Half-Life 2

Lore & Background

Gordon Freeman, a former employee of the Black Mesa Research Facility, is thrust back into action when the Combine, a multidimensional empire, has conquered Earth. The Combine have established a police state under the administration of Dr. Wallace Breen, Gordon's former administrator at Black Mesa. The human population is suppressed by the Combine's Civil Protection forces and the mysterious Advisors, while the environment is drained of resources.

The Resistance, led by Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx, fights back against the Combine. Gordon, now a legendary figure after the Black Mesa Incident, becomes a symbol of hope. He is aided by allies such as Barney Calhoun, a former Black Mesa security guard now working undercover in Civil Protection, and Dog, Alyx's robotic companion. The game's story unfolds across City 17, the canals, Ravenholm, and the Combine's citadel, culminating in a desperate assault to disrupt the Combine's control.

In Their Own Story

The air in City 17 is thick with the acrid smell of burning refuse and the hum of Combine synths. Gordon Freeman steps off a train, a stranger in his own world. A Civil Protection officer, his voice distorted by a helmet, barks orders at the newly arrived. Gordon's crowbar, a familiar weight, is confiscated. But a familiar face—Barney—slips him a message: 'Go to the lab.' The journey begins through the grimy, oppressive streets, past the towering citadel that pierces the sky like a dark needle. The world has changed, but Gordon's purpose remains: to fight back.

Reader's Guide

Gordon Freeman is awakened from stasis by the G-Man, who places him on a train to City 17. Upon arrival, he is rescued by Barney Calhoun and taken to the lab of Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner. After a teleportation mishap, Gordon is separated from Alyx and must navigate the city's canals, fighting Combine forces and avoiding headcrab zombies.

Gordon travels to the town of Ravenholm, a zombie-infested settlement, before reaching the Resistance base at Black Mesa East. There, he learns of Eli's research but is forced to flee when the Combine attacks. He reunites with Alyx and Dog, and they travel through the wasteland in a buggy, eventually reaching the Resistance's base at New Little Odessa.

Gordon and Alyx infiltrate Nova Prospekt, a Combine prison, to rescue Eli. After a harrowing escape, they are captured by the G-Man, who teleports them back to City 17. Gordon leads a massive Resistance assault on the Combine citadel, disabling its dark energy reactor. The game ends with the G-Man placing Gordon back into stasis, leaving his fate uncertain.

Did You Know?

• The game's Source engine was used to create the physics-based puzzles and realistic environmental interactions, letting you stack cinder blocks to reach a ledge or launch a radiator at a headcrab with a gravity gun.
• The character of Dr. Breen is voiced by Robert Culp, who also provided the voice for the G-Man's mysterious employer in the original Half-Life, making the two games' voice casts a small, eerie family.
• The game's iconic crowbar is a direct reference to the original Half-Life, where it was Gordon's first weapon—a humble tool that became a legend.
• The game was originally leaked in 2003, leading to a delay and a lawsuit against the leaker, but the final release still managed to feel like a revolution.