What the HELL KIND OF AN ENDING WAS THAT (spoilers duh)

[ethanbee]

Not enough

Cliffhangers are a good thing, but if the X-Files have taught us anything it's that you have to strike a good balance.

The way the X-Files kept us hooked was by answering SOME of the nagging questions, but doing it in such a way that MORE questions would arise. Throughout all of this, the MAIN mystery remained mysterious.

In Half-Life 2, we never got answers to anything, really. It's fine that the G-man is a big question mark, being the overarching mystery, but I would have liked some more explanation of the Combine, the Combine's plans for humanity, the Combine's relationship to the Vortigons, what Dr Brain was up to exactly, etc. Obviously we know the general outline of the answers to these questions, but I wanted more.

I'm sure you could fill in some of these blanks and retain a good cliffhanger ending.

Someone mentioned reading the newspapers on the walls in the game and whatnot, but I didn't see any that were readable (even with my textures all the way up). If you COULD have read the newspapers, heard a news radio broadcast in passing, etc. we could have been a little more immersed in the story without being "spoon-fed" the details.

The only way a cliffhanger works is if you provide enough substance to make someone really CARE about what they're missing.

I'm sure no-one's not going to play HL3 because they lost interest -- I'm just sayin'.

 

[disruptioN_]

At least it wasn't nearly as shitty as Halo 2's ending.
The credits just come out of nowhere.

 

[NiteX]

When it ended I felt like I needed more, hell I still feel like I need more! Why did it have to end?! So what the hell is going to happen to Freeman and Alyx? The shit just exploded in their face, but you know they wont die. It felt like I just watched a movie that had tons and tons of scenes cut. And what ever the hell the G-man said confused me to hell and back. Does anybody know what he meant exactly? I also which they would have kept some enemies in. If you have the little hint book you know what I'm talking about.

 

[Messermeier]

The shit just exploded in their face, but you know they wont die.

you know gordon wont die, because the gman took him away.
no one knows what happens to poor alyx...

 

[whiteLancer]

I really liked the ending. Some didn't like it because their minds aren't complex enough to process the depth of the ending. Or they just are weird.

 

[NateDogX]

I completely agree with what ethanbee said, we need some answers and then you can pose more questions to us. Don't just sit back and throw more and more questions, that way if they ever are answered then there are so many to be answered that we will be on information overload. I feel cheated with HL2, not that the game wasn't hellishly fun to play during 90% of the time but I want more of a story to be told, a story that answers out questions from the previous game and then lay down some more questions at the end of the game. Very stupid and I am insanely frustrated now that I've played through HL2 and H2.

 

[DarkGhost86]

well gman tells you a hint of himself

Spoiler

gman is freeman from the future

Proof?

 

[Asknoone]

Proof?

Dont worry, thats completely false. This guy has no idea what he is talking about

 

[kirovman]

Anyone notice at the end of HL1 and the start of HL2, G-man refers to you as Mr. Freeman, but at the end of Half-Life 2, you have become Dr. Freeman? Maybe you need to save the world to get your phd these days.

 

[Yemo]

I think that the ending perfectly fits the theme of HL2, all the mysteriousnes and the fact that you(or Gordon for that matter) have no idea about whats going on is just so great. I wonder if HL3 will focus on answering all the questions put ( hope not )

 

[asd-hl]

Anyways the ending was ok but it could have been alot better like having to do a get the **** out of the citidel with alyx behind you goin down with going down elevators, though all kinds of corridors in a mad rush to a hanger where i can steal a helicopter and then watch as the citadel collaspes then have the g-man end it.

Agreed. Even better would be if after running some time, they would not manage it, to escape, and THEN the Gman ends it. That would be a perfect ending for me.

 

[Mess]

I think the ending is perfect - it simply re-enforces that fact that you are emrely the G-man's puppet and he is doing what the hell he wants with you, like the end of HL1.

 

[Chaotic_Aku]

Anyone notice at the end of HL1 and the start of HL2, G-man refers to you as Mr. Freeman, but at the end of Half-Life 2, you have become Dr. Freeman? Maybe you need to save the world to get your phd these days.

LMAO! :cheers: to that! I bet that's how they train our docs arround here! the only prob is that they can save the world and can't save us :X :hmph:

 

[soul]

I really did enjoy this cliffhanger sort of ending, you guys wouldn't be complaining if you'd played Halo 2.. I swear I thought there was another level after the cinematic that was the end. It was one of the worst game endings I've ever seen. Its like I'd just busted a shitload of brutes, and flood and whatnot - then I get rewarded with it telling me I have to fork out another $100 (AU) to buy the next shit that should have been explained in Halo 2. To top it off the vehicles felt like shit too. Going a little off topic there, but anyway, I enjoyed Half Life 2's ending. Not to mention the splendour of every aspect of the game.

Yeah, it's so much better than Halo 2. We don't have to buy another game to find answers, we just have to buy Raising the Bar, and Half-Life 2 expansions, and Half-Life 3 in order to have a clue what we just did in Half-Life 2. But that's alright, seeing as how this is a Half-Life 2 forum, right?