Gordon Freeman Reviews

First appeared in: Half-Life (1998)

Ginger hair, thick-rimmed glasses, a tidy goatee and a Ph.D. degree in Theoretical Physics - Gordon Freeman was never your average gun-totting FPS hero. However, after only two Half-Life games (and a couple of expanded episodes), Freeman has become a gaming icon, synonymous with the apotheosis of first-person action.

The character is the quintessential geek fantasy: a first class, card-carrying uber nerd who's thrust into the breach and forced to fend off an inter-dimensional invasion as well as squads of well-armed government goons - not something the average MIT graduate expects on his first day at work. He's a far cry from the muscular machismo and implausibly proportioned heroes who traditionally make up the genre; in Freeman Valve managed to create one of the most unlikely heroes in gaming, while simultaneously one of the most believable. Original designs - which, fans have dubbed 'Ivan the Space Biker' - had Gordon sporting a full beard and pony tail, but his eventual look came from the various faces of Valve employees, giving him the authentic geek chic we've come to know and love.

It would be a disservice to Freeman's laconic charm to say he's void of personality due to never uttering a word - or being directly seen, save for the box art and glimpses in sister titles Opposing Force and Blue Shift. In keeping Freeman mute and unseen, Valve cannily laid the groundwork for a character that players can fully embody, enabling each would-be Freeman to shape Gordon's persona themselves.

There's a bit of Gordon in all of us, you see: noble, mischievous, intelligent and, beneath it all, a kick-ass action hero bubbling beneath the surface. Given a dozen third-person cutscenes and lines of snappy dialogue, Gordon Freeman may not be half the icon he is today. As it stands, he effortlessly sets the benchmark for aming protagonists and accomplishes it all in complete silence, with a crowbar in hand.