Oh, hello there fellow Half-Lifeians. I see you're eager to read this article hoping our collective consciousness will aggregate, creating a powerful one-mind unit that will shake the internet and make the Valve democracy heed our call. If you hum quietly while reading, it will make our plea stronger my brothers and sisters of The Church Of Freeman. So once again another year is close to conclusion and still no Half Life 3 announcements. While rumours spread like warm butter in a frying pan, Gabe Newell and crew are keeping schtum about the whole affair. However, that doesn't stop the Internet from clinging onto hopeful straws, especially since Valve went ahead and filed a trademark for HL3 recently, causing a stir amongst fans. So to add to all that hysteria, here are seven things I (and many others) are hoping for in the next instalment of Gordon Freeman And His Super Wacky Adventures.
7. Speaking Of Gordon Freeman...
Of course we want to see the return of our mute scientist hero. A Half Life game without Freeman is like a glass of orange juice without the vodka (man, I could sure go for some of that right now). Apart from being the protagonist from the very start of the franchise, Gordon Freeman is also an everyman. Except he's not. He has a PhD in Theoretical Physics and is for want of a better phrase a brainy-ass mo-fo. But he's not a space marine or part of any military personnel and that's why we like him. His thick glasses and lack of general brawn makes him the ideal hero for many of us. We can relate more to the motives of an ordinary scientist than a bulky, overly-macho hunk of beef jerky soldier. Go science! So why wouldn't they include him in Half Life 3? Chances are they probably will. However, it's been eight years since Episode Two left off and it's not infeasible to assume Valve will pick up the story eight years later. Who knows where Freeman and Alyx will be at that point, if they're even around! Valve are well known for making thought-provoking, mould-breaking titles, but let's hope the concept of a Half Life game without Gordon Freeman isn't something they're actively discussing right now. Like...right now. Like, this very second. In a meeting room in their head office while they smoke cigars and sip whiskey (seriously, someone pour me a drink...)