Should Adrian be forgoten?

[AgentXen]

Should Adrian be forgoten?

[Laivasse]

Yes, I think Adrian should be forgotten...but not forgiven.

[riomhaire]

Yes, he has no reason for being realesed, he's just g-man's pet.

[Prince of China]

Oh no! I thought the question was should Adrian be forgotten and I didn't look on the poll. I meant to vote for yes.

[Laivasse]

Oh no! I thought the question was should Adrian be forgotten and I didn't look on the poll. I meant to vote for yes.

Yeah it's confusing....deceptive, almost. There is no low that those trixy Adrian acolytes will not stoop to to garner support...

[UndeadScottsman]

More official Half-Life is always good. Period.

[Mechagodzilla]

I said yes, because there's no option for ambivalence.

Opposing Force had a really solid ending but, as Scottsman said, more gameplay is also good gameplay.

[Dr. Freeman]

i am a fan of anything HL related and hey...theres potential there for pumping out more HL/Shepherd related titles and like Scottsman said, more is good :thumbs:

besides, all polls which have included Adrian Shepherd's name regarding expansions, the Shepherd choice has won them all so clearly theres gamers here would love to see him back.

[wolvesrdogs]

whos adrian

[Samon]

Forgottren but not forgiven.

[G-Dub]

whos adrian

oh em gee n00b!


j/k :)

[Geronimous]

You started a deceptive topic my friend.

The topictitle is the opposite of the Poll question.

[Insano]

whos adrianThe man you play in Opposing Force.

Full name: Adrian Shepard.

[riomhaire]

This poll should be deleted and a new one opened, I voted the wrong answer cause of the difference in name and question, and many people probably did so the results are going to be screwed up.

[Samon]

Goddamit. Delete this. I voted yes. Idiot. You tricked me, this was set up! :angry:

[kupocake]

More official Half-Life is always good. Period.
As true as this is, it is more of a reason not to use Shepherd: we need something new, not a vapourous character who's entire backstory can be fully represented by a few sentences.

It wouldn't kill me to see Shepherd back. I look at it this way:
1) If he comes back, fewer new characters are brought back.
2) Many people love him with a passion. I like seeing such people get let down and pissed off. :D

[Angry Lawyer]

Well, I actually read the question, so I voted correctly.

Adrian doesn't need his own game. I couldn't give a damn either way, anyways.

-Angry Lawyer

[Dr. Freeman]

Goddamit. Delete this. I voted yes. Idiot. You tricked me, this was set up! :angry:

lies!@
u secretly love Adrian Shepherd :P

[Samon]

lies!@
u secretly love Adrian Shepherd :P

:eek:

How dare you even think such!

[Dag]

If the make an add-on with Adrian Shepard, thats more gameplay, and thats always good. But if they don't have Adrian in there, everyone can forget him, and the world will be happy again. :)

[UndeadScottsman]

As true as this is, it is more of a reason not to use Shepherd: we need something new, not a vapourous character who's entire backstory can be fully represented by a few sentences.
You mean like Freeman?

[kupocake]

You mean like Freeman?
As a matter of fact, Yes, or at least before HL2.

Freeman is slightly better off in that Half-Life 1 is a longer game. He is now about 4 times as fleshed out as Shepherd due to Half-Life 2, but it didn't really matter if Valve brought back Freeman for HL2 at all: HL2 could easily have been a new adventure about someone else getting recruited by the G-Man.

Now, i'm not so sure: 2 games, an expansion pack and an emerging cast of consistant characters to ground the character in some kind of continuity mean that Freeman is becoming more of a fully realised character. Shepherd was "the poor man's Gordon Freeman" to begin with: he was just 'there' and the ending never implied that he'd be back. Freeman meanwhile kicked off the whole series by pushing a cart into a whirly beam of death, he completed supposedly important objectives, got himself a reputation among Allies, Marines and even the Aliens and then he was given a job which implied he would return. Not the best fleshed out character in existance, but still far better than Shepherd.

Important to the fact that Shepherd probably won't return - and I don't want him - is that he has no place. His purpose was to offer us the alternative view to the main thrust of the game, the "Opposing Force". If we want just another expansion where we run around Freeman style, we have Freeman. As a Marine, Shepherd no longer has any function in a combine controlled world, save for being a Freeman clone. Boring. Yes, conceivably someone could write a story where he becomes a combine, but why crowbar an old, pointless character into the role when you can use a new one?

Shepherd = Defunct.

[Polaris]

Adrian Shephard - detained but never forgoten

[Samon]

It was only a matter of time before Polaris found this thread :flame:

[Polaris]

I will fight for Adrian Shephard anytime, anywhere...

[Samon]

I've noticed. ;)

[neptuneuk]

shepard rules, dudes.

[Samon]

Shepard sucks, dudes.

[Dag]

In OpFor, Adrian fights on the side of the Soldiers trying to kill Freeman, right? So what if a new mod comes out with Shepard, and he's still trying to kill Freeman, meaning he's a Combine now.

[Samon]

In OpFor, Adrian fights on the side of the Soldiers trying to kill Freeman, right? So what if a new mod comes out with Shepard, and he's still trying to kill Freeman, meaning he's a Combine now.

He tried to kill Freeman, because he was silencing the facility. He is now in the hands of gman who is ANTI combine. Therefore, no.

[Dag]

G-man might not be Anti-Combine. He could be using Freeman to wage war against the Combine, so that they might bring in heavier equiptment and wipe out mankind all together. It's never been stated that G-man is human.

[Samon]

Did I say gman was human? No, that is because I don't think he is human. It is more than obvious he is alien.

But first off, it is completely obvious he is anti combine. He had you destroy their reactor and passage to earth, he had you liberate the city. Its someone silly to think he wants to bring in heavier equipement to wipe out humanity altogether since he could have just left humanity to rot...you do know there is hardly a humanity left? There area few cities dotted around the earth, combine controlled. And the human populace is near zero...we almost got wiped out.

If he wanted to kill us all, he could have simply left us and we would have been eventually destroyed or harvested by the combine anyway.

[riomhaire]

I'd ssay there's probably more than a thousand people left, of course as population goes that nothing.

[UndeadScottsman]

Did I say gman was human? No, that is because I don't think he is human. It is more than obvious he is alien.

But first off, it is completely obvious he is anti combine. He had you destroy their reactor and passage to earth, he had you liberate the city.

Actually, the Gman "had you" do nothing; he just dropped you off on the train and the rest played out itself. We don't know if anything Freeman did was specificly part of the Gman's plans since never actually gave Freeman any orders nor made his wishes known. Maybe he wanted to help humanity along; maybe he just wanted Freeman to strut his stuff.

[Insano]

Actually, the Gman "had you" do nothing; he just dropped you off on the train and the rest played out itself. We don't know if anything Freeman did was specificly part of the Gman's plans since never actually gave Freeman any orders nor made his wishes known. Maybe he wanted to help humanity along; maybe he just wanted Freeman to strut his stuff.You see him on your way so it means that he's watching you and makes sure that you go the right way and do the right stuff.

[Dag]

Did I say gman was human? No, that is because I don't think he is human. It is more than obvious he is alien.

But first off, it is completely obvious he is anti combine. He had you destroy their reactor and passage to earth, he had you liberate the city. Its someone silly to think he wants to bring in heavier equipement to wipe out humanity altogether since he could have just left humanity to rot...you do know there is hardly a humanity left? There area few cities dotted around the earth, combine controlled. And the human populace is near zero...we almost got wiped out.

If he wanted to kill us all, he could have simply left us and we would have been eventually destroyed or harvested by the combine anyway.

Or, he was sold off to the highest bidder, who just happened to be anti-Combine. The next highest Bidder could be Combine.

[French Ninja]

I like the idea of Shephard being the anti-gordon, whose primary goal is to kill Freeman. I would personally like to see Shephard turned into a Combine Elite Task Force, whose goal is to kill high ranking resistance leaders, in this case, Freeman. The expansion, like what OP4 did for the Marines, could humanize the Overwatch.

[r2000]

I like the idea of Shephard being the anti-gordon, whose primary goal is to kill Freeman. I would personally like to see Shephard turned into a Combine Elite Task Force, whose goal is to kill high ranking resistance leaders, in this case, Freeman. The expansion, like what OP4 did for the Marines, could humanize the Overwatch.
I like the idea. What could happen is that you rush into Nova Prospekt, just as freeman gets out. You would've had a cutscene in a dropship, and then fight through the Xen creatures to get to the teleport room, busted in, and attacked. But failed. Then fight back to c17, the combine loose control, and its you along with the rebels.

[Samon]

I like the idea. What could happen is that you rush into Nova Prospekt, just as freeman gets out. You would've had a cutscene in a dropship, and then fight through the Xen creatures to get to the teleport room, busted in, and attacked. But failed. Then fight back to c17, the combine loose control, and its you along with the rebels.

You rush into Nova Prospekt just as Freeman escapes? Great, I like that idea, that way Shepard can be blown sky high by the explosion caused by the portal :bounce:

[riomhaire]

Shepards goal was not to kill Gordon, he never got his orders, his goal was to stop the Race-X invasion

[Op For Guy]

Should Adrian be forgoten?

He should NEVER be forgotten. http://img49.echo.cx/img49/9069/shephard6ob.jpg


SHEPARD ROCKS!! :sniper:

[Exodin]

I think they need to bring him back.

Lack of story or not, he was damn good enough to reach the G-Man. Whatever story pattern they have you follow, his perspective was always cool to think about.

Seeing gordan freeman running into the Xen portal was an awe factor, no matter how small it really was.

[kupocake]

his perspective was always cool to think about.
Emphasis on "was". He worked in Black Mesa, he wouldn't work now.

[Samon]

Emphasis on "was". He worked in Black Mesa, he wouldn't work now.

Words of wisdom and truth.

[Langolier]

Shepards goal was not to kill Gordon, he never got his orders, his goal was to stop the Race-X invasion

Shephard's goal was just to survive by escaping from the facility. At the end of the game it was suggested to him that the stop the thing coming through the portal.

I would like Shephard to be mentioned again somewhere. I don't like leaving him in limbo forever. Shephard's ending implied he'd be brought back just as much as Freeman's did. "Further Evaluation Pending"

He could be a voiced character somewhere, which would work fine. Infact, his personality is more fleshed out than Freeman's... we have Shephard's diary from boot camp.

[kupocake]

Infact, his personality is more fleshed out than Freeman's... we have Shephard's diary from boot camp.
A few lines don't amount to much, especially as the purpose of the diary entries is to give background on how the marines ended up going to BMF, not Shepherd's character. The few nuggets of personality that ooze through just make me want to hit the character anyway: "durr! Adrian want go kill something!". We learned about as much from the welcome letter in the Half-Life manual... ie: nothing really.

[UndeadScottsman]

Emphasis on "was". He worked in Black Mesa, he wouldn't work now.

He was detained by the Gman; ergo whereever the Gman goes is a possible place for Shephard to be put if it suits the Gman's purposes. I'd imagine that if something major happened while Gordon was in that 7 day transport, or while was otherwise occupied or indisposed, yanking Shephard out of statis would be the next best thing.

[Bob_Marley]

I beleve that Shephard could work in the future. If Gordon was unavailible or if Shephard's skills were more appropreate to the situation the G man would probubly make use of him. Although the idea of a speaking charicter could work i dislike it. i beleve that, like the Gman, Shephard is somewhat of a mystery. Unlike the other major half-life chariters we dont know what he looks like. I think he should be used in a way like the Gman, glimpsed in the distance, for instance you see him leading a squad of rebels through a building, just seeing him as he passes a window. Although i would like to see him star in his own game/expansion set i dont think it will happen. just my thoughts on the matter so make of them what you will. One more thing, Bring back Otis!

[r2000]

I beleve that Shephard could work in the future. If Gordon was unavailible or if Shephard's skills were more appropreate to the situation the G man would probubly make use of him. Although the idea of a speaking charicter could work i dislike it. i beleve that, like the Gman, Shephard is somewhat of a mystery. Unlike the other major half-life chariters we dont know what he looks like. I think he should be used in a way like the Gman, glimpsed in the distance, for instance you see him leading a squad of rebels through a building, just seeing him as he passes a window. Although i would like to see him star in his own game/expansion set i dont think it will happen. just my thoughts on the matter so make of them what you will. One more thing, Bring back Otis!
Heh.
Shepard would be suited for when killing everything is needed. Shepard could be brought in to disable combine portals so that they couldn't teleport, or to kill of the Xenogens on earth,.

[WacK]

Cheater!.. :p

[Samon]

I beleve that Shephard could work in the future. If Gordon was unavailible or if Shephard's skills were more appropreate to the situation the G man would probubly make use of him. Although the idea of a speaking charicter could work i dislike it. i beleve that, like the Gman, Shephard is somewhat of a mystery. Unlike the other major half-life chariters we dont know what he looks like. I think he should be used in a way like the Gman, glimpsed in the distance, for instance you see him leading a squad of rebels through a building, just seeing him as he passes a window. Although i would like to see him star in his own game/expansion set i dont think it will happen. just my thoughts on the matter so make of them what you will. One more thing, Bring back Otis!


Rofl at the sig :laugh:

[kupocake]

He was detained by the Gman; ergo whereever the Gman goes is a possible place for Shephard to be put if it suits the Gman's purposes. I'd imagine that if something major happened while Gordon was in that 7 day transport, or while was otherwise occupied or indisposed, yanking Shephard out of statis would be the next best thing.
Yes it works, but it doesn't work half as well as he did in the first place. Ask yourself: do you want Adrian Shepherd - a character who's characterisation is entirely vapourous - back for another game simply for reasons of nostalgia, or would you rather have a REAL opposing force or something equally new or interesting.

We're only allowed so many Expansions, and they should not be wasted on such a pointless character.

[Samon]

Shepard is gone. Live with it.

[shadow6899]

it's only pointless if u think it's pointless, it's all ur opinion. i dont think it would be pointless at all and would make perfect sense to bring him back.

[kupocake]

it's only pointless if u think it's pointless, it's all ur opinion. i dont think it would be pointless at all and would make perfect sense to bring him back.
On what basis is it not pointless, other than the Pro-Shepherd's insistance that the character is "cool"? Other than sheer pointless nostalgia?

That Soldier-boy is rendered somewhat obsolete by the nature of his character isn't a matter of opinion: it's a matter of fact.
1) Adrian Shepherd is the "Opposing Force". That only works if he's a marine sent to kill Gordon Freeman in Black Mesa.
2) Adrian Shepherd retains no character traits between games because he cannot speak and the cast of characters around him are all non-descript.
3) There are a million and one different ideas of what could be put into an expansion pack. Why forfeit these for something we've had before in more than one way (i.e. A reused but obsolete character and reused in exactly the same way as the main series protagonist)?

Besides, like Samon says: he IS gone. Valve are yet to show interest in creating expansions with any character bar Freeman himself. There may well be legal issues with Gearbox. Shepherd was never definately going to return, hence his detainment. That's it.

[Samon]

On what basis is it not pointless, other than the Pro-Shepherd's insistance that the character is "cool"? Other than sheer pointless nostalgia?

That Soldier-boy is rendered somewhat obsolete by the nature of his character isn't a matter of opinion: it's a matter of fact.
1) Adrian Shepherd is the "Opposing Force". That only works if he's a marine sent to kill Gordon Freeman in Black Mesa.
2) Adrian Shepherd retains no character traits between games because he cannot speak and the cast of characters around him are all non-descript.
3) There are a million and one different ideas of what could be put into an expansion pack. Why forfeit these for something we've had before in more than one way (i.e. A reused but obsolete character and reused in exactly the same way as the main series protagonist)?

Besides, like Samon says: he IS gone. Valve are yet to show interest in creating expansions with any character bar Freeman himself. There may well be legal issues with Gearbox. Shepherd was never definately going to return, hence his detainment. That's it.

As so finely put at the end, thats it. That. is. it

I wish people would just leave it to rest and realize he isn't coming back.

[UndeadScottsman]

On what basis is it not pointless, other than the Pro-Shepherd's insistance that the character is "cool"? Other than sheer pointless nostalgia?
On that note; why should we have played as Gordon Freeman? Shouldn't you be complaining about losing the opportunity to play as a totally different character because of the nostalgia for Freeman?

That Soldier-boy is rendered somewhat obsolete by the nature of his character isn't a matter of opinion: it's a matter of fact. :rolleyes:

1) Adrian Shepherd is the "Opposing Force". That only works if he's a marine sent to kill Gordon Freeman in Black Mesa.Like Gordon only works when he's a scientist in the middle of a accident at his job in a secret research facility? The whole point of sequels is to going beyond the original design. A new Shephard game doesn't have to be Opposing Force 2.

2) Adrian Shepherd retains no character traits between games because he cannot speak and the cast of characters around him are all non-descript. Again, See: Freeman.

3) There are a million and one different ideas of what could be put into an expansion pack. Why forfeit these for something we've had before in more than one way (i.e. A reused but obsolete character and reused in exactly the same way as the main series protagonist)? Waste not, want not; People have already invested time and energy into Shephards story; rather than throwing it away, it makes more sense to continue to utilize it. Otherwise, why have Freeman as the main character in Aftermath? Or even why have Freeman as the main character in Half-Life 2?

Besides, like Samon says: he IS gone. Valve are yet to show interest in creating expansions with any character bar Freeman himself. There may well be legal issues with Gearbox. Shepherd was never definately going to return, hence his detainment. That's it.I agree that Valve probably won't make an expansion featuring Shephard. However, I would disagree to anyone who says it can't realisticly be done, that it doesn't make sense, or that there is no reason to make one.

[Samon]

Well at least your not as one dimensional as Shepard fans and actually believe he can do something other than thwart Gordon.

[kupocake]

On that note; why should we have played as Gordon Freeman? Shouldn't you be complaining about losing the opportunity to play as a totally different character because of the nostalgia for Freeman?

YADDA YADDA YADDA - same point repeated x40
Someone needs to read the rest of the thread? This arguement is going round in circles: as my rebutal, please look back 2 pages. Or hell, i'm feeling nice: let's quote.
As a matter of fact, Yes, or at least before HL2.

Freeman is slightly better off in that Half-Life 1 is a longer game. He is now about 4 times as fleshed out as Shepherd due to Half-Life 2, but it didn't really matter if Valve brought back Freeman for HL2 at all: HL2 could easily have been a new adventure about someone else getting recruited by the G-Man.

Now, i'm not so sure: 2 games, an expansion pack and an emerging cast of consistant characters to ground the character in some kind of continuity mean that Freeman is becoming more of a fully realised character. Shepherd was "the poor man's Gordon Freeman" to begin with: he was just 'there' and the ending never implied that he'd be back. Freeman meanwhile kicked off the whole series by pushing a cart into a whirly beam of death, he completed supposedly important objectives, got himself a reputation among Allies, Marines and even the Aliens and then he was given a job which implied he would return. Not the best fleshed out character in existance, but still far better than Shepherd.

Important to the fact that Shepherd probably won't return - and I don't want him - is that he has no place. His purpose was to offer us the alternative view to the main thrust of the game, the "Opposing Force". If we want just another expansion where we run around Freeman style, we have Freeman. As a Marine, Shepherd no longer has any function in a combine controlled world, save for being a Freeman clone. Boring. Yes, conceivably someone could write a story where he becomes a combine, but why crowbar an old, pointless character into the role when you can use a new one?

Shepherd = Defunct.
Besides, this matters not. Your arguement hinges on the fact that "well, they did it with Freeman, so they have to keep to their standards and do it with Shepherd". Sadly, unless you are the Daily Mail, arguements like that are about as valid as a Credit Card that i've drawn on the back of a beer mat. When another kid pushes you, and you push them back but you get in trouble, ever noticed that it doesn't matter for crap who did it first?
Waste not, want not; People have already invested time and energy into Shephards story; rather than throwing it away, it makes more sense to continue to utilize it. Otherwise, why have Freeman as the main character in Aftermath?
Adrian Shepherd: This is Your Life
Born... no-one knows and for a no-one knows reason, you ended up at a boot camp where you did some training and were hired by the G-Man. Your Osprey was shot down over New Mexico by an Alien craft and you were dragged... somewhere and revived by Scientests. You then walked around the Facility fighting aliens with various aquired weapons, crawling through vents and such, only to be left behind. Then you hooked up with squad members, crawled through more vents, shot more stuff, struggled with that shitty rope climbing they added in and eventually found yourself against a big green beast that you had to shoot in the fadge. The G-Man thanked you and kept you in a void for the rest of eternity, only to be revived for poor fan-fics and mods with terrible storylines. Only, as you can't speak, we can't see you and there were no distinguishable characters to report about your escapades you development counts for nothing.

Sorry, back to your own words. "People have already invested time and energy into Shephards story". Resisting the temptation to laugh in your face, do you not honestly think that Shepherd's development took more than an hour to make up? By the sheer humbling bullcrappery of your claim, I have images of the Gearbox team sweating for 89 long hours over a single side of A6 paper, gurning over the character history for Shepherd, writing a sentence every 14th consecutive trip to the company water cooler. In reality, Valve could make a new character with a better back story up in less than an hour. A 5 year old child could create a more complex character.
However, I would disagree to anyone who says it can't realisticly be done, that it doesn't make sense, or that there is no reason to make one.
So does everyone else who is proudly "pro-shepherd". Shame none of you are able to come up with a concrete idea, or at least a concrete idea that would get you a graded essay at 8 Years old. Whereas I've actually got concrete facts on my side that people dismiss by taking up issues that have no relevance.

[UndeadScottsman]

YADDA YADDA YADDA - same point repeated x40Not my fault that x40 of your arguments were “We shouldn’t have Shephard for reasons that apply to Freeman as well”

Someone needs to read the rest of the thread? This arguement is going round in circles: as my rebutal, please look back 2 pages. Or hell, i'm feeling nice: let's quote. Shephard and Freeman started off roughly at the same level (Game length non-withstanding, they both had about the same amount of “story,” which is to say a few lines of text at the beginning of the game) Through additional content Gordon has gotten more involvement from the player; however if we went by the train of logic in this thread, we would have dumped him the moment HL1 was finished, simply because he’s been done before. Ergo, we would never have gotten a character that the player was involved as much as our current Gordon and we would be in a continuous loop of characters with one game shots, who are made and then dumped. Personally I wouldn't want an entire series of one-shot characters personally, but that's just my opinion. Your milage may vary.

Anyho, thanks to Half-Life 2, Gordon got fleshed out more (Or at least as much as a character without.. err.. character can be fleshed out) and his role was significantly changed. Are you under the impression that a new game with Shephard couldn’t produce similar results?

And again; just because Shephard was the Opposing Force in his first game does not mean it’s required for him to be that in a theoretical next game… but apparently you missed that comment the first time around. His character can easily evolve to that of the underdog; the unfavored son, as it were. The guy who gets the jobs they can’t or won’t expend Freeman on. (Indeed, that would make for an even better plot than Half-Life 2, IMO) However, if you are still keen on sticking to the Opposing Force formulae, I can easily come up with several scenerios for how and why Shephard could become a Transhuman soldier.

Besides, this matters not. Your arguement hinges on the fact that "well, they did it with Freeman, so they have to keep to their standards and do it with Shepherd". Sadly, unless you are the Daily Mail, arguements like that are about as valid as a Credit Card that i've drawn on the back of a beer mat. When another kid pushes you, and you push them back but you get in trouble, ever noticed that it doesn't matter for crap who did it first? Actually it’s more akin to taking a guy at a burger flipping joint and sending him to college to make something of himself. If it worked once, why not doing it again? The alternatives are to find a Hobo and get him a job at a burger joint or take the college kid and have him stay for an extra four years and get a PHD. All are viable options and I wouldn’t mind seeing any of them.

Sorry, back to your own words. "People have already invested time and energy into Shephards story". Resisting the temptation to laugh in your face, do you not honestly think that Shepherd's development took more than an hour to make up? I wasn’t talking about the creation of the game; I was talking about people playing the game, investing time in completing it and then wondering what happens next. Like I said, people have already invested time and energy in playing Opposing Force; rather than start anew with a different, unknown character, they could just continue Shepherd’s story as people are already familiar with him and many are curious as to what his eventual fate will be.

By the sheer humbling bullcrappery of your claim, I have images of the Gearbox team sweating for 89 long hours over a single side of A6 paper, gurning over the character history for Shepherd, writing a sentence every 14th consecutive trip to the company water cooler. What you think is your own business, but I didn’t say a damn thing about Gearbox. :)

Heh, bullcrappery.

In reality, Valve could make a new character with a better back story up in less than an hour. A 5 year old child could create a more complex character. However the five year-old’s character wasn’t star of the critically acclaimed Half-Life expansion, now was he? :)

So does everyone else who is proudly "pro-shepherd". Shame none of you are able to come up with a concrete idea, or at least a concrete idea that would get you a graded essay at 8 Years old. Bullocks, I’ve even given an example in this thread (Gordon would have been unable to deal with anything during the week-long teleport; nor can Gordon be in two places at once, which means there are plenty of opportunitys for major events to happen that the Gman could pull Shephard out of statis for; there could even be a subplot related to this being Shephards last chance to prove himself or else face detainment for another undetermined stretch of time.) Not my fault you think it wouldn’t work half as well as Opposing Force. IMO, it fits the situation perfectly.

Whereas I've actually got concrete facts on my side that people dismiss by taking up issues that have no relevance. Actually, you are using your opinions about facts to further your arguments. You say Shephard has little backstory (which is a fact, as it’s a staple of the Half-Life series), and it is your opinion that this is reason enough for an add-on of Shephard never to be made; an opinion I disagree with.

Gordon was given a second game which expanded his mythos and made him a stronger character, (Again, as strong as a character with no personality can be,) Giving Shephard another game would produce similar results, which means his lack of extensive backstory is irrelevant. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Is it the only option Valve has at their disposal? No, but it IS a viable option. Valve will do what they think will make the best game, and while I’d like to see Shephard again, I’ll be happy with whatever they decide to make, be it Freeman, Shephard or a new character. As I said before, more Half-Life is always good. :)

[kupocake]

Not my fault that x40 of your arguments were “We shouldn’t have Shephard for reasons that apply to Freeman as well”
Whatever. I'll take your inability to argue against my point as one point to me then ^^. "What applies to Freeman must also apply to Shepherd" is your flawed logic. Don't forget that.
however if we went by the train of logic in this thread, we would have dumped him the moment HL1 was finished, simply because he’s been done before.
That is not the "logic of this thread". Freeman is outside the "logic" because he is the Main series character. Shepherd is an expansion character.
Anyho, thanks to Half-Life 2, Gordon got fleshed out more (Or at least as much as a character without.. err.. character can be fleshed out) and his role was significantly changed. Are you under the impression that a new game with Shephard couldn’t produce similar results?
No. Shepherd can be fleshed out as much as they want, but why bother? He's just an expansion character. Again you're argueing that "What applies to Freeman must also apply to Shepherd". Not valid.
However, if you are still keen on sticking to the Opposing Force formulae, I can easily come up with several scenerios for how and why Shephard could become a Transhuman soldier.
Please do. The ones i've seen so far are always worth a good giggle.
Actually it’s more akin to taking a guy at a burger flipping joint and sending him to college to make something of himself. If it worked once, why not doing it again? The alternatives are to find a Hobo and get him a job at a burger joint or take the college kid and have him stay for an extra four years and get a PHD. All are viable options and I wouldn’t mind seeing any of them.
... what? That's a lovely analogy there, but how is Cpl Vapourous in anyway the "College kid" here?
I wasn’t talking about the creation of the game; I was talking about people playing the game, investing time in completing it and then wondering what happens next. Like I said, people have already invested time and energy in playing Opposing Force; rather than start anew with a different, unknown character, they could just continue Shepherd’s story as people are already familiar with him and many are curious as to what his eventual fate will be.
And what of the people who didn't play Opposing Force who don't have that experience? And how can you give gamers such high airs and graces? They put time and effort into playing, they deseve closure! Well boo-hoo. They actually had closure unlike with Freeman - Shepherd was detained by the G-Man. Freeman was "awaiting asignment".
However the five year-old’s character wasn’t star of the critically acclaimed Half-Life expansion, now was he?
Shepherd could have been written by a paralytic monkey for all we know or care. Just because something is successful doesn't automatically make it good.
Bullocks, I’ve even given an example in this thread (Gordon would have been unable to deal with anything during the week-long teleport; nor can Gordon be in two places at once, which means there are plenty of opportunitys for major events to happen that the Gman could pull Shephard out of statis for.)
How is this a reason for bringing Shepherd back at all? "There's a week in which we're not sure what happened, therefore Shepherd should get an expansion in that week". It doesn't follow. I'll be the first to admit it's a good scenario for an expansion, but NOTHING says that it should be Shepherd's expansion over any other expansion.
Actually, you are using your opinions about facts to further your arguments. You say Shephard has little backstory (which is a fact, as it’s a staple of the Half-Life series), and it is your opinion that this is reason enough for an add-on of Shephard never to be made; an opinion I disagree with..
You're conveniently skipping a step in my reasoning though. Shepherd has little backstory (FACT). The little backstory he has makes him only immediatly suited to being the character he was in Opposing Force (argue all you like, but you need reasons why this isn't itself a fact). This makes him harder to put into an expansion than an entirely new character, so therefore Shepherd should be abandoned in favour of something new and refreshing.

[Samon]

Shepard you moron look what you've done. I just want him to die already.

Why Shepard again? What IS the point? The only reason he is liked is because of his military outfit. I mean you know, wup de friggin do. He is a useless, pointless character who could be replaced and WILL be replaced with a more suitable for the story and better thought out character in coming expansions.

If you want Shepard, go play Opposing force again.

[Angry Lawyer]

And I don't give a damn whether he comes back either way. He was pretty much a blank slate with no personality, players just projected themselves onto him to produce his background. Valve aren't going to bring him back, I'll wager money that they won't. People are just going to have to settle with the dozens of unofficial Opposing Force sequels that are in the works by various mod teams.

-Angry Lawyer

[Langolier]

You people... christ, what crawled up your you-know-what?

No reason to bring Shephard back?

There's no reason not to bring him back either. There are plenty of scenarios Valve could use.

Freeman was hired by G-man...

Shephard was "Further Evaluation Pending", to me that indicates that just maybe he'll have a use somewhere. A chance to prove himself.

I have not seen even one pro-Shephard person on this site that is even hafl as annoying as the lot of you Anti-Shephards. What happened to make you so opposed to this character?

People played Opposing Force...

For whatever reason, they sympathized with the guy they were controlling, similar to the way they did with Freeman.

He had an unclimatic and open-ended fate. So all they ask is that at some point, in some way, Valve give some closure about him.

You have no argument, Kuppoartist, except to say that anyone who disagrees with you doesn't either.

[hellboy900]

I would like to see him come back.

[kupocake]

You have no argument, Kuppoartist, except to say that anyone who disagrees with you doesn't either.
I'm willing to bet you never even read my arguement anyway. You're blinded by your irrational love for a character that has no purpose. You'd bring him back for no reason.

But frankly, I think everyone was hoping this little arguement was dead and buried anyway. Neither side listens to each other regardless of the validity of their points. Why did you bring it up again, to say "All anti-shepherds are farty heads"? Where is YOUR arguement? You criticise mine yet you fail to even adknowledge that a logical arguement is there!

Bottom line: Shepherd isn't coming back anyway. Go and wait for the fan attempts to bring him back. One day, someone will release one that isn't completely ridiculous.

And besides, when did I become Anti-Shepherd? I liked Opposing Force, I just hate the idea of Valve wasting the few chances we'll get for an expansion on a character that just doesn't fit as well as some other far better ideas that have been floating around.

[jonesey2k]

Oh no! I thought the question was should Adrian be forgotten and I didn't look on the poll. I meant to vote for yes.
same :(

[RandomX]

Maybe "Further Evaluation Pending" was put in Shepard's end because Valve wasn't sure if they'd use him again or not. I doubt that they will, even though I did like Opposing Force because it was Half-Life from the perspective of the grunts instead of Gordon. There aren't any real grunts like that in City 17, there's combine soldiers. Adrian was put in space, and he gonna die because there's no air. No food or water for him, either.

[G-Dub]

Maybe "Further Evaluation Pending" was put in Shepard's end because Valve wasn't sure if they'd use him again or not. I doubt that they will, even though I did like Opposing Force because it was Half-Life from the perspective of the grunts instead of Gordon. There aren't any real grunts like that in City 17, there's combine soldiers. Adrian was put in space, and he gonna die because there's no air. No food or water for him, either.

Space? Try stasis.

[kupocake]

Maybe "Further Evaluation Pending" was put in Shepard's end because Valve wasn't sure if they'd use him again or not.
Or rather because Gearbox weren't sure whether Valve would use him or not, much like we're debating now whether Valve want to at all. Anyway you're right; they kept the ending ambiguous so that he could return, but if he didn't it was explained (he fails evaluation and spends all the time necessary locked in the G-Man's personal void).

I would actually welcome Shepherd's return on one condition: Gearbox do said expansion. That way, the people who are most likely to let him return, who care most about the character do their best to do it justice and Valve's time isn't wasted on something new. Sadly, Gearbox seem engrossed in their own projects and the days of Gearbox / Valve cooperation are over. So I say no Shepherd... unless the setting of Half-Life 3 turns out to be suitable to recieve him...

[Laivasse]

I would actually welcome Shepherd's return on one condition: Gearbox do said expansion.

On no, please....! That's the worst suggestion so far! Please, please, someone keep HL2's ace plot away from cackhanded Gearbox. I'm sure it would play well, but I for one don't feel like fighting a poorly developed Race Y, or some dodgy looking Uber-Combine who've been chucked in to fill out the playing time...

Gordon in Aftermath notwithstanding, you can probably count on Valve to be sensible when it comes to the plot of their own games. Which involves leaving Adrian tied up naked in the ditch G-Man left him in. Oh btw, all pro-Shepards are farty heads :p

[D-MAN]

hu is adrian?

[D-MAN]

its ok i rememba
no he should no tget his own game what a stupid idea

[French Ninja]

Oh btw, all pro-Shepards are farty heads
Blasphemy!
The constant bickering in the Combine on Xen discussion has turned your brain into mush. You cannot comprehend the awesomeness of Shephard. :p

[Black Mesa corp]

Adrian had no proper role in HL2. I don't see him having any proper intentions in the future games of HL. Althoough, unless Valve decide otherwise. But my point is that Adrian should not have had such a massive 'wow' by the fans of HL. He had no special line in the game unlike Alyx and even DOG!

(I hope that makes sense :afro: )

[riomhaire]

For all we know Adrian was the guy saying "now, put it in the trash-can"

[Black Mesa corp]

Originaly posted by ríomhaire
For all we know Adrian was the guy saying "now, put it in the trash-can"

I don't understand. Explain please :rolleyes:

[Bob_Marley]

bring shepard back as an NPC, let him get greased and then we can all stop saying that nobody has an argument either to bring him back or not and we can concerntrate on other stuff that makes more sence than bringing back a US marine into a world where the US doesnt exisit anymore, all his buddys are (probubly) either dead or part of the combine and there fore no one would whish to help him (any survivors of the BMI would probubly be scared to death by one of the marines sent into silence the facility (yes, i know that Shepard never got his orders, but then again none of the scientists survived as far as anyone knows) returning however many years later HL2 is set after HL. I say this because although I would like to see shepard return with his own game I dont think that it will ever happen. At best I would expect him to turn up as an NPC who gets killed doing somthing very important to help the cause, etc so we know that he's dead (he's defeintly dead!) and is never coming back so that all the speculation about his return can be put to rest. Otis on the other hand, well, theres always room to put Otis in...

[Langolier]

Or rather because Gearbox weren't sure whether Valve would use him or not, much like we're debating now whether Valve want to at all. Anyway you're right; they kept the ending ambiguous so that he could return, but if he didn't it was explained (he fails evaluation and spends all the time necessary locked in the G-Man's personal void).

I would actually welcome Shepherd's return on one condition: Gearbox do said expansion. That way, the people who are most likely to let him return, who care most about the character do their best to do it justice and Valve's time isn't wasted on something new. Sadly, Gearbox seem engrossed in their own projects and the days of Gearbox / Valve cooperation are over. So I say no Shepherd... unless the setting of Half-Life 3 turns out to be suitable to recieve him...

I agree with this 100%...

In your other posts, you seem to have been saying there was no way he could be brought back.

I never wanted him brought back for no reason...

I'm saying that I'd like closure to his fate, and that I don't think it'd be hard to Valve to come up with a plot that calls for his appearance. Which would then resolve it.

I mean... come on... was there any reason for Barney to be in HL2? Or Kliener? Or Vance? They could have been replaced with anybody, somebody who had nothing to do with HL1, and they'd have still worked as characters.

So I say, why not do the same with Shephard, somehow? Just some neat little expansion with Shephard being dropped into some place to something... blow up that "Weather Machine" in Raising the Bar that was polluting the atmosphere and destory it as a final test to see if he is indeed worthy.

If Valve thinks it will make them money, they'll do it. Then again most mainstream gamers probably haven't even played Opposing Force and will only be HL fans because of Counter Strike and HL2... so they wouldn't even care, and in the end, the majority rules.

Even Valve isn't immune to marketing... Alyx is a perfect example. She's far too much of a 'mainstream' character in my opinion... and she ruins the game. That's something for another thread though.

[Geogriffith]

Is Freeman really supposed to be a one-man army, for whatever the G-man's nefarious purpose is? Or is he supposed to be part of a widespread army of the elite of every species fighting the Combine?

Sure, he can do a lot of damage, but the Combine can attack more than one planet at a time, making him rather... outnumbered. When you can only liberate one planet for every six your enemy conquers, you can't win.

I mean, unless the G-man was to time warp him so'd he'd be in multiple places at the same time. Or something weird like that. Still, he's got to get older sooner or later, right? A few days escaping Black Mesa, a few days fighting the Combine on Earth, he's got to be a least two weeks older by now. So by HL423, he'll be kicking ass in a wheelchair.

[special-ed]

Ok guys.. now let us look at "THEIR" point of view:

Gordon: ...................................

Shephard: ................................

[happyhappy]

hmmm subliminal messaging! It seems you have put more dots for gordon! tricky you are.

[UndeadScottsman]

Well, Gordon DID have a longer game :D

[Samon]

*Stamps on thread in an angry tantrum* :angry:

[jimmyjam]

your bump will make it go away samon!

[Asuka]

No

They can expand his story very nicely.

The Half-Life story has a insane potential of branching off into multiple complex storys. Valve has started to expand these futher and extend others.

[Dag]

If Adrian is brought back, chances are we'll see alot of new aliens, kind of like the first time around. And you can never have enough aliens.

[Spike]

I just joined the forums because i wanted to say Opposing Force was by far the best game out of HL generation and it really tied in with the other stories, BRING HIM BACK. (Maybe he could be working as a combine because G-Man wanted to test him against Gordon).

BUT PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ PLZ do it. Did EA buy HL2?
]

[Spike]

IN reply to the otis guy, OTIS rules, he has a wicked gun and he likes candy "mmm...candy".

[Dag]

Read 234. I brought Otis (And Rosenburg) back. :)

[riomhaire]

I just joined the forums because i wanted to say Opposing Force was by far the best game out of HL generation and it really tied in with the other stories
And shamelessly raped it while it was at it.