folks? I mean, with the number of people being transferred to City 17, the job HAS to get stressful for them - maybe they're pretty nice folks when there's not the threat of random rebels, aliens, and orange-suited scientists shooting at them?

Yes, I'm a Combine sympathiser. Even if they're not actually human, all intelligent life-forms do something for entertainment - they'd be pretty one-dimentional if they existed only to abuse civilians and get shot.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[hasan]

they'd be pretty one-dimentional if they existed only to abuse civilians and get shot

of course .. it's a video game.. they are there to abuse civilians and be shot it.

faceless enemies .. yeah could be, but the g-man has a face. You don't have to not see your enemy's face to hate thim .. sometimes seeing an evil expression on one's face makes you hate him.

 

[Rygir]

2. I'm talking about when they die. It's not a human death sound even through that mask. At any rate, Nihilanth was an alien and it could speak the english language. Could it not?

"Yaaaaargh" sounds perfectly human to me. Also, they don't just sound muffled gasmasky and there's static and other strange noises, apparantly they just speak via a radio. About the Nihilanth, that was telepathy, did you see it's mouth moving perhaps? Why do you think it was mostly head? It was "communicating" with you. You just happen to perceive it as English. I suppose they could be something altered, and given the Xen invasion, that's the most likely hybrid. Fight something with its own waepons, you know. That would also explain the gasmasks, adapting for their Xen-induced needs. Otherwise, gasmasks might also be for protection, they are on active duty after all, against regular attacks (getting punched in the face or a gas attack or whatever). It's just not that strange.

And about Breen, he's hardly on the front lines so if he's wearing slippers, that's all just for the show. He wants to comfort people (given his speech).

Also, you all act like Gordon is the Master Chief (Halo), all super-pumped hero. He's a scientist first and foremost. He just happens to have gotten lucky, being in a hazard suit when things went wrong and that saved his live. Otherwise the first bullet would have killed him, just like all other scientists. He did achieve some astonishing things, which is why G-man (what's up with that name anyway?) took a liking to him. Also, he didn't "store" Gordon at all, he probably sent him to the future after the trainride-through-space, you get to jump in a portal, remember? More or less to give him another chance (given how he "likes" Gordon), and make use of him probably. I'm more curious what happened to Cpl Sheppard...

Another thing to note is how the G-man walked into a portal at various occassions in HL1. He uses it like it was the subway.

And that post about how they can slingshot past Xen, that's more or less what you did in Blue shift and what happened (by accident) on various occasions throughout the game.

At any rate, i didn't use the term "gas mask" in my last post. I said mask, to suggest the combine are hiding their abnormality. But if you're still thinking that what the combine is wearing is a gasmask then do a google search for "gas mask" under images. You'll see that most, if not all of the images show that the gas mask will have a large visor opening for the user's eyes to look through. Now look back to the combine with their relatively small view holes. Not very useful in a war if you can barely see out of your gasmask.
Also, most gas masks have a circular thing at the front around the mouth of the user and another circular thing on the left of the mask.

It's an "advanced" (gas)mask. That, and the visors are closer to their face, given the construction of the mask. Most gasmask are absolutely uncomfortable, heaving to wear it 24/7 like the combine probably made them redesign a couple of things. It's about 10 years into the future, a lot can, and according to HL2 will happen in that time.

EDIT:

The Combine are wearing Russian-style Gasmasks (which further ties them into the Eastern-European locale) :
http://www.4starmilitary.com/item366560.htm

That absolutely makes the most sense. *wonders how you found that link*

 

[Rygir]

As the NZ Skeptics Society says; When you hear the sound of hoofbeats in the night, think first of horses, not of zebras.

I haven't seen any compelling evidence for why the combine should be alien or non-human, apart from wild speculation that the name "combine" obviously means that they are 'combined' from something.

Best point in whole thread

And about American/russian combo : I think it's a good idea to think along those lines, like "the allies" and "the confederation" etc...

And if you don't think they have emotions like a human should you haven't been paying attention. Iraqi prisoner abuse, anyone (just a random and recent example of war and what it does to people)?

 

[Lanthanide]

Also, if anyone bothered to look up the dictionary definition of combine:

com·bine
n.
2. An association of people or groups united for the furtherance of political or commercial interests.


This doesn't mean they have to be "combined alien/machines" or anything along those lines at all, they could simply be various political (human) factions that joined together in order to further some goal that they have, whether that be power and control, or protecting the citizens of City 17 from something (aliens, or perhaps themselves). Or even some commercial reason (to get all the Earth's resources for themselves).

 

[Asknoone]

Good thinking Lanthanide. Perhaps Breen is trying to further human existence and colonize Xen, trying to conquer it so he can send humans through. Mainly because Earth is a state and resources are depleting and the ocean is drying up.

That would explain the cities, putting humans into seperate, derelict cities, numbering them then keeping them safe by guarding them with his combine army.

because it would appear as if the outside world, outside the cities has been completely over run by aliens. its as if the ant lions have began nesting underneath the dried out ocean because thats how they come up.

Maybe the tower is eating away at City 17, destroying it because, or maybe only a part of it to set up some sort of.....i cant think of anything but it would appear so. Making space for some sort of development to take place and City 17 is fundamental to his plans because its.....cant think of anything there either

 

[Angry Lawyer]

I think the tower could be like a citadel, of some sort - by removing the city, and having an incredibly high-defended, compressed area to stick the civilians in, the Combine have a much easier job of defending the populace.

Evil? Nahh, they're just misunderstood.

Ohh, as a final point. If, at any point in our world history, we were to be invaded by something otherworldly, chances are the governments would first cover it up, or if that fails, actually implement martial law. Invasions from aliens make folks do crazy things - people would run around looting, burning, and screaming 'Satan has come for us!!!' if there weren't folks with guns pointed at them. I think there was a real-life incident back in the early half of last century where someone broadcast on the radio that aliens were invading from Mars, and apparently, a load of people killed themselves because they couldn't face the thought. Odd how things work.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Eejit]

Aaah, Orson Wells with War of the Worlds...
They were broadcasting an adapted version of the novel as if it were really happening. Loads of people (in the U.S., where it was broadcast) went nuts and headed for the hills, or barricaded themselves in their houses. I think one or two people did kill themselves, they were so scared.

Maybe Breen's right, it is safer in City 17...

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Exactly, so open your arms, embrace the Combine, and remember - they know what's best for you.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Asknoone]

does anyone actaully think that breen was the BM administrator?

i do

 

[Reaperman]

Exactly, so open your arms, embrace the Combine, and remember - they know what's best for you.

that sounds EXACTLY like 1984....

yea, i think the world got taken over by alieans, and the combine is basicly making a safe city, where the civilions have to be checed before going in, so you dont let zombies in, and the "combine" is the wall that eats thru the city, making it secure...

from the offical HL2 site:
The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people he cares about are counting on him.

 

[hasan]

Ok, the scenario of the combine protecting the citizens doesn't like to enter my mind .. one problem with it is .. how does it tie to HL1? BlackMEsa, the G-man and the administrator? the pure crystal .. the possible danger .. the Administrator insisting on it regardless of the danger .. ?! It doesn't tie together.

What if the job G-Man was talking about at the end of HL1 is to go to the future and be part of the combine? or something like that ..
maybe his job was to be put in a loooong sleep (without aging), and wake him up when we need him .. and this is the time which they need you!