The reason Gordon knows nothing

[DEATH eVADER]

Although I haven't heard it, but which has been thrown around the forum, was the quote from that citizen.

"They put something in the water, so you don't remember" or something

Is this the reason why Gordon doesn't know what he is doing in city 17

 

[SMT]

Well, he's been in some sort of suspended animation, deep sleep, or cryogenesis for ten years. Maybe that has something to do with it too.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

It could be the opposite too:

That everyone has lost their memory like Gordon has, and that one guy blames the water.

The guy looking at the departure schedule is mumbling to himself about how all the trains are just appearing out of nowhere. It could be that everyone is stuck in the same situation.

 

[jabberwock95]

I think that Gordon has no memory at all of the past however many years. However, if the combine do put something in the water the greatest benefit to them would be to distort recent memories, keeping the populace in a daze, a constant state of confusion.

Totally wiping an entire cities memories would draw unwanted attention, aswell as the fact that people would notice. The guy at the station says 'I don't even remember how I got here', meaning that he was wandering round in some sort of stupor maybe? If the combine were trying to take over, putting 'something in the water' would be a good way to start.

 

[Jadewolf5675]

I think the citizen might just be partially insane, and was just imagining things (like a substance in thw water)

 

[Adrien C]

I like the idea that he was put to sleep for ten years. Maybe the situation on earth got out of control and they needed some one who can handle it, that is why the G-man called back for Freeman.

One thing is sure, the G-man is a good guy.

 

[Moejoe]

I'm thinking the memory loss on Gordon's part is because of the stasis he was in.

A theory is that throughout the game Gordon may slowly gain his memory back, but it would be hard to do this without some kinda flashback situation, and as valve said there won't be cutscenes, so i dunno how they'd pull this off. It will be interesting to see how gordon figures everything out.

 

[Bicka]

My theory, which came from information from Gabe, was that Gordon is been on other missions since HL1 but the Gman has been constantly wiping his memory after each mission is complete. I believe somewhere along the story in HL2 Gordon will jump ship, go from Gman to scientists, and will slowly unravel his own past.

^^^Based on few bits of info:

E3: Physce vid- Text mentions such things as statis and memory blanking (in scientific terms)
HLRadio interview of Gabe (or Lambardi) where its mentioned that Gordon isn't the same man he used to be.

 

[Jadewolf5675]

I dont think he forgot everything, he was asleep/in a coma when all this was happening, its not that his memory was wiped.

 

[Darkside55]

My theory, which came from information from Gabe, was that Gordon is been on other missions since HL1 but the Gman has been constantly wiping his memory after each mission is complete.

When I first watched the E3 2k4 video, that's what I thought as well, because of something the G-Man says: "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman, rise and shine. Not that I mean to imply that you have been sleeping on the job..." I take it this either means he hasn't been sleeping continuously all these years (that would explain the piece of info that says some people recognize you), or that you have been sleeping, but there's been no job for you up until now (which would explain all the preparations and effort the G-Man alludes to).
However since Redemption was released commercially, there's a question of whether that's really canon. The G-Man's voice in that game was either someone earily similar, like over a 90% voice match, or it really was the voice actor who played him in HL. Gordon has a job to do that the G-Man gives him, and he carries it out. Perhaps there were other jobs like this during the ten years. Again, assuming that this is canon; if it was, though, I think it would've been included in the platinum pack or shown a little more love on the shelves.

 

[Sprafa]

BEGGINING :

Rise and shine Mr. Freeman. Rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply that you've been sleeping on the job. No one is more deserving of a rest and the only effort in the world would have gone to waste until.... Well, let's just say your hour has come again. So wake up Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smeel the ashes.

END :

That's all for now. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. I will see you up ahead.

To me, it's obvious the beggining lines refer to your "waking up" from stasis, which could be cryogenic, could be an actual localized time-space "stop" that G-man has acess to or maybe even fabricate to his will. The thing about "not to imply you«'ve been sleeping on the job" means that although he was 10 years not doing anything, it wasn't his fault. The G-man did that to him.


In the end, instead of the HL machinery we have what I believe to be the Combine factory. Here is an apparent concept art of it.

So that might mean that it's the end of the game, when the Combine are eliminated, and the G-man is giving you another dosis of stasis or sending you in another mission, and "encoraging" you to do what he wants.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

I have a feeling that the Gman will play a larger role in HL2, either in the scientific role or actually picking up a weapon, and he turns out to be in good shape for his winkled age

 

[jabberwock95]

Here is an apparent concept art of it. [/URL]

So that might mean that it's the end of the game, when the Combine are eliminated, and the G-man is giving you another dosis of stasis or sending you in another mission, and "encoraging" you to do what he wants.

I totally agree about the beginning. Saying 'rise and shine, Mr Freeman' seems to imply that gordon has been sleeping for a long time. Saying 'not that I wish to imply that you've been sleeping on the job' shows that while gordon has been in the gmans employ for a while, he hasn't actually done anything. That's what I think.

As for the end, I don't think valve would have given away their ending in a demo, but I can't quite place what the gmans saying. It could have been something special for the demo that won't be in the full game (the factory in the background looks cool, BTW).

Also, I too think the gman will be a (borderline) 'good guy' in HL2. I mean, it's his planet too right (mad conspiricy theories notwithstanding)? Plus, why would he send gordon to kill combine if he was on their side? The slightly sick look of the gmans smile when he says 'smell the ashes' (great facial animations!) tells me that he wants to stop whats happening as much as anyone.

 

[ferd]

I think he suffers from memory loss, simply because he has been put to sleep...somehow, by the G-man

 

[Esquire]

"I will see you up ahead"

That could either mean that gman will catch up with gordon later on, or that gordon must catch up with gman later on.

More likely the latter. So Gordon's placed into City17 and must catch up with Gman by regaining his knowledge.

Newho, i don't think Gordon's been stored in some sort of stasis, cos people seem to know him apparently. My first idea was that the portal Gordon stepped into at the end of HL1 had a time delay, so it would take Gordon longer to get back to Earth than it would Gman.

But if that was so then this talk about Gordon repiecing his past together wouldn't be possible because he would have been in the portal all that time. So that's that theory out the window.

I really have no idea. Nothing makes sense. Every theory i make is contradictory or unbelievable.

I dont believe that Gman and co would have been drugging Gordon. But that's the best theory out there. For now anyway, til we get some more information.

 

[Cybernoid]

Freeman just did more LSD than he could handle, he just wakes up in City 17 and is like "shit shit shit late for work" and then realises that there is no work and that ten years have passed and then he's like "wow dude is this like time travel" and G-man appears and says "stfu gordie u r my biatch now" and Gordon's like well f-ck that and shoots himself in the head oh dear.

 

[Darkside55]

But then Gordon'd just "wake up" out of a daydream and he's back at BMRF on the first day, splashing his face in the bathroom sink.

(2 points if you guess the movie correctly)

Esquire brings up a good point about what the G-Man says at the end of HL. I assume that everyone, when they heard it the first time, assumed he meant "up ahead" as in a physical place. Now it seems as if he meant he will see Gordon ahead in time. Very intriguing.

I still don't know, like I said, something about the way he put the words makes me think that it could be either one of those theories still (Gordon's either been waking up, or been asleep the whole ten years). We can see how the G-Man's words are very cryptic in meaning.

 

[Kyorisu]

It will be interesting to see how gordon figures everything out.

Ah the thing is your Freeman so it will be interesting to note how you work it out.

 

[Cybernoid]

Gordon Freeman - The Man Who Knew Too Little

(Coming to a theater near you.)

 

[Asknoone]

originally posted by Darkman

But then Gordon'd just "wake up" out of a daydream and he's back at BMRF on the first day, splashing his face in the bathroom sink.

Is the movie Groundhog day???

 

[Moejoe]

Something not everyone in this thread seems to know is that Gabe, i think, said something about 'the last thing gordon remembers is the last conversation he had with the g-man.' So, while gordon knows nothing of BMRF (i think that's what he was implying), you, the player, know about it from playing HL1. So, i'm just trying to say, how will they show that gordon knows nothing of HL1 without having him speak?

I could be wrong that he knows nothing of BMRF, so please correct me if i am.

 

[<RJMC>]

after read all this

I am the one who knows nothing!

 

[Bicka]

I should add that my theory, of having Gordon's memory blanked, only applies to the missions inbetween HL1 and HL2. So, yes, the last thing he remembers is talking to the Gman but later on he finds out that isn't the case...

 

[chimpmunk]

Something not everyone in this thread seems to know is that Gabe, i think, said something about 'the last thing gordon remembers is the last conversation he had with the g-man.' So, while gordon knows nothing of BMRF (i think that's what he was implying), you, the player, know about it from playing HL1. So, i'm just trying to say, how will they show that gordon knows nothing of HL1 without having him speak?

I could be wrong that he knows nothing of BMRF, so please correct me if i am.

i think gabe meant that Gordon had no memory of what happened in those ten years, if he forgot about BMRF, that'd kill the immersion...

 

[IchI]

The whole point in hl is the fact that u play the character, u know what the character knows. I dought very much the gordon will come across in the game as not knowing what happened in hl1 so its proberly most definatly that he hasn't lost him memory.