AverageJoe said:
This post has some excellent points, even though I enjoyed the ending on a personal level its hard to argue with this kind of logic. But as usual on The Escapist the one valid post that isn't just opinions will get lost in the sea of... posts like mine.
It won't be lost on me. In fact, I'm going to respond to it and offer some counter-points:
Zeh Don said:
Extremely valid points. Ones I would whole-heartedly agree with it if weren't for two things.
First, the fact that the basis of the entire series story is built solely around what the player (Gordon) sees; directly. And second, the existence of the G-man.
No aspect of the tale is revealed to the player unless he/she is directly involved in that specific event as it occurs, he/she has it explained to them by another character, or he/she works out part of the tale from clues left in the environment or hidden in the ancillary dialog.
At the same time, it is slowly revealed to the player that he/she isn't actually in control. Everything they do, everything they see, everywhere they go is controlled, either directly or vicariously, by 'another hand'. This leads to a sense of exclusion. As if you're only allowed to know what 'they' want you to know; and 'they' is either the G-man or whom ever it is he works for. (which lends itself to even more questions like, "Is the G-man also being controlled?)
With this in mind, Half-Life is a tale of a man who, in the eyes of those around him, is essentially a Jesus-like character. A messiah to the masses. A savior. When, in fact, he is a slave. He is a tool. He only does what he is told and only experiences what he is 'allowed' to experience.
Taken in this context, the ending is both poignant and appropriate. You (gordon), your task complete, are plucked from your reality and placed back in your 'cage'. Your 'owners' never bothering to explain what happened, as they have no need to do so. You were simply removed; cut off from the rest of the world. In fact, if you think about it, the G-man only really bothers to say the few things he does afterward because he may feel some sense of obligation. As if he should say
something simply to congratulate the player for doing the task so well.
It's at that point, at least for me, that the ending made the most sense. The abrupt ending and unanswered questions fit so well into the overall theme of the story that I honestly can't see how they could have ended it any other way. That is, any other way that would stand up to scrutiny. It demonstrates just how little control you had in the first place. It also makes the ending even more depressing.
That's partly why I still view the ending as not only one of my favorites but one of the best endings in video game history. (probably not
the best, but among the upper echelons certainly)
