Next Half-Life Won't Change Gordon Freeman
Valve has no plans to update Gordon Freeman.
Valve Software's Gabe Newell recently told EDGE Magazine (via CVG) that the company has no inclination to update the personality of Half-Life's protagonist Gordon Freeman to match other modern FPS game protagonists on the market. Newell said that he wants Freeman to remain as "an arm and a crowbar," and apparently isn't in any rush to provide Freeman with a voice.
"We're not philosophically opposed to this, but we don't have any good reasons to do it," he said, referring to Freeman's lack of a voice. "Right now making your companions more interesting and compelling seems a more fruitful avenue to explore."
Prior to that comment, Newell was asked if he wanted to give Freeman a greater sense of embodiment in future Half-Life games. "We haven't had a reason to change that," he answered. "Most of what I've seen to date has been gimmicky and is entertaining for just a minute or so."
Currently there's no indication of when Half-Life 2: Episode Three will finally see a release. As of January, it was believed that the latest edition won't be available in 2010 despite Valve's development schedule with the earlier installments. It may be that Valve is steering for a full-blown release of Half-Life 3 instead.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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mlopinto2k1 Hmmm.. I am the last person to criticize this game. It was good, has been good and obviously not changing it won't do anything bad. Of course, gimmicky could be fun... for a minute :PReply
http://professionalmike.com - :fou: -
bogcotton You can't change Gordon Freeman ever!Reply
I'm Gordon Freeman.
There is a part of anyone who has played the entire half life series who is Gordon Freeman.
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mlopinto2k1 bogcottonYou can't change Gordon Freeman ever!I'm Gordon Freeman.There is a part of anyone who has played the entire half life series who is Gordon Freeman.That almost sounds like it could be a new "Chuck Norris" fad... :)Reply
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brother shrike The problem with giving Freeman a personality is that it takes the player out of Freeman's shoes. Right now, Freeman can be whoever the player wants him to be, he's a blank slate so to speak. While Duke is pretty badass, and I've always enjoyed chewing bubblegum and kicking ass, I've never felt as immersed as I have in Half-Life.Reply -
False_Dmitry_II It would be odd if they did change that; but at the same time when people start just talking to him he doesn't really respond at all.Reply -
liquidsnake718 He looks like Mr Smith in the Matrix series. I can imagine him as being the instagator rather than saviour in the 3rd installment of the series... Never finished HL2 though so I dont know how it plays outReply -
aethm I usually don't like it when they give protagonists voices. How about a silent, but choice based communication system, like Dragon Age.Reply -
thegreathuntingdolphin yannifb is right, it would be weird to give him a voice all of a sudden.Reply
Speaking of Half-Life, where is Black Mesa Source?! -
B16CXHatch I think it's a good thing to leave him the way he is. It leaves you feeling more like you are Gordon and that the characters are talkin directly to you and not to another character.Reply