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{{short description|Video game protagonist of the Half-Life series}}
{{General CVG character
{{about||the American immunologist and oncologist|Gordon J. Freeman}}
|width=175px
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
|name=Gordon Freeman
{{More citations needed|date=July 2024}}
|image=[[Image:Gordon Freeman - Valve Concept Art - Walking with a crowbar - cropped.jpeg|225px]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
|caption=''[[Half-Life 2]]'' [[concept art]] of Gordon Freeman holding his signature weapon, the [[crowbar (tool)|crowbar]], and wearing the [[#H.E.V. suit|H.E.V. suit]].
{{Infobox character
|series=[[Half-Life series|''Half-Life'' series]]
|firstgame=''[[Half-Life]]''
| series = [[Half-Life (series)|Half-Life]]
| image = Gordon Freeman.png
|inuniverse=
| alt = A white man in an armoured suit clutches a shotgun. The man has brown hair, a short beard and mustache, green eyes and thick black glasses. The suit is predominately orange with black trim, the Greek letter ''Lambda'' emblazoned on the suit's chest.
| caption = Gordon Freeman as he appears in ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' (2004)
| firstgame = ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' (1998)
| creator = [[Gabe Newell]]<ref name=Gabe/>
| designer = {{Plainlist|
* Gabe Newell<ref name=Gabe/>
* [[Marc Laidlaw]]<ref name=Marc/>
}}
| nationality = American
| home = [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
}}
}}
'''Gordon Freeman''', [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]], is the [[Fictional character|fictitious]] [[silent protagonist]] of the ''[[Half-Life]]'' series of [[first-person shooter]] [[computer game]]s. He is a [[theoretical physicist]] who is forced to defend himself and his fellow beings against hostile aliens and other enemies following an experiment gone wrong. In the process, he becomes an almost-mythical resistance hero, eventually becoming one of the leaders of an uprising against alien invaders.


'''Gordon Freeman''' is the [[silent protagonist]] of the ''[[Half-Life (series)|Half-Life]]'' video game series, created by [[Gabe Newell]] and designed by [[Marc Laidlaw]] of [[Valve Corporation|Valve]].<ref name=Gabe>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/16.html |title=The Top 100 Game Creators of All Time - 16. Gabe Newell |website=IGN |access-date=February 9, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222011639/http://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/16.html |archive-date=December 22, 2015 }}</ref><ref name=Marc>{{cite web|url=http://www.giantbomb.com/marc-laidlaw/3040-4489/ |title=Marc Laidlaw |website=Giant Bomb |access-date=February 9, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301043605/http://www.giantbomb.com/marc-laidlaw/3040-4489/ |archive-date=March 1, 2014 }}</ref> His first appearance is in ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'' (1998). Gordon Freeman is depicted as a [[bespectacled]] [[White people|white]] man from [[Seattle]], with [[brown hair]] and a signature [[goatee]], who graduated from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] with a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] in [[theoretical physics]]. He was an employee at the fictional [[Black Mesa Research Facility]]. Controlled by the player, Gordon is often tasked with using a wide range of weapons and tools to fight alien creatures such as [[headcrabs]], as well as [[Combine (Half-Life)|Combine]] machines and soldiers. Gordon Freeman's character has been well received by critics and gamers, and various gaming websites often consider him to be one of the greatest video game characters of all time, including [[UGO]] and ''[[GameSpot]]''.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
==Character==
Facts known about Freeman include that he is 27 years old at the time of ''Half-Life'', has no [[wikt:dependent|dependents]], and is a graduate of [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], having earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in [[theoretical physics]]. His thesis was titled ''Observation of [[EPR paradox|Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen]] [[Quantum entanglement|Entanglement]] on Supraquantum Structures by Induction Through [[Nonlinear]] [[Transuranic]] [[Crystal]] of Extremely Long [[Wavelength]] (ELW) Pulse from Mode-Locked Source Array'' (the teleportation of matter through extremely dense elements). A native of [[Seattle, Washington]], Freeman harbored an early interest in theoretical physics, such as [[quantum mechanics]] and [[theory of relativity|relativity]]. His earliest heroes were [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]], [[Stephen Hawking|Hawking]] and [[Richard Feynman|Feynman]].<ref name="Early idols">{{cite web | url = http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HLGameInfo.Detail&id=5&game=4 | title= The Half-Life Story | work = Planet Half-Life | accessdate = January 13 | accessyear = 2007}}</ref> After observing a series of teleportation experiments conducted by the Institute for Experimental Physics in [[Innsbruck]], [[Austria]], applications of teleportation became Freeman's obsession.


==Character design==
[[Image:FreemanJobLetter.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Freeman's letter of acceptance to Black Mesa.]]
[[File:Gordon Freeman concept art.png|thumb|left|150px|An early concept art of Gordon Freeman, wearing a bulkier HEV suit, helmet, and goggles]]


Valve president and ''Half-Life'' director [[Gabe Newell]] coined the name "Gordon Freeman" during a conversation with the game's writer [[Marc Laidlaw]] in his car. Laidlaw had originally named the character "Dyson Poincaré", combining the names of physicist and philosopher [[Freeman Dyson]] and mathematician [[Henri Poincaré]]. The texture for Gordon's head was "too big of a job for just one person", so Valve designers combined references from four people. An earlier model of Gordon, known as "Ivan the Space Biker", had a full beard that was subsequently trimmed. Other iterations of Gordon's concept featured different glasses, a ponytail, and a helmet.<ref name="raising the bar">{{cite book|title=Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar|last=Hodgson|first=David|publisher=[[Prima Games]]|year=2004|isbn=0-7615-4364-3|pages=30–31}}</ref>
Eventually, he became disappointed with the slow pace of teleportation research in [[academia]] and began to search for a job outside the [[Higher education|education sector]]. By coincidence, Freeman's MIT mentor [[Isaac Kleiner|Dr. Isaac Kleiner]] had taken charge of a top secret research project at a top secret, integrated research facility known as the [[Black Mesa Research Facility]] and was looking for some associates. Freeman was an obvious choice. He accepted the job offer, hoping that at least part of the immense funding would go towards civilian applications of [[astrophysics]] and [[quantum computing]].


Gordon wears a special full-body [[hazmat suit]], known as the '''H'''azardous '''E'''n'''v'''ironment Suit (or HEV Suit). The suit is designed to protect the user from radiation, energy discharges, and blunt trauma during the handling of hazardous materials. The suit's main feature is its "high-impact [[reactive armor]]", an electrically powered armor system that, when charged, absorbs two-thirds of the damage that Gordon would ordinarily suffer in ''Half-Life'' and 80% in ''Half-Life 2''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} A fully charged suit can survive several dozen hits from small arms and even one direct hit from an [[rocket-propelled grenade|RPG]]. The suit can be charged by various means, and has its own oxygen supply and medical injectors, such as morphine and a [[neurotoxin]] antidote. It comes with a built-in [[flashlight]], a radio, various tracking devices, a [[compass]], and a [[Geiger counter]]. The suit contains an on-board computer system that constantly monitors the user's health and vital signs, and reacts to any changes in the user's condition. It also projects a [[Heads-up display (video games)|heads-up display]] (HUD) which displays Gordon's health and suit charge level, remaining ammunition, and a crosshair. As a means of immersing the player in the role, Gordon [[Silent protagonist|never speaks]], and there are no cutscenes or mission briefings—all action is viewed through Gordon's eyes, with the player retaining control of Gordon's actions at nearly all times. The images of Gordon are only seen on the game's cover and menu pages, and also in advertisements, making them marketing tools rather than pictures of what Gordon is "really like". [[Gabe Newell]] has stated that [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] sees no reason to give Gordon a voice.<ref name="no reason">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=241221 |title=Gabe Newell: Next Half-Life won't change Gordon Freeman |first=Tim |last=Ingham |date=April 4, 2010 |publisher=Computer and Video Games |access-date=December 21, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409061413/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=241221 |archive-date=April 9, 2010 }}</ref>
At the start of the first game, Freeman is employed at, and lives in, the Black Mesa Research Facility, located somewhere in [[New Mexico]]. He is assigned to the Anomalous Materials department, located deep inside the facility, doing [[nuclear physics|nuclear]] and [[subatomic]] [[research]]. Quite humorously, while having obtained a Ph.D from the prestigious MIT, the laboratory work that the player actually does as Freeman (pressing a button and pushing a cart) does not require any intellectual expertise at all. [[Barney Calhoun]] pokes fun at this in the beginning portion of ''Half-Life 2'', when Freeman performs similar "technical" assistance (flipping a switch and attaching a fallen plug back into a socket). Moreover, despite the fact that he is a theoretical physicist by trade, his work as seen in Half-Life is much more the work of an [[experimental physicist]].


In ''Half-Life'', Gordon wears the ''Mark IV'' suit. Later in the game, the suit is equipped with an optional long-jump module so Gordon can leap great distances. It is charged using power modules throughout Black Mesa. In ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' Gordon receives the upgraded ''Mark V'' suit, which lacks the long-jump module but gains several new abilities. It features a visual [[Zoom lens|zoom]]ing capability, limited sprinting, an anti-venom injector, an optional ammo and a health counter on the [[crosshair]], and has been modified to use [[Combine (Half-Life)|Combine]] power nodes to charge the suit.
In ''Half-Life'', a picture of a baby could be found in Freeman's locker. Although this was officially explained as being an [[Easter egg (media)|Easter egg]] placed by the level designer, [[Marc Laidlaw]] offered the idea that it could be an infant relative of Gordon's, such as a niece or nephew.<ref name="Baby photo">{{cite web | url = http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showpost.php?p=2012223&postcount=850 | title= Thread: Info received from valve ONLY - NO questions/discussion | work = HalfLife2.net | accessdate = January 13 | accessyear = 2007}}</ref> Others suggest that it depicts a young [[Alyx Vance]] since it is similar to a picture of her found in ''[[Half-Life 2]]''. However, this was never detailed or referenced anywhere else in the series.


The ''Mark V'' initially used a single power source for the flashlight, sprinting, and oxygen supply; in ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode Two]]'' the flashlight was given a separate power source to improve gameplay. The symbol on Gordon's HEV suit is the lowercase Greek letter [[Lambda]], λ. This symbol is used by scientists to denote the [[decay constant]] of radioactive elements (related to the [[half-life]] of an element). As well as appearing on Gordon's suit, the symbol replaces the letter "a" in the game title (''H'''λ'''lf-Life'') and is the name of the complex in the [[Black Mesa Research Facility]] where teleportation experiments are conducted in the first game. The Lambda symbol is also seen in ''Half-Life 2'' as a marking of the human resistance, seen close to hidden supplies and on the armbands of better equipped resistance fighters.
According to dialogue by Alyx in ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]'', Dr. Freeman and Calhoun would compete with each other to be the first to retrieve Dr. Kleiner's keys whenever he locked them in his office in Black Mesa (apparently a fairly regular occurrence) without resorting to conventional means. This is reputedly where Freeman learned to make use of ventilation shafts to infiltrate buildings. It could also be a sly reference to the numerous ventilation shafts crawled through by Gordon and Barney in ''Half-Life'' and ''[[Half-Life: Blue Shift|Blue Shift]]'' respectively.


==Appearances==
Freeman wears glasses, is of good build, has a [[goatee]], and is quite athletic. Although seeming to be an expert with weapons and explosives, Freeman had actually not handled any weapons until some cursory training at the Black Mesa Research Facility's Hazard Course (aside from the [[butane]]-powered tennis ball cannon he constructed at age 6). What separates Gordon Freeman from other games' heroes is that he is a scientist &ndash; a rather unlikely kind of hero when compared to more traditional video-game characters such as [[Duke Nukem (character)|Duke Nukem]], or soldier types in many other games, such as [[Doomguy]], [[Master Chief (Halo)|Master Chief]] or [[Matthew Kane]].
In the ''Half-Life'' saga, Gordon Freeman is a silent protagonist who, despite lacking formal weapon training, survives a chaotic inter-dimensional incident at the Black Mesa Research Facility. In ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', after being kept in stasis for nearly two decades, Freeman battles the [[Combine (Half-Life)|Combine Empire]] to liberate Earth. He gains legendary status and sparks a rebellion, ultimately destroying the Citadel, a major Combine stronghold. The G-Man rescues Freeman after this critical event, praising his accomplishments and placing him back in stasis.


In ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One|Episode One]]'', Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance work to stabilize the Citadel's core to prevent a catastrophic explosion. In ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode Two|Episode Two]]'', they work together to transport crucial data to close a forming super portal. After a revelation from the G-Man about saving Alyx, they learn about the ''Borealis'', a research vessel with the potential to cause significant events. The game ends with Alyx mourning her father's death at the hands of a Combine Advisor.
According to Valve's documentary book on the game, ''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'', the name Gordon Freeman is an homage to [[Freeman Dyson]].


''[[Half-Life: Alyx]]'', set five years before ''Half-Life 2'', follows Alyx Vance trying to locate Gordon. She infiltrates a Combine vault, believing it holds Gordon, but instead releases the G-Man.<ref>{{Cite video game|title=Half-Life: Alyx|developer=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|publisher=Valve|platform=Windows|level=Point Extraction|date=March 23, 2020|quote='''Alyx''': Okay, Gordon... Let's get you out of this thing...|language=en}}</ref> As a reward for freeing him, the G-Man shows her a vision of her father's death in the future, and offers her the chance to change the outcome.<ref>{{Cite video game|title=Half-Life: Alyx|developer=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|publisher=Valve|platform=Windows|date=March 23, 2020|quote='''G-Man''': We are in the future. This is the moment where you watch your father die... unless... / '''Alyx''': What? Unless ''what?'' / '''G-Man''': Unless, you were to take matters into your own hands. Release your father, Miss Vance.|language=en}}</ref> Alyx complies, killing the Advisor and saving her father, and the G-man suspends her in stasis and leaves.<ref>{{Cite video game|title=Half-Life: Alyx|developer=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|publisher=Valve|platform=Windows|level=Point Extraction|date=March 23, 2020|quote='''Closing text''': ''Subject'': Alyx Vance / ''Status'': Hired / ''Awaiting Assignment''|language=en}}</ref> Five years later, Freeman regains consciousness at White Forest and is reunited with Eli. Realizing that the G-Man has Alyx, Eli declares his intention to kill him and hands Freeman his crowbar.<ref>{{Cite video game|title=Half-Life: Alyx|developer=[[Valve Corporation|Valve]]|publisher=Valve|platform=Windows|scene=Post-credits scene|date=March 23, 2020|quote='''Eli''': Gordon?! Gordon! Wake up, Gordon! She's gone, Gordon. She's ''gone''. Son of a bitch and his "unforeseen consequences"! I knew it. When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna... I'm gonna ''kill'' him. I'm gonna fix this. Right now... Come on, Gordon. We've got work to do.|language=en}}</ref>
==Appearances and role==
{{spoiler}}


==Critical reception==
===''Half-Life''===
Gordon Freeman quickly became and then remained one of the most popular video game characters ever. In 2008, ''[[The Age]]'' ranked him as the 16th-best [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] character of all time, adding that "no one has done more for the reputations and street cred of theoretical physicists than Valve."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/games/the-top-50-xbox-characters-of-all-time-20090616-cdkl.html |title=The Top 50 Xbox Characters of All Time |publisher=Theage.com.au |access-date=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006054805/http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/games/the-top-50-xbox-characters-of-all-time-20090616-cdkl.html |archive-date=October 6, 2010 }}</ref> In 2009, [[GameDaily]] listed the "strong and silent type" in their top 25 video game archetypes, using Gordon Freeman as an example.<ref>Mitchell, Richard. (September 23, 2011) [http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-video-game-characters-archetypes/?page=23 Joystiq] {{dead link|date=March 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. Gamedaily.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-30.</ref> In 2010, ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' ranked him as the number one Greatest Video Game Character, commenting that "the character is the quintessential [[geek]] fantasy" who "has become a gaming icon, synonymous with the apotheosis of first-person action."<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/features/50-greatest-video-game-characters/default.asp?film=1 The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters | 1. Gordon Freeman | Empire] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324225139/http://www.empireonline.com/features/50-greatest-video-game-characters/default.asp?film=1 |date=March 24, 2012 }}. www.empireonline.com. Retrieved on September 30, 2011.</ref>


He was also ranked 14th on [[UGO.com]]'s list of top 100 heroes in all media, with a comment that "an MIT graduate, donning black-framed glasses and a goatee, he's not the guy you'd picture decimating the alien threat."<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ugo.com/games/top-heroes-in-entertainment/shows.asp?groupID=shows20-1&showID=gordon-freeman |title=UGO's Top 100 Heroes of All Time |publisher=UGO Entertainment |access-date=October 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202112555/http://www.ugo.com/games/top-heroes-in-entertainment/shows.asp?groupID=shows20-1&showID=gordon-freeman |archive-date=February 2, 2009 }}</ref> In 2012, [[GamesRadar]] ranked him as the sixth "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, adding: "It's how the characters of the ''Half-Life'' universe treat Gordon Freeman, not the way he treats them, that shape such a compelling character."<ref name=":0">[http://www.gamesradar.com/top-100-video-game-heroes/ 100 best heroes in video games] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111101246/http://www.gamesradar.com/top-100-video-game-heroes/ |date=November 11, 2012 }}, GamesRadar, October 19, 2012.</ref> In 2013, ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]'' ranked him as the 45th "most badass" video game character of all time.<ref>Drea Avellan, [http://www.complex.com/video-games/2013/01/the-50-most-badass-video-game-characters-of-all-time/ The 50 Most Badass Video Game Characters Of All Time] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219033800/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/02/the-50-most-badass-video-game-characters-of-all-time/ |date=February 19, 2015 }}, Complex.com, February 1, 2013.</ref> On the other hand, [[1UP.com]]'s Marty Sliva included him among the most unrelatable narrators, stating, "I'm sure some people love the fact that they can become Gordon Freeman -- I just think I'd be a little happier if there was anything there ''to'' become."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/unrelatable-narrators-gaming|title=The Most Unrelatable Narrators in Gaming|website=1Up.com|access-date=February 10, 2016}}</ref>
[[Image:Half-life-cover.jpg|thumb|right|Art of Freeman from the original ''[[Half-Life]]''.]]
<!--NOTE: The date Freeman is contacted before the Black Mesa Incident is known simply as "May 5, 200-" in Half-Life's game manual-->
On May 16, 200- [''sic''], Freeman and his team perform an experiment that goes horribly wrong (possibly intentionally, due to outside manipulation). As a result, the [[spacetime|space-time continuum]] is ruptured, allowing [[extraterrestrial life|alien]] lifeforms to enter the Black Mesa facility. They immediately begin killing any humans they can find. Freeman finds himself hunted by two groups: the invading aliens and the [[Hazardous Environment Combat Unit]], a [[military]] cleanup team that has been sent to contain the situation, silencing aliens and surviving personnel alike. Against all odds, the untrained theoretical physicist somehow manages to survive the chaos, impressing the few surviving scientists and security guards with his heroic acts while quickly becoming the HECU's top priority target.


In 1998, readers of ''[[GameSpot]]'' ranked him as the fifth-best Hero of gaming.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_heroes/page6.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612165718/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_heroes/page6.html |archive-date=June 12, 2009 |title=TenSpot Readers' Choice: Ten Best Heroes - GameSpot |access-date=September 2, 2013}}</ref> In 2009, a public poll on GameSpot resulted in him being voted the All Time Greatest Video Game Hero.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespots-all-time-greatest-game-hero-draws-to-a-close-and-the-winner-is/1100-6233560/ |title=GameSpot's All-Time Greatest Game Hero Draws to a Close. And the Winner Is... |last=Park |first=Andrew |date=October 15, 2009 |publisher=GameSpot |access-date=October 15, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203211335/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespots-all-time-greatest-game-hero-draws-to-a-close-and-the-winner-is/1100-6233560/ |archive-date=December 3, 2013 }}</ref> He was also voted as the eighth-best video game character of all time in the ''[[Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition]]'' 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/02/16/guinness-names-top-50-video-game-characters-of-all-time.aspx |title=Guinness Names Top 50 Video Game Characters Of All Time - News |publisher=www.GameInformer.com |date=February 16, 2011 |access-date=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210145224/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/02/16/guinness-names-top-50-video-game-characters-of-all-time.aspx |archive-date=December 10, 2014 }}</ref>
After numerous challenges, and after eliminating countless aliens and soldiers, Freeman is eventually transported by a few surviving Lambda Team scientists to the alien home world of [[Xen (Half-Life)|Xen]], where he manages to eliminate the alien "leader," [[Nihilanth]]. Upon recovering from his final encounter, Freeman is finally confronted by the mysterious [[G-Man (Half-Life)|G-Man]], who has been observing Freeman from a distance throughout the entire game and perhaps even manipulating his fate. The G-Man shows Freeman several locations throughout Earth and Xen, before finally offering Freeman a choice: either agree to work for the G-Man and his mysterious "employers," or be left to die on Xen without any weapons and surrounded by hostile lifeforms. ''Half-Life 2'' assumes that Gordon chooses to accept G-Man's offer of employment.


==References==
===''Half-Life 2''===
{{reflist}}


==Further reading==
[[Image:Stained glass Gordon AYool.jpg|thumb|left|A stained glass image from an early demonstration of ''Half-Life 2''. This scene may be found during a Video Stress Test in ''[[Counter-Strike: Source]]'', and is likely an [[Easter egg (media)|Easter egg]] rather than a part of the ''Half-Life'' game world.]]
*{{cite web|url=https://www.videogamer.com/features/gordon-freeman-remains-half-lifes-unsolved-mystery/ |title=Gordon Freeman remains Half-Life's unsolved mystery
|first=Josh |last=Wise |date=November 23, 2018 |publisher=Videogamer.com|access-date=August 4, 2021}}


==External links==
''[[Half-Life 2]]'' begins with the G-Man speaking to Gordon. Like the ending of the original game, the scene is somewhat inexplicable and [[psychedelic]], with the G-Man's face in extreme close-up fading in and out of visibility over backgrounds representing scenes from the original ''Half-Life'' as well as scenes he will visit in the course of ''Half-Life 2''. The G-Man delivers a typically cryptic speech, commenting that "the right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." and concludes by telling Freeman to "wake up, and smell the ashes". According to the ''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]'' [http://ep1.half-life2.com/story.php story page], the G-Man kept Freeman "in [[Stasis (fiction)|stasis]] far from Earth, thought, and time itself" for "nearly two decades." It is implied by Eli Vance that Freeman didn't physically change during his stasis,<ref name="Lack of aging HL2">'''Eli Vance''': "Gordon Freeman! Let me get a look at you man! My god man, you haven't changed one iota. How do you do it?" (''Half-Life 2'', Chapter V: Black Mesa East)</ref> a fact that was to be more implicit, as seen in the game's beta version.<ref name="Lack of aging HL2 beta">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm8-7q9zxHQ&mode=user&search= Video of the ''Half-Life 2'' beta] on YouTube, by DraX360.</ref> Freeman then wakes up on a train with two citizens being "relocated" to City 17. Freeman quickly learns that Earth has been conquered and occupied by the trans-dimensional [[Combine (Half-Life 2)|Combine]] empire. He soon meets up with [[Barney Calhoun]] and [[Alyx Vance]], and joins the resistance against the Combine.
* {{Commons-inline}}
* [http://combineoverwiki.net/wiki/Gordon_Freeman Gordon Freeman] on Combine OverWiki, an external wiki


{{Half-Life}}
During the course of the second game, Freeman battles the forces of the Combine in order to free humanity from its grasp. Already famous for his role in the Black Mesa Incident, Gordon quickly develops a legendary reputation among Earth's surviving human populace, who begin to look up to him and refer to him by such messianic titles as "The One Free Man." After slaying scores of Combine soldiers and leading an assault against the Combine stronghold of [[Nova Prospekt]], Gordon eventually sparks a full-scale rebellion against the Combine domination, in which he becomes a combatant. Gordon infiltrates one of the Combine's foothold on Earth, the City 17 Citadel, and destroys it by detonating its Dark Energy Reactor. Although caught in the reactor's explosion along with Alyx Vance, Gordon is rescued by the G-Man, who tells Freeman that he "is impressed with his work and has received several tempting offers for his 'services'." The G-Man finally informs Freeman that, rather than offering him "the illusion of free choice," the G-Man has taken the liberty of choosing for him, and deposits Freeman back in stasis until he is needed once again. Thus, ''Half-Life 2'' "concludes" just as cryptically as its predecessor did, with perhaps even more questions unanswered.
{{portalbar|1990s|Physics|Speculative fiction|Video games}}

====''Half-Life 2: Episode One''====

''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]'' rejoins Freeman and [[Alyx Vance]] as they embark on the flight from City 17, doomed by the destruction of the Citadel's dark fusion reactor at the end of ''Half-Life 2''. At the beginning of the game, the G-Man appears once more to Gordon, but this time, he is interrupted by the appearance of a group of chanting, purple-glowing [[vortigaunt]]s, who take Gordon away while blocking the G-Man's path. The G-Man appears most displeased by this development, and responds by scowling and darkly stating "We'll see... about ''that!''"

Gordon regains consciousness under a pile of rubble and is found by Alyx and [[Dog (Half-Life 2)|Dog]]. It is later revealed that the only way to flee the Citadel's explosion, which would level much of City 17, is to contain the Citadel's core, stalling the structure's destruction enough for an escape. Gordon and Alyx succeed in doing so, but learn that the local Combine forces are attempting to send a distress message for offworld assistance. In order to generate enough energy to send the message, the local Combine are willing to overload the Citadel's reactor, going so far as to completely destroy the Citadel if necessary. The Combine consider this a positive, as the subsequent explosion would destroy all of City 17 and much of the surrounding countryside, which has been all but lost to human Resistance forces. With a copy of the distress message, Gordon and Alyx escape the Citadel and meet up with Barney and other survivors.

The pair escape City 17 via an evacuation train as the Citadel goes critical. Evidently, the Combine message is successfully transmitted while several Combine pods fly away from the Citadel at great speed. The train carrying Freeman and Alyx is still close by and is hit by a shockwave as the Citadel is seemingly destroyed. Their subsequent fate will be revealed in ''Episode Two''.

==Other appearances in ''Half-Life'' series==
[[Image:GORDON FREEMAN.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Freeman can briefly be seen, in his HEV suit, carried away by [[Hazardous Environment Combat Unit|HECU]] soldiers in ''[[Half-Life: Blue Shift]]''.]]

Two expansions for ''Half-Life'' all more or less take place during the same time as ''Half-Life'' itself, and as such Gordon is seen at some points of the games.

* In ''[[Half-Life: Opposing Force]]'', [[Adrian Shephard]] only encounters Gordon once when he witnesses Gordon teleport to [[Xen (Half-Life)|Xen]] in the Lambda Complex. Attempts to follow him through the same portal will result in a "[[temporal paradox]]" which sends Shephard falling through Xen's void and ends the game.
* Gordon is seen three times by [[Barney Calhoun]] during the course of ''[[Half-Life: Blue Shift]]''. Barney first sees Gordon passing by in a tram at the beginning of the game, later heading towards the HEV storage area through a surveillance camera, and lastly being dragged to a trash compactor by a pair of [[Hazardous Environment Combat Unit|HECU]] marines.

In these appearances, Gordon maintains his silence, even though he is not the protagonist.

{{endspoiler}}

==H.E.V. suit==

[[Image:HEV suit AYool.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Gordon's HEV suit, in ''Half-Life'' as the Mark IV ('''left''') and ''Half-Life 2'' as the Mark V ('''right''').]]

In much of the ''Half-Life'' series, Freeman wears a special full-body [[hazmat suit|hazard suit]], known as the '''H.E.V. suit''', H.E.V. standing for ''Hazardous Environment''. The HEV suit was designed by [[Doctor Gina Cross]], one of the main protagonists in ''[[Half-Life: Decay]]''. Freeman wears the Mark IV suit in ''Half-Life'', then donning the upgraded Mark V suit in ''[[Half-Life 2]]''. Cross was said to have tested a Mark V prototype before the events of the resonance cascade, but it is unknown if this is related to the Mark V suit in ''Half-Life 2''. Designed to protect the user from radiation, energy discharges, and blunt trauma during the handling of hazardous materials, the HEV suit is what allows Gordon, an ordinary human being, to survive the dangers and injuries he faces over the course of his struggles.

The HEV Mark IV suit worn by Freeman in ''Half-Life'' has a built-in [[flashlight]], [[Geiger counter]], [[morphine]] administrator (which allows Gordon to function normally even after serious injury), anti-toxin delivery system, an optional long-jumping module which allows jumps over large distances, a radio, and a [[HUD (computer gaming)|heads-up display]] (HUD) which tracks health status and weapon ammunition usage, as well as including a weapons management system. The suit contains an on-board computer system that constantly monitors the user's health and vital signs, and reacts to any changes in the user's condition. Additionally, the suit has an electrically hardened armor system that can be charged by power modules throughout Black Mesa. While charged, the suit provides greater protection from injury as the charge absorbs more than two-thirds of any damage or trauma experienced by the wearer. With a fully charged suit, Freeman can survive several dozen bullets of small arms fire or even a direct hit from a [[rocket propelled grenade]]. The suit also features an optional helmet, as seen on various HEV-enclosed corpses dotted around Xen, mainly at the ruined research camp seen in ''Blue Shift''. Freeman dons the suit at the beginning of the first game, and is allowed to keep it at the end of the game by the G-Man. It has been debated on countless forums as to whether Gordon's HEV suit has a helmet as he is usually depicted without one yet is able to survive in hazardous environments, meriting its presence. Also, when he is attacked by headcrabs, they leap at his face and appear to slide off, suggesting the presence of something blocking them from Gordon's face. Another argument that is usually given is the presence of an [[HUD (computer gaming)|heads-up display]] and crosshairs, which are only seen when Gordon is wearing the suit.

The HEV suit is not exclusive to Freeman. Many can be seen worn by slain Black Mesa research members on Xen. Two additional (empty) HEV storage units are seen near the start of the game in Sector C, which are said to have been used by the main protagonists of ''Decay'', Gina Cross and [[Doctor Colette Green|Colette Green]]. The suits also evidently come in different colors. Although many, including Gordon's and ones belonging to the corpses seen on Xen, are orange, Gina wears a tan suit, while Colette wears a maroon suit.

In ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', despite being allowed to keep it in the previous game, Freeman starts without the suit. After a visit to Dr. Isaac Kleiner, his former professor, Freeman receives a new HEV suit, Mark V (Kleiner, as well as other characters occasionally refer to this suit as Gordon's "old suit," indicating that it may simply have been upgraded; if the suit is indeed the same one Gordon had worn in ''Half-Life'', it also raises the unanswered question of how Kleiner obtained the suit when it was in Gordon's possession, as he was first placed in stasis). New features include a visual [[zoom]]ing capability, limited enhanced running (sprint) capability, an injector to administer antidote for [[Headcrab#Fast headcrab and poison headcrab|poison headcrab]] venom, an optional ammo and health counter on the [[crosshair]] (enabled by the player in the game's "Mouse" options), and the capability to use [[Combine (Half-Life 2)|Combine]] power nodes to charge the suit. This design feature would have an unexpected effect later on in the game, when the suit appears to be infused with "Dark Energy" from a Combine weapon confiscation field, allowing the suit to store twice as much energy as normal. This powered version of his suit remains intact for the start of ''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' but the suit returns to its natural state when the player leaves the Citadel. It seems, like the Dark Energy gravity gun, the effects wear off in time. Unlike the Mark IV, the Mark V uses only one auxiliary power source for flashlight, sprinting and oxygen supply; in addition, the long-jumping module is no longer a feature.

It should be noted that HEV energy chargers in ''Half-Life'' have the trademark (tm) symbol added after the HEV letters, which suggests that the chargers, HEV suit, or both, are produced by a non-government company. An [[Easter egg (media)|Easter egg]] in ''Half-Life 2'', however, reveals an old cover of an HEV charger lacking the trademark logo.<ref name="HEV charger in HL2">{{cite web | url = http://www.hlfallout.net/image.php?id=31513 | title= Image: An old friend from the original Half-Life. | work = HLFallout.net | accessdate = January 13 | accessyear = 2007}}</ref>

It has been speculated that the HEV suit, despite its name, was not intended simply for protection in hazardous environments and was in fact designed with combat in mind &mdash; perhaps intended as a combat [[exoskeleton]] for defense contractors. Black Mesa may have been, after all, a military installation and the [[Hazardous Environment Combat Unit#Powered Combat Vest|Powered Combat Vest]] worn by the player in ''Opposing Force'' apparently uses the same technology (it also is able to replenish its power from Black Mesa chargers). The suit also possesses the capability to track weapons in hand, along with their ammunition. These features may be explained by the visits many Black Mesa personnel made to the border world of [[Xen (Half-Life)|Xen]] which contains many dangerous and hostile forms of life.

The symbol on Gordon's HEV suit is the lower case Greek letter [[Lambda]], λ. This symbol is used by scientists to denote the [[decay constant]] of [[radioactive]] [[Chemical element|elements]] (related to the [[half-life]] of an element). As well as appearing on Gordon's suit, the symbol replaces the letter "a" in the game title, ''Hλlf-Life'', and is the name of the complex in the [[Black Mesa Research Facility]] where teleportation experiments are conducted. The Lambda symbol is also seen in ''Half-Life 2'' as a marking of the human resistance, seen close to hidden supplies and on the arm bands of better equipped resistance fighters.

==References in popular culture==
* In ''[[Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory|Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory]]'', a character in the game remarks to protagonist [[Sam Fisher]] that "crowbars are for geeky video-game characters", poking fun at the fact that Gordon Freeman is a scientist by profession.
* In ''[[Call of Duty: United Offensive]]'', near the start of the second mission,<!--Which second mission?--> two American soldiers are shown running side-by-side. On the left, Pvt. Gordon, and on the right, Pvt. Freeman.
* In the "Stark Towers" level of the computer game ''[[The Punisher (2005 video game)|The Punisher]]'', a scientist refers to another scientist as "Doctor Freeman" and asks what a noise he heard was, to which Doctor Freeman replies (paraphrased) "maybe the quantum physics department finally opened that extradimensional portal!", with the other scientist replying "Extradimensional aliens! Wonder what they look like?", a reference to the opening scene of ''Half-Life''.
* In ''[[The Ship (computer game)|The Ship]]'', a game developed using the same [[game engine]] as ''Half-Life 2'', the description of the crowbar weapons states it is suitable for any "free man".
* In ''[[TimeSplitters Future Perfect]]'', during the level "breaking and entering", Cortez, the protagonist of the story, changes into a lab coat along with a name tag that reads "Dr. Freeman".
* In the novel ''A Big Boy did it and Ran Away'' by [[Christopher Brookmyre]], the author makes frequent references to various video games including ''Half-Life''; one of the protagonists takes the alias of "Gordon Freeman" while there is an [[Special Air Service|SAS]] soldier called "[[Adrian Shephard|Shepard]]". At one point the male protagonist is equipped with a crowbar and the main action takes place in a largely underground [[hydroelectric]] power station with the [[Gaelic]] name "Dubh Ardrain" which can be translated as "Black Mesa".{{verify source}}<!--Find specific excerpts that prove these claims.-->
* In ''[[S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl]]'', the player may find inside a tunnel located in the Wild Territory the body of a stalker-beginner named "Gordon" whose PDA makes mentions of Black Mesa and a crowbar.

==Trivia==
* Amongst other names, Gordon Freeman was originally intended to be called Dyson Poincare.<ref name="raisebar">{{cite book | author = Hodgson, David | year = 2004 | title = Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar | publisher = Prima Games | id = ISBN 0-7615-4364-3 }}</ref>

==References==
<div class="references-small">
* Mitchell, Heather. ''Half-Life'' instruction manual. Valve Software, 1998.
* Hodgson, David. ''Half-Life 2: Prima Official Game Guide''. Prima Games, 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4362-7.
* Hodgson, David. ''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar''. Prima Games, 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3.
----
<references />
</div>

==External link==
*[http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HLGameInfo.Detail&id=5&game=4 Story overview of ''Half-Life'']

{{Half-Life characters}}


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Latest revision as of 01:47, 15 December 2024

For the American immunologist and oncologist, see Gordon J. Freeman.

Gordon Freeman
Half-Life character
A white man in an armoured suit clutches a shotgun. The man has brown hair, a short beard and mustache, green eyes and thick black glasses. The suit is predominately orange with black trim, the Greek letter Lambda emblazoned on the suit's chest.
Gordon Freeman as he appears in Half-Life 2 (2004)
First gameHalf-Life (1998)
Created byGabe Newell[1]
Designed by
In-universe information
HomeSeattle, Washington
NationalityAmerican

Gordon Freeman is the silent protagonist of the Half-Life video game series, created by Gabe Newell and designed by Marc Laidlaw of Valve.[1][2] His first appearance is in Half-Life (1998). Gordon Freeman is depicted as a bespectacled white man from Seattle, with brown hair and a signature goatee, who graduated from MIT with a PhD in theoretical physics. He was an employee at the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility. Controlled by the player, Gordon is often tasked with using a wide range of weapons and tools to fight alien creatures such as headcrabs, as well as Combine machines and soldiers. Gordon Freeman's character has been well received by critics and gamers, and various gaming websites often consider him to be one of the greatest video game characters of all time, including UGO and GameSpot.[3][4]

Character design

An early concept art of Gordon Freeman, wearing a bulkier HEV suit, helmet, and goggles

Valve president and Half-Life director Gabe Newell coined the name "Gordon Freeman" during a conversation with the game's writer Marc Laidlaw in his car. Laidlaw had originally named the character "Dyson Poincaré", combining the names of physicist and philosopher Freeman Dyson and mathematician Henri Poincaré. The texture for Gordon's head was "too big of a job for just one person", so Valve designers combined references from four people. An earlier model of Gordon, known as "Ivan the Space Biker", had a full beard that was subsequently trimmed. Other iterations of Gordon's concept featured different glasses, a ponytail, and a helmet.[5]

Gordon wears a special full-body hazmat suit, known as the Hazardous Environment Suit (or HEV Suit). The suit is designed to protect the user from radiation, energy discharges, and blunt trauma during the handling of hazardous materials. The suit's main feature is its "high-impact reactive armor", an electrically powered armor system that, when charged, absorbs two-thirds of the damage that Gordon would ordinarily suffer in Half-Life and 80% in Half-Life 2.[citation needed] A fully charged suit can survive several dozen hits from small arms and even one direct hit from an RPG. The suit can be charged by various means, and has its own oxygen supply and medical injectors, such as morphine and a neurotoxin antidote. It comes with a built-in flashlight, a radio, various tracking devices, a compass, and a Geiger counter. The suit contains an on-board computer system that constantly monitors the user's health and vital signs, and reacts to any changes in the user's condition. It also projects a heads-up display (HUD) which displays Gordon's health and suit charge level, remaining ammunition, and a crosshair. As a means of immersing the player in the role, Gordon never speaks, and there are no cutscenes or mission briefings—all action is viewed through Gordon's eyes, with the player retaining control of Gordon's actions at nearly all times. The images of Gordon are only seen on the game's cover and menu pages, and also in advertisements, making them marketing tools rather than pictures of what Gordon is "really like". Gabe Newell has stated that Valve sees no reason to give Gordon a voice.[6]

In Half-Life, Gordon wears the Mark IV suit. Later in the game, the suit is equipped with an optional long-jump module so Gordon can leap great distances. It is charged using power modules throughout Black Mesa. In Half-Life 2 Gordon receives the upgraded Mark V suit, which lacks the long-jump module but gains several new abilities. It features a visual zooming capability, limited sprinting, an anti-venom injector, an optional ammo and a health counter on the crosshair, and has been modified to use Combine power nodes to charge the suit.

The Mark V initially used a single power source for the flashlight, sprinting, and oxygen supply; in Half-Life 2: Episode Two the flashlight was given a separate power source to improve gameplay. The symbol on Gordon's HEV suit is the lowercase Greek letter Lambda, λ. This symbol is used by scientists to denote the decay constant of radioactive elements (related to the half-life of an element). As well as appearing on Gordon's suit, the symbol replaces the letter "a" in the game title (Hλlf-Life) and is the name of the complex in the Black Mesa Research Facility where teleportation experiments are conducted in the first game. The Lambda symbol is also seen in Half-Life 2 as a marking of the human resistance, seen close to hidden supplies and on the armbands of better equipped resistance fighters.

Appearances

In the Half-Life saga, Gordon Freeman is a silent protagonist who, despite lacking formal weapon training, survives a chaotic inter-dimensional incident at the Black Mesa Research Facility. In Half-Life 2, after being kept in stasis for nearly two decades, Freeman battles the Combine Empire to liberate Earth. He gains legendary status and sparks a rebellion, ultimately destroying the Citadel, a major Combine stronghold. The G-Man rescues Freeman after this critical event, praising his accomplishments and placing him back in stasis.

In Episode One, Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance work to stabilize the Citadel's core to prevent a catastrophic explosion. In Episode Two, they work together to transport crucial data to close a forming super portal. After a revelation from the G-Man about saving Alyx, they learn about the Borealis, a research vessel with the potential to cause significant events. The game ends with Alyx mourning her father's death at the hands of a Combine Advisor.

Half-Life: Alyx, set five years before Half-Life 2, follows Alyx Vance trying to locate Gordon. She infiltrates a Combine vault, believing it holds Gordon, but instead releases the G-Man.[7] As a reward for freeing him, the G-Man shows her a vision of her father's death in the future, and offers her the chance to change the outcome.[8] Alyx complies, killing the Advisor and saving her father, and the G-man suspends her in stasis and leaves.[9] Five years later, Freeman regains consciousness at White Forest and is reunited with Eli. Realizing that the G-Man has Alyx, Eli declares his intention to kill him and hands Freeman his crowbar.[10]

Critical reception

Gordon Freeman quickly became and then remained one of the most popular video game characters ever. In 2008, The Age ranked him as the 16th-best Xbox character of all time, adding that "no one has done more for the reputations and street cred of theoretical physicists than Valve."[11] In 2009, GameDaily listed the "strong and silent type" in their top 25 video game archetypes, using Gordon Freeman as an example.[12] In 2010, Empire ranked him as the number one Greatest Video Game Character, commenting that "the character is the quintessential geek fantasy" who "has become a gaming icon, synonymous with the apotheosis of first-person action."[13]

He was also ranked 14th on UGO.com's list of top 100 heroes in all media, with a comment that "an MIT graduate, donning black-framed glasses and a goatee, he's not the guy you'd picture decimating the alien threat."[3] In 2012, GamesRadar ranked him as the sixth "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, adding: "It's how the characters of the Half-Life universe treat Gordon Freeman, not the way he treats them, that shape such a compelling character."[14] In 2013, Complex ranked him as the 45th "most badass" video game character of all time.[15] On the other hand, 1UP.com's Marty Sliva included him among the most unrelatable narrators, stating, "I'm sure some people love the fact that they can become Gordon Freeman -- I just think I'd be a little happier if there was anything there to become."[16]

In 1998, readers of GameSpot ranked him as the fifth-best Hero of gaming.[4] In 2009, a public poll on GameSpot resulted in him being voted the All Time Greatest Video Game Hero.[17] He was also voted as the eighth-best video game character of all time in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2011.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Top 100 Game Creators of All Time - 16. Gabe Newell". IGN. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Marc Laidlaw". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "UGO's Top 100 Heroes of All Time". UGO Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "TenSpot Readers' Choice: Ten Best Heroes - GameSpot". Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  5. ^ Hodgson, David (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3.
  6. ^ Ingham, Tim (April 4, 2010). "Gabe Newell: Next Half-Life won't change Gordon Freeman". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  7. ^ Valve (March 23, 2020). Half-Life: Alyx (Windows). Valve. Level/area: Point Extraction. Alyx: Okay, Gordon... Let's get you out of this thing...
  8. ^ Valve (March 23, 2020). Half-Life: Alyx (Windows). Valve. G-Man: We are in the future. This is the moment where you watch your father die... unless... / Alyx: What? Unless what? / G-Man: Unless, you were to take matters into your own hands. Release your father, Miss Vance.
  9. ^ Valve (March 23, 2020). Half-Life: Alyx (Windows). Valve. Level/area: Point Extraction. Closing text: Subject: Alyx Vance / Status: Hired / Awaiting Assignment
  10. ^ Valve (March 23, 2020). Half-Life: Alyx (Windows). Valve. Scene: Post-credits scene. Eli: Gordon?! Gordon! Wake up, Gordon! She's gone, Gordon. She's gone. Son of a bitch and his "unforeseen consequences"! I knew it. When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna... I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna fix this. Right now... Come on, Gordon. We've got work to do.
  11. ^ "The Top 50 Xbox Characters of All Time". Theage.com.au. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  12. ^ Mitchell, Richard. (September 23, 2011) Joystiq [dead link‍]. Gamedaily.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-30.
  13. ^ The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters | 1. Gordon Freeman | Empire Archived March 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. www.empireonline.com. Retrieved on September 30, 2011.
  14. ^ 100 best heroes in video games Archived November 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, GamesRadar, October 19, 2012.
  15. ^ Drea Avellan, The 50 Most Badass Video Game Characters Of All Time Archived February 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Complex.com, February 1, 2013.
  16. ^ "The Most Unrelatable Narrators in Gaming". 1Up.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  17. ^ Park, Andrew (October 15, 2009). "GameSpot's All-Time Greatest Game Hero Draws to a Close. And the Winner Is..." GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  18. ^ "Guinness Names Top 50 Video Game Characters Of All Time - News". www.GameInformer.com. February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2013.

Further reading

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