Dr. Wallace Breen

[Asknoone]

Is awesome. Infact he is probably the greatest videogame villain, ever, on par with Shodan even. Having been Administrator at Black Mesa, and also went on to surrender Earth during the Combine onslaught - not to mention save us (though, I'd prefer extinction thanks Breen), he's quite the villain.

From his continuous reassuring that this is the next best step in human evolution, and that immortality is within our reach, to his berating of the Overwatch forces he truly is superb. No other villain boasts such charisma and plausibility. But that’s it - whilst a bad guy, his goals are indeed plausible. Yes, the surrender of Earth was probably more in the hope of furthering his own knowledge, but he is actually attempting to secure a future for humanity. A meagre one at that, but in his eyes, a beneficial one.

But what makes him more interesting, in my eyes, is how blatantly manipulated he is. It is said in Raising the bar, that the Combine Advisor is extraordinarily good at manipulating the minds of other beings - and its clear that Breen is in constant contact with it. The Combine are hell bent on gaining that local teleportation technology and its clear they've pushed Breen to the absolute extreme - twisting his very mind, and his sanity.

His little laugh at his own joke in his office, to him rolling his eyes at Mossmans persistence on keeping Eli alive as if he'd heard it a hundred times before. But none come close to the point where he actually shows emotion. Having readied the portal for Eli and Alyx, he sends their pods upwards and Alyx says, "Dad...I'm so sorry." "Alyx, sweetheart." And at that point Breen actually shows emotion in his facial expression - regret.

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Infact what makes Our Benefactors so great for me is Breen’s continuous monologue. At first he is cool and collected, gently teasing and mocking Gordon - but as Gordon makes hefty progress, tossing everything the Citadel throws at him asunder, Breen panics - his messages filled with anxiety and concern, trying to persuade Gordon, trying to tap into his senses.

"Tell me, Dr. Freeman, if you can, you have destroyed so much...what is it exactly that you have created? Can you name even one thing? I thought not."

A brilliant line with brilliant delivery. It actually made you think.

"I have laid the foundations for humanities survival, and not as narrowly as we have defined ourselves but something far greater than we can ever imagine...something we can only begin to glimpse." Everything Breen has worked for is flashing before his eyes as Gordon makes his way to the top of the Citadel.

"Look Gordon, look what you are throwing away...is it worth it?"

But perhaps my favourite Breen encounter is the last. You have finally made it to the Citadels central reactor, and Breen is but moments away from escaping to another universe with the local teleportation technology - moments away from giving the Combine a greater advantage.
Breen first attempts to put you off, telling you that if you remain within the chamber you'll find only death - he even adds a slight joke to it. But the tables turn when Gordon begins ripping the reactor a new one, and Breen’s shitting himself metre hits maximum.

"Go back Freeman you've no idea what you are doing!" And he’s right, Gordon doesn't does he? He is merely acting on instinct - firing energy spheres into a ****ing reactor filled with god knows what. A reckless move on Gordon’s behalf.

"You don't know what you'll unleash! You bring down this whole Citadel, think man, think, of the people below!"

Trouble is, Gordon has no idea what he is about to unleash. What he is about to do. Breen was right, he is going to bring down the entire Citadel, and take City 17 with it.

Breen is the epitome of a superb villain. His lines, the delivery, the facial expressions - everything. He is plausible, for the most part, and it'd be a darn shame not to see him in Aftermath

 

[Jintor]

It's funny because he's Colonel Sanders's reincarnation.

Seriosly though, he is a great Villain. Especially with the acting, and the whole Orwellian thing. Maybe he doesn't have super-powers. Maybe he's not faster than a train. But man, does he seem human or what.

Also, my favourite bit is in the combine citadel, up the top.

OFFICER: (Walks forwards with the new and improved gravity gun)
BREEN: What's this? Oh, put it over there.

And then when he's trying to lift the gun and fire it. It was great.

 

[Sulkdodds]

That crazy Breen. He always seems so sinister earlier on, and then when you finally meet him, like everything else in the game, things are a lot more complicated than black and white or good versus evil.

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Fantastic guy. Great character, great dialouge, great acting. Just great. His motives were always kept just selfish enough to make sure you hated him, but not so sinister as to label him an evil man.

 

[Eejit]

I have to agree. Breen is, like the other NPCs in HL2, among the most interesting characters I've seen in a game, and one of the best.


P.S. AJ do you realise you have a type in your sig? Is it a mistake or meant tobe ironic?

 

[Darkside55]

Breen <3.

Breen is one of the greatest villains because his motives aren't villainous in nature. He's not someone who wanted to rule the world, or secure power for himself simply for the sake of power; he was acting on behalf of humanity and scientific progress. He was a man presented with an ultimatum, life or death, and he chose life...for all of humanity. If you look at it, you can draw a parallel between Dr. Breen and Dr. Freeman, in that they were both solicited by a "higher power," and given the same choice. Breen's was simply on a larger scale, and the terms were less than favorable for humanity.

I disagree that the Combine advisor was manipulating Dr. Breen in any way. With Breen's love of progression and knowledge, he didn't need any persuasion from the Combine. Simply the promise of advancement was enough for him to comply. And that's what was really dangerous; he wasn't being mesmerized into believing the Combine were the only way, he really believed in their method. It's always possible to get through to someone who's been coerced or influenced; it would have been impossible to sway Dr. Breen from his current path because it's what he believed, and what he chose.

I love listening to all of Breen's "Breencasts," watching all his emotions. He runs the gamut. He's calming and placating, patient, then as time progresses he becomes more stern and serious. He laughs, he gets angry...he has real human depth to him (which is not to say that the other characters don't, it's simply that you can see almost every mood with Breen). One of my favorite lines from Dr. Breen is during the Breenscene when you're captured, being hauled into his office, and you can hear him talking to Dr. Eli Vance:

"Carbon stars with ancient satellites colonized by sentient fungi. Gas giants inhabited by vast meteorological intelligences. Worlds stretched thin across the membrances where dimensions intersect...impossible to describe with our limited vocabulary!" The enthusiasm and awe when he speaks this line...you can tell so much about him from it. All the things I mentioned before; his motives, his love of science, his belief in the Combine, they all culminate into that one line. His desire to be a part of something like that, to have SEEN those things, and the promise of seeing much more, and learning more...that's Dr. Breen.

"Go back Freeman you've no idea what you are doing!"

IMO, one of the best lines ever, from anything I've ever read or heard. I use it in regular conversation. Also, another line that needs some love in this thread: LUNGFISH! The lungfish speech was one of his best. It also captured what he was trying to save humanity from, and probably in the best way: rather than being placating or soothing with calming words, he was starting to grow frustrated at the madness of the people, and tried to describe to them what was in store for the species if they didn't cooperate. Even had the Combine never arrived, who's to say that humanity wouldn't have ended up as such, plastic shards strewn beneath mud and the Burgess shale?

 

[AJ Rimmer]

I have to agree. Breen is, like the other NPCs in HL2, among the most interesting characters I've seen in a game, and one of the best.


P.S. AJ do you realise you have a type in your sig? Is it a mistake or meant tobe ironic?

What typo? There isn't typo in my sig, never was, never will be, and you can never prove it!!!

 

[Polaris]

Yes Breen is great. He is one of smart, cultivated and literary minded "villian" - not like most of dictators totalitarian leaders. His so called breencasts are perfect examples of fantastic work by Marc Laidlaw. I like lungfish speech and also carbon stars monolgue, it's awesome.

"Are all the accomplishments of humanity fated to be nothing more than a layer of broken plastic shards thinly strewn across a fossil bed, sandwiched between the Burgess shale and an eon's worth of mud?"

- this guy is simply talented like Shakespeare!

And when he talking about Gordons work, I want stop Alyx because she interrupt his speech what can reveal something about G-man...

"Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?"

 

[Asknoone]

I disagree that the Combine advisor was manipulating Dr. Breen in any way. With Breen's love of progression and knowledge, he didn't need any persuasion from the Combine. Simply the promise of advancement was enough for him to comply. And that's what was really dangerous; he wasn't being mesmerized into believing the Combine were the only way, he really believed in their method. It's always possible to get through to someone who's been coerced or influenced; it would have been impossible to sway Dr. Breen from his current path because it's what he believed, and what he chose.
his belief in the Combine

I still think they'd manipulate him, make him blind to their operation on Earth in a way that see's him simply not caring. "What I've seen is also beyond words Breen. Genocide, indescribable evil - " - Eli. But Breen shrugs it off, ignoring it, pushing it aside. There is just something about Breen that says he isn't all intact.

I don't think he has belief in the Combine, so to speak. Thats certainly the image he puts across when talking to Citizens and the Overwatch, but I think there is more to it than meets the eye. "With both of you in my keeping I can dictate the terms of any bargain I care to make with the Combine." Thats not belief, thats Breen using both Freeman and Eli to secure him either knowledge or something else.
Though he certainly see's something in them, but I wouldn't say he is entirely devoted.

 

[Oppressor]

Thank Robert Kulp for the great work and energy he put in making Wallace Breens and his cryptic dialogues one of the gaming worlds most fantastic characters, alongside with many other characters in Half-Life 2

 

[Polaris]

Idea: Is Breen particle physician?
He said to Freeman:

"Dr. Freeman. You really shouldn't be out there. At the moment of synapse, as I teleport, this chamber will be bathed in deadly particles that have yet to be named by human science. Perhaps when I have the leisure to do the work myself, I'll name one after you. That way you won't be completely forgotten."

So, he must be educated in particle physics if he want to study and name particles...don't you think?

 

[Darkside55]

I still think they'd manipulate him, make him blind to their operation on Earth in a way that see's him simply not caring. "What I've seen is also beyond words Breen. Genocide, indescribable evil - " - Eli. But Breen shrugs it off, ignoring it, pushing it aside. There is just something about Breen that says he isn't all intact.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," or "the ends justify the means." Breen doesn't care what Eli says because, well...to him those people don't matter. He knows what's going on and yet to him it is insignificant. Genocide vs. the survival of the entire species? People have committed genocide for less, and without the prodding of alien species at their backs.

I don't think he has belief in the Combine, so to speak. Thats certainly the image he puts across when talking to Citizens and the Overwatch, but I think there is more to it than meets the eye. "With both of you in my keeping I can dictate the terms of any bargain I care to make with the Combine." Thats not belief, thats Breen using both Freeman and Eli to secure him either knowledge or something else.
Though he certainly see's something in them, but I wouldn't say he is entirely devoted.

He believes in them, but he's also not a fool. He does have a personal stake here, and he's going to leverage it as best he can. That being said...I wonder what bargains he would have made with the Combine. We'll never know, now, but I wonder if it was for something personal (status or power), something related to science, or if he might have tried to barter a better position for humanity. That would be interesting, wouldn't it?

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Idea: Is Breen particle physician?
He said to Freeman:

"Dr. Freeman. You really shouldn't be out there. At the moment of synapse, as I teleport, this chamber will be bathed in deadly particles that have yet to be named by human science. Perhaps when I have the leisure to do the work myself, I'll name one after you. That way you won't be completely forgotten."

So, he must be educated in particle physics if he want to study and name particles...don't you think?

Well, he was the big cheese at Black Mesa, that'd make me guess he was pretty well-versed in most fields of science.

 

[Asknoone]

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," or "the ends justify the means." Breen doesn't care what Eli says because, well...to him those people don't matter. He knows what's going on and yet to him it is insignificant. Genocide vs. the survival of the entire species? People have committed genocide for less, and without the prodding of alien species at their backs.

Well I personally believe he is aware of what’s going on, but doesn't think much of it - partially due to the Advisor. I mean hell; he doesn't even acknowledge humanity with any decency.

He believes in them, but he's also not a fool. He does have a personal stake here, and he's going to leverage it as best he can. That being said...I wonder what bargains he would have made with the Combine. We'll never know, now, but I wonder if it was for something personal (status or power), something related to science, or if he might have tried to barter a better position for humanity. That would be interesting, wouldn't it?

I don't believe it’s the latter. His comment was too snide to be anything other than for himself. He doesn't respect his own race, he thinks were insufficient and dirty, and after the uprising there’s no chance he'd barter for us again. We didn't even listen, did we? Instinct should be fought tooth and nail, but we fought up against the oppressor anyway.

 

[Max35]

I also think Breen is a fantastic character, the best villian in any vid game which was already stated by others. One of his memorable lines:

"While it's brethen remained in the blackest ocean abyss, ignorant and doomed despite their eternal vigilance"

His character and dialogue is sheer genius, and it would be a shame and a waste not to see him in AM.

 

[ríomhaire]

I have to agree with Samon. I don't think that Breen is all there. He toys with Gordon mockingly. This does not seem the action of someone out for the greater good (though I do believe he is). He also gives a speech to the Overwatch diminishing them. Surely they can't feel shame and surely he knows that, or does he? I think he must be seriously disconected from the people in C17. For years he stays in his office, gives speeches and is (more than likly) waited on by a few faceless guards. Mossman, Eli, Alyx and Gordon are the first human contact he has had in years. Perhaps he has gone partialy mad and starts to think of what is happening between him and Gordon as a game(no pun intended) and not untill Gordon shows a chance of suceeding does he realise the seriousness. And then he goes back to playing with Gordon again when he once again has the upper hand.

Edit: And of course the letters (assuming any that any are actualy writen by citizens) are probably filtered by someone else so he does not know the truth.

 

[Asknoone]

I don't think he is quite that nutty, but still, he isn't quite all together there. I'm pretty sure the Overwatch know exactly what he is saying.
But I also think Breen chats with captured resistance members in an attempt to squeeze information from them, theres enough evidence to suggest this.

 

[Talyn]

I agree with Samon on this one - like I mentioned in the Originus Overwatchus thread, I believe that most of the Overwatch and all of the metrocops are still mostly human, not aliens or machines. There's is plenty of evidence of this - everything from the "oh, s***!" when you toss a grenade into a sniper den to some of the "Attention: Civil Protection" broadcasts to Breen's "pep talk" in Nova Prospekt.

Obviously, with the rebellion becoming better-equipped and scoring some wins, and this mysterious, unstoppable killing machine named Dr. Freeman on the loose, morale is hurting in the CP and Overwatch barracks. So Breen get's on the air to remind them of their purpose, but some starch in their spines by bringing up their recent victories, and then castigate them and motivate-by-shame them to capture or kill Freeman.

Also, since they are only human, and all humans know the legend of Gordon Freeman by now, Breen is trying to dispel the myth - that Gordon isn't some "agent provocateur or highly-trained assassin" but just some scientist in a well-made suit of armor. Freeman is becoming the Resistance's Achilles, the unstoppable warrior, and the Overwatch knows it. Breen's speech is designed to get his soldiers out of their forts and trenches and back into the battle.

 

[Asknoone]

Bingo Talyn. Whilst heavily modified its obvious they still have some humanity left within them. Perhaps not in appearance and physical ability but certainly in brains. They have been warped by the Combines technology and possess very little human parts, but they still are human mentally.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I think Breen is fully aware of the consequences of Combine occupation. He simply believes that it's necessary to put the human race back on course or perhaps much of the opression is (as is common in regimes like Breen's) a result of corruption on an individual level. I doubt Breen tells the cops to beat people up...not in so many words. They just do, because they're mean, or because some particularly mean officer higher up says so and nobody wants to have to answer him on why they failed to fulfil their beating quota. He doesn't want to have to answer to his transhuman superior about how the citizens have been getting antsy lately, supposedly due to lack of beatings. The transhuman doesn't want to have to answer to his boss who doesn't want to answer to his boss who doesn't want to have to answer to Breen who really doesn't want to have to answer to the Combine Adviser who has, on most fronts, got his back against the wall.

I doubt things like the supression field or the water were Breen's idea; rather the Advisor demanded they be put in place and Breen was left trying to either keep them secret or to present them in a favourable light to a population he knows aren't going to understand that it's all for the best.

As for mocking and prodding Gordon...well, it doesn't mean he's lost it. Everyone does it now and again - we're all human after all. That's exactly what makes Breen such a great character.

 

[Asknoone]

I wouldn't say his mocking of Gordon is out of loss of sanity, I'd say his slight loss of sanity comes from his snide little laugh, or the fact that you know, he doesn't talk to many people (bar a few rebels) apart from a large, disgusting slug.

 

[Edcrab]

And of course, he doesn't know/accept that he's evil and/or insane- which leads the player to question whether that's the case too :O

I really do think he believes he's doing the best thing for humanity- and considering the size of Valve's universe, it could turn out that he was!

Basically Breen is a fantastic character and a superb villian, and I hope he lives on for ages...

 

[Langolier]

Very interesting this thread would pop up...

I played through the Cinnematic mod (which is the same game but with stronger weapons) and for the first time since I originally completed the game I reached the top of the Citadel and saw that scene. This time I noted that Breen just seemed... "off" in some way. Especially that laugh. I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed it. There is definetly something deeper to his character going on.

I'm sure we'll see him in Aftermath and later chapters too. He is too well developed a character (which is reallly amazing seeing as you never actaully encounter him in the game until the very end) and far too important to just be killed. He is a bad guy, and eventually he must pay... but his death will have to be dramatic and even heroic.

 

[kupocake]

Is awesome. Infact he is probably the greatest videogame villain, ever, on par with Shodan even.

As good as Breen is, he doesn't have nothing on Shodan. For starters, he's simply not there enough. Breen probably has 10% of the dialogue that Shodan has in System Shock 1 and 2 (even less if you count Shodan's masquerade as a crew member in Shock 2). Breen just isn't important enough to compete. System Shock 1 and 2 are basically about Shodan. Half-Life 2 isn't really about Breen.

By comparrison, the equivocation over just how "good" or "bad" Breen is, is as much to do with the fact that we really don't see and hear all that much of him as it is a matter of clever writing. I can't really hate Breen in the way that it's possible to hate Shodan because he's not constantly barking his propaganda, threats and taunts at me like Shodan is. Furthermore, Shodan's back-story is far, far more developed. From the audiologs of dead crew-members and dispatches by Shodan herself, we learn what a total bitch she's been to people. Breen's back story is summed up in a handful of lines of dialogue. One you have to work to even trigger.

Alyx: "That's Dr Breen. You DO remember him right? He's was the administrator of Black Mesa. Honest he was. Marc Laidlaw totally didn't make that up as he went along.... It was Gabe's Idea."
Eli: "Grrr... Dr Breen. He Bargained with the Combine in return for Power."

All this adds up to one thing: I hope Breen isn't dead for Aftermath or sequels. I've barely met the guy. Better than Shodan... the mere suggestion makes me want to post a lengthy rant. oh wait... This said, what is there is brilliantly done for the reasons you've already all mentioned. (Except his backstory which needs way more development).

 

[Asknoone]

I still don't see Shodan any greater than Breen as a villain, maybe because of the way I'm looking at it. Shodan managed to taunt the player throughout the game, but I found them not nearly as thought provoking as Breens. As a villain, Breen doesn't factor into the wickedly evil column like say, Shodan - but to me he proves far more interesting a character.

 

[Llama]

The thing I like about Breen is that he doesn't seem mad to me, just a very strange guy trying to make the best out of the situation, and despite everything he caused by handing the human race over, he isnt...really...evil

 

[Shinigami5587]

As with most of the people on this topic I agree that the scene in the last chapter, with Breen, Mossman, Alyx, Eli and Gordon is one of the post pivotal and interesting scenes in gaming history.The thing that interests me the most in this scene is how Breen attempts to talk to Gordon about his "Contract" and Eli and Alyx scream for him to stop and for Gordon not to listen. This raises another question, if Breen knows about this that means that the Gman approached him or the Combine Advisior with the offer of Gordon's "services", and was turned down. What is the Gman looking for that Breen couldn't offer and the Resistance obviously could supply?

 

[madog]

He made me want to kill him more. Anway Gman is better than everyone just cuz he has 1337 skillz

 

[Jintor]

"You will be killed in every way that is possible, and some, Dr. Freeman, that are essentially IMPOSSIBLE!'

I think. Words to that effect, anyway. It was intresting, how fustrated he was with Mossman, when she was trying to secure Eli's release or whatever. I'm not sure, but I think he was feeling very... tall poppy. You know? Feeling way smarter than everybody else out their, so fustrated they don't understand what you understand? People get a smaller version when they're trying to help their parents use a computer.

 

[ríomhaire]

Samon's right. Just before Mossman turns on him he does have a look of regret on his face.

 

[Darkside55]

It was intresting, how fustrated he was with Mossman, when she was trying to secure Eli's release or whatever. I'm not sure, but I think he was feeling very... tall poppy. You know? Feeling way smarter than everybody else out their, so fustrated they don't understand what you understand? People get a smaller version when they're trying to help their parents use a computer.

Quoted and bolded for maximum emphasis. This is a really perfect description of Breen's attitude throughout not only the Breenscene, but the entire game. Like nobody else understands but him, and he has to mediate between the Combine's decisions and put it into simple, calming terms for the people, because telling them the truth would just drive them into a frenzy (which is what happens anyway).

And I still say Breen was all there. I never saw anything that would suggest he was off-center. His laugh when speaking about bargaining with the Combine was just the realization that he had the three ultimate bargaining chips (teleportation, Eli, and Freeman). It wasn't so much a crazy laugh as it was sort of...I'm not sure how I'd put it. Just a small outburst of joy at that realization. Despite the look on his face and how the laugh sounds, I don't consider it a crazy laugh.

 

[Rizzo]

Breen is gordon from the future.

 

[el Chi]

Is awesome. Infact he is probably the greatest videogame villain, ever, on par with Shodan even.

Ah Shodan - he was quite the adversary.

But yeah Breen - he's a rarity in fictional villains, in that he knows precisely what he's doing, but he genuinely believes it's for the best. He's not a complete megalomaniac; he's not unshakably self-serving; he's acting in a pragmatic response to the problem - what he sees as the lesser of two evils almost. He sees Combine assimilation as having genuine benefits for the human race - it is not, for him, about conquest or destruction.
As he says: "I have laid the foundations for humanity's survival. And not as we have narrowly defined ourselves... etc"

He's far more complex than your average. Which is very, VERY fun.

 

[tvharti]

Ah Shodan - he was quite the adversary.

But yeah Breen - he's a rarity in fictional villains, in that he knows precisely what he's doing, but he genuinely believes it's for the best. He's not a complete megalomaniac; he's not unshakably self-serving; he's acting in a pragmatic response to the problem - what he sees as the lesser of two evils almost. He sees Combine assimilation as having genuine benefits for the human race - it is not, for him, about conquest or destruction.
As he says: "I have laid the foundations for humanity's survival. And not as we have narrowly defined ourselves... etc"

He's far more complex than your average. Which is very, VERY fun.

Pesonally I wouldn't call Breen a real "villain". He is trying to protect himself and the human race (yes, in that order) maybe from being wiped out by the combine - and that's the reason he wants to stop Gordon Freeman. Breen is afraid of Gordon as he thinks he is jeopardizing everything Breen has "accomplished" so far. Breen is the only one who has really something to lose.

He is trying to save himself and therefore doing everything in his powers to stop Gordon from ending his era.

I think just about every human is going to react the same way - it' only bout the question on how far you are willing to go. Is that really who I would call a villain? I wouldn't ... but the meaning of "villain" is pretty open to discussion

And Shodan? I found him really scary in System Shock 1, I think although he was just an AI he was a lot more unpredictable than Breen.

 

[Jintor]

Shodan was a *she*.

Or at least appeared to be a she. She was a cyber-mother, after all.

 

[XANA]

you know, imo, it is quite interesting to see a man in a nice brown suit that was virtually unscathed actually be the antagonist, not to mention the cause of this giant mess. but what interests me is the fact that he has guards protecting him and waiting on his every beck and call. besides, whats he gonna do? they could just kill him and the Combine would rule the world.

 

[Krabjuice]

Shodan was a *she*.

Or at least appeared to be a she. She was a cyber-mother, after all.

Correction: although SHODAN is given the voice and aspect of a woman, it is nonsexual. Onboard habitants refered to SHODAN as a he.

http://www.ttlg.com/ss1/voiceres/level1.htm
"I think we've underestimated SHODAN. I discovered this morning that he's reprogrammed the regeneration rooms all over the station into cyborg conversion chambers. Now, if anyone is badly wounded, they get turned into cyborgs instead of being healed. I think I've managed to disconnect the medical CPU's from SHODAN's main databank, so all of SHODAN's cyborg converters can be easily reset to their normal healing functions without SHODAN noticing. I'm on my way right now to reset the one on the hospital level."

http://www.ttlg.com/ss1/voiceres/level2.htm
"It seems clear that SHODAN is charging up the laser for its own evil purposes. Whatever else we do, we should stop him from firing. We could just go to the core of the research level and fire the laser ourselves, prematurely, and hop to throw off SHODAN. The problem is, if it’s already trained on a target, we’d be doing the damn AI’s job ourselves!"

 

[Jintor]

Fine.

I thought the Many referred to Shodan as some sort of 'mother', though. I guess that threw me off.

 

[Eejit]

Maybe 'antagonist' would be a better word for Breen than villain.

 

[Hullu]

what exactly was it that Gordon destroyed at the end of the game that endangered everything Breen had accomplished to preserve humanity?

I never followed the story very attentively, so the major points of it have eluded me.