Why Does Anyone Like Gordon Freeman?

[el Chi]

I'm partly playing devil's advocate here, because I do quite like Freeman, inasmuch as I'm Freeman when I'm playing, and he is the thinking man's FPS protagonist after all. Although when your current competition is the Doom marine or Jack bloody Carver, it's not too hard.
But that's not the point. The point is: Why does ANYONE in the Half-Life universe like Gordon Freeman? I can see why people might respect him - he's been through a lot and besides, if you started insulting him, he might make the witty comeback of stoving your head in with his crowbar. However:

1. This Xen/ Combine nonsense is partly his fault. Ok, so the experiment may have been sabotaged, and it may have happened anyway, but if you heard:
"Yeah, the reason there are all these beasties attacking you is because there was this secret experiment that went seriously wrong. There was this guy who was involved - Gordon Freeman."
You wouldn't think - my, what a sterling fellow! You'd be pissed off because it was partly his fault and maybe none of this would've happened if it weren't for HIM.

2. He failed at stopping the aliens. So we don't know for sure whether there's a link between Xen and the Combine, but Freeman went through Xen leaving a wake of alien corpses and killed what seemed to be the main portal beasty. Hooray! Except it didn't work. Oh. So Gordon, thanks for stopping the portal storms and all these Xen creatures coming to Earth. Thanks a bunch.

3. He's mute. Well, it's not as if he's about to deliver any rousing speeches.

4. Eli and Kleiner have been trying to redeem themselves. They were involved too, but they've been working for the past two decades or however long to topple the Combine. Where's Gordon been? Not helping, that's for sure.

5. In the process of getting rid of the Combine, all Hell's broken loose. Of course it's great that since his arrival, things've gotten a bit better, but the resistance seemed slightly better organised BEFORE Entanglement, than the chaos after it. And what's to say that they wouldn't have succeeded without him? Thousands of people must've died in the uprising and City 17 may well be obliterated by the Citadel exploding, along with thousands more inhabitants. Of course the Combine were hardly all smiles and laughter, but you gotta consider the death toll. Sort of.

Well there you go. As I said, I don't entirely belive it and the only real reason I'm posting this rambling nonsense is because I'm avoiding doing coursework. Oh yes.

 

[CREMATOR666]

I like Gordon because of the fact that he's a mute. (ever play Prince of Persia : Sands of Time?)

 

[LittleB]

They just like his big muscular man-glasses :naughty:

 

[Direwolf]

I'd guess that Eli and Kleiner told people about the role that Gordon played in containing the invasion. Gordon sacrificed himself to stop it, and seems to have become a Martyr in the intervening years. He's one of those legends that comes out of almost every disaster situation.

 

[el Chi]

Very good point.

 

[CREMATOR666]

But, again, for a hero to be born bad things must occur, so, in retrorespect, a hero would not be needed if there's no danger, making them obsolete.

 

[CyberPitz]

I understand it now! Freeman is like Neo! And Neo is like Jesus...

SO FREEMAN = JESUS!
No wonder they all like him, he's the savior....know all he has to do is stop bullets...

*EDIT*

I'm the only poster in this thread with a post counter under 1,000.

 

[JellyWorld]

Well there you go. As I said, I don't entirely belive it and the only real reason I'm posting this rambling nonsense is because I'm avoiding doing coursework. Oh yes.

And the only reason why I'm reading this is to avoid doing my homework. And the primary reason why everyone worships freeman is because VALVE WANTS THEM TOO, every FPS needs a hero, and they picked (or created) Freeman.

 

[NÜk]

every FPS needs a hero, and they picked (or created) Freeman.

*Freeman sits at a desk studying for his MiT; Is suddenly bathed in column of bright light, Blues Brothers style*
"It's yooooouuu"

 

[el Chi]

I understand it now! Freeman is like Neo! And Neo is like Jesus...

SO FREEMAN = JESUS!
No wonder they all like him, he's the savior....know all he has to do is stop bullets...

*EDIT*

I'm the only poster in this thread with a post counter under 1,000.

It's true that there Gordon seems to have an almost messianic status with a lot of people.
But he's not like Neo, 'cause Neo's a tw*t.

 

[Edcrab]

Neo wouldn't last four minutes versus Gordon. Where's your super-virtual-reality powers now, simulation boy?! EAT CROWBAR! *ahem*

I think what makes Half-Life 2 brilliant- okay, one of the things that makes Half-Life 2 brilliant- is the near-messianic status attributed to Freeman. Everyone's so convinced he knows what to do, but quite bluntly he's more in the dark than any other individual on the planet. He can, however, kick so much arse that he easily maintains his (rightful) legendary status, and there's nothing like having a fearless leader who does most of the work himself, allowing you to cautiously follow behind

He's at the stage where governors of other Combine-controlled worlds know about him, I guarantee it.

 

[el Chi]

I think what makes Half-Life 2 brilliant- okay, one of the things that makes Half-Life 2 brilliant- is the near-messianic status attributed to Freeman. Everyone's so convinced he knows what to do, but quite bluntly he's more in the dark than any other individual on the planet.

He's at the stage where governors of other Combine-controlled worlds know about him, I guarantee it.

Very true
"Hey great - Dr. Freeman!" To which you think: Yeah sure I'm great, but what is it I'm supposed to be doing again? And why?

 

[MiccyNarc]

On a semi related note:

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=79203

I do question why everyone loves Gordon considering he caused the whole mess

 

[Edcrab]

Well, I don't think he did really- he may have introduced the sample that set the resonance cascade in motion, but ultimately he was merely the minion of ill informed scientists whose dangerous experiments had been sabotaged and manipulated.

You could just as easily blame the technicians who maintained the area or the janitors who kept it clean

 

[Ennui]

He didn't cause it. The resonance cascade was NOT his fault, by a LONG shot. He was just a person in there carrying the crystal... not even one of the senior scientists on the staff. It was more Eli's or Kleiner's fault. Gordon risked his life countless times doing more than what he could to stop the Xen aliens, he saved his fellow scientists from the marines, and thus, for his heroics, became a symbolic figurehead for the revolution. When he returned, in the nick of time, it seems, to lead the full-blown uprising, he killed Breen and essentially paved a swath through the Combine.

No reason for them NOT to like him - he's done nothing wrong and many things right.

 

[CREMATOR666]

He didn't cause it. The resonance cascade was NOT his fault, by a LONG shot. He was just a person in there carrying the crystal... not even one of the senior scientists on the staff. It was more Eli's or Kleiner's fault. Gordon risked his life countless times doing more than what he could to stop the Xen aliens, he saved his fellow scientists from the marines, and thus, for his heroics, became a symbolic figurehead for the revolution. When he returned, in the nick of time, it seems, to lead the full-blown uprising, he killed Breen and essentially paved a swath through the Combine.

No reason for them NOT to like him - he's done nothing wrong and many things right.

So, technically we can both sue Breen AND Gordon for the resonance cascade

 

[Ennui]

Yep. Gordon was just an "underling" if you will in the Resonance Cascade, though - he just took the crystal to the energy flow, I don't think he played much of a scientific part in it beyond that. Certainly not nearly as much as Kleiner or Eli or the other scientists.

 

[Beerdude26]

Is Breen dead? I mean, is there any proof for this?

 

[Ennui]

I think that it's probably a fairly safe assumption, given that Gordon destroyed the portal before he made it through.

Though, of course, given the plot nature of video games, I'm probably wrong. Either way, that's not too much of an issue here.

 

[CREMATOR666]

Gordon's motto : Action speaks louder than words

 

[Greatgat]

'Cause he is teh sexy.

 

[NÜk]

At the time of the Black Mesa incident, Gordon was a 'research associate', which is a posh way of saying lab assistant. His causing of the resonance cascade was the culmination of actions far greater and more numerous than the one which just happened to set things rolling. If a terrorist set up a bomb under a night club's dance floor and wired it to one of the beer pumps as a detonator, would the barman who unwittingly pulls the pump be blamed for the ensuing catastrophe? By the logic Breen would have us use in response to his propaganda, yes. By most sensible people's reasoning, I'd hope the answer would be no.

 

[Thadius Dean]

Isn't it a rumor that the G-man set up the whole incident to test Gordon? Or is that what NUk is talking about.

Anyway my friend at school who likes Half-Life but also likes to annoy me by pointing out all the things he doesn't like about the game thinks that it is stupid how the resistance like, worship Freeman. I always tell him it is because of how we escaped Black Mesa single-handedly (well, partly with the scientists and Barney's help)

 

[Marx! II]

I like Gordan because of all the peril and danger we've been through together.
But seriously, he's more or less an average Joe with a good suit, whereas every other game protagonist ever is some kind of prodigy with an irritating cockyness/training fetish.

 

[DoctorWeeTodd]

Well he did emancipate the Vortigraunts...which are a key ally and contributed A LOT to the rebel effort and he managed to topple a citadel in seemingly days whereas the rebels have to attempting to do so for over a decade. The death of the Nihilanth might have released the Combine's control over many of the Xenians as well making the Resistance's fight easier.

But the thing I wondering why people will like him is the fact that he destroyed the Citadel. In the Aftermath summaries released to us, it appears that the barriers to City 17 are broken because of the toppled Citadel(Which might nuke the entire city) leaving everyone screwed.

 

[Vorac1ous]

I think why people like Freeman is more based upon themselves -- NOT the game.

1: Since Gordon never talks, nor you don't actually see Gordon in-game, it gives the player a feeling that YOU are Freeman & that YOU conquered a bunch of enemies, not the character you're playing as.

2: Gordon is a nerd, & most of us are. That way, Gordon shows us hope that all nerds can be awesome in their own special way.

3: Most other characters are annoying.

 

[Seppo]

2: Gordon is a nerd, & most of us are. That way, Gordon shows us hope that all nerds can be awesome in their own special way.

That is so true

 

[ríomhaire]

1. This Xen/ Combine nonsense is partly his fault. Ok, so the experiment may have been sabotaged, and it may have happened anyway, but if you heard:
"Yeah, the reason there are all these beasties attacking you is because there was this secret experiment that went seriously wrong. There was this guy who was involved - Gordon Freeman."
You wouldn't think - my, what a sterling fellow! You'd be pissed off because it was partly his fault and maybe none of this would've happened if it weren't for HIM.

So is September 11th partly the people who working in the twin towers fault?

2. He failed at stopping the aliens. So we don't know for sure whether there's a link between Xen and the Combine, but Freeman went through Xen leaving a wake of alien corpses and killed what seemed to be the main portal beasty. Hooray! Except it didn't work. Oh. So Gordon, thanks for stopping the portal storms and all these Xen creatures coming to Earth. Thanks a bunch.

Yes, one man didn't stop an entire invation of aliens nobody knows about, he's an asshole

3. He's mute. Well, it's not as if he's about to deliver any rousing speeches.

he's not mute, anyone who thinks that is a fool

4. Eli and Kleiner have been trying to redeem themselves. They were involved too, but they've been working for the past two decades or however long to topple the Combine. Where's Gordon been? Not helping, that's for sure.

But people think he has

5. In the process of getting rid of the Combine, all Hell's broken loose. Of course it's great that since his arrival, things've gotten a bit better, but the resistance seemed slightly better organised BEFORE Entanglement, than the chaos after it. And what's to say that they wouldn't have succeeded without him? Thousands of people must've died in the uprising and City 17 may well be obliterated by the Citadel exploding, along with thousands more inhabitants. Of course the Combine were hardly all smiles and laughter, but you gotta consider the death toll. Sort of.

O sorry, did you expect the resistance to blow the citadel up and that overwatch would give them a map of weak-points?

 

[Seppo]

So is September 11th partly the people who working in the twin towers fault?

That's not the same thing. They weren't involved in any way in the catastrophe.

 

[subtlesnake]

I don't believe people are blaming Gordon for the catastrophe. Firstly, the experiment would have happened whether he was there or not. If he refused they would just have got someone else. Gordon is just a link in the chain.

They could have created an automated sample transfer system, in which case would it then be the machines fault?

Secondly, Gordon had no idea about the potential consequences of what he was doing. How can someone make a decision if they have no knowledge? It's like blaming the mailman who delivered the explosive package.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

1. The Xen / Combine nonsense is partially the fault of nearly everyone at Black Mesa, as well as what must be a substantial amount of people throughout the US government.
Compared to the guys who pissed off Nihilanth in the first place by capturing all the Xen aliens, or the guy who sabotaged the machine (whoever it was), or the government official who initially funneled piles of taxpayer money into the Black Mesa deathtrap, and Dr. Breen of course, Gordon "I've only been here a week" Freeman isn't exactly a key figure of blame.

Plus, he gets brownie points for some of the other stuff below:

2. Gordon didn't fail to stop the aliens. In fact, he was pretty much the only thing that did stop them. There seems to be some general confusion around the nature of the portal storms, so a brief history of the portal storms:

The portal storms started at the exact second Gordon pushed the sample into the beam, and they quickly covered the entire planet. So all the aliens that were seen in Black Mesa, and some that weren't, were starting to fill every corner of the globe at a rather fast rate, flowing in through the dimensional hole that was getting bigger by the minute.
By the one-two combo punch of launching the satellite delivery rocket and shooting Nihilanth in the brain, Gordon sealed that hole.

The satellite was part of a complex scheme by a bunch of the other scientists, including Gina the hologram, to stop the flow of aliens.
Everything was going according to plan, until the soldiers showed up and stopped the launch just before the Big Red Button was pressed.
Everythings looking screwed until Gordon shows up out of nowhere, kicks soldier ass, and saves the mission. So, while Gordon is taking a nap in the trash compactor, Gina and friends shut the space-hole.
However, Nihilanth used his mind powers to hold the door open a crack and send in the clowns. So a steady supply of headcrabs, vortigaunts, gargs, grunts, controllers and mantas were still getting in.
When Gordon killed Nihilanth though, the last little space-hole he was holding open collapsed along with him.

So, if it weren't for Gordon, by the time HL2 happened no one would have been left alive, and city 17 would have been home to a million angry alien grunts. Last I checked, that's "a battle you have no chance of winning."
Rather an anticlimax.

3. Farcry. 'Nuff said.

4. See point 2. Eli, Kliener, and the rest of the resistance gang would be dead if it weren't for Gordon, and they know it. Thanks to him, they really only need to worry about the combine, instead of the combine and the entire population of Xen.
Also, Gordon gave the resistance a big boost by un-enslaving the vortigaunts.
Plus, why get mad when you have a natural-born super guerilla warrior, who hates Dr. Breen, ready to join your team?

5. This point is up in the air until Aftermath is released.
Since the general plot is that Gordon and friends are escorting all the citizens to a safe distance, he could blow up the citadel with zero bonus casualties.
Of course, it could also end with half the folks getting vaporized. But they knew the risks.

 

[Flyingdebris]

don't forget he is the patron saint of nerds everywhere.

Oh saint gordon, please lend me strength in these dark days to smack down many a heathen with this blessed +3 crowbar of asskickitude

 

[The_Wookie]

I think that it's probably a fairly safe assumption, given that Gordon destroyed the portal before he made it through.

But didn't Alix and Gordon go through a teleporter that got attacked? They went into slow warp for a week. I assumed that Breen just got similarly placed and would re-surface at a later date, which is why G-Man put Gordon back into slow stasis.

 

[Ennui]

That's a good point.

 

[kirovman]

I love Gordon Free-person (to be politically correct).

He never fails to impress.

He inspired me to do physics at University! (I would have probably done it anyway).

 

[Kitfox]

What you stated was probably exactly what Gordon Freeman(you) is thinking(refering to main post). On top of all that. You don't exactly know whats going on. You(Gordon Freeman) are one confused individual, yet some how every one is praising you.

I assume that no one reall knows exactly what happened at Black Mesa but they heard stories/rumours of a man who defied all forces and survived(even saved some through his deeds). These probably exadurated tales probably projected Gordon to a heroic messianic figure.

 

[JoeCLawrence]

don't forget he is the patron saint of nerds everywhere.

Oh saint gordon, please lend me strength in these dark days to smack down many a heathen with this blessed +3 crowbar of asskickitude

Classic! Sigged.

 

[BlackDahlia]

I should make a St. Freeman pic.