Poll: Would you like it if Gordon Freeman talked in future Half-Lifes?

[Olas]

Okay, just for starters, don't bother posting if you're only here to express your opinion of Half-Life, or lack thereof. I think we've had enough of those threads. This thread is for those who are interested in the series to talk about Gordon Freeman.


Okay, so for some reason there have been several threads and discussions about Half Life and Gordon Freeman lately, and I've noticed quite a few escapist's express the opinion that they'd like it if Gordon started talking in future Half Life games. So out of curiosity I thought I'd start a poll to see just how popular this opinion is. And of course I encourage you to explain your choice.



Personally I like silent protagonists, and I like Gordon Freeman as he is. I don't think him talking would make the games better as I generally prefer characters I control to be blank slates.

 

[madwarper]

...

I don't really care whether Freeman talks or not. But, I think the better indicator of his character is how the NPC's around him respond to his actions, than if he we to be given a speaking role.

However, if they were to give Freeman a voice and personality, they had better get Hugh Laurie to voice him as House.

Spoiler

 

[Grach]

As long as Valve doesn't go all Other M on Freeman then I wouldn't mind.

 

[Darks63]

I'd prefer he remain a silent protagonist myself. It works for the games as it almost makes him an player insert character for you to live the strange world through his eyes.

As long as Valve doesn't go all Other M on Freeman then I wouldn't mind.

There also that valve could go and do something like this.

Also its like one of those things that some people have been wanting for so long for that when they get it the experience will not be able to live up to expectations people have built.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Sure, he's basically already got his dialogue planned out, it wouldn't hurt at all to just voice it and get it over with.

 

[FalloutJack]

Well, tell me something. Is asking for the Freeman's Mind guy out of line?

 

[skywolfblue]

As I said in the other thread, I'd love it if Freeman were voiced.

Maybe not even fully voiced, but able to respond with a yes or a no or at least a grunt, a nod or a shrug like Link does, instead of standing there like a mute statue while other characters in the game are trying to talk to him.

But I imagine I'm in the minority, and Valve will keep him silent in HL3.

 

[Resetti's_Replicas]

As I said in the other thread, I'd love it if Freeman were voiced.

Maybe not even fully voiced, but able to respond with a yes or a no or at least a grunt, a nod or a shrug like Link does, instead of standing there like a mute statue while other characters in the game are trying to talk to him.

But I imagine I'm in the minority, and Valve will keep him silent in HL3.

I guess you could say you're the vocal minority

I'm certainly open to it, if they handle it correctly. Maybe they spent the last 8 years finding the perfect voice actor

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Nah, keep him silent. Indeed I thought the in-game reason he didn't talk was some kind of throat injury he sustained in HL1.

 

[Echo136]

Dead Space has shown me that some protagonists stay silent for a reason. I can sorta forgive Dead Space 2 but not 3.

 

[Alexander Kirby]

I didn't mind at all when Booker Dewitt talked in Infinite, but the problem is that since Gordon has been silent up until now, however he speaks would never have been how I imagined it and this would probably distract me, at least for a while (I may get used to it).

It's like when you read a book and you imagine a character to be a certain way, then watching the movie it can distract you if they're too different to how you imagined.

 

[Hagi]

I actually think it'd be an improvement if they kept it very minor.

No lines about his inner struggles or his fragile feelings. Just a stoic voice going "Yes", "Got it" or "Right" in response to other characters. Just to show there's some connection between the world and Freeman, he seems kinda floaty right now without any response.

Hell, since it's minor like that just make it a toggle in the options.

 

[SpAc3man]

No never. The Freeman is the player. Not a predetermined personality. Any dialogue, no matter how little, will ruin the character. Anyone who thinks Freeman dialogue would be an improvement is an idiot that doesn't understand the Half-Life series and needs to seriously reconsider how they look at the series in terms of story-telling genius.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Ya only if the dialog was amazing for him, but the chances of that are slim so preferably just don't go there, or just innovate and have a "protagonist STFU" which is something that would greatly improve many games.

Dead Space is actually a good example of how horrid things can go, Isac was always written very poorly but because he had no more then 5 lines that was easily ignorable, then they give him the center stage... and dear fucking christ, that amount of stupid could kill a baby seal plus the "gruf marine" character they could wipe out whole colonies.

 

[Nazulu]

Freeman doesn't need to talk. I mean that, he really doesn't need to talk. The series already has a shit load of fans dying to see the next game so they like it the way it is, me included. If they want to make a game based around the main characters talking then they should start up a new franchise.

 

[Abomination]

I would prefer it if he talked due to the linear nature of the game. It seems somewhat strange to not have him voiced but everyone else is... not to mention all the situations where people ask him questions and he just stands there not saying anything.

Corvo from Dishonoured REALLY should have been voiced and the lack of it was a sore point for the game.

I guess you would need to establish WHO would voice Gordon.

 

[Casual Shinji]

No.

Gordon's non-vocalness is just kind of a thing now, and even part of the joke many times. And if there's one thing that I find disjointing, it's FPS protagonists with a voice - There's no facial or physical expression for me to tie the voice to, it just floats in midair.

Gordon Freeman is just a suit himself, and the gamer is more than able to give him their own voice.

And it'd also be somewhat odd for Valve to have to come up with an explaination as to why he suddenly started talking.

 

[Mullac]

I'd like it if at the very end of the half life series Gordon said, in an extremely croaky, high, teenage voice, 'no problem guys!', and everyone looked around disgusted.

 

[BanicRhys]

Only if he talks like Steven Hawking.

As I said in the other thread, I'd love it if Freeman were voiced.

Maybe not even fully voiced, but able to respond with a yes or a no or at least a grunt, a nod or a shrug like Link does

What are you talking about? Freeman already does that.

One torch flash for yes.
Two torch flashes for no.

 

[VonKlaw]

Like some other people have said, I'd like him to talk under two possible circumstances:

a) He literally just gives one / two word answers to everything, and only when he literally HAS to answer.

b) He's voiced by the guy that narrated Bastion, purely because I would laugh so hard at how out of place it would be.