"You don't play Freeman, you are Gordon Freeman!"

Gabe Newell

Name Gordon Freeman

Occupation physicist, resistance fighter

Universe half-life

Featured in games Half Life, Half Life 2, Half Life 2 Episode One, Half Life 2 Episode Two

Meet, dear readers, Gordon Freeman, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Although I... You probably already know each other, right? Well, of course, of course, Dr. Gordon, although he did not receive the Nobel Prize, is more famous than many venerable scientists. But perhaps you won't mind if we get to know Mr. Freeman better?

Gordon Freeman is one of the most famous characters in computer games, which does not prevent him from remaining a mystery not only for the players, but even for his teammates in the game. Everything about Freeman knows, perhaps, only the no less mysterious G-man, and even the screenwriters of Valve, to whom we owe the birth of our hero to the world. Despite the wild popularity of the Half-Life series, Valve employees are very reluctant to share any information regarding the main character of the game. Players have to collect information about their idol literally bit by bit.

Let's see what we, ordinary people, managed to find out about the hero of the Resistance, the doctor of science, and finally, just a good man with a tire iron - Gordon Freeman.

Hero biography

Freeman was born in Seattle, Washington. Nothing is known about his family. Parents were able to give their son a decent education, not disregarding his interest in quantum physics, which arose in childhood. A young, promising student, whose idols were Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Richard Feynman, graduated from the University of Innsbruck in the mid-nineties. It was there, observing the practical research in the field of teleportation conducted by the university, that Gordon decides that he will connect his life with this field of science. As we know, in the end his dream came true, but if Freeman had known, how she'll wake up...

You can make a monument to Gordon ...

It is interesting: Initially, the developers of Half-Life wanted to name the protagonist Dyson Poincaré. Freeman Dyson is an American philosopher and physicist, and Henri Poincaré is a famous French mathematician.

Or you can become a Freeman yourself!

Later, in 1999, the scientist received a doctorate in physics and mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for his work entitled "Observation of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement on Supraquantum Structures by Induction through Nonlinear Transuranic Crystal of Extremely Long Wavelength (ELW ) Pulse from Mode-Locked Source Array” (in Russian, it can be roughly translated as “Observation of the EPR paradox (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement) on superquantum structures by induction through a nonlinear transuranium crystal of an ultra-long-wave (LW) pulse from a lockable array of sources”).

Poor funding and the slow pace of research conducted in Innsbruck are forcing the newly minted Ph.D. to look for a new job. When Freeman was offered a job at the Black Mesa Research Center in New Mexico, he didn't hesitate for a minute. Still, he was invited by Dr. Isaac Kleiner, Gordon's longtime mentor and teacher, who had known him since Freeman's time at MIT. Government-sponsored, complex and top-secret teleportation research was on the way. Talented scientists were needed, and the doctor simply could not help but write an invitation letter to his beloved student, who by that time was 27 years old.

At Black Mesa, Freeman gets a position as a research assistant in the Anomalous Materials Laboratory, which focuses on nuclear physics and subatomic research. The scientist is issued a personal card with a third level of access, but since Freeman's work will be associated with a risk to his life, he has to take a course in working with a HEV protective suit ( H ardous E n V ironment). During your studies, suspicions arise that the research is sponsored and controlled by the military - and why else would a training course include a test for the accuracy of shooting from automatic weapons and an underbarrel grenade launcher? Let me remind you that the guards are armed only with pistols and shotguns.

It is interesting: each employee of the research complex (from a simple security guard to a project manager) must have a personal identification card with them at any time. It is simply indispensable to do without it - checks are regular and strict, so it is not surprising that scientists and security guards do not always get along with each other. Think of electronic locks, the key to which is a scanned image of the retina, stationary first-aid kits on every corner; how quickly the military arrived to clean up... Do you still doubt that Black Mesa, among other things, was developing a secret weapon?

Gordon, like all the other participants in the project, lived right in the research complex, in a dorm room. Little is known about the scientist's relatives at that time - he does not have a wife and children, but he has good friends: Dr. Isaac Kleiner, Eli Vance and security guard Barney Calhoun, whom Freeman met before the events of Half-Life.

HEV suit: what it was in the first part and what it became in the second.

Letter to Freeman with an invitation to work at Black Mesa.

It is interesting: Gordon, apparently, was not averse to fooling around sometimes. Alyx in Half-Life 2: Episode One says that Dr. Kleiner once mentioned to her that Freeman and Calhoun were having a kind of competition to be the first to get through the ventilation shaft to Isaac's office when he accidentally closed the door from the outside. "Air duct. I know how much you love climbing them. Dr. Kleiner told how he lost the keys to the office, and you and Barney competed to see who could get inside the fastest.

At one fine moment, Freeman's measured life flies head over heels. An important experiment ends in disaster, hordes of aliens from another dimension break into Black Mesa, the military arrives at the accident site with orders to carry out a "cleansing". A young scientist has to pick up a crowbar and save his life, fighting his way to the Lambda complex, and from there to the world of Zen ... Having defeated the Nihiliant creature that controlled the alien invasion of Earth, Gordon will accept the offer work and go on a well-deserved rest.In ten years, G-man will remove Freeman from stasis, in which he has been all this time, and remind him of the concluded contract...

I think it makes no sense to talk in detail about the events of the Half-Life games, which probably everyone has played. What didn't you play? Yes, how is it possible!

Mystery man

Thin, with a fashionable beard, wearing glasses, who devoted himself entirely to his beloved work, Freeman is a typical, at first glance, example of a scientist, as we are used to seeing them in films and books. Not at all a superhero appearance of Gordon slightly surprised the players: either faceless big men-Marines (Quake, Doom), or parodies of them (Duke Nukem) were in fashion. All the more surprising was the contrast when this "bookworm" took up arms and began his long and dangerous march through Black Mesa.

Speaking of appearance. In no game in the Half-Life series do we see Gordon from the side. But nevertheless, they easily recognize him - the portrait of a scientist in a special suit flaunted on the loading screen and on the game box, so the image of the "bespectacled man with a tire iron" is firmly seated in the memory of the players.

You can still see Gordon - a special model was created for the network mode, which was absent in the game itself. A couple of times Freeman will meet players in additions to Half-Life (Blue Shift and Opposing Force). Playing as Adrian Shepard (Opposing Force), you can even try to kill Gordon, but the game will immediately end with the wording "Surveillance stopped: the subject tried to create a time paradox." And in the second add-on, just starting the game, we twice see Gordon without his famous HEV suit. Finally, at the very end of Blue Shift, the protagonist Barney Calhoun sees the soldiers dragging the unconscious Freeman across the floor to throw him under the press.

Soldiers drag Freeman under pressure. And we are slowly approaching the end of the Blue Shift expansion.

In this scene, the player is free to decide whether Freeman enters the portal and starts working on G-man or refuse such a tempting offer.

It is not known why, but Gordon Freeman is silent. Is always. The players were surprised, but didn't really complain. A separate bow to Valve for the fact that Gordon's silence does not look unnatural. Well, a person does not like to talk a lot, what can you do? According to Gabe Newell, Freeman's silence is due to the fact that the creators of the game wanted to achieve a better identification of the player with the main character in this way. For the same purpose, we watch the whole game "from the eyes" of Gordon and, as mentioned above, we never see him from the side. I must say, the guys from Valve did not miss - the effect of presence on top.

The silent determination with which Freeman cracks down on numerous enemies is no less surprising. Aside from the HEV training course, Gordon has only ever handled a weapon once in his life - a "weapon", a tennis ball cannon, he built himself at the age of six. But - since circumstances force you, there is nowhere to go, even if you are at least three times a doctor of science, you cannot do without violence in such cases.

If in the first game Freeman is a “reluctant hero”, who goes to the world of Zen only because he, in fact, has no other way out, then in Half-Life 2 Gordon is already a real hero. Even not so - Hero. He is known in person by both ordinary residents of City 17 and enemy soldiers; Freeman's appearance among the members of the Resistance instills hope in the hearts of people enslaved by the Alliance, and sows panic in the ranks of the enemy. Where Gordon Freeman is, there is victory! It cannot be said that this saying is far from the truth.

Meanwhile, Freeman, apparently, himself does not fully understand what role he plays in the confrontation between the Alliance and his employer - G-man "a. The latter prefers not to explain the orders given to Gordon, and he is not particularly interested in what and how Rumors have long circulated among Half-Life fans that G-man and Freeman are the same person based on two things: the names of the characters (compare - G ordon Free man and G-man), as well as an inexorable external resemblance. Almost nothing is known about G-man (thanks to the scriptwriters of the game), so the players can only guess whether Gordon will actually change the crowbar for a case after a while, and HEV for a business suit.

A famous shot from the second part of the game. Our hero is second from the left.

It is interesting: the famous mount and the HEV special suit have become symbols of the game. We can no longer imagine Freeman without his favorite crowbar and orange spacesuit. In fan site polls like "What's your favorite weapon in Half-Life?", the Crowbar holds a solid lead, sometimes second only to the Gravity Gun.

Gordon's relationship with the opposite sex has long haunted the minds of players. There were no women at all in the first game. In Half-Life 2, the developers decided to correct this misunderstanding, and as a result, one of the main characters of the second part becomes Alyx Vance, the daughter of Eli Vance, during the events of the first game, a very small girl. Now this is a young beautiful woman who can, on occasion, stand up for herself with a weapon in her hands. In Episode One, Alyx is next to Freeman throughout the game, and, apparently, she is far from indifferent to our hero. One can only guess about Freeman's attitude towards Alyx - without violating the traditions of the series, he does not utter a single word throughout the game.

It is interesting: Gordon has been the reason for the appearance of Easter eggs in many games. References to Freeman and his favorite crowbar can be found both in the recent Stalker and in GTA San Andreas, and in Sacred (in this game you can find a grave in which rests ... "Gordon Freeman's tire iron"!).

Well, perhaps, the acquaintance can be considered over. Yes, I know that you (like me) want to know more about our guest today, but nothing can be done - Mr. Freeman is in a hurry. The long-awaited Half-Life 2: Episode Two hit the shelves, and Dr. Gordon needs to hurry up. What is waiting for him? Maybe he won't be so silent now? Maybe we will find out after all whether he is indifferent to Alix? Maybe ... But why all these questions? It is best to buy a CD and find out the answers yourself. Here I am now, having added these lines, I will launch the game, pick up my favorite mount and show the headcrabs where the crayfish hibernate!

For the first time, players met Freeman in the first part of the Half-Life game developed by Valve studio; it was for Freeman that they had to play. According to the developers of the studio, at first the main character did not even have a name, and the screenwriter suggested calling him Dyson Poincaré - in honor of the theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson and mathematician Henri Poincaré. However, Gable Newell, the director of Valve, suggested that the hero be named Gordon Freeman, with whom he went down in history.

The image of the protagonist of one of the most famous games is quite memorable: he is thin, with brown hair and a beard, and his green eyes are hidden behind the lenses of black-rimmed glasses. The scientist is wearing a protective suit, which has the Greek letter lambda "λ" on it. As you know, in physics this letter is assigned to the decay constant of radioactive elements, which is very symbolic for the game. And it is no coincidence that the letter "a" in the name of the game is replaced by this symbol: HλLF-LIFE.

Gordon Freeman, according to the documentary Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, was born in Seattle and from early childhood he was attracted to physics, in particular quantum mechanics. While still at university, Freeman became interested in teleportation experiments, which he later studied in depth. At the University of Innsbruck, where Gordon studied, he was not satisfied with the too slow development of research, and the financing of important projects did cause him despondency. After spending some time looking, Freeman finally got lucky - his former mentor Isaac Kleiner invited him to his own secret project, which a group of scientists was engaged in the Black Mesa Research Center (Black Mesa).

Acquainted with the main character at the very beginning of the game, when the 27-year-old theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman moves in the trailer to the right place to go to the scientific laboratory in Black Mesa, the player becomes a witness to one of the teleportation experiments.

It was the most ordinary day in the laboratory: Freeman and two scientists of the center conducted another experiment on teleportation, however, during the experiment there was a failure and an explosion, as a result of which aliens from a parallel world teleported to the territory of Black Mesa. From this moment on, Freeman and his employees are in mortal danger, because not only aliens, but also the military from the HECU special forces, who were ordered to keep the secrecy of what happened - to destroy all aliens and witnesses of the catastrophe who survived, and also completely close and destroy Black Mesa.

Freeman had a long way to go, overcoming which, he got to the Lambda complex, from which he was teleported to a parallel world, to the planet Zen, where he was supposed to find and destroy Nihilanth - the main culprit of the invasion of Black Mesa.

For the first Half-Life, released in 1998, there were many official add-ons (and just a huge number of fan mods) that did not always feature Freeman as the main character. However, the player sees him in some game moments from the side.

The players received the second part of the series 7 long years after the release of the first game, and the plot of Half-Life 2 takes place in the city of the post-apocalyptic world City 17, several years after the events of the first part. Here, Freeman's old mentor and colleague, Dr. Isaac Kleiner, reappeared. And again, aliens from Xena appear in our world as a result of the explosion of the generator of the Citadel military base, but only then to save Freeman himself and his companion Alex from inevitable death.

Name: Gordon (Gordon)

Last name: Freeman

Gender: male

Age: 27 years old

Height: 1m 87 cm

Marital status: single

Bad habits: none

But, despite the fact that Gordon has a high intellect and mind, all that the player has to do in his role is: control different types of weapons, shoot, press various buttons and levers, drive vehicles - of course, all this requires some of his ingenuity and mental abilities.

It is very difficult to say anything about Gordon's mental and emotional state during his crazy adventures, since Freeman does not speak and does not show emotions in any way. But, based on simple concepts, we can say that he, like all normal people, is afraid of the danger that surrounds him constantly during his adventures. But this fear of his is a little different from the simple one, Freeman has, as it were, an “active form of fear”, in other words, he, feeling danger, does not become depressed, waiting for help, but thanks to his fear activates the hidden potential and takes decisive action to preserve his health and life. Just like an ordinary person, in various situations, he experiences anger, joy, sadness, etc. To say that Freeman only cares about himself is also wrong. Since all the other characters in the game respect him very much and consider him a hero, it can be said that during his travels Gordon also helped other people in both Black Mesa and City-17 - and this is certainly true. If Freeman only wanted to save his life, he would hardly agree to go to Xen, risking his life to stop the alien invasion and kill Nihilanth (Nihilanht), also go to the enemy Citadel of the Alliance, to save his friends and overthrow Dr. Breen, and then another Together with Alix, protect the rebels from the soldiers who are boarding the train. So his strong “self-preservation instinct” helps him survive in terrible conditions and also help others who are weaker and need his help. However, as already mentioned, anyone playing Half-Life is Gordon Freeman. And everything that the player feels and thinks at the moment of passing the game is both thoughts and feelings of Gordon.

Gordon's life before the Black Mesa Incident

Gordon Freeman, after graduating from MIT, where he showed great promise in the field of theoretical physics and quantum mechanics, which earned the respect and trust of his supervisor Dr. Isaac Kleiner, was sent to Austria, to the “University of Experimental Physics” in Innsbruck, where he continued his scientific activities. To obtain the highest scientific degree, he wrote and published works in the field of theoretical research on the creation of fundamentally new materials with unique properties. These works could not but remain unnoticed by the government, since these studies were strategically important for the creation of secret nano-developments. The work of the physicist was classified, but the scientist himself was offered a job at the Black Mesa Research Complex in the USA, where Gordon actually tested the above theory in practice.

There is also a different interpretation of Gordon's life story before his work in Black Mesa, but somewhat similar to the previous one. It follows from this that Freeman's doctoral dissertation was entitled "Observations of the EPR paradox (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement) on supraquantum induction structures through a nonlinear transuranic crystal under a superlong wave (VLW) pulse from a lockable array source" (or "how to teleport large objects with a radio pulse, passing through a crystal of very heavy elements"). And after a series of experiments on teleportation at the University of Innsbruck, Gordon began to study teleportation seriously and obsessively. But due to a lack of funding, teleportation research at the university progressed at a slow pace and, ultimately, could stop altogether. Therefore, Gordon, already desperate, began to look for work outside educational institutions. Further, in both theories follows the same information, confirmed by a letter to Dr. Freeman from the administration of the Black Mesa Research Center

By a coincidence, the already famous Dr. Isaac Kleiner took on a secret project at the Black Mesa research complex and was looking for talented like-minded people, then he just remembered his favorite student at MIT - Gordon Freeman and recommended him to the personnel department of the research complex. The administration immediately contacted Gordon and offered the job, while Freeman himself made the obvious choice. He accepted the offer, hoping to be able to continue his research. It should be noted that another good scientist and specialist claimed Gordon's place in Black Mesa - Dr. Mossman, who later occurs in the second part of the game. But Freeman manages to get past the opponent thanks to his experience. The scientist was settled in one of the apartments in the Residential Sector of Black Mesa, was assigned a "third level of clearance" and assigned to work in the Laboratory of Anomalous Materials, engaged in nuclear physics and subatomic research. Since Freeman dealt directly with anomalous materials, he needed to take a course in handling the "HEV protective suit" (Hazardous Environment Vest). Gordon also took a "course in handling various types of weapons" and "a course in survival in extreme conditions", this training was explained by the need to instruct personnel in case of an emergency. Up to this point, Gordon had never held a weapon in his hands, with the exception of a butane-air cannon that fired tennis balls, made by him at the age of 6 (such guns, called "spud guns" or "kartozouks", are very popular in the West).

Dr. Freeman's life in Black Mesa before the incident proceeded quite well, here he found new colleagues and friends. Among them were Eli Vance with his wife Azian and young daughter Alix, Barney Calhoun and many other scientists. Barney was one of Gordon's best friends in Black Mesa. Barney had a quick wit and a great sense of humor, and Gordon was always comfortable and interested in his company. Also, from Freeman's life in Black Mesa, an interesting story is known about how Dr. Kleiner often lost the key to his office, and Gordon and Barney, like small children, competed "who gets inside without unlocking the door", Freeman, in turn, climbed through the air ducts hoping to get to Kleiner's office first, he thus developed this skill and learned the complex's ventilation system.

Gordon Freeman in Half-Life

half-life- the first part of the story of the incredible adventures of Gordon Freeman. From the very beginning of the game, we move into his body and remain in it throughout the game.

We do not see Gordon from the side, we observe all game actions and events exclusively from the first person, and our hero does not utter a single word throughout the game. The developers explain this move so that the player gets as deep as possible into the atmosphere of the game. "Gordon Freeman is you!" says Gabe Newell.

On a fatal day, not only for the employees of Black Mesa, but for all of humanity as a whole, Gordon and his colleagues conducted an experiment in the test chamber of the laboratory of anomalous materials, which led to a terrible catastrophe. It is possible that the error, the failure of the experiment and further consequences were planned, but, nevertheless, as a result of the experiment, a cascade resonance occurs, which allowed unknown and hostile creatures from another world to enter the territory of the research complex and destroy all life. But this turned out to be not the only threat, also a special unit “Hazardous Environment Combat Unit” (HECU) was sent to resolve the problem with the aliens and eliminate the surviving personnel of the complex as unnecessary witnesses. Thus, Gordon finds himself in the epicenter of a real struggle for survival, he has almost no allies, with the exception of scientists and poorly armed guards of the Black Mesa complex.

Incredibly, the scientist, without any serious combat training, but largely thanks to his protective suit, which he puts on before starting an unsuccessful experiment, is slowly getting out of the never-ending, but only growing chaos. Becoming a hero and a spark of hope in the eyes of other scientists and guards, Gordon, at the same time, becomes a prime target for the cleanup squads.

When it is already clear to all participants in the conflict that the alien invaders cannot be stopped, the soldiers of the HECU detachment are withdrawn from the scene of the conflict. Gordon, by this time, having overcome the horrors in the form of crowds of countless aliens and trials in the form of roundups of mopping up squads, reveals the secrets of the Lambda complex. Which consisted in the existence of a teleport to Xen - the world of the invaders, and the presence of the Lambda team, which went to Xen for prototypes, as well as to study the structure of this world. From one of the last survivors of a scientist in the Lambda sector, Gordon is tasked with going to the world of the invaders and destroying a certain creature called the Nihilanth, which is likely commanding the invasion. Since this is the only way to stop the alien invasion, Gordon goes on a mission, even though many of the Lambda group who tried to kill this creature failed and did not return. The Doctors are teleported to the world of the Xen Invaders.

After an incredible and terrifying adventure in this enemy world, Gordon still finds and kills Nihilanth with incredible efforts. But the scientist, before he had time to come to his senses and think about how he would return back, meets the mysterious Jimen, who throughout Freeman's adventures watched him and possibly influenced his fate. A stranger in a blue suit takes away all weapons from Gordon and, after some short story about the events, offers Freeman a choice: either the physicist accepts an offer of cooperation with some “employers”, or remains to die in Xen at the hands of its inhabitants. The immense desire to live played a role: Gordon chose the first option.

Subsequently, interesting theories began to emerge from the plot of the first part about Gordon's role in the plot and his connection with the mysterious Jimen. Let's look at some of these theories:

• Dzhimen - this is Gordon Freeman (G-Man - G "ordon Free" Man), only from the future, who uses himself for purposes unknown to us, possibly making changes to the past with Gordon's hands, thereby correcting the future.

• The incident was set up by the G-man himself in order to identify a strong and hardy person for the subsequent hiring of this person.

• In fact, nothing happened in reality, Gordon only sees a dream or is in an unconscious state, or this is a kind of test conducted in virtual reality, and anyone can be a tester, perhaps even the G-man himself.

• Gordon is just a theoretical physicist who has fallen into the epicenter of someone's advantageous accident. But, having demonstrated his hidden abilities to survive in extreme conditions, he was noticed by a representative of a certain government, that is, G-man.

• From the very beginning, Gordon, without knowing it, carried out someone's insidious plan, which was carefully planned - from the very beginning of the incident to the murder of Nihilanth.

• Gordon is the so-called "chosen one", whose mission is to free the Earth from invaders and restore the World.

In addition to these theories listed above, there are also others, but they are less popular.

List of Gordon's weapons in Half-Life

• Crowbar (this simple-looking weapon, which was the first in the hands of Gordon, became a symbol of the Half-Life game and its protagonist)
• Glock-17 pistol or Beretta 92F/FS when using the High Definition Pack
• Submachine gun or carbine (Heckler & Koch MP5N or Colt M4 with M203 underbarrel 40mm grenade launcher when using High Definition Pack)
• Shotgun (Franchi SPAS-12)
• Crossbow with optical sight
• Biological Alien Weapon (Organic weapon, also known as "Hand Hive", "Evil Alien Hand", "Jukinator", "Flycatcher" or "Monster Hand")
• Hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher (RPG, ATGM-4000)
• Quantum Destroyer (Gluon, Aegon's Weapon, Vacuum Cleaner)
• Tau Cannon (Gauss Gun or Accumulator)
• Laser booby trap ("stretch")
• Radio-controlled mine (explosive package)
• Snarks (alien weapons)

Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2

Half Life 2- the second part of the amazing and unforgettable adventures of Dr. Freeman. We're still in his body and don't see Gordon from the outside except for an old group photo of scientists from the Anomalous Materials Sector hanging on the wall in Kleiner's lab. Valve, as always, remains true to itself: our hero does not utter a single word.

The game begins with the fact that the same mysterious man Jimen finally awakens Gordon from a sleep of almost twenty years, which he spent in stasis far from Earth and time, that is, Gordon has not aged over this long period. Freeman finds himself in City 17. At first, the physicist cannot understand what is happening around him, but after he meets old acquaintances from the Black Mese: Barney, Dr. Kleiner, Eli and his already grown daughter, Alix, Gordon begins to realize the terrible reality: that incident in the complex did not cost the arrival of the race from the Xen world only to the territory of the complex, but the invasion and opening of portals swept across the Earth. But the worst thing is that the Combines (they are also the Alliance) came after the “Xeyans” and broke humanity in just seven hours. Having enslaved the planet, the Alliance put a former Black Mesa administrator, Dr. Wallace Breen, in charge of their government on Earth.

But, as always, our hero again finds himself in a cycle of rapidly developing events, immediately after he again puts on a protective HEV suit and receives his first, already his signature weapon - a mount.

After Gordon's escape through the channels of City 17 to the underground laboratory of Dr. Eli Vance and the accompanying elimination of modified people who are law enforcement officers and surveillance soldiers along the way, administrator Breen seriously thinks that this person can shake the power of the Alliance on Earth, and undertakes serious measures to capture Gordon. In turn, ordinary citizens and rebel groups, tired of oppression, inspired by the deeds of the brave Dr. Freeman, already known to them from the events in Black Mesa, began to feel the impending revolution, rewarding Gordon with nicknames such as “One Free Man” and “Paving the Way” .

The last, final push to start the uprising was given when, as a result of a joint operation by Gordon and Alyx to rescue Eli, the old prison modernized by the Alliance called Nova Prospekt, in which terrible experiments were carried out on people and turning them into soldiers and stalkers, was blown up.

Having started the uprising, with the support of his old friend Barney and the rebels, Gordon, after numerous battles in City 17, still managed to get to the stronghold of the alliance on Earth - the Citadel.

In the course of the unfolding events in the citadel itself, Gordon disables the dark energy reactor, and with it the teleporter, with the help of which Dr. Breen was trying to escape to Xen at that moment. But the damaged reactor cannot withstand the breakdown and explodes. When our hero and his companion Alix seemed about to die from an impending explosion, time stops, Jimen appears out of nowhere, amazed at the work Gordon has done in a short time, and talks about new interesting proposals for Freeman. The mysterious man in the suit again sends the scientist into stasis until a certain time known only to him. After passing the second part, all the above theories about the role of Gordon in the plot remain. But now it's becoming clear that Freeman is just "an obedient pawn in the hands of the masters" - as Wallace Breen said, suggesting that Gordon work for the Alliance and stop the rebel uprising. And such a “master” of Dr. Freeman is Jimen, who will never let go of his obedient worker. Gordon is in the hands of Jimen, like a puppet in the hands of a skilled puppeteer, who takes out his puppet for the next performance and puts it back until the moment when it is needed again.

Even at the end of the first part of the game, Jimen, having put Freeman before a cruel choice between life and death, deprived the “Free Man” of that very freedom and destiny.

From an ordinary person with his dreams, desires, aspirations, Gordon turned into an ideal tool, a weak-willed slave, which everyone who has plans for the implementation of which he needs such a powerful tool dreams of owning.

List of Gordon's weapons in Half-Life 2

• Zero Level Energy Field Manipulator (Gravity Gun)/ Counter-Resonance Gravity Device
• AR2 Pulse Rifle "OSIPR" (Service Patrol Weapon)
• Antlion feropods

Gordon Freeman in HALF-LIFE 2: Episode One

The first episode of three, which tells about the events that occurred immediately after the explosion of the dark energy reactor of the Citadel, we again play for Gordon.

Vortigaunts are former enemies in the first part of the game, but thanks to the murder of Nihilanth by Gordon, allies in the second - in this episode of our hero's adventures, they acquire an important role and turn the plot in an unexpected direction. They save Alyx from certain death in the Citadel, and they also manage to get Freeman out of stasis and in some way protect him from the G-man, who was not happy with this turn of events.

David Spierer

Alyx and her mechanical friend, DOG, find Gordon under rubble at the foot of the Citadel. Contacting Eli and Dr. Kleiner, they learn that the Citadel is about to explode, destroying the entirety of City 17 and its immediate surroundings. And the only way to have time to escape from the city is the suspension of the rapidly gaining strength of the reactions in the core of the Citadel. With the help of DOG, Gordon and Alyx manage to get into the burning and literally bursting Citadel at the seams. After dangerous adventures, they still manage to slow down the reaction in the core. Also during the escape, our hero and his companion become aware that the surviving forces of the Alliance deliberately planned a chain reaction of the core, thereby wanting to provoke an explosion of the citadel, which could transmit a message to the Combine world. With a copy of this unknown message, Gordon and Alyx manage to get to the almost destroyed City 17. After a short journey through the dungeons and streets of the city, they meet Barney, who is helped to put the remaining residents and rebels in the city on trains going far from City 17.

Alyx and Gordon let the train with the townspeople and Barney on board go ahead, thus securing them from the chase. Themselves, having lingered a little at the station due to the appearance of Strider on the way, board the last train. Not having time to overcome the city limits, Gordon and Alix become witnesses of the broadcast of the same message. With a bright flash, the Citadel explodes, destroying City 17. The blast wave, quickly catching up with the train, covers Alyx and Gordon...

From this short adventure of our hero, we can pick up the following: Freeman has finally gained freedom, but for how long? In addition to the G-man, who will definitely try to regain his lost power, there are other forces interested in the prospect of influence over the newly free Freeman. In turn, the Alliance will certainly try to seize the moment and take possession of such a powerful weapon.

It is possible that the Vortigaunts who freed Gordon are also using him for their own unknown purposes. Do they just want to get rid of the Alliance as an enemy and then go to their own world, or do they want to remove the Combine from the Earth and take over it themselves? There are no answers to these questions yet. It is only obvious that now Gordon has become a tempting target for all those who want to somehow turn the current situation in their favor, hoping to win this peculiar chess game, where Freeman himself is just a pawn.

(Service Patrol Weapon). In one episode of the game, Adrian sees Gordon when he runs up and jumps into the teleport leading to Xen in the Lambda complex. When trying to follow him, the player dies.

Gordon Freeman in Half-Life: Blue Shift

blue shift- the second official addition to Half-Life, created by the same studio Gearbox. This time we move into the body of Gordon's friend and one of the guards of the Black Mesa - Barney Calhoun. In this game, we see Freeman three times.

• First time - Gordon drives past in a trailer of the Black Mesa transportation system while the player knocks on the door.
• The second time - Barney sees through the security camera as Freeman walks down the corridor to the HEV storage department.
• Third time - the player sees Gordon being dragged across the floor by two soldiers to be thrown into a garbage disposal.

Character Creation History

In the original plot of Half-Life and in early drafts, the character of the protagonist had a different name, and also looked different than Gordon Freeman is familiar to us: Ivan the Space Biker (Ivan The Space Biker). Gordon's beard eventually evolved into an elegant goatee, while his glasses also went through several iterations.

He holds a Ph.D. (Western equivalent of a Ph.D.) in Theoretical Physics from MIT. Working as a theoretical physicist at the Black Mesa Research Center, he participated in an experiment on anomalous materials (Eng. abnormal materials), along with scientists Isaac Kleiner, Eli Vance, and Arnold Magnusson. During the experiment, an error occurred that opened an interdimensional gate to the parallel world of Zen and marked the beginning of the invasion of the Earth by its inhabitants.

Character biography

Taking part in academic research at the University of Innsbruck, Gordon was frustrated by their slow pace of development and insufficient funding. Obsessed with his dream, the scientist is looking for work outside of educational institutions, and luck smiled at him. Freeman's former mentor at MIT, Dr. Isaac Kleiner, had taken on a secret project at the Black Mesa Research Center and was looking for talented assistants. Given the sources and amount of funding, Freeman suspected that the center was developing new weapons. But, despite the fears, the scientist accepted the job offer, hoping that the peaceful use of technology would also be found.

Freeman received a position as a research assistant in the laboratory of anomalous materials with access level 3. For living, the scientist was given an apartment in the dormitory of the research center. Before the hero took up his duties, he underwent a training course in the use of a special protective suit. H.E.V.(see below).

Little is known of Freeman's work in " Black Mesa» before events half-life. AT Half Life 2: Episode One Alyx Vance, commenting on Gordon's ability to move quickly through the ventilation shafts, retells the story that Dr. Kleiner told her. Freeman and his security buddy Barney competed to see who could get inside the absentminded professor's office the fastest after he lost the key to his office door.

At the start of the game half-life it is mentioned that Gordon is 27 years old. The administration letter noted that Freeman is unmarried and has no dependents. However, if at the beginning of the game you go to the locker room of scientists and look in the locker with the last name Freeman, then a photograph of a small child will be found in it.

Appearance

Gordon Freeman's appearance changes slightly from game to game. The main features that remain unchanged are a thin build, slicked back brown hair, a goatee and square glasses.

half-life

On the original cover of the game, Freeman is depicted as a lean man with large black-rimmed glasses, bright brown hair, beard and ponytail. Wrapped up in H.E.V. without a helmet. In the game's multiplayer mode, there is a model of the protagonist, which recreates this appearance quite accurately, with the exception of the lack of glasses and the presence of a ponytail.

Half Life: Blue Shift

At the start of the game, Freeman's security guard and friend Barney Calhoun sees him driving past him in a Black Mesa transport system train car. This happens before Freeman puts on the H.E.V., so he wears the same white coat with tie and badge on his chest as all the scientists on the complex. Later, at the very end of the addon, Calhoun, who accidentally teleported into the back room through the ventilation grill, sees two soldiers dragging the unconscious Freeman along the corridor (in the original Half-Life, this episode is in the middle of the game).

Half-Life: Opposing Force

Gordon and Alyx come to their senses at the foot of a dilapidated Alliance base. After establishing contact with Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner, the heroes learn that the critically damaged Citadel will soon explode, destroying all life in the surrounding area. To prevent the explosion, Gordon and Alyx, led by Eli Vance, return to the Citadel to stop the reactor core and stop the slow fusion reaction that has begun. Along the way, the heroes manage to find out that the Alliance scientists have stopped trying to stabilize the core, because after the destruction of the portal by Freeman, all external teleports and communication systems of the Alliance on Earth turned off with no hope of a quick recovery. Leaving the stability of the Citadel Reactor was the only way for the Alliance to gain enough power to send an unknown message to their world. Alyx manages to get a copy of the message and she and Gordon leave the collapsing base. After a long journey through the ruined city, they meet Barney Calhoun and help him smuggle the rebels and willing citizens to the train station. The heroes leave the city on the last train, watching as a message is sent to the Alliance universe. Upon completion of the data transfer, the Citadel is annihilated, covering the train with Gordon and Alix in a wave ...

Half Life 2: Episode Two

After Gordon and Alyx boarded the train and almost left City 17, the Citadel annihilates, forming a huge interdimensional funnel - a superportal through which a super-powerful Alliance army is preparing to pass to reinforce the earthly contingent, many times superior to the rebel forces, both numerically and technologically. Alyx carries a flash memory with very important information containing the plans of the Alliance command, as well as the frequency code of the superportal. Gordon and Alix need to get to the "White Grove" - ​​the main base of the Resistance. On the way to the White Grove, Gordon manages to lose Alyx due to the attack of combine hunter synths and save her with the help of a healing extract of antlions. The Vortigaunts assist him in this. Later, he talks to the G-Man who overtook him and learns some strange things about Alyx. Further, they need to overcome the forests and the parts of the Alliance located in them, deliver information and protect the White Grove. After Gordon has reached his target and the Rebels have repulsed all the assaults of the Alliance elite troops on the "White Grove", the Resistance launches a satellite that broadcasts a signal opposite to the signal of the superportal, and it begins to dissolve. After that, Freeman and Alyx need to go north, in search of the Boreas laboratory ship, which can become both the new hope of free humanity and the trump card of the Alliance, allowing it to take revenge and restore its power on Earth. At the very end of Episode Two, the Advisers penetrate the base and kill Alix's father, who did not have time to tell Gordon about the G-Man's true intentions.

Other

However, despite the name, H.E.V. It was developed not only for protection against dangerous environmental conditions, but also for use in combat conditions, for example, as an exoskeleton to protect contractors. "Black Mesa" is a military establishment, and apparently the P.C.V body armor that HECU soldiers are equipped with Opposing Force, designed similar to H.E.V. technology (this is proved by the fact that you can use chargers for "H.E.V." to recharge the P.C.V.). Additionally, the suit's ability to protect the wearer from bullet wounds and grenade or rocket launcher blasts seems somewhat overkill for a suit designed to protect scientists during dangerous experiments, toxic environments, and other unhealthy situations. It is also worth considering that the “standard training course” specified in the letter, which all users of the suit are required to complete, includes a part on working with military firearms.

The symbol on Gordon's suit is the Greek letter, Lambda. This symbol is used by scientists to denote the destruction constant of radioactive elements (akin to the half-life of an element). half life)). In addition to Gordon's costume, the symbol appears in the name of the game, replacing the letter "a" - HλLF-LIFE, and it is also the name of the whole complex in the Black Mesa»(Lambda Complex), where teleportation experiments are carried out. The lambda character is also present in Half Life 2, as a symbol of the Resistance, in memory of the events in Black Mesa.

References to Gordon Freeman in popular culture

• AT Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory one of the characters tells Sam Fisher that "the pry bar is only for educated computer heroes", joking about the fact that Gordon Freeman is a scientist by profession.
• AT Call of Duty: United Offensive At the beginning of the first mission, two soldiers can be seen running. The name of the first is Corporal Gordon, the second is Corporal Freeman.
• At the Stark Towers level in the game The Punisher, one scientist refers to another named "Dr. Freeman" and asks what sound he just heard, to which Dr. Freeman replies: "Maybe the physics department has opened an interdimensional portal ... ooh, space aliens!". This is a link to the first level of half-life.
• AT The ship, a game created on the engine Half Life 2, the description of the mount states that it is suitable for any "free man" (a play on words - literally "free man", but also forms the word "Freeman").
• AT TimeSplitters Future Perfect in the "Breaking and Entering" level, Cortez changes into a lab coat with a card that reads "Dr. Freeman.
• In Christopher Brookmire's A Big Boy did it and Ran Away, the author often makes references to various games: one of the characters is called "Dr. Freeman" and the SAS fighter is "Shepard".
• AT Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas inside the secret military base "Area 69" in the desert, you can find a tire iron lying on a table in one of the laboratories.
• The protagonist of the Citizen: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman internet comics parodying the plot Half Life 2, Gordon Froman, unlike Gordon Freeman, expresses his admiration for the policies of the Alliance and appears as a clumsy and naive loser.
• In Game Sacred you can find the grave, when opened, the inscription " here lies Gordon Freeman, killed by a tire iron»
• In Game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl in the quest "Find the hunter's family gun" not far from the gun lies the corpse of a novice stalker. His name is Freeman, he is wearing glasses in the photo. The description reads: “Scientist, expert in anomalous phenomena. Worked in America on secret projects. Recently considered missing." Carries a gun Desert Eagle. At the same time, a journal entry appears in the found PDA of Gordon Freeman, where there is a part of his diary, which says that he is not allowed to rest: “first Black Mesa, then some strange city in Russia, and then go to the endless steppes Ukraine" (Chernobyl). In the process of studying the PDA, we find out that Gordon Freeman traded his red crowbar for a can of stew.
• AT Halo 3 if you enter the multiplayer level sandtrap and go to one of the middle structures, you will find a crowbar, the same as Gordon Freeman in the game series half-life (Sandtraps is also the title of a chapter in Half Life 2).
• In a tabletop role playing game Fallout PnP in the Chance Encounters section, the scenario is described half-life reads: “In the New Mexico area, you can stumble upon a lone person dressed in an orange hazmat suit, who is mumbling something about some man with a briefcase. If you kill him, then you can find with him: crowbar, Colt .45, Glock 17, combat shotgun, rocket launcher, plastic explosive, Gauss rifle and a special weapon - an ion emitter!
• The Yekaterinburg group "Sansara" dedicated the song of the same name to Gordon Freeman, the album "U LA" (2007)
• In one of the episodes of the game Penumbra:Overture, the protagonist encounters a body frozen under the ice, whose hand, squeezing the mount, sticks out on the surface. The description in the inventory states that the name "Freeman" is engraved on the handle.
• In the book "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: The choice of weapons" by Andrey Levitsky there is an episode:

  Passing by the trolley, I glanced over the body. The man was wearing large black-rimmed glasses. He has short, wavy chestnut hair, a goatee and mustache, and wears a jumpsuit with a circle of light-coloured fabric on the chest, where something like an inverted "U" was embroidered. The rat wolf lying nearby bit through his neck, but died himself: a stranger crushed his head with a crowbar, which was lying around right there. I immediately liked this crowbar - thin, bent at the end, forked like a snake's tongue, so that you could pull out nails and unbend rods.

  After that, the hero of the book carries this crowbar with him until the finale.
• Machinima.com created the series Freeman's Mind, which is essentially a video log of the passage of Half-Life, in which a voiceover voices the protagonist's thoughts that arise in his mind while wandering around the underground complex.
• In the Metro 2033 game on the Railcar Battle level, if you go straight to the door and open it, you can see a skeleton in a collapsed room on the floor, and next to it is a crowbar and glasses, like Freeman's (a double easter egg, since the game is mainly was developed by people from GSC Game World, the developers of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series).
• In addition to computer game"Left 4 Dead 2" (also released by Valve) "The Passing" ( Transition) a character named Louis can be heard saying "I feel like Gordon Freeman!" as he picks up the tire iron.
• In the game "Dead Island" You can make a weapon mod "Gordon's Revenge". It consists in modifying the crowbar, significantly enhancing its characteristics.