Half-Life's Dark and Mysterious Lost Borderworld | Xen | Full Half-Life Lore

Ойындар

Xen is one of the many mysterious locations within the vast multiverse of Half-Life that holds many secrets. With humanity discovering it during the 20th century, they had unknowingly begun a war with The Nihilanth, and later, would be introduced to the Combine Empire.
Just how important is Xen to the future of humanity? What benefits do the G-Man and his employers see in the borderworld and how does the story of Xen end? I explored the lore behind Xen in the Half-Life universe.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:14 Background and Formation of Xen
03:38 The Habitation of Xen
11:58 The New Power Hierarchy of Xen
14:45 Humanity's Discovery of Xen
17:39 The Fight for Planet Earth
22:07 Legacy
24:32 Closing Thoughts
28:02 Ending
Join the Discord Server!
/ discord
BECOME A PATRON!
/ theskyrionn
Twitter
/ skyrionn
Instagram
/ skyrionn
Fable Lore Playlist: • What Became of Albion'...
Half-Life Lore Playlist: • The Borealis | Half-Li...
Fable 4 Updates: • Fable IV: Thoughts and...
Sims Stories: • 10 Times Funny Sims Pl...
Interesting Facts: • Fable 1: Interesting F...
Standard Sources
Half-Life series playthrough research
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
Half-Life: Alyx Playthrough
Portal/ Half-Life Fandom
Old Valve Forums
Marc Laidlaw's Twitter
AUDIO USED
Half-Life 2 OST: Lab Practicum
#Xen #Lore #HalfLife

Пікірлер: 367

  • @Skyrionn
    @Skyrionn2 жыл бұрын

    Did you find the hidden G-Man? I've used Black Mesa to show Valve's Canon! If this is preferred, I'll continue to use it in the future. If you enjoyed this, be sure to interact in anyway to appease those algorithm gods ☺

  • @turaychu

    @turaychu

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yess please use the black mesa xen

  • @themetapod

    @themetapod

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes

  • @williamedmundson6626

    @williamedmundson6626

    2 жыл бұрын

    yep

  • @standardzombie3454

    @standardzombie3454

    2 жыл бұрын

    In my personal opinion, I believe it's best to use Black Mesa as Valve's canon except for Xen. Sadly, HL1/HLA shows Xen as a gross, green Alien borderworld while Black Mesa reimagies the Xen chapter as a beautiful forest borderworld.

  • @TheEnd5632

    @TheEnd5632

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@standardzombie3454 Exactly. While the original Xen is like a true ALIEN world, where nothing seems to make much sense and feels unsettling, Black Mesa made it seem like something that came out of the movie Avatar and feels more welcoming

  • @mattcy6591
    @mattcy65912 жыл бұрын

    In G-man's speech at the end of HLA, it really gives the vibe that since he took over Xen it unlocked the abilities of space and time. And you can see him exploring different timelines as his body splits up and goes different directions. When Alyx asks to have the combine off earth it's as if G-Man splits off to view that scenario directly and simultaneously reject that scenario as he's already seen it. It's wild.

  • @fries3187

    @fries3187

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yep he has seen many outcomes

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think you're correct

  • @ElNinoLego

    @ElNinoLego

    2 жыл бұрын

    @ThyPeasantSlayer ye

  • @danrothman6129

    @danrothman6129

    2 жыл бұрын

    No that's not right. 1. Gman was already teleporting around Black Mesa as he watching Freeman out of interest. 2. Gman split into different ways as he was making the point that fate is actually flexible contrary to the belief that it wasn't. When Alyx asked Gman to get the combine off the earth, Gman split as he walks off while his initial image explained that it wasn't the interest of his employers. So Gman had Alyx use up whats left of the vortesant energy against an advisor and has her put into holding.

  • @sombernights

    @sombernights

    Жыл бұрын

    Sounds a bit like Dr. Strange on steroids

  • @zefnoly9147
    @zefnoly91472 жыл бұрын

    Also of note. Valve themselves hates how they did Xen in the original game. So I personally see no problem in using the fan remake over the original. They spent years making an up to date looking Xen so it's well deserved by the crowbar collective.

  • @punishedblowstein1111

    @punishedblowstein1111

    2 жыл бұрын

    It looks MCU capeshit tier though. Well crafted but generic.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    It was one of those things where I would get complaints regardless of which version I used. I'm happy with how it turned out though ☺

  • @Freelancer837

    @Freelancer837

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think, despite how beautiful Xen in Black Mesa is, it doesn't exactly come off as an unnatural world where the creatures aren't even home to. That being said, I don't mind it being used. Probably would say a mix of both would be the best scenario potentially

  • @lyokianhitchhiker

    @lyokianhitchhiker

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Freelancer837 How would we go about mixing?

  • @sidicle6537

    @sidicle6537

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@punishedblowstein1111 How? Black Mesa Xen is incredibly diverse, and features all sorts of alien biomes leaking into the borderworld. 1000x better than the boring wasteland that was the original.

  • @yourgodemperorofeverything1354
    @yourgodemperorofeverything1354 Жыл бұрын

    Imagine how powerful actually combine is, when all those powerul creatures run away from them, were mostly beaten last survivors, and decided that fighting entire spiecie and each other was better than building up together and fight against combine

  • @codyraugh6599

    @codyraugh6599

    10 ай бұрын

    Well there's also the mystery of Race-X whose homeworld is beyond Xen, and whose goal in targeting Earth was similar to what the Combine ended up doing, but with the implication they had long before possessed access to Xen. I personally find Xen and the sort of multiverse crossroad it is interesting. especially since it's not the typical unimaginative Marvel/DC "oh look that Spiderman has a hat" but that races that are even on a fundamentals of physics way, alien to one another are all meeting and interacting. And of course fighting.

  • @kevinsame
    @kevinsame2 жыл бұрын

    The Xen and Interloper chapters in Black Mesa: Definitive Edition were so well made and u can tell that a lot of love and care was put into creating these levels. It was mesmerizing to play in. Thank you, Crowbar Collective! That is how you do a remaster!

  • @YourNeighborhoodJackass1917

    @YourNeighborhoodJackass1917

    2 жыл бұрын

    Valve: Nah, lets just port it to source.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    They did a great job

  • @calvinlucien

    @calvinlucien

    2 жыл бұрын

    *remake

  • @Drakey_Fenix
    @Drakey_Fenix2 жыл бұрын

    Most people find XEN to be the weakest part in Half-Life, I find that to be the opposite. The new exotic place with stuff to explore made it my favourite location within Half-Life. Black Mesa just made it even better and I spent hours on end exploring every little detail Crowbar Collective had added.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    It was absolutely an experience. Anything new to Half-Life is widely appreciated. Crowbar Collective did an amazing job.

  • @RainingMetal

    @RainingMetal

    2 жыл бұрын

    Understanding how Xen actually functions and how to navigate it made it easier to stomach even before Black Mesa came out (ie you had to budget your ammo carefully), but it still had problems even with that understanding. Black Mesa made them proper chapters worthy of an endgame.

  • @clydemarshall8095

    @clydemarshall8095

    Жыл бұрын

    I wouldn’t go that far, but I do think the hate for it was over blown

  • @pyropulseIXXI

    @pyropulseIXXI

    Жыл бұрын

    I've never heard of 'most people" finding Xen to be the weakest part..... it is like you just made that up. Also, f8ck BM

  • @gusfring8451

    @gusfring8451

    Жыл бұрын

    -rep furry

  • @SprocketWatchclock
    @SprocketWatchclock2 жыл бұрын

    I just had a thought... How do the barnacles reproduce and how do they get stuck on the ceiling in the first place? Do they have hidden legs we can't see? Do they have a larval stage where they bury themselves into it and then change into the slurping barnacles we all know? Do they replicate by spores? Who knows? Also, the Nhilanth was under the Combine's control, at least partially. That's why it had the machanical floating device it's combined with, the third arm that was grafted on (missing from the Black Mesa model for some reason) and the same kind of shackles that the Vortigaunts had. These two pieces of dialogue mention it (albeit vaguely): Nhilanth: "Their slaves... we are their slaves... we are..." All-knowing Vortigaunt: "That sharp spur of hope has not dulled to this day. For once the lesser master lay defeated, we knew the greater must also fall in time."

  • @BillyBob-jy1gv

    @BillyBob-jy1gv

    Жыл бұрын

    About the Barnacle question, They use spores to reproduce! Source: HL:A

  • @emmastrange5557

    @emmastrange5557

    Жыл бұрын

    I assume they are a bit like real life barnacles that before they find a spot to settle they're mobile and fleshy. Then once theyre settled a hard shell forms around them. Why we never see a non-settled barnacle could be explained in a few ways, 1) that period of their life cycle is so brief the likelihood of encountering it is nil, 2) during that phase they are tiny and barely noticeable, gradually growing in size when they settle, 3) I'm wrong about everything, 4) a mixture of all i said.

  • @BillyBob-jy1gv

    @BillyBob-jy1gv

    Жыл бұрын

    @@emmastrange5557 You are unfortunately wrong, the Barnacles in Half-Life use spores to reproduce. You are however right about them being small during infancy. (Source: HL:A)

  • @ianirwin9480
    @ianirwin9480 Жыл бұрын

    Xen was such a big change-up to the setting of shooting baddies in Black Mesa corridors that it was very refreshing towards the end of the game. Objectively speaking it wasn't the best, but being such a short section it didn't overstay its welcome and added to the overall experience to the game.

  • @dxfan18
    @dxfan182 жыл бұрын

    I'd love to see a video about the unused creatures of Xen

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's on the list :D

  • @nonyabeeznuss304
    @nonyabeeznuss304 Жыл бұрын

    I've always viewed the G man as a psuedopod for something unfathomable and alien.

  • @tall_prince
    @tall_prince2 жыл бұрын

    I honestly dont know why people hate on Xen, the vibes alone are impeccable and that's not nostalgia talking, I played the game for the first time last year. keep up the great half life content! You really deserve it

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much! I really enjoyed putting this one together. I did get distracted a lot because I kept flying around the borderworld checking out the stunning region.

  • @tall_prince

    @tall_prince

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Skyrionn noclip can be tantalising lol I'd probably do the same. Keep up the great videos, they are entertaining and educational!

  • @alanfitzgerald9026

    @alanfitzgerald9026

    2 жыл бұрын

    The xen chapters are not great I suppose, but I kind of like it. The hive hand really shines during this part. It's fun to circle strafe the gonarch with the shotgun

  • @UVStardust
    @UVStardust2 жыл бұрын

    My gamertag for most things is XenGarden or a variation of it because of my love for the original Half Life series I played as a kid. Xen was always my favourite place even though everyone hated it. Black Mesa's version of Xen is my personal favourite because visually it is much more appealing and more in line with my general aesthetic with all the blues and purples. As well as the fact that the boids got an awesome revamp. I love Half Life so much, that the first tattoo I got was the lambda symbol on my back. I also don't know any other females who are huge fans of the game like myself.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    A Half-Life tattoo is dedication! ☺

  • @Ulrich_dArth
    @Ulrich_dArth2 жыл бұрын

    8:21 SUSTENANCE :D

  • @theoddkeizer4203
    @theoddkeizer42032 жыл бұрын

    Wake up doctor freeman, wake up and smell the ashes...

  • @halfmaul2095
    @halfmaul20955 ай бұрын

    Keep making this videos. You are keeping this big, wonderful world alive.

  • @maxron6514
    @maxron6514 Жыл бұрын

    I played the campaign back in 1998 when i was very young. I did not really understand english but i had a friend who had an english father. We played the shit out of this game together and foremost against each other on deathmatch sessions. I remember bringing my pc many times to his home. Half-Life was seriously the shit back then so often we had other friends who joined us playing the game over lan for days including nights. Good memories.

  • @thatdudemetro6271
    @thatdudemetro62712 жыл бұрын

    The fact that half life alyx final hours refers to xen as a multiverse makes it much more interesting.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Everyone loves a multiverse

  • @thatdudemetro6271

    @thatdudemetro6271

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Skyrionn Definitely, it also makes the combine hunting the nihilath interesting too, a chase across the multiverse, thats some doctor who level of amazing there with some lovecraftian flavour. The more i look at the lore the more i realize that valve knows how to make stories.

  • @sillydilly2725
    @sillydilly2725 Жыл бұрын

    Good call working with both. Looked great

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks 👍

  • @eessppeenn001
    @eessppeenn0012 жыл бұрын

    And the rocket Gordon sends up to stop the resonance cascade gets used by the two progagonists of Half Life Decay. Using 3 crystals to un-resonate with Xen, but as it was about to work, the Nihilanth retaliates and pulls through a massive energy surge, destroying the 3 crystals and keeping the portals open. And at the end of Half Life, G-man says: "The border world, Xen, is under our controll *for the time being*, thanks to you." And I've always enterpreted this to be that the Combine detected the portal surge from the Nihilanth dying and discovering Xen and shortly thereafter Earth. Not like you suggested that the Combine detected the resonance cascade.

  • @johnnysatanseed4770
    @johnnysatanseed47702 жыл бұрын

    Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and shine...not that I wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. No one is more deserving of a rest. And all the effort in the world would have gone to waste until...well, let's just say your hour has come again. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world ...So, wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes.

  • @gwenith22
    @gwenith222 жыл бұрын

    Your pace and voice is wonderful, you made 20 minutes feel like 5, but in the best way possible. I’ve learned a lot from this, thank you!!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much. I think I've finally found my groove with the voiceover style now. I'm glad you enjoyed it

  • @-AAA-147
    @-AAA-1472 жыл бұрын

    "Aw, you cut the Half-Life Xen! Sellout." --Black Mesa Security Guard

  • @f14m3z
    @f14m3z2 жыл бұрын

    Can you do one of these on the Combine? We know about Civil Protection and the Citadel but just what are the Combine and where do they come from? What of their origins and their motivation? Cheers

  • @CutMeSomeSlackTheVII

    @CutMeSomeSlackTheVII

    Жыл бұрын

    breengrub talks about this a lot

  • @zuri8testlastname829
    @zuri8testlastname8292 жыл бұрын

    Don't take my word for it, but I think the g-man actually gave the xen crystal Wallace Breen GG-3883, now whether he gave it directly to him or in some other way I don't know, but probably the g-man overdid it that the spectrometer against mass to work at 105% which led to the opening of an intermedia portal with xen. There’s probably no interest directly to g-man in controlling xen, probably his employers control xen, which is why I don’t know, although employers themselves are a big mystery in the Half Life universe as well as g-man. Although I believe that Nihilanth opened the portal and moved to another universe in order to escape from Combine, and when he left, he immediately closed the interdimensional portal and thus escaped from them. In Half Life Decay in the last chapter it is the Gamma Labs machine which was used to get xen creatures without going to xen, used to reverse the cascade and seal the picot between earth and xen where much or drastically affected the interdimensional portal.

  • @mrunitforge

    @mrunitforge

    2 жыл бұрын

    The fact that G-man told Eli just before Gordon pushes the cart into the mass "whatever the name is" also confirms that G-man was indeed the man who gave the crystal to Breen/Vance/Kleiner/Magnusson

  • @Hiihtopipa

    @Hiihtopipa

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@mrunitforge the fact is we don't know

  • @the100radsstalker93

    @the100radsstalker93

    2 жыл бұрын

    You know who his real employer is: it's Cave Johnson the CEO of Aperture Science.

  • @CrysisYaDig
    @CrysisYaDig2 жыл бұрын

    this soundtrack and ur voice hits perfectly

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you ☺

  • @Azmina_the_warlock
    @Azmina_the_warlock Жыл бұрын

    I feel so dumb. For some reason I always thought the Xen creatures came with the Combine. Despite it being completely obvious and playing Half-Life 1 repeatedly, I totally missed that the portals connected to Xen brought the creatures and it was the Resonance Cascade that attracted the Combine who would show up in HL2 🤦🏻‍♀️ anyways these videos are amazing

  • @rolltic
    @rolltic2 жыл бұрын

    Great seeing the Back Mesa footage. Love both games just as equally, but visually BM's Xen is just something else and is just beautiful to walk through.

  • @the100radsstalker93
    @the100radsstalker932 жыл бұрын

    The Combine are the real villains. They're scary, awful, cruel and evil.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    100%

  • @KaihanDTuna

    @KaihanDTuna

    Жыл бұрын

    I would love to hear a lore of Combine domination... I just really curious what are they

  • @ghhn4505

    @ghhn4505

    Жыл бұрын

    I feel like not many would contest you on that

  • @ron3557

    @ron3557

    Жыл бұрын

    From our standpoint, yes. However it is likely if we discovered advanced space travel like the combine we would do the same things they do, taking over planets and species. Galactic domination isn't mutually exclusive, the combine really just did it first and that's why they succeeded.

  • @cherrikola999
    @cherrikola9992 жыл бұрын

    12:36 *when the Nihilanth accidentally opens his front camera*

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    whoops

  • @dick-diddling-bandit

    @dick-diddling-bandit

    2 жыл бұрын

    Lmao

  • @Electreel64

    @Electreel64

    2 жыл бұрын

    "I showed you my third arm, please respond".

  • @emporer15
    @emporer15 Жыл бұрын

    *Meanwhile in an alternate timeline* Nihilanth: We're refugees trying to survive away from the fear of a multiversal slave empire. Let us live on Earth and we'll share with you our advanced technology. Black Mesa: Sure, that sounds reasonable. We've got a big desert here away from the public eyes, so you can also live in secret while we learn how your organo-tech works.

  • @Jannnn_
    @Jannnn_ Жыл бұрын

    god, i love this so much! the way you explain everything so well is magnificent! keep it up :)

  • @sazarloca4536
    @sazarloca4536 Жыл бұрын

    I thought I know about half life, but your videos absolutely smash the knowledge of these universes.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm happy to help!

  • @Idkusername1234
    @Idkusername12342 жыл бұрын

    Hi! I just wanna say (if you didn't know) that there are a few kinds of Black Mesa spawnlists for gmod. There is a Prop, Npc (the npc one has expands. One is called Xen expand the other idk. But it's easy to find it) and even BMCE spawnlist.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think I found that 😂

  • @Ghostvface
    @Ghostvface2 жыл бұрын

    Was waiting for this one. Impressive work.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you G-Man! There's more to come ☺

  • @mrsubject1
    @mrsubject12 жыл бұрын

    This is really well done, love your work!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for watching! There's more to come ☺

  • @johntrains1317
    @johntrains1317 Жыл бұрын

    These videos are seriously well done.

  • @anonymousobserver6508
    @anonymousobserver6508 Жыл бұрын

    I feel like the combine are exactly like the nihilanth; in that at the very top of the combine chain, there is a being that was enslaved by a powerful force as well and started its own enslavement

  • @bigjimmy3792
    @bigjimmy37922 жыл бұрын

    Such interesting lore thank you for the content

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the kind words!

  • @rootsnootthnute8598
    @rootsnootthnute8598 Жыл бұрын

    Did the Nihilanth maybe alter the Vortigaunts to resemble themself? They have the same morphology, as do the grunts, controllers, and the gargantua, to an extent.

  • @CJNiiva
    @CJNiiva Жыл бұрын

    I enjoyed watching the combination of the original and black mesa, and liked that you chose to just show whats canon

  • @Bigtvable
    @Bigtvable2 жыл бұрын

    Finally! Can’t wait to listen to this after work!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I hope you enjoy it!

  • @l337sama2
    @l337sama22 жыл бұрын

    When you escape extinction by the Combine: 12:18

  • @dick-diddling-bandit

    @dick-diddling-bandit

    2 жыл бұрын

    I’m shivering rn dude, my species went extinct, fuck. I better start pull out my phone an start jacking it.

  • @user-ol7bt4wp1j
    @user-ol7bt4wp1j Жыл бұрын

    I wouldn’t know exactly but with the similarities of the Nihilanth and flying big heads and alien soldiers id think they actually came FROM the same planet as the Vortigaunts due to the similarities.

  • @gendygoblin8391
    @gendygoblin83913 ай бұрын

    “Wake up and smell the ashes,” is such a good line.

  • @Idkusername1234
    @Idkusername12342 жыл бұрын

    OMG FINALLY!!! AND YOU USED BLACK MESA FOOTAGE!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's a test. We'll see how it is received ☺

  • @fernandom.varela1109
    @fernandom.varela1109 Жыл бұрын

    Wake up and smell the ashes It was difficult to find 😅

  • @evelynlamoy8483
    @evelynlamoy848310 ай бұрын

    worth noting that though we've never seen them on xen, its incredibly likely that the vortigaunts either found antlions on xen or brought them with them from their home world, as there are machines QUITE similar to combine thumpers on Xen.

  • @theStonehouse
    @theStonehouse3 ай бұрын

    I like to think that G-man is a time-traveler working for Combine and Black Mesa incident happens in a time loop of some sort.

  • @arthurwiebusch9292
    @arthurwiebusch92922 жыл бұрын

    Awesome video!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Too kind :D

  • @thedukeofweasels6870
    @thedukeofweasels6870 Жыл бұрын

    xen is super convenient gateway between worlds with stable gravity and breathable atmosphere a perfect tool almost makes it seem like it was constructed for a purpose rather than being a natural phenomenon

  • @bluffs6987
    @bluffs69872 жыл бұрын

    Think you ment valve when you said bethesda at 27:09 :) Apart from that it was an amazing video!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I was attempting to use Bethesda as a comparison to Valve's storytelling but I worded it so badly that it didn't make sense looking back haha. Thanks for watching!

  • @bluffs6987

    @bluffs6987

    2 жыл бұрын

    I see what you mean now! Haha! With context it totally makes sense! ❤

  • @DeeZeeX
    @DeeZeeX2 жыл бұрын

    Great vid !

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @lekkastutorials
    @lekkastutorials2 жыл бұрын

    Keep making these videos i love them so much

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Will do!

  • @frasermitchell1517
    @frasermitchell15172 жыл бұрын

    Loved the vid 👌

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    More comments. Loving seeing your name

  • @jonaspete
    @jonaspete2 жыл бұрын

    I'll keep this to watch in the morning with morning coffee.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Nice! I hope you enjoy it!

  • @randomhaydo8771
    @randomhaydo87712 жыл бұрын

    Man, this was one pretty looking episode

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks bud! Much appreciated ☺

  • @mzech6536
    @mzech65362 жыл бұрын

    love your vids on half life :D

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I love putting them together

  • @ArnieMcStranglehold
    @ArnieMcStranglehold2 жыл бұрын

    When I was, I dunno, 13? first playing through Half-Life, this kind of thing was still relatively new, even if my dad got the game a few years after it initially came out, with its two expansions, on sale. This entire game was mind-blowing. I had played Duke3D, Shadow Warrior, Quake, and way, wayyyy too much Doom. Half-Life was everything in one game. It was exploration, exposition, DISASTER, and sometimes outright horror. Creepy but really good music, and an atmosphere that didn't get matched for me, personally, until I played Unreal. Nothing can nostalgically compare to Half-Life as far as first person narratives go for me. I can't replay it because I know it's a bit dated now and I don't want to ruin the sweet delicious nostalgia I draw on from it sometimes. :D

  • @BartJBols
    @BartJBols2 жыл бұрын

    20:50 Wait, Bethesda?

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I worded that part so badly. My point was lost haha

  • @BartJBols

    @BartJBols

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Skyrionn like i was in the xen world.

  • @Drakey_Fenix
    @Drakey_Fenix2 жыл бұрын

    27:09 Bethesda games? A bit of a mishap there xD

  • @JohnKerrashVirgo

    @JohnKerrashVirgo

    2 жыл бұрын

    Maximum oof :P

  • @TheEnd5632

    @TheEnd5632

    2 жыл бұрын

    Lmao

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, they have a great way of telling a story through environment. Valve are great for it too ☺

  • @frasermitchell1517
    @frasermitchell15172 жыл бұрын

    Also which design of the Nihilanth do you prefer. I kinda think that the original one with completely black eyes was more creepy. Though I do prefer the forward base of operations that they had in Xen

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I prefer the original tbh - with having made this video in Black Mesa, I had to stick with that style for the Nihilanth for the video

  • @BlazeOfGlory2003
    @BlazeOfGlory20037 ай бұрын

    Putting the lore aside, the Nihilanth reworked fight was amazing

  • @MasterJuru
    @MasterJuru2 жыл бұрын

    Good stuff dood

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks bud! Too kind

  • @newcastleman86
    @newcastleman862 жыл бұрын

    I really enjoyed this video. Mixing Half-life and Black Mesa for this video turned out great. What did you find interesting when researching for this lore video? Thank you and enjoy your week!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hey bud! The biggest thing for me while doing this was not really the research tbh, but just how well the remake captured Xen and made it even more stunning. I've now learned I can use Black Mesa to get nicer shots. Will use the original at points too!

  • @Webkinzofficial
    @Webkinzofficial2 жыл бұрын

    You've got a Werner Herzog like voice. I'm hooked

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think that's a compliment :) Thank you!

  • @awkwardnoise6715
    @awkwardnoise6715 Жыл бұрын

    Wake up and smell those ashes baybeeee (outside the window of the vortigaunt house :))

  • @giuli999
    @giuli9992 жыл бұрын

    Love this series.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I appreciate the support

  • @TheIrishTexan
    @TheIrishTexan Жыл бұрын

    It looks like a lot of your background footage is shot through gmod. How did you get the Black Mesa maps in gmod? I'd love to be able to do the same, it'd be a massively useful asset to a lot of my projects.

  • @MultiDreamGaming
    @MultiDreamGaming2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome to see you use Black Mesa for video!! It'd be awesome if all lore videos were recorded there :D but that's just my opinion, for me Black Mesa will always be what the writers pictured half life to look like, in their imaginations,but were limited by goldsrc engine capabilities

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think that is the direction I'm going to go in. Of course, using it to only show off Valve's canon.

  • @xXthatsexypandaXx
    @xXthatsexypandaXx Жыл бұрын

    Games like this are so well written it feels like only somone who’s witnessed it in real life could tell a tale like it. Man wouldn’t it be awesome if it wasn’t just a game? Lol

  • @thefollower2933

    @thefollower2933

    Жыл бұрын

    So you want to live through the combine invasion? Lmao

  • @Ixxlostinabox

    @Ixxlostinabox

    Жыл бұрын

    Idk bro I like being alive and not a hive mind grub

  • @RobiePAX
    @RobiePAX2 жыл бұрын

    Great to see you use BM footage! It fits really well with the video.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    It seems to have gone pretty well. BM is stunning

  • @rgbforever4561
    @rgbforever45612 жыл бұрын

    i find this COMBINED style very nice

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I see what you did there. You deserve a heart.

  • @idigdeadthings7612
    @idigdeadthings76122 жыл бұрын

    is it that time again?....wake up and smell the ashes.....

  • @18pegi
    @18pegi2 жыл бұрын

    Great work man👍🙌👏 pleas more. (I wish ther would be a german Version of youre Videos😅)

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think KZread has the caption feature for German? I think so anyway. Thanks for the support.

  • @andrewmartina2715
    @andrewmartina27152 жыл бұрын

    Tbh you do really good with video games lore thats why i subcsribe too your channel becasued its very instresting and the vioce talking matces with the talk about the history of the games and story

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks bud! That is kind. There's more to come with new games too!

  • @datoneguyonyoutube
    @datoneguyonyoutube Жыл бұрын

    i think the reason why a lot of people hate xen is because of the puzzles, no not those puzzles the plug puzzles plus sometimes in interloper alongside the factory things can become REALLY REALLY annoying.

  • @MrCatoo76
    @MrCatoo76 Жыл бұрын

    I found the G man at 22:34. I know its not what you asked the viewers to do but I found him there

  • @MoonLightFML
    @MoonLightFML2 жыл бұрын

    How the resonnance cascade did manifest on Xen ? Did random portals randomly spawned all over the borderworld ?

  • @pirincri
    @pirincri2 жыл бұрын

    Nihilanth, controllers, grunts and vortiguants have the same origin, as evidenced by their shared 3rd limb. Vorts, controllers and grunts also have similar eyes. Nihilanth has two main eyes, but also an additional three lining its brow. Nihilanth escaped the combine with some controllers, vorts and grunt tech under its control.

  • @srdjanrikic978

    @srdjanrikic978

    2 жыл бұрын

    No. The grunts are genetically modified vortigaunts while the alien controllers are beings made from the Nihailinth dna

  • @pirincri

    @pirincri

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@srdjanrikic978 Well, maybe controllers and grunts are vort/nihi combine tech, but nihilanth and vorts have the same origin.

  • @srdjanrikic978

    @srdjanrikic978

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@pirincri I don't believe they have any sort of connection besides the third arm which could just represent that they have psychic abilities and it could also just be convergent evolution. The Nihialinth clearly says that it is the last of its species while the vortigaunts besides the third arm have no connection to the Nilinth

  • @pirincri

    @pirincri

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@srdjanrikic978 Them being related by their arm is more likely than otherwise. The nihilanth could be the last of the mind-controlling rulers.

  • @srdjanrikic978

    @srdjanrikic978

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@pirincri im pretty sure lore wise they were just imprisoned by the nihialinth when they came to xen. It could be that at one point it was like that but it was later retconed.

  • @Crash99800
    @Crash998002 жыл бұрын

    You should do a lore behind the core of the citadel

  • @jackdaniels5071

    @jackdaniels5071

    2 жыл бұрын

    "A big angry ball" Fin

  • @mzech6536
    @mzech65362 жыл бұрын

    hey can you try to make a lore video on gman? no one on yt has made a clear video on him yet :D

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    He's on my list. I don't have a lot of time to do a ton of research yet for him, but in the next month - I should have a lot more!

  • @herrfreimann2950
    @herrfreimann29502 жыл бұрын

    Wake up Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes.

  • @ravick007
    @ravick0072 жыл бұрын

    Xen have a lot of hunters and it always makes me fell their prey are lacking. What do they hunt on the daily basis? It'd be interesting to see in some game or mod.

  • @ShawndaPrawn

    @ShawndaPrawn

    2 жыл бұрын

    From what I understand, Xen isn’t exactly a dimension of its own, but a sort of border between universes, and that every separate species encountered on Xen each originate from a separate universe before ending up there somehow. Hell, the Vortigaunts and Nihilanth only ended up there because they were fleeing the Combine. As such, it’s likely that the flora and fauna of Xen is effectively a mixed bag of multiple separate ecosystems, so the predatory alien animals found there don’t really have their usual prey to hunt. Not sure how they got there in the first place though, unless they just accidentally noclipped there like the backrooms or something.

  • @nukenugget
    @nukenugget4 ай бұрын

    You know what is odd? the Nihilanth has 3 arms becasue ONE is sown on. His soldiers on the other hand all have 3 arms naturally. Maybe he is an experiment that fled the lab and made other creatures in his immage.

  • @BTW4LK
    @BTW4LK Жыл бұрын

    I know it's a game and all, but how did Xen wildlife actually SURVIVE on earth? Once they invade they'd be introduced to a plethora of microbes that would wreak havok on their unfamiliar immune system.

  • @AsparagusVideo
    @AsparagusVideo2 жыл бұрын

    The G-Man brought the crystal to the black mesa team.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes he did

  • @Krabbenkuchen
    @Krabbenkuchen2 жыл бұрын

    So, wake up Mr Freeman, wake up and smell the ashes

  • @wooflakes
    @wooflakes2 жыл бұрын

    Black Mesa's Zen is just so beautiful

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    It really is

  • @lispy0nline
    @lispy0nline2 жыл бұрын

    Resonance cascade explanation starts at 17:50 LETS GOOO

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Put it in just for you haha

  • @halfmaul2095
    @halfmaul2095 Жыл бұрын

    Hmm, Nihilanth discovered earth, planet that wasn't enslaved by the combine so he decided to attack it wich made it weaker wich made combine attack it.

  • @lennonzamora5387
    @lennonzamora5387 Жыл бұрын

    It's unfortunate the Xenian and Race X factions didn't instead team up with Earth. Combine could have probably been defeated or held off with all three working together.

  • @yourgodemperorofeverything1354

    @yourgodemperorofeverything1354

    Жыл бұрын

    I don't think so, really. Combine genocided so many powerful spiecies, and controls so powerful tech, you can't really defeat them only with brute strength. There is a reason why g-man uses humans, and why only chance to fight back combine is many years after they took over years, when there is only small force of actuall combine forces on the planet, meant to controll population. I think it's very telling of how powerful combine actually is, when Xen and Race X think fighting earth and each other is much better way than facing combine.

  • @TheKingtiger501
    @TheKingtiger5012 жыл бұрын

    Back in. Black Mesa, I was playing it, until I reach XEN, It’s Very Beautiful.

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    Stunning

  • @borneightyfour9652
    @borneightyfour9652 Жыл бұрын

    Just imagine a real XEN In real life

  • @planetearth2249
    @planetearth22492 жыл бұрын

    At last, the beautiful borderworld!

  • @Skyrionn

    @Skyrionn

    2 жыл бұрын

    A stunning borderworld

  • @tobiaspramono378
    @tobiaspramono378 Жыл бұрын

    Ah yes, one of the strongest creature loses to a nerd with HK MP5 and M203 and a Crowbar Deutsche Qualitat

  • @DandyDNA
    @DandyDNA Жыл бұрын

    Is this interpretation of the Xen timeline correct? I thought the Vortigaunts and Controllers came to Xen at the same time from the same place. Both species have arms from their chests, so I think they evolved on the same planet

  • @gagaplex
    @gagaplex Жыл бұрын

    What always confuses me about Xen as a border world without its own fauna and flora: Why are Nihilanth, Vortigaunts, Controllers and Grunts so similar? They have a humanoid body plan with an additional chest-mounted arm. Yet they are all supposed to be from different dimensions? Back when I only knew Half-Life 1, I had assumed they were all from the same realm and had developed this way because of a common evolutionary ancestor (kind of how, say, all mammals on Earth have a similar basic body plan).

  • @xXthatsexypandaXx
    @xXthatsexypandaXx Жыл бұрын

    Iv had dreams of a place like this . Huh

  • @Paper_Brain
    @Paper_Brain2 жыл бұрын

    Is the whole thing about the vortigaunts canon, or is that just the most common theory? It checks out with the nihlanth coming there and finding the vorts to enslave, despite the vorts not being native, but is that canon?

  • @DrRogern

    @DrRogern

    2 жыл бұрын

    I have never seen any evidence that the vortigaunts came to Xen before being enslaved by Nihilanth.

  • @jackdaniels5071

    @jackdaniels5071

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think their world was taken over by the combine and found xen, which later was found by the nihilanth, who said "it's free real estate" (exact words) and enslaved them.

  • @EduPotvin
    @EduPotvin10 ай бұрын

    Wake up and smell the ashes...

Келесі