Would you blame black mesa? (Spoilers possible)

[Omnomnick]

Through out Hl2 and its episodes, we see the crushing effect the combine has had on the planet and its population. We also see the immense struggle many humans have had to live through just to survive. But if we think back to the roots, Black Mesa originally caused the casscade which brought many aliens from the border world, Xen to earth, and causing huge portal storms which appear after the death of the ninilith to spur and originally attract combine interest. So, would you blame the black mesa scientists for the combine invasion?, as they knew the risks of messing with teleportation and Xen. Would you blame Gman?, as it was recently revealed that he provided Eli and the scientists which the dangerous sample. Or would you blame the Eli himself?, as he says he should have aborted the test, but he thought otherwise for the sake of his daughter and wife.

We know earth will never be the same after this invasion of both Xen wildlife and the combine empire, but who is to blame...

DISCUSS!!

*Note* If you have other opinions on the subject, please share them as they may be correct...

 

[Darkside55]

It's your fault.

And my fault.

And everyone else on this forum's fault.

If you--yes, YOU--didn't push the sample into the anti-mass spectrometer, none of this would have happened.

Thanks, jerk.

 

[Asknoone]

It's impossible to blame a single factor, when so many are responsible for the Black Mesa incident. I don't think Gman created the Resonance Cascade purely to test subjects (if he did, that's crap Valve); but at the centre of it all he is in many ways the key instigator of the incident. He provided the crystal from Nihilanth's chamber with clear intent of orchestrating the Resonance Cascade, creating a dimensional anomaly so large that it not only instigated the Xenian rebels, but that it was picked up by Combine sensors, who subsequently used the ensuing Portal Storms to invade Earth. Did he know the latter would happen? Who knows. The Gman's objectives have never been specific; rather broad and non-linear.

But Eli is also responsible, because he authorized the test. But then for Eli to accept an object like the crystal (having already known of the existence of Xen—to the point of organizing expeditions to explore it) from an outside party such as the Gman, he needed to have the authorization of the Administrator, Dr. Breen. Who was also pushing toward the test. Eli suspected something was up, but he did nothing. They already seemed to have a vague idea of the possible consequence of the Resonance Cascade, too.

Black Mesa as a whole can't be blamed. There were those who were no doubt against it, and we're only talking about the Anomalous Materials staff too. Oh, and the Lambda team for sending expeditions into the border world, and instigating the Xenian rebels.

Gordon is hardly responsible for carrying out his job and putting a crystal he had no clue of origin into a beam. He triggered the incident, but was governed by the incompetence, greed and manipulation of others.

 

[pistolero!]

You'll go to hell. But damn, totally worth it!

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

I would say G-Man. As samon pointed out it is immposible to point out a single fault, but I believed the G-Man did manipulate events - he wanted the RC to happen, and he supplied the crystal that did it.

 

[Headcrab Pie]

And wern't the PS (Portal Storms) still going on during BM? Not around the world but close by? I'm pretty sure that Nihilath was simply holding a particular rift open so he/she could send his people (Vorts, Xen Masters,Alien Grunts) over.

 

[Polaris]

I blame federal government for funding science.

 

[cheesepie]

Gordon is hardly responsible for carrying out his job and putting a crystal he had no clue of origin into a beam. He triggered the incident, but was governed by the incompetence, greed and manipulation of others.

Yeah, I say the G-man is mostly it. If someone had tried to stop it (say, Eli, for example) then the G-man would have certainly taken "measures" to still cause it. Also, I think G-man is evil. Somehow, the G-man is gonna get a lot of power out of this entire debacle.

 

[Omnomnick]

Was the 'other' the government?

 

[Asknoone]

Black Mesa was an independent and private facility; whilst they went after government defence contracts who in turn supplied funding, I'm not really sure they can really carry any blame.

 

[PimpinPenguin]

I blame the Administrators and here's why. They knew the risks involved and yet they insisted on the experiment to go on, Although Eli could have aborted the test, i believe that would have only prosponed the Cascade as the the Administrator would have attempted it again. Essentualy Eli's hand were tied there was nothing he could do.

The Gman i'am not so sure about i think he tried to warn them about the Cascade, if you look at the Gman before you go into the test chamber he looks to be arguing about something, but from the body language i think he trying to warning them. I don't see what the Gman has to gain from the Cascade.

 

[Asknoone]

Well, that conversation can't be heard coherently ingame, so there's not much credibility to its canon I don't think. I doubt it would dictate the course of the games now. We know Gman delivered the crystal and I can't see him having any other intent than to trigger the Resonance Cascade. That said there's the possibility that Eli is wrong and misinterpreting things, and that when Gman uttered the words “Prepare for Unforeseen Consequences” in his ears as Gordon stepped into the test chamber he was literally telling him he was about to make a colossal mistake, and they should have listened to him.

But right now the evidence is pretty much stacked in a corner labelled “Gman intended the Resonance Cascade.”

It's interesting because in HL1 the Resonance Cascade made Earth pop up on the inter-dimensional radar. It opened up the world to the greater universe, and the Combine saw us and chose to expand their empire. In HL2 the Gman pulls you out the moment the Dark Fusion reactor explodes- the moment the Combine teleport grid shuts down entirely and isolates Earth completely. Effectively disconnecting it from the inter-dimensional radar, no?

 

[Barnz]

You can hear scientist's speech (not GMan's) in the German edition. He says (thanks to my friend for translation): I've already told you hundred times that I'm against the 'overclocking' of the machines/tools (equipment).

 

[Blackout62]

I said other because I say it was the US government for trying to create portal technology with no practical purpose for it. (if your wondering I'm from the US, just Californian)

 

[Asknoone]

I said other because I say it was the US government for trying to create portal technology with no practical purpose for it. (if your wondering I'm from the US, just Californian)

Black Mesa was an independent and private facility; whilst they went after government defence contracts who in turn supplied funding, I'm not really sure they can really carry any blame.

charr

 

[Headcrab Pie]

I said other because I say it was the US government for trying to create portal technology with no practical purpose for it. (if your wondering I'm from the US, just Californian)

No practical purpose? I can think of plenty of porposes. Such as military. And the oil shortage? Put up thousands of portals across the contry and planes are now useless.

 

[Asknoone]

Black Mesa was a private facility.

 

[Tagaziel]

From a certain, Darwinistic and Nietschean point of view, the Resonance Cascade and it's aftermath, including the reduction of the populace and destruction of earth, is actually beneficial to humanity as a whole, as it kills off the least capable (cripples, elderly folk, the ill), leading only able adults and/or children to cope with the consequences. The ensuing twenty-so years of occupation and constant challenges to overcome leave a battered and defeated humanity... with each individual being the strongest and most clever of the many.

The reduction of the amount of humans means that the strain put on Earth by them will be smaller, allowing us to last longer. The smaller numbers also allow for formation of more stable political systems (as we can see the shortcomings of monolithic systems nowadays) and efficent leadership.

Then there is the technology our oppressor brought to Earth, which is miles and miles ahead of hours. Analyzing and reverse engineering it, as we, the crafty monkeys have a hobby of, will serve as the first stepping stone on our path to the stars and expansion. Indeed, it is deeply ironic that the late Wallace Breen's words about humanity seeking it's destiny among the stars with the help of the Universal Union, are true to their very core. Nobody said it has to be voluntary.

The post-Combine humanity will emerge reforged and stronger then ever. And from the ashes, a new civilization will arise, that will shake the very foundations of the universe...

 

[PimpinPenguin]

I thought this thread was about who you blame for Black Mesa not if it was good or bad.

 

[Tagaziel]

Sammy already ended the thread. Or he can just split and vat... err... create a second topic.

 

[corpulent]

From a certain, Darwinistic and Nietschean point of view, the Resonance Cascade and it's aftermath, including the reduction of the populace and destruction of earth, is actually beneficial to humanity as a whole, as it kills off the least capable (cripples, elderly folk, the ill), leading only able adults and/or children to cope with the consequences. The ensuing twenty-so years of occupation and constant challenges to overcome leave a battered and defeated humanity... with each individual being the strongest and most clever of the many.

I think this is true...but only to a point. The long term affects on the planet due to the combine occupation could mean we will never be capable of recapturing or exceeding our former glory. Granted in Episode 2 it seems as if there are stil plenty of resources remaining in the outlands but with a crippled infrastructure, a severely diminished population, and a mysterious figure pulling everybody's strings it's debatable wether or not the events leading to the combine presence would actually benefit mankind long term. What would've happen if we had simply perfected portal technology WITHOUT the resonance cascade? Would we be better off?

However I do like your analysis of the situation.

 

[Omnomnick]

Second topic sounds good.

 

[The Monkey]

Gordon is hardly responsible for carrying out his job and putting a crystal he had no clue of origin into a beam. He triggered the incident, but was governed by the incompetence, greed and manipulation of others.

To be fair, Gordon also killed Nihilanth too, which directly caused the portal storms.

 

[Omnomnick]

But, when he killed the ninilith I'm sure he wasnt thinking..

'Maybe if I kill this guy, his head will spurt loads of portals which will combine portal energy and create massive super portals and attract a very powerful enemy called the combine who will enslave earth and take away humans right to breed...'

..now was he.

 

[Lamarrfz]

[Insert Gordon is Gman theory sentence].

Anyway, I agree with The Daffy Duck and The Mikael Grizzly.

 

[Barnz]

I blame Odessa Cubbage.

 

[Asknoone]

To be fair, Gordon also killed Nihilanth too, which directly caused the portal storms.

That isn't fact.

 

[leib10]

The G-Man is undoubtedly to blame, whether he did it for his own purposes or somebody else's.

 

[The Monkey]

That isn't fact.

Didn't the portal storms happen right after Nihilanth died? It seems unlikely that the two events are unrelated, seeing as they occured at the same time.

 

[Avoidist]

It's a very vague event. Perhaps more Laidlaw inquiries are in order?

 

[Narvi]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a massive anti-science backlash after the Portal Storms, along with a rise in fundamentalism (due to the arrival of the Apocalypse via demons from Hell).

Again, I want a pre-Seven Hour War post-Black Mesa tie-in novel. A good one.

 

[Polaris]

Didn't the portal storms happen right after Nihilanth died? It seems unlikely that the two events are unrelated, seeing as they occured at the same time.

There is no relevant evidence for that, maybe Portal Storms happen after Resonance Cascade event.

 

[The Monkey]

There is no relevant evidence for that, maybe Portal Storms happen after Resonance Cascade event.

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1581445&postcount=825

marc: Those things came through during the portal storms, which continueerratically to this very day. Some of the critters came early(immediately after the Black Mesa Incident) and adapted to Earth. I think the poison headcrabs must have eaten something poisonous at one point, and liked it so much they added it to their repertoire.

The bullsquids are around here somewhere.

This means that the portal storms began right at the death of Nihilanth.

 

[Asuka]

Its really not possible to blame any one person but we find out in Episode 2 that the Gman did indeed know all a long this was going to happen. He was the one who gave them the crystal.

 

[Van Kayne]

I think it's Breen's fault. All through the start of Anomalous Materials it was "the Administrator" this and "the Administration" that.

Breen was the Administrator at Black Mesa when those events were sparked. He let it happen.

 

[Omnomnick]

Maybe he knew about Gman back then and had arranged a test for Gordon, Barney and Shepard. Maybe Gman had promised Breen a goodlife style and safety while the rest of humanity suffered under the combine rule...

That sounds really plausable...