The Combine are...

WillH

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America. Think about it. America had all kinds of advanced technology in HL. The Combine are just the America of the future in its bid to take over Europe. I dunno, I just thought of it for some reason. Although it wouldn't explain why the Gman would be opposing them, although we don't know that he would be. Maybe Gordon rebels?
 
Hey, Jean Baudrillian thinking - this post could get interesting. I think more accurately, the Combine represent the capitalist 'machine' more than America itself. Think of it as this - you get up, get in your shiny production-line made car, goto McDonalds to get your breakfast, go work from 9-5 in an office, enjoy yourself going to the cinema, or paying online to play games - it's all keeping the economy going - the combine represent a more oppressive version of this, much like the machines in the Matrix. The striders/aliens, may represent communism, as everything is equal (robotic parts etc), much like Agent Smith represents communism in Matrix Revolutions (the entire population is made from the same person, Agent Smith). Where you come in may suprise you, Gordan Freeman is a revolutionary, fighting for freedom - you're practically Osama, though Che may make a more appealing comparison - your taking the power back, to paraprase RATM.
 
of course this model is based on what little I/anyone knows of the plot of HL2, but mostly it should all ring true. Think of it as this:

Neo=Gordon

Trinity=Alyx

G-Man=Oracle

Key to all important events throughout HL, and as he was responsible for aliens/cascade, therefore responsible for Gordon's 'ascension' - from office job worker - to hero.

Administrator=The Maker
(or whatever he was called - the bearded white suit guy)

Combine/Striders=Machines.


OK, i'm stretching this theory a little, but believe me, as a theory this is tame compared to the stuff I've read and wrote myself.
 
I would write a poem about this but I'm struggling to find a word that rhymes with ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

If the combine represent anything, its not capitalism or America. If anything, (just like in the old films) Americans are always portrayed as the heroes who save the day, as much as this cliché sickens me. The combine would represent an anti-american stance.

Quick, tell George Bush! The combines are muslims and wanna take away his precious oil! /end political rant
 
I always thought that the Combine might be all the nations working together. I don't mean symbolically...I mean in the game they might be the combined forces of the world's nations.

Stands to reason that if aliens are attacking the planet, everyone's going to band together. Perhaps they are the world's police force, now.
 
I reckon they're all gas mask fetishists.

Well, it's about as provable as any speculation we can make at the moment... :E
 
They're really, really, really concerned about dust and allergens in the air. Perhaps they all have severe asthma?
 
I've got it! The combine are a group of Hayfever sufferers who are taking revenge on the world for cutting their grass! They've got in contact with an alien world to terraform the earth so it no longer has any grass to cut!

Problem solved!
 
Darkside55 said:
I always thought that the Combine might be all the nations working together. I don't mean symbolically...I mean in the game they might be the combined forces of the world's nations.

Stands to reason that if aliens are attacking the planet, everyone's going to band together. Perhaps they are the world's police force, now.

I agree here, but in a more negative way:

The mysterious "I-Rifle" appears to de combine technology (Fires the same bullets as the strider/gunship/helicopter).

It's also made in the "UNA". United Nations of America?

Perhaps you and WillH are both right. :)
 
UNA = "United Nations of Asthma-sufferers" or "United Nations against Asthma".

Now it all fits together.

Though it is interesting how games now seem to reflect political/current affairs, Warcraft 3's undead disease plot was relative to the Anthrax attacks on the US (SARS virus was around that period too, if I remember correctly). NOLF2 had a really funny anti-bush theme running through it, especially at the end. Now with HL2, we 'seem' to have the Combine as an oppressive force in a foreign country.

Anyway, I'm sure Gordon can exploit there asthmatic weaknesses to good effect - City17 could infact be a gigantic asthma inhaler production factory, and you are going to have to take it down from the inside. :LOL:
 
[Dr. Breen Propaganda]

The Combine:

Helping the world breathe a little easier.

Won't you join us?

[/Propaganda]
 
Okay, okay, enough. This thread made me laugh when WillH means they are really America and everybody thinks they mean symbollises America. Ah well.
 
If the combine represent anything, its not capitalism or America. If anything, (just like in the old films) Americans are always portrayed as the heroes who save the day, as much as this cliché sickens me. The combine would represent an anti-american stance.
If you think about it .. in HL1 you actually fight and kill marines. and the marines were even pretty ruthless, the way they laugh when they capture you and talk about shooting you and throwing your body... (don't exactly remember the dialouge)

anyway .. in terms of symbolization .. if nothing is explicitly stated in the game, then each person would view it his own way.
Some will see the combine to symbolize Anti-Americanism, others might see them to represent America.
 
"Why don't we just kill the bastard now?"
"What if they find the body?"
"Body? What body?"
"Muhahahahah!"
"Hehehehe!"
"Ha. Ha."

Yeah they were pretty evil. It could be said, in fact, that Half-Life was an anti-military game, portraying the military as faceless and evil. But probably not. ;)
 
:hmph: It all adds up!! The Combine are from the U.S. they are recruited trailor trash whose lives have been hard on them. This explains why they are so harsh, they wear the masks o hide their shame... so people won't see who they really are, just in case someone recognizes one of them and cracks jokes of how he used to be bullied at school.
 
  1. 1:City17 is alien free
  2. 2:Combine are concentrated in City17, but are trying to stop you from getting out
  3. 3:there is some guy (administrator?) ruling City17
 
1. No it's not. What are all the aliens doing there then?
2. Seems that way, yeah.
3. Erm....we don't know that.
 
ferd said:
  1. 1:City17 is alien free
  2. 2:Combine are concentrated in City17, but are trying to stop you from getting out
  3. 3:there is some guy (administrator?) ruling City17


1: That seems to be the case. There is another city seen in the E3 vids called "Ravenholm' And it appears to have been taken over by zombies.
I think that's where Gregori hangs out with his traps.
City 17 and Ravenholm could be the same place though, but I dunno.

2: True, but we don't know why that is yet. They could just be focused on Gordon for some reason, or they could be holding martial law over the entire population.

3: Dr. Breen is the Administrator of City 17, I think he says that during his video recordings. I don't think that he's a ruler. It looks more like he's just trying to keep people from dying too much.
 
I wonder where the Bugbait vid takes place... in City 17? Or somewhere else...

(It's set in a jail, isn't it?)
 
Mechagodzilla said:
3: Dr. Breen is the Administrator of City 17, I think he says that during his video recordings. I don't think that he's a ruler. It looks more like he's just trying to keep people from dying too much.


dude, your obviously sensitive to propaganda...City17 is obvious a dictatorship...and he is at the top... (imo)
 
Brian Damage said:
I wonder where the Bugbait vid takes place... in City 17? Or somewhere else...

(It's set in a jail, isn't it?)
yup, in a jail, what the hell is he looking for in a jail (unless he got busetd while stealing cars)

Valve ripped that from Rockstars
 
obviously you can get in jail for no reason out there :p
 
1: City 17 is not exactly alien free but they want to keep it that way
2: The combine are not concentrated in City 17, in fact in the video you can hear Dr Breen saying something about this is just one of the cities and he is the admin/controller of it. He also refers to the big tower saying the combine have gaciously provided it for them. It suggest that the combine are actually a huge organisation(no i dont mean a business) of some kind and City 17 is simply one of the cities they rule over. Either Dr Breen was already in control, or they put him there to rule ver the city.
3: See 2
 
I think Dr Breen wants to control the whole world? what happened in blackmesa in HL1 was the 'spark' to start his hellish plot. First turn the world to a mess, then come in as the saviour?
maybe, maybe not, but I'm almost sure that the administrator's goal is to rule the world. Dr.Breen maybe the propaganda minister? maybe he is just a figure face, not the administrator himself.
What he said about the combine doesn't really mean anything. It could be that he is trying to make it look like an alliance/coalition between him, the combine and alot of others ... when it's actually just him and his combine (military?)!
 
That may just mean that he administrates City 17... not necessarily that he was the Administrator of Black Mesa...
 
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